There’s still time to get your skates on and go to the island’s ice rink.

The facility is open till January 3.

Throughout the year students at Queen Elizabeth II High School have been earning reward stickers on behalf of their school house.

These are awarded for effort, progress, positive attitude and contribution to the school community.

The winning house last term, with a total of 6,816 reward stickers, was Caaig.

Thanks to the generosity of the team at Ice-Skate.im, more than 120 students aged 11 to 14 were rewarded with a session at the ice-skating rink at the Tynwald Mills shopping centre in St John’s.

The story below has over 50 hidden bird names.

Find them all and you could win a Manx Birdlife prize.

The first three correct answers, clearly showing the names you have found, and arriving by email or post can choose between a Manx Bird Atlas (worth £30) and the documentary Isle of Man - A Natural World (worth £12.99).

I went to the DIY shop – DIY is a hobby of mine.

I needed a hammer to put up some decorations and also some sandpiper to smooth out some plaster work. On the way I stopped to buy some petrel and later had to brake violently to avoid a mallard in the road.

The woman behind me ran into my bumper and, oh boy! was she raven mad!

She let out a very loud ‘shrike’. She was all dolled up like a peacock and said I had made her late for an interview all because of a ruddy duck!

Said I was a bald old coot who shouldn’t be driving! I felt a proper tit but no damage done so nothing really to grouse about.

I got in a bit of a knot because the shop had no yellowhammers but they had some with a redshank or a greenshank which were ok instead. I must say the bunting looked quite good when I’d finished, I was quite choughed with it - but nothing to crow about.

Mind you, that won’t stop someone having a snipe at me about it!

By now I was starving so I popped into The Falcon, where they did a good partridge, roasted on a skua.

A fair price too, because they don’t rook you there.

I didn’t stint. I ate like a gannet and had a good ‘swallow’ or two, couple of pints of Woodpecker cider and some of that Heron and Brierley bitter… maybe too much because when I came out I took a funny tern and felt a bit ruff.

Well, it was eider the drink or delayed shock from the accident. So …to get some fresh air I walked down the cliff to the shore and saw some lads skylarking with a lovely red kite – well, at that age you wood lark about, wouldn’t you? Better than going out robin places.

The kite was very swift in the fresh breeze.

I met my old school friend the scuba diver and as we walked back to the cliff, across the sand, Martin asked me if I was enjoying my peregrineation or if I was just going to swan about all day. I leaned on a rail, lit a pipe of my trusty old tobacco, rum shag, and puffin gently I said: ‘Come back to my house, Martin, and we can chat about old times. Maybe Bill could join us too, and we can have a few drinks and some crake.’

‘Well, I wood, cock’. he said But I’m not that gull-ible.

‘You’ll be feeding me strong drink until I’m totally cuckoo. No thank you!.’

Then he went off to do some brambling and make some jam. So I went home to find Bill already there, sporting a HUGE beard.

‘Have you lost your razor, Bill?’ I joked. At that point my wife appeared and gazing at me with those lovely goldeneyes of hers said ‘You’re drunk!’.

‘Well, I might be a little bit happy, my turtle dove, but I’m not drunk,’ I said as I lovingly slipped my arm round her waist and gave her an affectionate goos, and …er! …a sloppy kiss.

‘Gerroff, you old buzzard!’ she said. ‘Oops,’ I said. ‘I think she’s a bit cross, Bill! Owl go and lie down, I think…!’ And that is all I remember until morning.

Manx Birdlife is a Manx charity that works to conserve the Isle of Man’s wild birds and their habitats.

It collates bird sightings from the public and runs a garden birdwatch scheme that anyone with a garden can join for free. The Manx Bird Atlas was the first project the charity took on in 1998 and it is still the most comprehensive book about birds in the Isle of Man.

The answers should be sent to enquiries@manxbirdlife.im or 35 New Road, Laxey, IM4 7BG.

David Raymond Kelso and Kathleen Patricia Kelso, both of 6 Campion Crescent, Reayrt Ny Keylley, Peel, bought Cronk Aalin, 11 Woodlea Villas, Crosby, for £265,000.

It was bought from Stephen Michael Finn and Fiona Meinir Finn.

Other recent transactions lodged at the General Registry in Douglas are as follows:

Robert Weatherup Price and Florence Moffett Price, of 29 Hazel Court, Upper Pulrose, Douglas, sold 35 Birch Hill Avenue, Onchan, for £255,000, to John William Halsall, and Rachel Margaret Halsall.

Roger Clive Jones and Linda Christine Jones, sold Ellenville, Ellenbrook Avenue, Kewaigue, Douglas, for £253,000, to David Patrick Unsworth and Sean Richard Unsworth, of 9 Ballakermeen Avenue, Douglas.

Peter Halsall and Dorothy Jean Halsall, both of Silverlea, Main Road, Kirk Michael, sold Cronksyde, 5 Cronk Road, Union Mills, for £225,000, to Samantha Jane Carroll, of 7 Glen Darragh Gardens, Glen Vine.

Geoffrey Alan Walmsley and Susan Lorraine Walmsley, and Stefanie Louise Walmsley, of 22 Keeill Pharrick Park, Glen Vine, sold 11 Bluebell Close, Douglas, for £223,000 to Lee Ramsey Stout and Gemma Louise Sayle, both of Ellan Bane Farm, Lezayre.

Ann Irene Rooney, of 2 Osborne Terrace, Douglas, sold 63 Bucks Road, Douglas, for £200,000 to Charles Hurst Estates Limited, whose registered office is situated at Middle Cronk Bane, Cronk Y Voddy, Kirk Michael.

Neil Anthony Bayliss, of Teal, Tromode Road, Douglas, sold 38 Lakeside Road, Hillberry Lakes, Douglas, for £176,000, to Robert Harry Greenwood and Tracy Jane Greenwood, both of Lingmell, Highfield Drive, Baldrine.

John Gerard Halligan and Sarah Jane Halligan sold 2 Melbourne Street, Douglas, for £157,500, to Steven Woods, of 24 Ashbourne Avenue, Douglas.

The Salvation Army Trustee Company, whose registered office is situated in London, sold Trinity Laxey Nursery, Shore Road, Laxey, for £150,000, to John Gartland and Judy Gartland, both of Lingmell, 9 Third Avenue, Douglas.

----------------------------

We publish details of all house sales unless we receive a written request from the police or probation services.

Isle of Man Railways has paid tribute to its teams of volunteers who have provided more than 1,000 hours of unpaid assistance during 2015. Volunteer groups on both the steam and electric railways undertake restoration of rolling stock plus assist at key events such as the Manx Heritage transport Festival and Rush Hour on the Railways.

Phil Gawne MHK, Minister for Infrastructure, said: ‘I’d like to personally thank each and every one of the volunteers. They range from the organised groups who give so generously of their weekends and evenings to various projects and assisting at the steam and MER museums to other individuals who enhance passengers’ experience by routinely planting flowers and maintaining our smaller stations.

‘Their assistance has a big impact on our services and I am grateful to all who assist.’

Twelve volunteers on the steam railway, co-ordinated for IoM Railways by Mike Buttell, have notched up more than 800 hours work between them including:

l Restoration and painting the Douglas signal box, including the Dutton lever frame. The box once controlled a myriad of lines and signals at the railway terminus. Work will continue on this historic building through 2016.

l Enhancing the Railway Museum, Port Erin, including input into the Railway Museum Guide leaflet

l Assisting with the planning and delivery of the Winter Photography, Rush Hour, Manx Heritage Transport Festival events, including co-hosting a film show at the Manx Museum and leading the tour of closed lines

l Providing guides for evening and weekend tours of the Museum from July to September plus for the Heritage Open Days in October

l Providing on board commentaries and a 
film show for special charters, events and groups

l Working with IOM15mil modellers to put on two model exhibitions during 2015 at the Railway Museum

l Working with Braddan Commissioners providing information and photographs for the refurbished Heritage Trail and exhibition at Union Mills Station

l Working alongside IoM Railway Walks, providing extra guides for walking parties.

Volunteers on the Manx Electric Railway include teenagers William Collins and Cade Williamson who have manned the MER Museum every Sunday during the 2015 season plus for other festivals and events. The two are responsible for the museum’s dedicated Facebook page which has increased visitor numbers.

The main volunteer group assisting on the electric railways is manxelectricrailway.co.uk, which operates a comprehensive website and Facebook page providing history and news items relating to the MER and SMR.

The group’s major project during 2015 has been the restoration of Manx Electric Car 14, involving six volunteers.

MER volunteers co-ordinator Andrew Scarffe explained: ‘This open car is one of five purchased for the opening of the line between Laxey and Ramsey in 1898. One of the five cars was re-equipped in 1903 but the other four retained their original electrical equipment and motors which are now the oldest on the MER. These four cars were not equipped with air brakes and were reliant on hand operated brakes giving the cars their nickname “ratchet” cars due to the ratchet mechanism fitted to their handbrakes.

‘As Manx tourism declined in the late 1960s and early 1970s the ratchet cars were gradually taken out of service. Car 14 was last used on passenger service in 1978 and none of the cars is now in use.’

The decision to restore car 14 to working order was taken last year. It will be used on the advanced sessions of Ultimate Driving Experiences where members of the public pay to spend a day driving one of the MER’s vintage tram cars.

The restoration project is the first time that volunteers and the MER’s in-house engineers are working together on a restoration project. Volunteers are restoring and repainting the bodywork and MER engineers will concentrate on the refurbishment of the motors and electrical equipment.

During the initial stages of restoration, removal of the traditional MER red and white livery revealed the original varnished woodwork which the car carried when new in 1898. It has therefore been decided to restore the tram to as near as possible its 1898 condition, with varnished bulkheads, uprights and seats; ivory roof; maroon dash panels and gold lettering.

It is hoped that the car will be operational during 2017.

This year MER volunteers have additionally:

l Assisted with planning and operation of Rush Hour and Heritage Transport Festival events

l Planned and operated the MER Winter Photography event

l Provided guided tours around Derby Castle and Laxey car shed

l Operated guided evening tours on the MER and produced event souvenir booklets

l Co-hosted film show evening at the Manx Museum

l Promoted events through the website and Facebook page

l Provided publicity and support to the restoration of MER Car 14.

Lastly there is a group of eight volunteers drawn from Lonan and Laxey Heritage Trust who began restoration of withdrawn MER goods stock in 2010. Since that time volunteers have fully restored open wagons 8 and 10 dating to 1898 and mail van 16 dating to 1908. All are now operational.

This has involved countless hours of volunteer work to restore the rolling stock and raise the necessary funding.

Van 16 was restored with the assistance of sponsorship from IOM Post Office and was officially launched back into service during the Heritage Transport Festival in July this year.

In conjunction with Isle of Man Post Office, the volunteers are also creating an exhibition to the rear of the MER goods shed at Laxey recording the story of the Manx Electric Railway’s conveyance of mail between Douglas and Ramsey. A replica of the old Lewaigue waiting shelter has been constructed as part of the exhibition.

Laxey and Lonan Heritage Trust has placed tubs of bedding plants and hanging baskets at MER waiting shelters in the area for the last five seasons.

Volunteers from this group have also carried out litter picks on the MER line and recently tidied the area surrounding Dreemskerry halt and repainted the waiting shelter.

A development company and its director have lost yet another appeal in their long-running dispute over multi-million pound bank loans that were not repaid.

Sam Alder, director of development company Slegaby Estates, was sued by Lloyds TSB Offshore as guarantor for funds lent to the firm in 2008 for its farm conversion scheme in Onchan.

Lloyds TSB Offshore Ltd had approved loans totalling £5.65 million, of which just under £2.6m excluding interest, charges and costs was outstanding.

In May 2012, the court dismissed defence claims by Slegaby Estates Ltd that the bank was guilty of imprudent lending and High Bailiff John Needham allowed summary judgment in favour of Lloyds, paving the way for the bank to claim back the £2.6m on a joint and several basis, and also to recover legal fees and interest.

Slegaby Estates and Mr Alder appealed but that appeal was dismissed in February last year.

An application to appeal to the Privy Council was also rejected, on the grounds that it did not raise an arguable point of law.

Subsequently, the High Court dismissed an application for the continuation of a stay of execution imposed pending the decision of the Privy Council and the appellants were ordered to pay the costs of the appeal.

In May last year, Slegaby Estates and Mr Alder issued a claim for damages of £3,970,648 for negligence and/or breach of contract and/or misrepresentation by the bank from 2006 onwards in respect of the Onchan property development.

In October that year, the bank applied to strike out the action, arguing it was an abuse of process.

And in a judgment in March this year, the High Bailiff held that the appellants were precluded from pursuing the majority of their claims and the proceedings were indeed an abuse of process.

Slegaby Estates and Mr Alder then appealed against that judgment, arguing that the test for striking out the case was not met on the facts of the case and there were special circumstances for having the case reopened.

They also sought an order callingfor Judge of Appeal Tattersall and Deemster Christie not to hear their appeal as there was a ‘real possibility that they would be biased’ when dealing with it or any related application.

The appeal judges dismissed the latter, saying they were satisfied that they should not ‘recuse’ themselves from hearing the substantive appeal which was subsequently heard in September.

Now the appeal court has given its written judgment.

Judge of Appeal Tattersall and Deemster Christie concluded: ‘We can find no merit in the appellants’ appeal and it is dismissed.’

They added: ‘We can detect no error at all in the reasoning and approach of the High Bailiff.

‘Indeed, standing back from this case it would be quite a surprising result if the proposition advanced by the appellants was correct. The consequence would be that where an action was struck out summarily without a trial it would always be open to the unsuccessful party to re-commence proceedings in relation to the same subject matter. We do not understand that to be the law at all – indeed, it would be entirely contrary to what we understand the law to be.’

For Laxey landlord Paul Phillips it’s business as usual at the Shore Hotel after the floodwater cascaded into the pub’s Bosun brewery.

While the brewery building, which is attached to the pub, took a battering the pub itself escaped the floodwater and still has draught beer on tap.

But the clear up operation in the brewery could take weeks before things get back to normal.

‘The brewery could take some time to repair,’ said Paul.

‘The main casualties in the brewery were five pumps used to pump the beer between different stages of the brewing process.

‘These will need repair or refurbishment. Some equipment like the main beer cooler was submerged under four feet of water. The pumps will cost £600 to £700 each to refurbish and as much as £5,000 for the beer cooler. Flood water came to within two inches of the main control panel so he is still waiting to find out if the electronic circuitry was affected. Since then, they have spent two and a half weeks cleaning up three inches of mud and silt from inside the brewery.

‘We want to make sure everything is fine before we start brewing again but we’ve plenty of beer so there’s no problem there.We have done a brew since the flood, (operating from different premises), and everything was fine. The yeast survived,’ he said.

Mr Phillips himself was on the opposite side of the river from the pub when the bridge collapsed and he watched as the bus fell, blocking the river flow causing the water to overflow, flooding into the brewery building behind the pub.

‘I had to walk round to get back. Freezing cold and soaking wet. There was a tree under the Swales footbridge and that was impassable too because there was water gushing over the top of it,’ he said.

A temporary footbridge running from Glen Road to the pub car park has now reunited the village.

The now traditional Laxey New Year’s day dips will still be going ahead at midday, as normal with hot food provided after in the pub, in aid of Manx Muscular Dystrophy.

Social care bosses are declining to comment about an investigation into a nursing home in Ramsey.

Five staff have been suspended at a private nursing home after police launched an investigation into the unexplained death of an elderly resident.

Police were brought in on December 18 after concerns were raised about the treatment and care of a 95-year-old woman who had recently passed away at the Beaconsfield Nursing Home on Jurby Road.

A joint investigation into the events leading up to her death has been launched. This is being led by the police and involves the Department of Social Care’s safeguarding adults team and Beaconsfield management.

The nursing home’s management, in consultation with the DSC’s registrations and inspections and safeguarding adults teams, has suspended a number of staff as a precautionary measure while the investigation is ongoing.

Police confirmed that five members of staff have been suspended.

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/investigation-after-woman-95-dies-at-nursing-home-1-7649001|Our report on Wednesday afternoon}

A post mortem examination has been carried out. The Coroner of Inquests has been informed.

Detective Inspector Mark Newey, who is leading the investigation, said inquiries were continuing. He confirmed that police are treating the death as unexplained. ‘Due to the ongoing investigation the police are not able to make any further comment at this time,’ he added.

Health and Social Care Minister Howard Quayle said: ‘While there are police investigations we are unable to comment.’

Beaconsfield, a purpose-built, specialist nursing home opened its doors in early 2011 and is operated by Adorn Domiciliary Care.

Manx nationalists will gather at Hango Hill near Castletown on Saturday (January 2) for the annual Illiam Dhone commemoration.

This year’s oration in the Manx language will be delivered by Isla Callister followed by another in English by Mec Vannin’s Peter Crellin.

The speeches are followed by a wreath laying and the singing of the national anthem.

Hango Hill, the ruins of an old summerhouse, is a grim though misleading backdrop to the event commemorating the execution of the man that nationalists hail as a Manx martyr - as it was actually built after the events of January 2, 1663, when Dhone met his death.

The ceremony, initiated in the 1960s, has been held on an annual basis since 1979 allowing a platform for speakers in Manx and English to give comment on Manx political and cultural affairs.

It is organised by Mec Vannin and the Manx branch of the Celtic League whose director of information Bernard Moffatt said: ‘The lack of popularity of the current administration is likely to be a focus. Nobody is very happy with the way things are at the moment.

‘The only unusual thing this year is that instead of being a lone voice the speakers will be in a chorus!

‘I would imagine this year there will be comment about the dire circumstances many of our countrymen face with taxes and charges seemingly fired at them on a daily basis by this current government of charlatans.

‘Indeed this Illiam Dhone ceremony will be held in a social climate where some of our countrymen face the grim option of whether to ‘eat or heat’.

‘An economic model we were promised would deliver a “caring and prosperous” society has delivered instead, for some, a community of deprivation and debt.

‘I hope as many people as possible will turn up to demonstrate not just their respect for a man who stood four square for his people, but also to illustrate the contempt and disdain for the current government which in effect has turned its back on the people.’

The commemoration will take place at 2pm prompt. There is generally a social gathering afterwards in Castletown. Later in the afternoon there is also a church service at Malew Church, where Illiam Dhone is buried.

Illiam Dhone, aka William Christian, negotiated a peaceful surrender to Parliamentarian forces during the English Civil War – securing the island’s unique position and preventing a massacre. Following the restoration he was arrested for treason and sentenced to death.

Working for the Rivers and Bridges in the 1980 mainly involved major schemes constructing weirs, work on bridges, dredging or realignment of main rivers but occasionally there was the odd surreal episode.

I thought of one of these prior to the recent flooding when Phil Gawne’s rather grandiose plans for Douglas Prom that caught my eye.

It made me think of ‘a bridge too far’.

No! Not the film but a ‘concrete flyover’ constructed many years ago in the Ballaugh curragh by the old Rivers and Bridges Division of the Highway Board.

In the early eighties a wagon from the old Northern Division of the Highway Board (the board) was making its way through the Ballaugh curragh filling potholes on one of the unmade up roads in the area.

As it crossed the bridge just at the back of the Wildlife Park one of its wheels cracked a slate lintel on the old bridge.

Within days we, the R & B section, had swung into action making our way there in sharp order and setting up camp.

Now ‘the board’ could have just inserted a new slate lintel but as the originals had been manufactured several centuries earlier it was assumed this might be a problem. So the new structure was to consist of three large concrete prefabricated concrete sections manufactured at the R & B site and transported to the site.

Things started to go wrong from day one because as those with knowledge about the curragh will tell you it’s just really like the crusty top on a well cooked rice pudding – dig down and you find water – lots of it. However we cracked on, excavating the site diverted (with some difficulty) the Killane River around it and by the expedient of a very powerful pump managing to keep the site clear of water. I busied myself measuring and photographing the old slate lintels, which were destined for the tip, and sent off the result to MNH where they probably still lie in a dusty file.

Things went further awry when the first prefab concrete arrived from our Close Leece Depot.

The wagon went off the side of the narrow track and overturned.

The crane which was to handle the lift had managed to get through so its first job was rescuing the truck. Then concerns about the crane’s ability to function at the job required the site to be engineered with ‘gabion mattresses’ to support it. Reinforcements were sent for and duly turned up in the shape of the Rivers and Bridges ‘Northern gang’.

In the middle of all this, as the engineers pondered things, one (from the Northern Division) suggested humorously ‘what about borrowing a Chinook helicopter from the British Army at Jurby’.

The Chinook plan never got of the ground but the foreman remarked sardonically: ‘I thought when we arrived this would turn out to be a bridge too far.’

Eventually the road in was widened we got the bridge sections to the site and the crane did its job.

There was only one last snag as we started to flood the job prior to reinstating the river flow the concrete structures started to draw apart – resulting in, a halt, some speedy pumping, and the installation of steel braces to hold the three massive blocks firm.

Job over, much money, effort, and time expended we surveyed our work. It looked quite modest (indeed view it today and you wouldn’t rate it all) and you couldn’t help thinking perhaps there might have been a quicker and cheaper method to achieve the same goal.

When it comes to Douglas Promenade Phil might like to pay heed to this story. After all it’s bad enough having his nationalist chums on the warpath over ‘growth’ but if he screws up the Prom job it really will be ‘a bridge to far’ for him!

Maybe, as in the curragh, something more modest would suffice.

A strategy aimed at ensuring young people have the best possible start in life is delivering positive results, government officials say.

Tynwald approved the ‘Strategy for Children and Young People 2015-2020’ in April.

Covering young people from birth to 18, it underpins the work of the Children’s Services Partnership – which comprises representatives of government departments that work with children and organisations providing care on their behalf, plus the voluntary/charitable sectors.

The partnership aims to ensure children grow up ‘healthy and achieving’; ‘resilient against adversity’; ‘safe from harm and abuse’ and ‘positively engaged’.

The strategy addresses the key actions called for in the review of children services conducted by the Scottish Care Inspectorate in 2013.

Tim Crookall MLC, Minister for Education and Children, described the strategy as ‘a coherent and consistent guide to delivering the key outcomes we require if children are to grow up happy, healthy and ready to face adulthood’.

In a mid-year review, the Children’s Services Partnership says good progress has been made in rebalancing services to ensure young people receive help when issues arise.

It says there is increasing support for young people leaving education and care and with additional and complex needs. More parents are reporting their needs have been met and more young people say they feel safe and cared for and are turning their lives around thanks to intervention.

There are also more young people in education, employment and training.

The Children’s Services Partnership has worked with the government’s Corporate Parenting Group and Safeguarding Children’s Board to develop a single framework for gathering, analysing and acting on information.

The review points to other areas being progressed, among them:

Specific strategies for early help and support and for 16- to 19-year-olds are being developed.

Opportunities for delivering tailored services in the areas where young people live are being assessed.

The views of young people are more strongly influencing the delivery of services.

An integrated service for young people with disabilities is being created.

Mr Crookall said: ‘Key national outcomes in the government’s agenda for change are that we improve the lives of young people and families and enable young people to have confidence, seize opportunities to learn, contribute effectively to society and become responsible citizens.

‘Many young people will need little or no help in navigating their early years and achieving these goals but we must do all we can to support those who do need our assistance – whether in the long or short term.

‘This report shows there has been tangible progress in improving the way we spot young people who need help and step in to provide it.

‘However, while much has been achieved, the report recognises that there is more to do in communicating with young people and each other, developing practice and measuring results and we’ll continue to strive to improve.’

In 2016, the Scottish Inspectorate will conduct an independent review of progress since its inspection.

Ferry sailings continue to be disrupted due to storm damage at Heysham harbour.

Sailing schedules have had to be revised after a large piece of timber broke free in recent storms and become embedded on the sea bed at the entrance to the port.

The port authorities are trying to deal with this but have warned the Steam Packet and other port users that they cannot attempt to remove the obstruction before Sunday at the earliest.

It meant last night’s sailing of the Ben-my-Chree to Heysham was delayed as was the overnight return crossing to Douglas, with knock-on effects on today’s Birkenhead services.

Steam Packet chief executive officer Mark Woodward said ‘As a result of this problem, which is outside of our control, the Ben-my-Chree schedules will be affected.

‘We will only be able to approach and leave the port at higher states of tide; there will also be a knock-on effect to the weekend daytime Birkenhead sailings.

‘Passengers on the affected sailings will be contacted by our customer services team. We will also keep passengers advised if any further changes are required’.

Police are investigating an assault that occurred in the area of the Villa Marina Colonnade at the Gaiety Theatre end at about 1.10am on New Year’s Day.

A nab was seen running from the scene pursued by two other men in the direction of Broadway.

Police are appealing for any witnesses.

Contact Constable John Hills on 631212 if you have any information about this incident.

A 19-year-old has been missing since about midnight on New Year’s Eve.

Police say they are becoming ‘very concerned’ about the whereabouts of Josh Caley who is from the Jurby area.

Josh is 5ft 7ins tall, has dark short hair and was last seen wearing jeans, a light shirt and a black duffle coat (as in the picture).

Police are asking the public to contact them if they have seen him or anyone matching his description.

Ring police headquarters on 631212.

Police now believe a missing Jurby teenager fell into the harbour at Ramsey in the early hours of New Year’s Day.

Officers looking for missing Joshua Caley, 19, say this is now undoubtedly a search and recovery operation.

Joshua’s parents who raised the alarm with police on Friday morning after he failed to return home from a night out have been notified and are being supported by local officers.

Police say CCTV footage of the harbour area in Ramsey shows what is almost certainly Joshua who tragically appears to have fallen into the harbour just after 1am on New Year’s Day.

The footage shows a male believed to be Joshua fall into the water near to the Mezeron Shipping company on the East Quay and clearly failing to get back to safety.

A spokesman said: ‘This is undoubtedly a search and recovery operation now given the timescale of the incident and a co-ordinated search will continue today of the surrounding harbour and water areas in conjunction with the Isle of Man Coastguard.

‘Efforts are presently being focused around the harbour and the immediate beaches outside of that area.

‘Members of the public are urged to contact the Emergency Services Joint Control room if they see anything of note on or around the coastal areas but are advised to leave the trained staff to conduct their operations in and around the harbour.

‘There may be restricted access to some areas of the harbour as the search continues. The control room can be contacted through police headquarters on 631212.’

Police thanked everyone involved in an extensive search conducted around Ramsey and the north of the island through last night in horrendous weather conditions, which involved some 40 staff.

The was supported by the Civil Defence, Fire Service, Coastguard and a specialist search dog from the Search and Rescue Dog association.

‘The response from the public was really positive, including friends of Joshua who came forward with detailed accounts of their movements. Our thoughts are with Mr and Mrs Caley at this sad time and all efforts will now focus on the search today,’ the police spokesman added.

A prestige motor dealer has lost a breach of contract case in the high court over a second hand Mercedes that was sold in unsatisfactory condition.

But despite finding against Brent Mealin Ltd, the High Bailiff John Needham found that its managing director and sole shareholder had certainly not acted in an uncaring manner and there was nothing in his judgment that would tarnish his Snugborugh-based company’s reputation.

The court heard that Peter Brackpool purchased the black Mercedes SL350 on May 16 last year 2014 for £17,950.

He bought the car more to drive for pleasure rather than a necessity and was particularly looking forward to top-down motoring during the summer. He confirmed that the vehicle would not be used every day and he had access to two other cars, both Jaguars.

But he encountered various faults with the car immediately after delivery.

The vehicle’s clock would keep re-setting itself, the satellite navigation screen appeared to be unstable, the command control DVD was obsolete, the windscreen motor was noisy, a disc was stuck in the DVD slot, the door trim was coming away and finally and safety warning lamps on the dashboard were lit indicating a fault.

The warning lamp problem first occurred when Mr Brackpool started the car at a petrol station after he filled it with fuel for the first time, a couple of days after delivery.

He took the car back to Brent Mealin which fixed most of the faults without any quibble even though they were not covered by the after-sale warranty.

But the warning lamp problem was not rectified despite numerous trips back to the defendant’s premises.

By the end of October last year, Mr Brackpool was sufficiently fed up that he wrote to Brent Mealin indicating his frustration. He said the RAC had advised him unofficially the fault could be potentially dangerous as the air bags and roll-over bar may not deploy in an accident.

Mr Mealin rang him to say on the last two occasions when the warning lamp problem was investigated the car had gone to a Mercedes’ recognised garage which had tried to remedy the problem.

But the fault reoccurred and in February this year Mr Brackpool wrote to say he was rejecting the car and seeking a full refund. This was rejected by the dealer. Further work was carried out to the car in early February and the warning light problem did not reappear - although more than likely it was not fixed. But then the car’s gear lever stuck in the ‘park’ position and would not move. Awarding judgment in favour of the claimant, Mr Needham found the car was not of satisfactory quality when it was sold and it had been properly rejected.

Dog walkers in the vicinity of Port Erin must be more vigilant: there is now greater scrutiny to ensure they pick up after their dog.

The local authority has appointed an environmental warden whose job is to enforce the byelaws - particularly in regard to dog mess - who is patrolling the village from January.

The appointment follows a poster campaign last year featuring a Tinkerbell-type ‘dog poo fairy’ which said: ‘Bag that poo, any rubbish bin will do’ in which dog owners were reminded they must pick up after their dog and throw it in the bin because the fairies weren’t going to do it!

There are more than 100 street litter and dog poo bins located across Port Erin and the commissioners collect more than 300kg of dogs’ mess weekly from bins.

Commissioners’ chairman Nick Watterson said: ‘Following the “There’s no such thing as the Dog Poo Fairy” campaign earlier in the year, the board felt that momentum needed to be kept to maintain the improvements seen to date, and agreed that having an environmental warden as a dedicated part time role would be beneficial.

‘The environmental warden will be working across the whole of the village at varying times of the week, primarily enforcing our dog byelaws but will also be offering byelaw advice and liaising with members of the public who may wish to raise any concerns. Initially this will be trialled for a three month period and reviewed during that period.’

See www.porterin.gov.im

Telephone cold callers from outside the island are unlikely to be prosecuted despite new legislation aimed at banning such practices.

The admission was made by David Quirk MHK, chairman of the Office of Fair Trading, in a letter to Tynwald members outlining how the Consumer Protection (Amendment) Act would operate.

MHKs voted unanimously to give the bill its second reading in the House of Keys on December 8.

Mr Quirk described it then as an ‘important piece of consumer protection legislation’.

He said it was designed to tackle three types of cold calling: doorstep cold calling, telephone cold calling and what he described as ‘excursion-based’ cold calling.

In his letter to Tynwald members, Mr Quirk said there was no standard procedures as there are no standard cases of cold calling.

He said the maximum penalty was an unlimited fine and two years in prison and the primary purpose of the bill was to persuade traders to stop using doorstep cold calling.

The OFT has no powers of arrest. Its chief inspector and chief officer would take into account the particular circumstances of the case before deciding which enforcement action would be appropriate - prosecution, formal caution, warning letter or no further action. If prosecution is deemed appropriate the matter would be referred to the Attorney General’s chambers for a decision.

But turning to telephone cold calling, Mr Quirk admitted this was a difficult one in terms of enforcement action.

‘There should be no problems initiating proceedings against traders based in the island, he said, but the vast majority of cold calls are made from outside the Isle of Man and in many cases from outside the UK and even outside the EU.

He said: ‘If a resident was cold called by a trader based outside the Isle of Man it is highly unlikely that a prosecution would be seen to be in the public interest even if the OFT could establish who made the call.’

The bill does have a ‘has a sting in the tail’, however – if the consumer enters into a contract as a result of cold calling, the contract will be under Manx law and enforced in Manx courts.

If a trader takes action against a consumer in a jurisdiction outside the Isle of Man, it will be down to the foreign court to decided what weight should be given to Manx consumer protection. The OFT accepted these provisions are not perfect but are the best that can be done in the circumstances.

Ronaldsway Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for tomorrow (Sunday).

A band of persistent rain will move across the island in the morning, continuing throughout the afternoon and becoming heaviest during the early afternoon.

There is expected to be between 10-15mm of rain across the island but with 15-30mm possible over the hills. This will create difficult driving conditions with standing water developing in places on the roads, as well as a risk of some localised flooding.

The rain will clear to scattered showers during the evening.

A Christmas competition winner has enjoyed a festive dinner and night out at the Gaiety Theatre to watch this year’s pantomime.

Paula Procter, from Douglas, won Isle of Man Post Office’s Christmas competition and won a pre-show meal at the Sefton Hotel, tickets for pantomime ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and an exclusive chance to meet the cast backstage.

The lucky winner of the prize draw took along Linda Karran, Lucinda Musson and Kiera Hand as her three guests for the festive evening.

Paula said: ‘I was delighted to be the winner of this year’s Post Office Christmas competition.

‘We all enjoyed a great night out and going back stage to meet the pantomime cast really was the icing on the cake for the girls - super competition! We had a brilliant evening and want to thank the Post Office for such a fantastic prize.’

Sarah Read, from the Post Office, added: ‘We’d like to thank this year’s Post Office Christmas competition sponsors, Parker & Snell, for their support of our competition and the generosity they have shown with the prize given to our winner Paula Procter.

‘We are also delighted to hear Paula and her guests had a great night out, enjoying both dinner at the Sefton and the panto afterwards.’

Sleeping Beauty runs until this Saturday (January 2) with matinees beginning at 2.30pm and evening shows starting at 7.30pm

For tickets or more information call Villa Gaiety on 600555 or visit www.villagaiety.com

In time-honoured tradition, as this is – officially – the first ManxSPCA article of 2016, we will look back at the highlights of last year as chosen by the staff at the society.

We will start with the small animals unit, which has looked after a diverse range of animals including a tarantula, a bearded dragon, snakes, terrapins and frogs, as well as ferrets, guinea pigs and rabbits – with almost 50 rabbits rehomed during the year.

But it is a chinchilla called Charlie that stands out most.

He came to us because his owners had no time for him, and his enclosure was kept in the small animal unit office because he was blind and the staff wanted to monitor him closely.

He soon became known as ‘Cheeky Charlie’ because the staff fell in love with his mischievous ways, such as standing on his back legs to survey his surroundings when he was out of his enclosure. Then in June of this year two very special people came to the Manx SPCA and fell for him.

His new owners looked into whether he should have an operation to have his cataracts removed but it was decided that he was doing very well as he was.

It took him no time at all to settle into his ‘forever home’ and we’re told he is still as cheeky as ever!

And now to the aviary and a ‘love story’ between Gandalf and Gerty. In early January 2015 during the storms our welfare officer, Adrian Cannell, rescued a male goose from Richmond Hill that had been blown about in the wind and was in distress. He was brought to Ard Jerkyll for a few days rest and a check-up.

Within days of being here a female goose with one eye was brought in from a separate part of the island and they were paired up in the aviary. Some 10 days later they were released on a local farm with the hope that Gandalf would stay and guide Gerty. To date, they are still an item and live in the grounds of the farm with other geese.

The kennels staff have struggled to pick their highlight of the year because we have had so many amazing dogs to care for during 2015.

Keiko, the shar pei, eventually won out not just for having the wrinkliest face ever but because he went from a dog that tried to bite everyone to being ‘one of the nicest dogs ever’. The kennels staff spent hours with him, playing and walking, and they were able to build up his trust so that he didn’t need to show aggression anymore; and he found his ‘forever home’ within a few weeks.

Sadly Tasha and Suzi, our beautiful northern Inuits, have stayed with us all year and we don’t know why because they have wonderful temperaments and are super friendly and gentle.

However, they are classed as a ‘specialist breed’ because they are intelligent and can be challenging to handle for an inexperienced dog owner.

They need guidance and ‘leadership’ and someone who can spend time with them, both to continue with their training and to give them the amount of exercise they need every day.

A home with plenty of space, a fenced back garden and an owner who can be with them for much of the time would be ideal – could this be you? You will be given plenty of pre- and post- adoption advice by the kennels team, and ongoing support.

And finally to the cattery, which has rehomed literally hundreds of cats in 2015. The cattery team also found it difficult to pick just one highlight but settled on Colin, the most tolerant and resilient cat ever. He came to the society with horrific injuries inflicted by a collar that did not have a quick release mechanism.

It was caught underneath one of his front legs and had made a deep gash in his flesh. He was with us for five months and had several operations, ultimately involving a skin graft from his hip, to repair his wound. Colin’s amazing personality, always purring no matter what discomfort he was in, meant that he found a loving adoptive family who will now give him the life he deserves.

We would like to thank our supporters, volunteers, friends and sponsors for their generosity.