The Santa shoebox train is set to get a reprieve after a government Minister sought assurances about the motives of the charity behind the appeal.

It could have been the end of the line last year for the festive train carrying Christmas shoeboxes full of gifts for children in poverty around the world.

Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne raised serious concerns about the motives of Samaritan’s Purse, the charity behind the Operation Christmas Child Shoebox appeal, amid fears young recipients were being evangelised.

But in the House of Keys this week Mr Gawne said he could see no reason why the Santa train should not operate again this year provided that the charity ‘can provide assurance to the department that the somewhat offensive comments made by its international president do not reflect the views and purposes of the charity’.

He told MHKs his department had introduced a new policy this year that requires officers to check the main purposes of any charity the DoI is asked to support.

Mr Gawne told the Manx Independent: ‘I am yet to get anything in writing from the charity but was given verbal assurance. If written assurance is given then the operation can continue.’

Jon Joughin, the Douglas East MHK who raised the issue in the Keys this week, said he was thankful that ‘common sense has prevailed’.

It’s become an annual tradition for many island schoolchildren to make up a shoebox full of Christmas toys, stationery and toiletries. Instructions explicitly state nothing should be included of a political, racial or religious nature. But when delivered to a child, the shoebox comes with a book of Bible stories called The Greatest Gift which has a clear evangelising message.

Operation Christmas Child’s island co-ordinator Marlene Akitt insisted there is ‘nothing sinister of coercive’ in this process.

Samaritan’s Purse is led by Franklin Graham, son of American evangelical preacher Billy Graham, who has outspoken views on homosexuality and same-sex marriage which he describes as ‘sins against God’.

The leader of Douglas Borough Council has praised the efforts of the council’s cleansing, parks and housing teams in clearing huge amounts of debris from Douglas promenade following the strong winds and extremely high tide on Tuesday.

The high tide at 12.40pm led to the road being closed while debris, including rocks, stones, sand and other detritus, were deposited on the road and walkway, leaving many gullies blocked.

Councillor David Christian said: ‘The teams had to work in extreme weather conditions alongside their opposite numbers in the Department of Infrastructure - to clear the road, pavements and gullies, and their work was hampered by the number of parked vehicles along the length of promenade, but thanks to sterling work by everyone involved the road was re-opened at 5pm.

‘The island has suffered from exceptionally adverse weather recently, such as in December when, once again, storms challenged our workforce.

‘On behalf of the council I should like to pay tribute to our cleansing, parks and housing teams for their unwavering commitment and hard work in serving the Douglas community, especially motorists and pedestrians, whatever the conditions and helping to ensure people’s safety.’

The Castletown map in the 2016 Manx Telecom directory incorrectly shows Queen Street as being Scarlett Road.

The town’s commissioners will write asking for it to be corrected in the 2017 edition.

Commissioner Peter Hill-Heaton, who lives in Queen Street, proposed they contact MT.

He said if the ambulance uses the map, any time lost could lead to ‘dire consequences.’

The Select Committee of Tynwald that’s examining the first-time buyer scheme after a petition for redress of grievance was made at Tynwald will hear eveident on Monday.

At 2.30pm the petitioners, Yvonne Grogan, Les McMurdo and Michael Murphy, will have their say. An hour later it will be Nick Black, chief executive of the Department of Infrastrucutre, and Deborah Reeve, he director of housing.

The evidence will be taken in public in Legislative Council chambers. Members of the public are welcome to attend.

Peel lifeboat crew will be washing cars on Sunday as part of their annual RNLI SOS fundraising day, from 10am to 2pm at the lifeboat house on Peel breakwater.

The crew invite people to bring their car for a wash in return for a donation towards the cost of running the RNLI.

For more information contact Mal Kelly on 842731 or visit www.rnli.org.uk

It is not a matter of choice about whether to be on the voters’ list - it is a legal requirement.

But unlike last year, this year reminder notices will be issued.

Policy and Reform Minister John Shimmin was quizzed in the House of Keys about what action is being taken to ensure that the electoral register is complete and accurate ahead of the elections in 2016.

There has been concern over the numbers removed from the voters’ list following changes that meant householders are no longer automatically retained on the register. The electoral register published on April 1 last year contained 47,278 registered electors - 12,252 fewer entries than the previous quarter.

In the Keys this week, Mr Shimmin said: ‘A complete and accurate electoral register relies on information provided by the householders returning their completed registration form. Householders are legally required to provide this information. It is not a choice.’

Mr Shimmin said the annual canvas began on January 1. Where forms are not returned by February 1, reminder notices will be sent to set out the householders’ legal obligations and requesting the return of completed forms by February 19 to provide a final opportunity to reply.

The Minister said any responses outstanding after that may then be referred to the Attorney General’s chambers. But he said there was ‘no intention of fining anybody for failing to comply with the legislation’. Those no longer eligible to vote will be notified in writing.

The role of lobby groups is the focus of a public meeting in Douglas next week.

Six guest speakers, including MHKs Kate Beecroft, Chis Robertshaw and Chris Thomas, David Cretney MLC, Onchan commissioner Rob Callister and Mark Kermode, leader of the nationalist party Mec Vannin, have been invited to address the meeting at the South Douglas Old Friends Association club on Finch Road on Wednesday.

The title is ‘Parliamentary Representation - how best to get it? Political parties, independent MHKs or lobby groups?’

It’s been organised by Stephen Moore who was spokesman for the Manx Landlords Association. Chairman will be Damian Ciappelli. Doors open at 7am for a 7.30pm start.

Members of the Manx Breast Cancer Support Group are celebrating their phenomenal fundraising success in collecting £1.53 million in just two years – culminating in the opening to patients of the hospital’s new dedicated breast care unit on Monday.

Julie Stokes, chairman of the group said it provided the great benefit of bringing the various breast services together under one roof.

She said: ‘It is the first time the teams have come together in this way and it will make the entire breast service a much more efficient and patient-friendly experience. It has been a mamoth task.

‘Fundraising started at the end of 2013 and in two years the charity has raised the money to complete the build.’

The new unit will be known as the Manx Breast Unit and it is the first time a Manx charity has built on to Noble’s Hospital, with the unit’s funding coming entirely from the charity’s fundraising efforts.

‘This has only been realised because of the fantastic generosity of the Manx public,’ she said.

Mrs Stokes also paid tribute to various individuals and groups who had given invaluable support to the cause, not least the Eric and Marion Scott Trust after whom the new breast screening unit is to be named.

A donation from the Schienberg family also gave a welcome boost to the charity’s fundraising efforts and the Microgaming Healthcare Trust also gave a donation which funded important equipment for the unit.

An ultra-sound machine for the unit was funded by the Noble’s Hospital League of Friends.

Although the official opening of the unit will take place on Monday, the charity is continuing to raise funds to buy equipment to ensure it operates to the hightest possible specification. Money is currently being raised for a machine called a DBT, which is a three-D mammogram and can show up as many as 30 per cent more of the smaller cancers which can be caught and treated more successfully at an earlier stage in their development.

Mrs Stokes said: ‘The charity and teams have tried to make the unit as different as possible and we thing patients will see that when they visit.’

An official opening ceremony will take place later in the year.

‘It’s alright for you sitting there with that smirk on your face.’

The tirade was launched at me some years ago at a union meeting that was getting a bit heated. I didn’t actually have a smirk (or didn’t think I had) as the meeting was taking a decidedly humourless twist but eventually it settled down and left me musing over the comment.

Generally I’m portrayed as something as of a dour individual, although I think I have a reasonable sense of humour. I’m also a pretty deft hand at bad puns!

I have to confess though, I think some on the Isle of Man have a serious humour deficit and writing this column for quite a few months now has reinforced that.

I mean Outside Left can tackle some serious issues but it is structured to provoke thought and debate and to do that you do, on occasion, have to tickle a few sacred cows whilst keeping your tongue firmly in your cheek. It’s just there doesn’t seem to be the mood for that sort of thing on the island.

Now, I must say at this point that I’m not having a go at those curmudgeons, the commentators I get every week. I’m quite pleased with their gripes although they can be a bit crabby. They reinforce my view of the value of the column. When people who ostensibly find it excruciating pop up religiously every week to say how much they dislike it sort of gives the game away!

I was thinking more of some of the targets of my contrived ire over the weeks.

Some individuals, groups, etc, are definitely not to be satirised, lampooned or even mildly offended at any cost. When offended, they settle into the Manx equivalent of ‘Heath-Thatcher Syndrome’, that was when Ted Heath was famously accused of ‘the longest sulk in political history’.

Areas most of limits include the arts (particularly anything with a ‘Manx’ connotation), eccentric hobbies, individual politicians, the media, the Masons (God bless them) and any support for concepts of social support.

In this latter category I well recall the reaction when I suggested that people wittering on about means testing tenants of social housing should broaden their horizons and focus instead on the monies that government shovel out to the business community, ‘like a zoo keeper feeding a hungry crocodile’. Some folk were incandescent.

It appears that having social housing tenants or other groups such as those on benefits to vilify is a palliative for folk frustrated at being unable to tackle the people they really dislike, like politicians and CoMin in particular.

I once spent an idyllic fortnight (the summer of ‘76) hitchhiking through the west of Ireland. We camped up on an island called Mweenish, near Carna in the Connemara Gaeltacht. Pleasant evenings were spent with people of a variety of nationalities drinking, swapping stories and singing.

I remember thinking at the time the group that seemed most humourless were the Germans present. I think 40 years later I may need to review that assessment.

Perhaps it’s the fault of the Manx government, most things usually are, and hearing Allan Bell ladling out the latest helping of doom and gloom on Manx Radio each morning (there’s politicians and the media upset again) doesn’t help.

Perhaps if Allan kicked off his pronouncements with a couple of jokes, people would relax instead of cowering behind the settee as he says we ‘are not out of the woods yet’ there will be ‘more pain’ and ‘we are still looking at means testing’ before he heads off to DED to ladle out some more cash to the well-heeled.

Sadly Allan doesn’t do humour, only chancing the odd controlled laugh occasionally.

I really don’t know what the answer is! Perhaps I should just keep this column going as some people seem to enjoy it and, let’s face it, if you can spread a little joy to some of the cheerless souls it must be a good thing. Talk to you next week – maybe!

A new traditional music session dubbed ‘Greenshoots’ is starting in the Deemster’s Bar at Green’s Kitchen & Tearoom in St John’s next week.

Sessions will take place every Thursday.

The ‘Greenshoots’ part of the evening will start at 7.30pm and this will be an informal opportunity for adult improvers to learn and work on some Manx tunes at a steady pace on their instruments.

With the support of Culture Vannin, the first six weeks will be led by well known whistle player, singer and Manx dancer Dr Cinzia Yates.

Then from 8.30pm, there will be a traditional music session where all are welcome to come along to share tunes, sing or just listen. For more info, contact Dr Chloe Woolley at manxmusic@culturevannin.im

Fire crews were called out to two garage fires yesterday (Friday).

The first incident took place at around 5pm when two pumps from Ramsey Station were despatched to a rubbish fire in the garden of a property at Port-E-Vullen.

The occupier was burning household rubbish in the garden, but left the fire unattended. It set fire to nearby materials and spread quickly to the garage.

The guttering and window of the garage were damaged by fire which also started to spread towards two plastic oil tanks next to the building.

Firefighters managed to catch the blaze just before it spread into the garage and remained in attendance for about 20 minutes to ensure the fire was totally extinguished.

A spokesman for the fire service said: ‘We always advise people to never leave fires unattended. If you are going to have a fire then always contact the Emergency Services Joint Control Room first on 697327 for advice and contact details to prevent any unnecessary call outs by the service.

‘Ideally we would advise people to dispose of unwanted domestic materials at your local civic amenity site which will recycle waste at no cost to the householder.’

The second incdient took place in Governor’s Hill, Douglas, at around 10.45pm when the householders discovered a fire in the garage of their property after smelling smoke in the building.

They called 999, got out of the property and waited for two appliances from Douglas Station to arrive.

On arrival crews found a small fire in the front corner of the garage which was quickly extinguished.

The garage was heavily smoke logged but the damage was confined to a small quantity of stored materials.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated but is not thought to be suspicious.

Crews remained in attendance for about 25 minutes while the building was checked to ensure that there was no fire spread into the main house.

Internationally-acclaimed Russian-British portrait artist Svetlana Cameron hosted a workshop for young artists interested in classical portraiture.

The workshop, for teenagers aged 14 to 19, took place on Saturday at the Youth Arts Centre, in Douglas.

Svetlana explained: ‘I taught a wonderful enthusiastic group of young people who came to learn about classical approach to drawing.

‘We had an introduction to the sight-size method and Bargue drawing in the morning, followed by a life session with a model in the afternoon.

‘Many thanks to everyone who attended, and to the Youth Arts Centre for inviting me and organising everything.’

Svetlana is dedicated to the revival of traditional fine art. Trained in the methods of Old Masters in two private ateliers in Malta and Italy, Cameron specialises in traditional portraiture in the style of classical realism.

She is based in the island where she works out of her studio in Braddan.

A sought-after portrait painter, Svetlana travels internationally to exhibit and meet her sitters.

Svetlana’s portraits of Speakers of the Isle of Man Parliament are now part of the UK National Collection of Oil Paintings and are featured on the BBC Your Paintings website.

The search is under way to find the island’s most forward-thinking farmers.

The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture is looking for farmers who look to the future for its Tomorrow’s Farmer Award.

Nominations for the award can now be made and should describe how the farmer practices efficient and profitable farming, meets consumer demands with their produce and promotes locally produced food.

Nominations should also describe how the farmer shows innovation or diversification and how they farm in a way that conserves the environment.

Richard Ronan MHK, Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture, said: ‘The award recognises farmers who have an eye on the future, with a positive outlook and a clear business focus.

‘Tomorrow’s farmers are maintaining a keen interest in the market place, diversifying to meet consumers’ demand and creating products the Isle of Man can be proud of.’

He also said that farmers will play a ‘key role’ in the success of the government’s strategy to grow the island’s food and drink industry by £50 million in the next decade.

John Speakman, senior buyer for Shoprite which is supporting the award, said: ‘We see [the award] as a way to encourage farmers to seek to produce the very best food products to meet the growing demand from shoppers.

‘Supporting local production is beneficial to the Isle of Man economy as well as providing long-term sustainability and traceability in our food supply.’

Last year’s winners were Tim and Maria Johnston of Ballavarry Farm, Andreas, and David Collister of Southampton Farm, Santon. They cannot be nominated in this year’s competition.

Winners will be revealed on August 12 at the Royal Manx Agricultural Show and will receive trophies and certificates and £200 in Shoprite vouchers.

Send nominations to Audrey Fowler at Thie Slieau Whallian, Foxdale, Isle of Man, IM4 3AS or emailed to audrey.fowler@gov.im by March 25.

A great offer has come from Castletown Library to its members: take out as many books as you want.

In fact, the more people take the better, as this will lessen the load in the facility’s upcoming move within the civic centre.

The centre is being reorganised and the library is being moved into a new room. Unfortunately this will involve the library’s temporary closure from Saturday, February 27, for up to an estimated six weeks.

Until closure, opening times remain the same: Monday and Wednesday, 1pm to 5pm, Tuesday and Friday 10am to midday, Thursday 4.30pm to 7pm and Saturday 9.30am to 12.30pm.

Last year Port St Mary resident Michelle Haywood collected a staggering 5,736 pieces of litter off Chapel beach.

Michelle decided to embark on the extended litter pick at the end of 2014 while walking her dog on the beach.

Depressed by seeing bits of litter scattered across the beach, she had started picking it up. Michelle has organised regular beach cleans as part of the Marine Conservation Society Big Beach Clean weekend in September each year, but within a couple of weeks the litter would start to reappear.

She realised once a year wasn’t enough, so during 2015 Michelle resolved that every time she walked the beach she would collect every bit of litter she saw, from the smallest scrap of plastic to the occasional lobster pot.

The weather and her business – Discover Diving – permitted her to venture forth on 111 days during 2015.

The smallest monthly total was 47 in January when storms restricted collecting to only one session. The highest monthly total was 1,476 during April when she did 13 collection sessions.

Proof that her efforts are making a substantial difference came in September at the Big Beach Clean Weekend, which recorded just over 200 items rather than the usual 600 to 700 that had been the average for Chapel Beach in the previous four years.

Michelle said: ‘I’d be walking the beach anyway to walk my dog Tilly. She loves her ball so as long as I keep throwing her ball I have time to pick up litter in between throws. It doesn’t add much time to my walk with her, but it makes a huge impact on the environment. I’d like to encourage everyone else to do the same, no matter where you are walking. Take a bag and clear away the debris as you go.’

The items Michelle found ranged from ropes, nets, gloves and scallop bags to a car wing mirror, a burnt baseball bat and a crate carrying goose barnacles. There were hundreds of plastic bottles which, it is estimated, can take up to 400 years to breakdown – even then they create plastic micro-particles that enter the food chain.

Michelle said: ‘I’m distraught to think that the litter I pick up from the beach might still be floating around in the year 2400. What a legacy to leave our descendants! It’s much better that it’s taken from the sea now than left to wash back out on the tide.’

She is continuing her project during 2016.

Rushen Parish Commissioners is the first parish authority in the island to sign a community covenant with the British Armed Forces.

A community covenant is a voluntary statement of mutual support between a civilian community and its local armed forces community.

It was signed recently by Stanley Pilling, chairman of RPC and by his wife Sheila Pilling, who is chairman of Port Erin Royal British Legion.

Mr Pilling said he was ‘proud to endorse on behalf of the community the continuing connection with the armed forces within our community’.

Mrs Pilling said she was pleased that Rushen was the first of the parishes to adopt the community covenant and looked forward to other local authorities following suit.

Chief Minister Allan Bell signed an armed forces community covenant on behalf of the Manx government in April 2013. Similar covenants have been developed throughout the British Isles as local expressions of the national armed forces covenant, which was formalised by the UK government in 2011.

The community covenant encourages support for the armed forces community working and residing in Rushen parish and recognises the sacrifices made. It seeks to ensure that they and their families are not disadvantaged by their service. It also encourages members of the armed forces community to help their local community.

Police are appealing for information following a two-vehicle collision in Athol Street, Douglas, late last night (Saturday).

The incident took place at 11.50pm and involved a Skoda Octavia and a Ford Focus.

Police say a number of people were in Athol Street at that time, and there were two passengers in the Skoda who had left before police attended.

If you saw what happened, were one of the passengers or think you can help officers with their enquiries, contact police headquarters on 631212.

The Steam Packet is warning that, with more stormy weather forecast, sailings tomorrow (Monday) and Tuesday are subject to disruption.

A question mark hangs over tomorrow’s 8.45am service to Heysham and return sailing at 2.15pm.

The company says a final decision will be made by the Master by 7am.

Tomorrow evening’s 7.45pm sailing to Heysham and return service to Douglas at 2.15am are also under threat, and a final decision will be made by the Master by 5pm tomorrow.

For the latest sailing information please visit www.steam-packet.com/LatestSailings

JT Productions is holding open auditions for its forthcoming production of Wizard of Oz pantomime.

The show will take to the Gaiety Theatre stage in December.

The auditions are to cast the principal roles, senior dancers and juveniles.

The theatrical group’s Jude Fullerton explained: ‘We require good all round singers, dancers and actors.’

The auditions will be held on Sunday, March 20 at the Manx Operatics halls in Douglas.

To register your interest in taking part, email thewiz2016@yahoo.co.uk or contact Jude Fullerton on 430187.

The Manx Workshop for the Disabled has teamed up with a specialist manufacturing company to create a range of hand rails.

Snugborough company DLP Limited, which produces state-of-the-art products to help the disabled, commissioned the workshop to complete a range of specialist mobility grab rails for disabled people.

The workshop has a team of craftsmen who assemble the rails which will be used in electric showers at its base on the Old Noble’s Hospital site in Ballakermeen Road in Douglas.

The team has been creating the grab rails since September last year and general manager of the workshop Peter Hindley said it looks like the organisations will continue to work together in the future.

‘This is a really positive working arrangement. We are extremely grateful to DLP. There is an obvious symbiosis in the service we provide, so it works really well for everyone.’

The Manx Workshop for the Disabled provides a place for disabled people in the island to work who find it difficult to apply for other jobs.

It also provides training and gives the opportunity for employees to develop their skills.

Senior executive director of DLP Tim Baker said: ‘This project worked very well for both ourselves and The Manx Workshop for the Disabled.

‘We hope to continue to grow our relationship and to extend our work into the wider community on the Isle of Man. We look forward to a long lasting working partnership.’

The team of craftsmen and technicians make a variety of different products using materials including wood, glass, slate, metal and leather, and also engrave trophies.

Products such as house signs, benches, wooden clocks and keyrings are all made at the Douglas base.

The workshop was founded in 1983 by disabled members of the Manx Foundation of the Physically Disabled who wanted to undertake work suited to their disabilities.

Its first premises was in Victoria Avenue, Douglas and in 2007 the workshop moved to its current location in Ballakermeen Road.

To find out more about the Manx Workshop for the Disabled visit www.manxworkshop.com, go to ‘Manx Workshop for the Disabled’ on Facebook or phone 620149.