One of the star guests at this year’s annual meal for the Joey Dunlop Foundation charity was record-breaking TT winner Ian Hutchinson.

The Bingley rider, who made history in 2010 by becoming the first man to win five TTs in one week, did the honours by drawing the winning names for the charity’s annual motorcycle prize draw.

The winner was a woman from Lincolnshire who will take delivery of the Honda CBR600 with a Bruce Anstey replica paint scheme.

Foundation chairman Kevin Quirk said: ‘It was an excellent evening at the Empress Hotel and the Courier article created a last minute rush for tickets.

‘We had record ticket sales for the Bruce Anstey Honda with all 30,000 of them sold during the course of the year.’

For 2016, the first prize will be a Honda CBR600, this time in the Joey’s Bar race team colours. Second prize will be a Honda paddock scooter in the Padgett’s team colours and third prize will be a Mini Moto in the Joey Dunlop Foundation colours.

‘With such attractive prizes, we have been given permission to print 35,000 tickets,’ Mr Quirk said.

The Joey Dunlop Foundation provides round the year holiday accommodation for disabled visitors to the Isle of Man. Since the accommodation at Braddan Bridge House opened bookings have grown and an extension is planned.

Put on your gym gear and join in with an action-packed day of fitness to help raise money for a Kilimanjaro trek.

The charity fitness day will feature five different back-to-back classes at Carrefour Health Club in Douglas from kick aerobics to power yoga.

Carrefour member Merita Taylor organised the event to help her raise funds for the Kilimanjaro challenge which she will be doing with a group of island residents for The Children’s Centre.

‘It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time but its such a big commitment with the preparation and training,’ she said.

‘I’m really excited! I think it’s such a big goal to focus on and having watched the video and spoken to friends who have already do it I can’t wait to go!

‘The thing I’m most apprehensive about is the cold. You experience every season going to the summit, you have to be prepared for every eventuality.’

Merita had the idea for the fitness day as she goes to the gym every day in preparation for the trip and also from attending similar events.

‘It’s a lot of fun and fitness is an important thing and also a lot people are looking to get fit so I thought why not combine it all together.’

The five back-to back classes will take place between 8am and 1pm on Saturday, February 6 in the main studio at Carrefour. Classes are £5 each and have to be pre-booked and paid for.

A raffle will also take place on the day and tickets can be purchased at the gym’s reception. As well as this, there will be a spot prize in every class and everybody who competes all five classes will be entered into a prize draw.

Manager of Carrefour Karl Bruder said: ‘We are delighted to be offering our facilities for such a good cause and would urge people to book their space on one or more of the classes - what better way to get fit and support a fantastic local charity at the same time!’

To book a place on any of the classes or for more information call 615595.

A website which showcases high resolution images of the planet Mars has been launched in Manx Gaelic.

Culture Vannin has joined forces with the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) to create a Manx Gaelic version of the Beautiful Mars Project: Making Mars Speak Human.

The HiRISE experiment has one of the most powerful cameras of its kind on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and sends images of Mars back to earth.

As part of HiRISE, the Beautiful Mars project aims to create websites, which showcase the images in different languages to promote the idea that knowledge about Mars belongs to everyone.

Ari Espinoza of HiRISE, who is based at the University of Arizona and has been working with Culture Vannin on the project, said: ‘We want to reach out to as wide an audience as possible, especially with languages that are under-represented like Manx.

‘It’s an excellent opportunity to show the language in an unexpected but dynamic manner talking about planetary science and Mars! It might give people an incentive to learn more, and it provides a fantastic educational resource as you will be amazed to see Manx used in such a manner.’

To view the website visit www.beautifulmars-manx.tumblr.com

Two trolleys featuring TVs, games consoles and a laptop have been donated to Noble’s Hospital to help young patients receiving long-term treatment.

The trolleys donated by charity Bridge The Gap also feature puzzle books, games and pens for patients aged between 16 and 23.

Items were donated by various island businesses.

Fiona Barker and Phil Colebourn are pictured presenting the trolleys to Vicki Kingswood Barrass at Nobles Hospital.

Manx lifeboat crews rescued a total of 35 people during 34 launches last year.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) this week revealed its rescue statistics for 2015, which indicated Douglas was the busiest of the island’s five stations with 13 all-weather lifeboat launches – 10 of which were during darkness. However, the most people rescued was at Port St Mary, where 20 people were rescued.

Ramsey’s volunteer crew followed Douglas as the second busiest station in terms of launches - the station’s lifeboat launched eight times and rescued five people.

The remaining two stations are at Peel and Port Erin.

The final countdown is now underway for Ramsey’s annual pantomime which is in St Paul’s Hall in around a week’s time.

This year’s production by the Ramsey and Northern Community Pantomime group is Pinocchio, and director Heather Ruffino said the production was coming together well.

‘We are really in the thick of it now with the first performance getting close.

‘Fortunately there have been no crises. One cast memeber has a chest infection but we are hoping that should be better by the time of the performance. Better for it to happen now rather than in a week’s time.’

Rehearsals are going on daily now and dress rehearsal takes place shortly.

The Arts Council and the Isle of Man Lottery Trust have given a £5,000 grant to improve and enlarge the stage and provide curtains. and a high quality sound system has been anonymously donated, all of which will be of enormous benefit to the hall as a concert and show venue, Mrs Ruffino said. The next goal is to set up a proper lighting rig.

‘More and more people are showing an interest and getting involved and there is a great community spirit,’ she added.

Performances are on Friday February 5 at 7.30pm; Sat 6 at 2.30pm and 7.30pm and on Sun 7 at 2.30pm. Tickets available from Ramsey town library or ring Mrs Ruffino on 437904. Tickets may be available on the door. Cost is £7 or £5.50 concessions. Price includes interval refreshments and there will be a raffle.

The island’s roads could be used to test driverless cars.

Chief Minister Allan Bell told MHKs that his comments on the radio in which he suggested a government department had ruled out such a suggestion had been taken out of context.

In a written reply to a question from Lib Van leader Kate Beecroft (Douglas South), Mr Bell said: ‘No decision has been taken not to allow the testing of driverless cars.

‘We believe this is an area of great opportunity for the Isle of Man. Our legislative and regulatory framework does not act as a barrier to the testing of automated vehicles on our roads.

‘But more than that, our rich heritage in motoring innovation could give us an edge when compared to the rest of the world in this exciting area of technology development.’

Mr Bell said the environment and infrastructure sub-committee of the Council of Ministers, together with the Cabinet Office, are leading a piece of work ‘to better understand the feasibility of the island becoming a centre of excellence in this field’.

Earlier this month, Mr Bell revealed there had been a recent approach by someone in the technology industry with close ties to Google about the island being used a testbed for driverless cars.

He claimed a government department had resisted the chance to get involved the trials.

Mr Bell told Manx Radio: ‘Whether it’s feasible or not I don’t know. But it’s an interesting concept.

‘Without pointing fingers to much, it was suggested to one of the government departments, is it feasible, could it work?

‘The initial reaction we had was we don’t do things like that over here, we don’t need that on the Isle of Man, we are perfectly fine as it is. And that’s only in the last couple of weeks.’

This was the scene on Friday in Sulby when the funeral for artist Simon Buttimore was held.

A horse-drawn hearse led mourners through the village as the 56-year-old was remembered fondly by scores of people.

Simon died as a result of injuried sustained in a motorcycle accident on the main road between Laxey and the Dhoon on January 15.

Artists and family have paid many tributes to him.

Calling all former Castletown Festival queens!

The festival turns 60 this year and as part of its celebrations hopes all those who have been crowned festival queen in the past will attend festival day, which is on Saturday, August 6.

Organisers also want to stage an exhibition covering the 60 years.

They have asked for donations of photographs of the festival – especially of any former queens – to be made. Copies will be taken and the originals returned.

The original festival began when residents decided to hold a competition to choose a festival queen as part of the annual Castletown regatta.

The idea was developed into having a community fun day including sports and in June 1956 a public meeting was held and the festival committee was formed with the first Castletown festival held on the August bank holiday (the first Monday in August).

The original aim of the festival was that it would be a free community fun event, an ambition that continues to be fulfilled.

The first queen – selected at a dance in the Royal British Legion Hall in Janet’s Corner in July 1956 - was Barbara Caswell.

In the late 1990s the festival was revamped and a picnic in the park and sports day was introduced. It largely follows the same format - with some modifications - this year.

Photographs can be sent to mankscarol@manx.net or phone 368350.

Staff and children at Henry Bloom Noble School in Douglas have issued a call to former pupils.

The school – combining Ballacloan Infants in Demesne Road and Fairfield Juniors in Tynwald Street – moves to a new £9.5m school being built on the former Noble’s Hospital site in Westmoreland Road, Douglas, in September.

A number of events are planned in the run up to the historic switch – and the school is eager to hear from former pupils who can share their memories, ensuring the role the two school buildings have played in the lives of so many people is not forgotten.

Head teacher Ian Walmsley said: ‘We are lucky in that a number of the parents of our current crop of pupils actually went to what were then the two separate schools, but we know there are many others with stories to tell.

‘We would really like to hear from anyone who has memories of their time at Ballacloan and Fairfield, or going back even further to when the schools were Demesne Road School and Tynwald Street School. Some of the staff have taught generations of families in these schools and we’d love to hear from more people.’

He added: ‘The children are very keen to learn about what it was like going to school in different days, including the chance to perhaps talk to some former pupils, teachers and head teachers.

‘Not surprisingly, they are especially eager to see pictures of the schools and their pupils from earlier times, especially if the photographs happen to feature their parents or grandparents!’

An open week will be held on the week beginning Monday, April 25, for members of the public to view displays celebrating the history of both schools and view record books and photographs from days gone by.

Any former pupils with a story to tell or some photographs to share is asked to contact the school on 674165/675835 or email enquiries@hbn.sch.im

Construction started on the new school in January 2014. It will feature 14 classrooms, a special needs unit and sports facilities for school and community use.

An island corporate service provider has branched out to now offer corporate governance to clients.

Intrust (Manx) Limited, who have been in business since 1985, is now using its expertise to assist businesses across the Isle of Man with the launch of the new service.

Phil Hassall, who has worked in compliance for more than 15 years, heads up the in-house compliance department at the company based in Bucks Road, Douglas.

He said: ‘Our aim is to provide established companies and start-ups with a specialised but cost effective alternative to their current arrangements.

‘We believe that an excellent starting point can often be a simple health check or review where we can assess the client’s exact needs and the key areas that require assistance. This could be part of a broad strategy as wide ranging as helping the client to manage their overall corporate governance solution or a very specific tailored solution to a particular issue.

‘Our aim is to create a detailed understanding of the client’s business model which enables us to be proactive in our approach.

‘We look to add value to the client’s business; this means we aim to use our processes, knowledge and experience to assist the client manage their business in a compliant manner and where possible save the client time and money.

‘Our emphasis will be on an affordably priced, but highly professional service and there will be no charge for an initial meeting.’

More information about the company and its services can be found on their website www.intrust-manx.com and they can be contacted on 616544.

A small hatchhack car hit knocked down two bollards and crashed into two vehicles that were parked and unattended in the opposite bays at Tesco car park on Sunday afternoon.

Both vehicles were damaged.

The driver of the small hatchback car left the car park without making any effort to stop.

Police want to speak to anyone who witnessed the incident.

Manx Telecom’s two Tier 3 designed data centres, and its cloud and disaster recovery solutions, will be the company’s key topics at ICE Totally Gaming 2016.

The gaming sector’s biggest expo takes place at London’s Excel from tomorrow (Tuesday) to Thursday.

Stephen Kane, head of data centre and managed services at Manx Telecom, said: ‘We will be highlighting our range of data centre, dedicated, shared or hybrid managed cloud platforms, and disaster recovery solutions, and bringing some great news about the completion of the second phase of our Tier 3 designed Greenhill Data Centre.

‘ICE is the ideal opportunity to meet existing and potential clients and to explain the many opportunities we offer, both as the Isle of Man’s primary telecommunications provider and also as a supplier of international connectivity solutions to some of the eGaming industry’s largest operators.

‘We can, of course, only support such highly demanding customers by investing in the correct infrastructure, services and people.

‘Having already committed capital in excess of £25m we are now the only provider on the island which owns and operates two diverse Tier 3 designed data centres, and resilient high capacity fibre networks connecting them and businesses around the island.’

A key factor for offshore eGaming operators is the provision of cost effective access to high capacity, low latency, global internet transit.

Designed to cater for the very highest demands of this exciting sector, Manx Telecom guarantees its clients high availability, low latency, global internet transit via multiple diverse carrier paths.

Stephen added: ‘With some of our biggest clients pushing in excess of two Gigabits per second of internet transit during peak events, maintaining availability and quality of service is critical.

‘Equally important is providing high capacity transit at competitive rates.

‘We would encourage operators, and particularly large operators looking at offshore markets, to benchmark our bandwidth pricing against other onshore and offshore jurisdictions.

‘We know they’ll be pleasantly surprised. Of course, underpinning all our offerings are the premier jurisdictional advantages, recognised by some of the industry’s largest eGaming operators, PokerStars and Paddy Power, which come from being licensed in the Isle of Man.

‘ICE is the industry’s premier forum for networking, socialising, learning and doing business – so attending the expo is an important part of our strategy to explore new opportunities and build upon our already impressive portfolio of clients. It’s also the perfect place for us to join Isle of Man Government to help promote the Isle of Man as a world class jurisdiction for eGaming.’

Manx Telecom – hosting provider to the world’s largest poker sites PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, and Europe’s largest bookmaker Paddy Power – has played a key role in the rapid growth of the Isle of Man’s eGaming sector.

In the past 10 years it has invested £110million in the island’s telecoms infrastructure. Most recently, the second phase development of its Greenhill Data Centre has provided a further 320 square metres of capacity for a number of client sectors including eGaming, government and financial services.

The company also owns and operates its Douglas North Tier 3 data centre.

Manx Telecom will be represented at ICE by Stephen Kane together with eGaming account managers John Corrigan and Dan Walker on the Isle of Man Government stand.

Tonight’s Steam Packet sailing from Douglas to Heysham has been cancelled.

That means its return early tomorrow has been cancelled as well.

The Ben-my-Chree also did not leave Douglas this morning because of the bad weather.

For the latest from the Steam Packet {https://www.steam-packet.com/LatestSailings|click here}

A group of dogs from Ramsey are to take part in the Crufts show in March.

The team of nine handlers and dogs from Ramsey Dog Training Club have been selected to be in the Kennel Club Good Citizen Award Silver Display Team at the event, which will be held at the Birmingham NEC on March 10 and 11.

The KCGCDA is pet obedience which encompasses behaviour such as walking to heel, recalls and manners.

This will be the island’s first full team to perform at Crufts, an opportunity that the club says it is very proud of.

Usually stakes are held to get the chance to be part of the team, so for the Ramsey team to be selected specially is a great achievement.

The team - made up of Amy Carswell, Cathy Kelly, Dawn Hendrickson, Gemma Stockton, Jean Young, Lisa Walker, Louise Jackson, Mandy Quayle and Voirrey Horne and a mixture of breeds - including boxers, collies, spitz and flat coat retrievers have been working hard on the routine that will be performed three times a day in the main hall at Crufts.

They say they are very much looking forward to putting the Isle of Man on the map and thanked The Fairy Dogmother and NFU Mutual Insurance and the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, who have supported the team in getting to Crufts and to the MSPCA who have provided a venue for the training in the run up to Crufts.

In addition to the Good Citizen Award Silver Team, a team of five Manx born puppies from Manannan’s border collies have been selected to be the Puppy Foundation Display Team at Crufts.

This is the basics of pet obedience, such as walking nicely on the lead and examination of the dog.

The team of Jean Young, Lisa Walker, Louise Jackson, Tracey Norrey and Voirrey Horne are looking forward to the event. The puppies also have three displays a day.

Voirrey said: ‘It is a fantastic opportunity that the full litter are able to go as team and something which Ramsey Dog Training Club is very proud of.’

Children in the island have the chance to learn more about the First World War and remember the contribution of Manx soldiers through art and poetry.

Isle of Man youngsters can now enter the Never Such Innocence (NSI) Poetry and Art Competition which aims to highlight the importance of soldiers who fought in the war and commemorate the centenary.

Children aged nine to 16 can either produce a piece of art or a poem inspired by the First World War.

The competition, which is open to Manx and UK children, is being launched in the island today (Thursday) at the Manx Museum by the NSI charity.

The launch will include speeches from NSI founder Lady Lucy French, great-granddaughter of Field Marshal Sir John French who commanded the British Expeditionary Forces from 1914-15, and Speaker of the House of Keys Steve Rodan.

Pupils from Victoria Road Primary School will also read some of their own poems inspired by the war.

Founder Lady Lucy French said: ‘I am very excited that we are bringing NSI to the Crown Dependencies and launching at the Manx Museum.

‘Highlighting the contribution of the island and the other Crown Dependencies is vital to the centenary of the Great War and its commemorations. Getting today’s young people to play their part is very special - they are creating a centenary legacy for generations to come.’

The competition aims to give children the opportunity to find out about their heritage and remember the 8,000 soldiers, of which over 2,000 were killed or injured, from the island who fought in the war.

Coutts is supporting the launch of the contest and David Batey, director for Coutts in the island, said: ‘This collaboration with Never Such Innocence provides a special way for Manx children to connect with their heritage and commemorate the centenary of the First World War with poetry and art.

‘I am delighted Coutts is involved in bringing such a worthwhile cause to the Crown Dependencies and look forward to seeing the entries from the Isle of Man’s talented students.’

Children could be in with the chance of winning £250 and £250 for their school if their entry is awarded first place. Prizes will handed out at an awards ceremony at the House of Lords in May.

NSI is a charity which aims to ensure young people across the UK are educated about the First World War.

For more information about the competition, rules and how to enter visit the ‘2015-16 Competition’ page at www.neversuchinnocence.com or email enquiries@neversuchinnocence.com

The closing date for entries is Friday, March 25.

Auditions take place later this month for the Manx Ballet Company’s production of Alice in Wonderland.

There will be three performances at the Gaiety Theatre on November 4 and 5.

The choreography will be in the expert hands of Mari Louise Britz.

Auditions will be held on Sunday, February 21, at the Legion Hall in Port Erin.

Details are now available from the chairman c/o Erin Arts Centre, Victoria Square, Port Erin.

A backbencher’s call to preclude MLCs from voting to elect the island’s Chief Minister won overwhelming support from MHKs.

Michael MHK Alfred Cannan won leave to introduce his private member’s bill to provide that the Chief Minister is appointed from among members of the House of Keys only.

He is seeking to amend the 1990 Council of Ministers Act that currently allows the island’s head of government to be nominated, voted on and appointed by members of Tynwald. Mr Cannan said this key appointment should be made among the ‘democratically elected representatives of the people’.

He told MHKs: ‘At the moment we are exposed to the fact that the Chief Minister may be appointed by the Legislative Council and this in my opinion is wrong and were it to happen would result in widespread concern and consternation.

‘Furthermore we must ask ourselves is it right that the Legislative Council should have significant influence over such a key appointment in government, and particularly so when they carry no public mandate other than that of a revising chamber.’

Mr Cannan said that while we continue with the current system of government whereby the Council of Ministers becomes by default the governing party, he would support the idea of a publicly elected Chief Minister.

But until then ‘is it right that nine non-publicly elected members of the Legislative Council should yield such influence?’

He said words like “reform”, “smaller, smarter government” and “Agenda for Change” have been ‘banded about like confetti at royal wedding’ over the last four and half years and ‘yet almost no reform at all has taken place within Tynwald’.

The growing mantra of government serving itself is personified in LegCo, Mr Cannan claimed and reform was therefor ‘inevitable’.

He said his bill would lay a ‘small but significant’ platform for that reform to begin. It would mean the Chief Minister would no longer by tied in any way to the support of MLCs. ‘The simple truth in much of this is that there is little justification for 33 full-time politicians costing the public purse somewhere in the region of £1.5m per annum,’ he told the Keys.

Infrastructure Minister and Rushen MHK Phil Gawne said Mr Cannan made a very compelling case. ‘We are supposedly trying to streamline government,’ he pointed out, and claimed this House of Keys had done the least towards constitutional reform. Bill Malarkey (Douglas South) said the public want a say on who the next Chief minister will be.

The Keys voted in favour of giving leave to introduce the bill by 21 votes to one, with only Treasury Minister Eddie Teare voting against.

The long-awaited Freedom of Information Act has come into force at last.

Chief Minister Allan Bell described it as a ‘significant enhancement of democracy’ in the island.

But he admitted: ‘It’s uncharted territory. We don’t know whether we will faced with a welter of requests. We’ve had a voluntary Code of Practice in place for 20 years and it’s worked very effectively so it’s difficult at this stage to know what extent of applications we will receive for FoI.’

To manage costs and the impact on staffing, the Act does not apply retrospectively beyond the start of the current administration in October 2011, can only be used by Isle of Man residents, and its introduction is being phased starting with the Cabinet Office and the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture.

Guidance to the public on how to make FOI requests to the two departments is available on a dedicated web page www.gov.im/about-the-government/access-to-government-information/.

This includes a form to be filled in to make a request. The must include the applicant’s name, address for correspondence and an adequate description of the information required. Requests must be answered within 20 days.

Supporters of FoI say its improves decision making and boosts the accountability of public bodies.

Critics says it’s costly for the taxpayer and has a ‘chilling’ effect on how government conducts its day to day business.

After being piloted with the Cabinet Office and DEFA, the regime will be extended in stages over the next two years to other departments and all public authorities, including local authorities, so that the Act is due to be fully in force by January 2018.

In the meantime the public can still obtain information from all areas of government under the non-statutory Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, which has been in place since 1996 and will be retained alongside the FOI regime to cover requests that fall outside its scope.

The Act enshrines in law the right of island residents to gain access to information held by public authorities, as named in the legislation.

As is the case with FOI regimes elsewhere, there are a range of exemptions to protect legitimate confidentiality, for example to prevent harm to businesses. There are two types of exemptions, ‘absolute’ and ‘qualified’, the latter being subject to a public interest test.

One exemption provides for a ‘safe space’ while policy is being formulated.

The Act’s operation will be overseen by the independent Information Commissioner and there is an appeal process if a request is refused.

Police are investigating two separate incidents in which vehicles were taken without the owner’s consent,

The cars were taken overnight between Wednesday, January 27, and Thursday, January 28.

A blue Volkswagen Beetle was taken from Second Avenue, Onchan, and later found in the area of Heather Close, Pulrose.

A blue Daihatsu Fourtrack was also taken from a car park behind the Manx Arms in Onchan and later found in Royal Avenue, Onchan.

Both vehicles were located with help from the public with the use of social media.

Constable Lewis Cassidy said: ‘Both of these vehicles had been left insecure with the keys to hand.

‘Although this type of incident doesn’t occur often, this just goes to show thesre are opportunities out there. I would like to take this opportunity to remind the public to local their vehicles.’

Police would like to speak to anyone who may have information in relation to these incidents or if anyone saw these vehicles being driven throughout the night in question.

Anyone with any information in relation to this matter should contact Constable Cassidy at Lord Street police station on 631212 or via Lewis.Cassidy@gov.im Alternatively, people can give their information anonymously via crime stoppers on 0800 555 111.