The Isle of Man Funds Association hosted its annual dinner at the Palace Hotel, Douglas.

The association, and the evening’s sponsors RBS International and MAC Group, welcomed more than 180 guests from local fund management, wealth management and associated service provider firms.

Former easyJet sales and marketing director, Tony Anderson, was guest speaker.

Chairman of the Isle of Man Funds Association, Carolyn Gelling, opened the evening with an update on the previous year’s activity and plans for 2016.

She referred to how the Association had evolved since its inception in 1987 and how it now represents a wide cross section of the Isle of Man’s fund and wealth management industry and continually seeks to promote the island’s extensive service offering.

Carolyn encouraged member firms to get involved with the busy programme of both on and off-island activity for 2016.

Following dinner, the Master of Ceremonies for the evening, Nick Preskey, introduced Economic Development Minister Laurence Skelly MHK, who provided an update from the Department of Economic Development and its work with the Association.

After which, guests were addressed by Mr Anderson.

Tony explained that after rising through the ranks at British Airways and Thomas Cook, he joined easyJet as the new airline’s third employee some six months before its first flight.

As sales and marketing director, he referred to working closely with Stelios to launch and build the company that became an internet pioneer, a household name and a major force in European aviation.

Tony went on to become easyGroup marketing director. The audience heard several anecdotes from Tony about his involvement in taking the ‘easy’ brand into new business areas, ranging from car rental and cinemas to a chain of giant internet cafes.

Commenting on the event, Carolyn said: ‘The annual dinner is an opportunity for representatives of our member firms and the local business community to gather and celebrate the invaluable work of the Association, as we continue our ongoing efforts to promote the Isle of Man.

‘I would like to express thanks to Mr Skelly, RBS International and MAC Group for their continued support; our guest speaker, Mr Tony Anderson for his entertaining after-dinner speech, and to all those who kindly donated to a fabulous list of prizes for our charity tombola.’

The Isle of Man Funds Association was established in 1987 as a trade association to represent the island’s growing fund administration and management industry.

With almost 50 member firms, its membership now spans the spectrum of the industry.

Douglas council hopes its 60-plus empty council properties can be re-let within the next few months following approval of its new Void Management Policy, last month.

Councillors heard the proposal will see properties requiring more routine work would be dealt with by the council’s own housing maintenance team. Those requiring more serious work would be renovated by an independent contractor after a tendering process. The council policy is to reduce the number of empty properties awaiting re-letting to fewer than 20 within the next three months.

Council leader David Christian welcomed proposals to get the properties re-let, telling fellow councillors some of the houses had been empty for more than 12 months.

‘People see a house that is consistently empty and are very critical if they have a relative on the waiting list,’ he said.

‘Once the maintenance checks have been done we should be offering that house to someone to accept as it is and get them to sign so they can’t come back later saying they want this and that done.

‘If the property is safe, they should be able to move in if they want and do improvements themselves over time.’

He said council should claim costs when properties were left untidy.

Housing committee chairman David Ashford said the council held 47 per cent of the island’s local authority housing and it was important to ensure maintenance was done.

Councillor Ashford said year on year reductions in funding from the Isle of Man government meant overall the council’s maintenance budget had reduced by £853,000.

Two-year-old Lola Johnson, who has a rare lung condition which means she is reliant on having a ready oxygen supply, will walk 1km to raise funds to buy a new portable oxygen machine.

Lola, from Onchan, was diagnosed with a rare lung condition, called interstitial lung disease, when she was eight months old and has to spend around 15 hours a day on oxygen, mostly while she is asleep at night.

When travelling she has to use a portable travel concentrator to give her an oxygen supply when she needs it.

Lola will take on the challenge on Saturday (April 23)to raise money to buy a new portable oxygen concentrator for Noble’s Hospital to give other people living with lung conditions in the Isle of Man the freedom to travel.

Currently there is one device available in the island.

Thanks to the portable machine Lola was able to see her parents, Bernie and Lee Johnson, get married in Las Vegas last year and Bernie hopes the sponsored walk will raise £2,400, the cost of a machine.

Bernie said Lola will be joined by nine of her friends, all aged two, as well as family members and thinks Lola will enjoy the challenge.

The 1km sponsored walk will begin at 10.30am at the War Memorial on Douglas Promenade and finish at the Sea Terminal.

So far £900 has been raised through sponsorship. To donate to Lola visit www.gofundme.com/maxg62pw

A teenager who committed offences while on bail and while already subject to a community service order has been sent to prison.

Dieter Paul Johnson was given 200 hours’ community service for offences of being drunk and disorderly and resisting arrest, but the court heard he subsequently committed an affray last June then just over two months later at the end of August, while on bail for the affray, assaulted a doorman.

In addition, the 19-year-old, of Larivane Estate in Andreas, had failed to complete the community service order, missing so many appointments even his own defence advocate told the court it was ‘no longer viable, given the breaches and the two further offences’.

Sentencing the teenager to a total of 22 weeks in prison, Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes noted the assault was committed on a victim who had already been injured by an attack immediately before.

Cutting to the chase, Johnson’s advocate James Robinson said: ‘There’s not much to add that’s not already been said about the facts. We need to decide whether this leads to an immediate custodial sentence or whether there are alternative ways of dealing with it.’

He told the court the affray matter had originally been charged as a grievous bodily harm offence but the charge had been reduced by the prosecution. However, he added: ‘It remains a serious matter nonetheless.’

In addition, he conceded his client had admitted the offence at a very late stage, though not actually on the doorstep of the court, so some credit was still due for this.

‘At 19, he is still a very young man - still a teenager - and one with an awful lot of growing up to do. A significant amount of immaturity does jump off the pages of these offences,’ he said.

He told the court Johnson had ‘little direction’, difficulty finding employment and some problems in his family background.

Bouts of binge drinking and associating with a negative peer group were also relevant factors in the offences, he said.

But he added: ‘The young man described in the (reference) letters is hard to reconcile with the young man who committed these offences. He has started growing up and taking his life more seriously.’

Mr Robinson said Johnson had put a curb on his drinking, was avoiding his former peer group and had been doing some ‘ad hoc’ employment.

‘Suspending any sentence today would be a constant reminder for him not to slip back into his old ways but also to continue the good work he has done to date,’ he said.

Mrs Hughes was of a different opinion.

‘There are aggravating factors running through these offences: intoxication is one. The affray and the assault, for which the community service order was imposed, both involved intoxication.

‘While subject to the community service order, you failed to attend on seven of the work placements and meetings,’ she said.

However, she noted Johnson had continued to perform some of the community service order and had completed 136.75 hours out of 200.

The order was discharged. He received six weeks’ imprisonment for resisting arrest and no separate penalty for being drunk and disorderly. For the affray and the assault he received eight weeks’ custody on each.

He is banned from on-licensed premises for nine months.

It takes a while for Dave Brock to reach the phone, his wife Kris – a former Hawkwind dancer, these days the band’s manager – searching for him at their Devon base while their ‘very stubborn’ Hungarian Sheepdogs prove their worth as guard dogs, barking down the line … or perhaps calling their master.
Finally Hawkwind’s Captain of the Mothership reaches me, his craft docked at Earth Studios before The Machine Stops tour.
“We’re down here rehearsing, but also having a bit of a purge of junk – throwing things out.”
Earth Studios is clearly an inspirational setting, despite the junk, with Hawkwind’s 74-year-old co-founder, singer/songwriter, guitar and keyboard player based there quite some time.
“Years!”
Very precise. I’m not sure if Dave’s talking earth or light years, but it’s not important. Am I right in thinking his studio is a converted barn and former milking shed?
“Yes … with clutter though.”
Was it a milking shed when he moved in?
“Yes, many years ago. We had to drill up cow-pens with a hydraulic drill, de-woodworm all the beams, put about a foot of concrete on the floor. But I was a lot younger then … and we had our young road crew!”
Dave’s been in Devon several years, his parents moving down from Middlesex first. But while he likes the pace of West Country life, the road beckons now and again.
Or should I say the supersonic highway? I’m guessing he still gets a buzz from playing live all those years after the band’s August 1969 debut at All Saints Hall, Notting Hill.
“I wouldn’t do it if it was boring. It is an art form … believe it or not!”
It certainly is with Hawkwind, whose current tour reaches Preston Guild Hall on Monday, with several summer dates – including those in Greece, Sweden, Italy and Germany – following.
“When we go to these places we usually have a couple of days off, maybe go a day before. Some of the festivals are really interesting, with lots of bands.
“It’s nice to be able to see a few and see what’s going on. That’s the joy – going out, sampling some fine wines … like those in Germany!”
I believe this is your first show at Preston Guild Hall for 24 years.
“Is it? Well, we played Preston a couple of years ago. I suppose we haven’t played the Guild Hall for a while. Hawkwind fans will know – there’s a chart of every gig we’ve ever done!”
I’ve since double-checked and reckon this is Hawkwind’s 17th Preston trip since December 1972, but their first Guild Hall visit since April 1992, the last two visits involving UCLan’s 53 Degrees in March 2008 and April 2013.
There have been many more North West outings, the first at Blackpool Casino in May 1970 and May 1971, as well as the first of five gigs in six years at Lancaster University in November 1972, and the first of seven in 25 years at Blackburn’s King George’s Hall a month later.
What’s more, the Mothership docked at Morecambe Dome in 1997 and 2006 and Southport Theatre in 1997, while Hawkwind played Blackpool Summer Camp twice in 2003.
But let’s focus on this visit, a live concept show showcasing new album The Machine Stops, E.M. Forster’s dystopian vision of the future brought to life in classic Hawkwind style. Expect a spectacular array of music, lights, dance and visual effects, and ‘a journey from the surface of this world to the centre of the next, with time for a few old favourites along the way’.
So how long has Dave been aware of E.M. Forster’s 1909 novella – written in the wake of better-known sci-fi stories such as HG Wells’ The Time Machine, War of the Worlds and The First Men in the Moon?
“It was Kris who actually read the book, and said what a wonderful story it was. It’s an interesting one, quite relevant to today in a way, with computer technology and so on.”
E.M. Forster’s not an author readily associated in literary circles for sci-fi, is he?
“I know. Funnily enough, I’ve a huge book of his life story. He lived quite a varied existence, was with the Bloomsbury Set, travelled around a lot, hence A Passage to India and so on, living quite an artistic, Bohemian lifestyle.”
Is The Machine Stops your way of reclaiming back the crown of successful musical adaptations of classic sci-fi fiction from Jeff Wayne?
“Well, he does something totally different from us. We’ve been doing this on and off for years. And reading sci-fi books does give you good ideas for writing lyrics.
“Music is for people to drift away and visualise what’s going on, like Damnation Alley (from 1977’s Quark, Strangeness and Charm) or Sonic Attack (from 1981’s LP of the same name).
“When we did Sonic Attack with Brian Blessed, first off he did a polite Radio 4 version, ‘In case of sonic attack on your district …’. Very quiet and unlike Brian Blessed! I phoned him and said, ‘Brian – you’re a Hawkman in Flash Gordon,’ and did an impression of him in that. He said, ‘Oh, I get the picture, right …’”
And Blessed – who appeared with Hawkwind at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire on Sonic Attack as recently as early 2014, a recording later released as a single – hammed it up from there?
“He certainly did!”
I make it 30 albums between a self-titled 1970 debut and The Machine Stops, with 13 Hawkwind LPs making the UK top 40. So does it irk Dave that his band are still primarily known for one 1972 top-three UK hit, three years into their 47-year existence?
“You mean Silver
Machine?”
Yes … or is that a badge of pride?
“Well, it’s a badge of pride! It’s a great song, and one played endlessly on the radio. Each one of us tried to do the vocals, and of course it was Lemmy who succeeded.
“Funnily enough, we had a single with Sam Fox, covering Gimme Shelter for a homeless charity, and that was
Richard, our drummer, singing. He’s got a fantastic voice.”
If Dave’s suggesting others got the credit when it came to hit records, he’s certainly not complaining.
Speaking of Lemmy, who died just after Christmas last year four days after his 70th birthday, it’s now more than 40 years since a drugs bust on the US/Canadian border signalled his departure from Hawkwind.
That wasn’t so long after recording Motorhead, the track that inspired his new band’s name. Was Dave in touch in his later years?
“We played together at festivals, where Motorhead would also be on, and we’d meet up. Right up until he died we were in touch. And if he played Bristol we’d go up and see him.
“Funnily enough, Phil Campbell (guitarist who served more than 30 years in Motorhead) played with us only a couple of weeks ago in Seaton. Kris got his band to play, and he came and played Silver Machine with us. He told us, ‘I’ve always wanted to play with you!’ We’ll probably see him at Cardiff on this tour.”
Lemmy was one of many who featured with Hawkwind in getting on for five decades, including Cream drumming legend Ginger Baker (1980-81) and Arthur Brown (2001-03).
When did Dave lose count of the numbers involved?
“I never counted. In a way you have to think it like a jazz musician. You can draw parallels where lots of different musicians go in and out of bands, adding bits and pieces. That’s how it should be. It shouldn’t stay boring.”
That said, the current line up – with Dave joined by Richard Chadwick (drums, vocals), Mr Dibs (vocals), Niall Hone (keyboards, effects), Dead Fred (keyboards, violin, vocals), Haz Wheaton (bass) and Tim Blake (formerly of Gong on keyboards, theremin) – make up the longest established line-up in Hawkwind history. Between them they’ve clocked up more than 112 years aboard the Mothership, and Richard has been with them since the late ‘80s.
“That’s right. I think it’s 28 years for Richard now … blimey! In fact this line-up’s been going about 10 years.”
Dave, the only constant member throughout Hawkwind’s distinguished history, was playing banjo at the age of 12, listening to Fats Domino and Humphrey Lyttelton, leaving school in 1959 to work as a capstan-setter before time with an animation company.
But he pursued a love of music at night at clubs like Eel Pie Island, playing New Orleans trad jazz and blues, or busking with friends such as The Yardbirds’ Eric Clapton and Keith Relf. Dave soon started the Dharma Blues Band with pianist Mike King and harmonica player Luke Francis, recording blues covers and backing touring US blues singers like Memphis Slim and Champion Jack Dupree.
He then quit his job to busk and travel around Europe, co-forming The Famous Cure, touring the Netherlands.
And as the psychedelic scene grew and the band started experimenting with LSD, the music changed, playing electric instruments and effects units.
In 1968 he joined a band of buskers touring Britain on a double-decker bus, and with Mick Slattery and bass player John Harrison, Hawkwind evolved, drummer Terry Olli, Nik Turner (sax) and Dik Mik (electronics) soon joining. Gatecrashing a talent night in Notting Hill, the new band – dubbed Group X at the last minute – played an extended 20-minute jam based on The Byrds’ Eight Miles High.
Legendary Radio 1 DJ John Peel, in the audience, told event organiser Douglas Smith to keep an eye on them, Smith duly signing them and getting a deal with Liberty Records, the band settling on their name after brief billing as Hawkwind Zoo.
Hawkwind have incorporated various styles over the years, from hard rock to metal, prog to psychedelia, even punk (the Sex Pistols covering them back in the day).
But they’ve stuck by their original premise – influenced by The Moody Blues, Steve Miller Band, Kraftwerk, Neu! and Can – of simple three-chord rock with experimental electronic music.
“That’s true. We haven’t really changed. We’ve just carried on playing electronic music with heavy chords – spacey music.
“It’s like a ship sailing along. We just drop people off at islands along the way, they come on board again another time.”
That seems an apt analogy for someone who started watching bands at Eel Pie Island.
“That’s the joy of it. I knew all The Yardbirds. They lived in Richmond, and an old mate ran The Crawdaddy Club and booked The Rolling Stones there. He’s around 77 now. I only spoke to him quite recently. And who’d have thought Ginger Baker would be playing with us in later years?
“As long as you enjoy doing it, it’s great. And this last album was quite a challenge really. It’s an interesting concept that flows along, so it takes people on the journey E.M. Forster wrote.
“In the storyline, this character struggles to contact his mother as the machine’s falling apart because no one knows how to fix it.
“They live below ground. Lots of humans live above ground, but they’ve told him it’s dangerous. Yet he finds it’s not charred black after all – the land is beautifully green. An interesting concept.”
While The Machine Stops is dystopian fiction, Dave feels it’s something we can all relate to, the way the world’s turning.
“You know yourself if your computer goes wrong you haven’t the faintest idea how to repair it. Sometimes you switch it on or off and it’s downloading things you don’t want! You don’t know how to stop it. All these little things prove we’re slaves to these machines.”
Speaking of technology, are there times when you want to leave the Mothership and go out with a guitar or banjo instead, reverting to your busking and trad jazz and blues roots?
“No. I did my solo albums, you see. That was my escape. I still write loads, so if the band don’t particularly like a song I’ll do it myself.”
I get the impression you’re a reluctant frontman, preferring others to take centre-stage.
“The show itself’s always the important thing. For this, the light show’s spectacular. That’s down to John who does our lighting and Martin who does the artwork. They’re clever guys. It’s funny, people just think we turn up and do these things sometimes. They don’t realise you work really hard behind the scenes.”
Are you essentially a shy bloke behind that wall of sound?
“Well, occasionally I come out and do my little bit here and there! It’s like a football team. I’d rather be in the midfield.”
A creative midfielder at that.
“Yes … rather than a striker!”
There have been ups and downs, such as legal wrangles with ex-members, but you’re still out there – playing live, recording, doing what you love.
“Absolutely. That’s what we do it for. It’s an artistic thing to do, and obviously it’s fun. That’s what we try to do – entertain people and enjoy doing what we’re doing.”

n Hawkwind play Preston Guild Hall on Monday, April 25 (doors 7.30pm), with tickets £24 from the box office on 01772 80 44 44 or via www.prestonguildhall.com. For more tour dates and the latest from the band go to http://www.hawkwind.com/.
To order The Machine Stops head to http://shop.cherryred.co.uk/shopexd.asp?id=5330.

A beacon will be lit tonight (Thursday) at St John’s to mark the 90th birthday today of the Lord of Mann, Queen Elizabeth II.

The ceremony, on the fairfield at 8.30pm, will be performed by German parish captain Allen Corlett who will read out a message of congratulations on behalf of the Prince of Wales.

Members of the public are welcome at the event which is part of a network of more than 1,000 beacons being lit throughout the UK, crown dependencies and overseas territories, in tribute to the Queen, who is the Isle of Man’s official head of state.

Isle of Man Civil Defence hopes to light a beacon at the summit of Snaefell along with others being illuminated at the top of Ben Nevis, Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Lieve Donard in Northern Ireland.

Mayor of Douglas Sara Hackman has sent a message of congratulations to the Queen.

IT is no joke for certain people of course but I do feel compelled to ask the question: ‘Where do the very smart people put their money to hide it from the taxman?’

The answer is under their Panama hats.

Mind you, if it is the Turks and Caicos Islands we are talking about it would have to be under your Fez.

I can afford to be flippant about this serious matter even though my financial affairs have always been conducted in an offshore island by which I mean the one where I was born and brought up. You know the one I mean.

But they have always been safe from the scrutiny of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs in the United Kingdom. They can’t nail me, however, much they try.

I pay the low income tax required of me by the Isle of Man Treasury.

If anything it is they who are complicit in whatever wrong I might be accused of doing.

All I can say is that if HMRC want to investigate my financial affairs in this offshore island all they have to do is get on the boat and come over and call in at the offices of Lloyds Bank on Prospect Hill in Douglas where I keep my money and see where it gets them.

I have ordered them in no uncertain terms not to talk about my finances to anybody else but me.

All I can say now is that I hope the UK Labour Party’s self-appointed RichfinderGeneral Mr Corbyn reads the Examiner.

A READER wishing to be known only as the Whistleblower of West Baldwin tells me that in the Examiner there was a planning application for building a ‘single large gentleman’s residence’.

Wants to live off the fat of the land does he?’

THIS week’s crossword clue has come in from Sylvia Lawrinson. It was in the Times quick cryptic as follows: ‘People generally warm on island in the British Isles’ (7).

MEANWHILE in the current shortage of other crossword clues let me draw attention to the Daily Telegraph general knowledge crossword which asked which character in Shakespeare’s ‘Love’s Labour Lost’ uses the word :‘Honorificabilitudinatatibus.’

I have to confess that I don’t know.

I can’t even pronounce it.

JOHN Garfield reports how America’s George Mason University in Virginia decided to announce that its law school would be renamed after the late Supreme Court judge Antonin Scalia, making it the Antonin Saclia School of Law. Its acronym has now been changed hastily to the Antonin Scalia Law School.

Well, you don’t want to make an ass of yourself do you?

CROSSWORD: Mankind

THE Daily Mail Online published a photograph with the caption ‘There is a deadly animal in this picture. Can you see it? Photo shows a rare and venomous predator perfectly camouflaged.’

It actually showed UK Chancellor George Osborne.

THERE are commercials on Manx Radio which say: ‘Official Manx government figures show that oil is cheaper than gas for heating your home.’

What do the unofficial Manx government figures say?

FUNNIES File: The Manx Independent reported a case of drink driving in which a motorist was found unconscious in his car. The story said: ‘When Constable Neil Harding arrived at the scene at 4 pm his breath smelled of drink and he appeared to be in a drunken stupor.’

WORLD headline: ‘If strike isn’t settled quickly it may last a while.’ Guess so.

Phillip Sean McCarthy and Claire Elizabeth McCarthy, both of 3 Ashfield Avenue, Union Mills, bought Cedar Lodge, Main Road, Crosby, for £685,000.

It was bought from Paula Howell Evans.

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

Edith Audrey Rice sold 33 Ballagarey Road, Glen Vine, for £295,000, to David Edward Brew and Joan Barbara Brew, both of 22 Woodlea Villas, Crosby, Thomas David Brew, of 8 The Crofts, Ballagarey, Glen Vine, and Gemma Joan Kelly, of Ballalona, Main Road, Santon.

Bryn Griffith, of 39 Ballacottier Meadows, Douglas, and Kate Victoria Wilson, of 5 Turnberry Avenue, Onchan, sold 31 Wybourn Drive, Onchan, for £280,000, to John Derek Feeney and Amy Joy Laura Cowan, both of 3 Seafield Crescent, Onchan.

Caroline Nea Lever, of Claddagh Farm, Sulby, sold Ballawill Cottage, Agneash, for £270,000, to Christopher Robin Blockley and Felicity Claire Blockley, of the Coach House, Bolivia Mount, The Dhoor, Lezayre.

Padraig Smith and Stacey Patricia Smith sold 15 Cooil Drive, Douglas, for £270,000 to Andrew Nicolas Garvin, of 15 Berrywoods Avenue, Douglas.

Jennifer Ann McParlin sold 55 Derby Road, Douglas, for £260,000 to John Radcliffe, of Poole, Dorset.

Pauline Mary Dunbar sold 43 Garth Avenue, Surby, for £257,000 to Peter Anderson, of Bolton, Lancashire.

Simon Wheatley Everett sold 26 Mona Street, Douglas, for £255,000 to Raymond Leslie Procter, Elizabeth Janelle Procter and Findlay Caol Procter, of Druidale Farm, Druidale.

Neal Patrick Kelly and Kerry Robin Kelly, both of 38 Droghadfayle Park, Port Erin, sold The Homestead, Cronk Road, Port St Mary, for £240,000, to Brian Miles and Gillian Fiona Carfrae, of Castruan, Cregneash.

Sheila Nicol Lindsay Lowe, of 49 Droghadfayle Park, Port Erin sold 5 Asbourne Avenue, Douglas, for £225,000 to Martin John Hill and Kerry Joanne Redmayne, both of 19 Ballacottier Mews, Douglas.

Clare Louise Kipling, of 2 River Walk, Braddan, sold 98 Governor’s Hill, Douglas, for £225,000, to Muthu Pandian Vadivelu and Supriya Raghunath, both of 3 Berrywoods Grove, Governor’s Hill, Douglas.

Ian Michael Yates and Jacqueline Mary Yates, both of 12 Devonshire Road, Douglas, sold 7 Hillberry Lakes, Governor’s Hill, Douglas, for £170,000, to Damon Waddington, of 28 Groudle View, Onchan.

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

The Isle of Man Natural History and Antiquarian Society (IOMNHAS) will begin its summer programme of excursions tomorrow (Saturday) giving an insight into the heritage of the Manx landscape and the island’s wildlife, flora and fauna.

The excursion will be led by new IoMNHAS president Ian Burrell and is an afternoon ‘walk through time’ along the byways of the Santon area entitled ‘The Old, Old Castletown Road’.

Those wishing to join the walk should meet at 2pm in the Kirk Sanctain car park (up the hill and next left from the Port Grenaugh turn if heading south along the Old Castletown Road from Douglas and Port Soderick), at map reference SC 311712.

Next month, from May 9-13, IOMNHAS members will be heading on a field trip (fully booked) to explore how the other island the Romans called Mona - Anglesey in North Wales - compares and contrasts with the Isle of Man, but on the following Tuesday (May 17) there will be a guided evening walk at Lezayre, near Ramsey, entitled ‘Curphey - Farrant’s Ballakillingan’, led by Mr and Mrs Julian Edwards, Ballakillingan’s owners. As well as guiding the walk, the Edwards will be giving a talk on the history of the property and its landscaped grounds, which were primarily laid out in the 19th century by William Farrant (1789-1852) of Ballamoar Castle, who married the estate’s heiress, Susanna Eleanora Curphey (1797-1879) and became Captain of the Parish and an MHK. Those wishing to take part in the Ballakillingan walk should meet at 6.30pm in the Lezayre Church Hall Car Park (map reference SC422942) at 6.30pm.

The next excursion on the programme will be heading to the north east of the island on Saturday, June 18, for ‘Three “Legs” in Maughold’, led by Prof Mark Noel and Tony Cain. They will be taking participants on walks across fields to three of the many ancient sites to be found in Maughold parish. Prof Noel will lead members to two chapel sites, Keeill Michael and Keeill Chiggyrt, and Tony Cain will lead walkers to the headland Gob ny Garvain.

These June walks will take place courtesy of the landowners and farmers Michael Whipp, Edward and John Quayle, and Keith, Pam and Anna Kerruish and those wishing to take part should wear walking boots, take along a picnic lunch and meet in the first instance at 10.30am in the Ballaglass Glen Car Park (map reference SC467898) at 10.30am to share cars to the Barony for the first walk to Barony Hill. Participants will then return to the Ballaglass Glen Car Park for their picnic lunch before setting out at 1.30pm to Ballafayle, where parking will be on the roadside at map reference SC480898. People can choose to take part in either the morning or afternoon’s walk, or do both.

July will see three IOMNHAS excursions taking place. The first, on Saturday, July 2, will be in the Sulby area and is entitled ‘Narradale - Abbeylands, Commons and Orchids’ and will be led by Paul Quayle. After participants have gathered at the Ginger Hall pub, Paul will give a talk on the formation of the commons before leading members on a ‘gingerly’ exploration of the Abbeylands up the lower part of the Narradale step road to view the Commons and Cronk Sumark from a distance. The group will then visit some little-known historic ‘pillars’ whose origins are open to debate and will also hear about the ‘Black Doors’. It is hoped that some verge-side orchids will oblige with their presence along the way. Those wishing to take part should wear walking boots and meet at the Ginger Hall (map reference SC394945) at 2pm. Parking available in the pub car park and after the walk refreshments will be available in the Ginger Hall too.

Then on Saturday, July 16, at St John’s, Dr Patricia Tutt - who recently published a lavishly-illustrated book on the Isle of Man’s architecture and earlier this year gave IOMNHAS members a fascinating lecture on the design of the island’s stained glass - will lead a gided visit to ‘The Parish Church of St John the Baptist, The Royal Chapel’, highlighting aspects of its architecture and stained glass. Those wishing to go along should meet at 2pm in the National Arboretum Car Park at map reference SC279818.

A few days later, on Tuesday, July 19, the island’s natural history will be to the fore when Alan Jackson leads an evening’s exploration of ‘The Manx Uplands’ of the north at a time of day when grouse and mountain hare are more likely to be visible. Alan and his helpers will lead members around Slieu Maggle, explaining and demonstrating how the uplands are managed for all forms of wildlife, flora and fauna. Those taking part should wear stout walking boots and meet at 7pm on the B10 Brandywell Road at map reference SC343866, opposite Sartfell Plantation.

There will be a month’s break in the excursion programme during August but on the afternoon of Saturday, September 10, Pat McClure will lead an ‘Exploration of 19th century St Marks and its North Wales material connection’, explaining how during his 44-years as an Anglican clergyman the 19th-century Rev John Thomas Clarke facilitated changes at St Marks which had surprising consequences after his wife died in 1862. Archaeologist Pat will lead an easy and level walk around the village before returning to the church to view two memorials whose meaning reflects the permanent links created between the Clarke family and a secluded rural village in North Wales. There will be tea and biscuits afterwards and participants should meet at St Mark’s Church (map reference SC295740) at 2pm.

IOMNHAS members will be taking part in the island’s Heritage Open Days from Friday, September 30, to Sunday, October 2, and again from Friday, October 7, to Sunday, October 9, but during the latter weekend, on Saturday, October 8, the last excursion on the IOMNHAS summer programme will head a famous Norse burial site in the Ayres near Andreas for ‘Knock-e-Dhooney - Ice Age to the Vikings’, led by society Vice-President Dave Martin. He will lead a walk around parts of Knock-e-Dhooney farm highlighting aspects such as the effects of glaciation, the keeill and the Viking ship burial. Those taking part should follow the private tarmac farm road leading north from the coast road opposite Gat-e-Whing to reach Knock-e-Dhooney (at map reference NX406023) at 10.30am. Parking is available in the farmyard.

Those wanting to take part in any of these events are advised that, unfortunately, dogs cannot be taken on IOMNHAS excursions.

Note that with the return of the SS Balmoral to the Island’s waters over the weekend of July 15-17, there is the potential for an extra IOMNHAS excursion to Whitehaven, with details to be finalised depending on the level of interest in this; unfortunately, however, these dates do clash with Dr Tutt’s walk around St. John’s mentioned above.

Prospective members are welcome to join in all these excursions.

For any enquiries about outings on the programme, including car sharing and reaching venues by public transport, call IoMNHAS excursion secretary Patricia Newton on 861560 or 366269 or email patricianewton@manx.net

New interpretative display boards informing visitors about Port Erin’s points of interest are sitting at strategic points in the village.

Resident Judy Matthews, a member of Port Erin Traders, said she with fellow PET members Sally Holden and Andrew Foxon have been working on the project for the last 18 months.

‘The work has taken a good while – writing and checking the text, ascertaining planning requirements, obtaining the right photographs and then correlating it all in to the seven boards. A lot of time and effort has gone into this project, but we are there now.’

She said the guide is principally aimed at very short term visitors.

She said: ‘We get an awful lot of people taking the train or coach and they’ve only got three quarters of an hour here, 90 per cent of them will not get much further than the Falcon’s Nest. The idea is to enable them to maximise on what they see in a short time, and hopefully encourage them to visit the village again later.

‘You can put loads and loads of information about the history in, but not everybody’s interested in getting loads of information. It’s getting the right balance.’

The boards will form a trail through the centre of the village. Six have been erected and the seventh – free standing and made in England to special specifications to endure its exposed location by the Falcon’s Nest – will be put in situ within the next few weeks.

One at Droghadfayle Road (sponsored by the Whistlestop Cafe) greets those arriving by coach pointing them towards the railway station. Another in the railway station (Thompson Travel) outlines the history of the railway and museum with information on walking trails. The one in the paved area by the railway station features local attractions and history (Rushen Rotary). Points of interest in the area of the lower promenade are on a board by the Bridge Bookshop, which also sponsored the sign. Shopríte sponsored three signs: looking towards the Raglan pier, towards Bradda Head and by the Falcon’s Nest.

Julie thanked the sponsors, regeneration committee, for part funding the project, printers Quine & Cubbon for their design work and Ron Strathdee for use of his photographs.

She said: ‘We hope that even locals will find out something new about Port Erin!’

A careless blood splat and a historic DNA test proved to be the undoing of a Douglas man three years after he smashed windows at premises belonging to his then employer near Castletown.

Douglas magistrates heard Jamie Hall was employed at Billown Lime Quarry on Foxdale Road near to Cross Fourways when he completely shattered one window and broke another on portable cabin buildings on the quarry site back in February 2013.

The 26-year-old was originally charged with burglary in connection with the incident, but he denied this and admitted an alternative charge of criminal damage.

The prosecution conceded there was no evidence the defendant had entered the building with any intention of stealing anything, so that charge was withdrawn and no evidence offered in support of it.

For the prosecution, Barry Swain told the court the complainant in the case had locked up the metal security gates at the site and set the alarms when he left work on the night the damage was done.

But despite this, when he returned to work at around 7am the following day, he saw one of the cabins had two smashed windows, each worth around £100. One was completely shattered and the other was broken but the glass was still in position in the frame.

When police arrived to check the damage they found blood splashed on the ground beneath one of the windows, which provided a DNA sample.

Hall’s advocate James Robinson said his client had owned up to the offence and the value of the damage was relatively low.

He too emphasised there was no evidence to suggest an entry was made into the cabin and he asked magistrates to sentence on the day without an adjournment to prepare pre-sentence reports.

Mr Robinson told the court: ‘He thinks it might have been an episode of drunken mischief by him and one other person as he was then living in the south of the island, but his recollection of the incident is not good,’ he said.

‘Owing to the aforementioned, and to the passage of time he does not remember entering the building but two small blood stains were found below the most badly broken window, no doubt because he cut himself doing it,’ he said.

He reminded the court the value of the windows was low and the damage had long since been repaired.

Magistrates’ chairman Ken Faragher sentenced him to six weeks’ imprisonent.

The prospect of more Manx marinas being developed has moved a small step closer.

The government today announced it wanted to hear from private organisations or individuals with ideas to enhance the infrastructure, facilities and overall ‘user experience’ at any one or more of our eight harbours.

A ‘prior information notice’ was published this week to start the process to explore potential options. Any parties with experience of commercial harbour development are invited to register their initial interest by Friday, May 20. Applicants will then be contacted by the Department of Infrastructure for further discussion about their proposals.

The Isle of Man has harbours at Douglas, Laxey, Ramsey, Peel, Port Erin, Port St Mary, Castletown and Derbyhaven which fall under the operation of the DoI.

The departemnt says that work has taken place over the past 12 months to improve the upkeep of the facilities by addressing general maintenance issues and removing unwanted vessels and wrecks.

It says attention is now being focused on the long-term future of the harbours, with a view to improving the existing infrastructure, stimulating fresh investment and growing the economy.

Marinas have been established at Douglas and Peel in recent years and the DoI says that options are now being explored for future harbour development, either through entirely private investment or in partnership with the government.

Proposals for marinas in Port St Mary and Ramsey in recent years have fallen through.

Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne MHK said: ‘The Isle of Man’s harbours are among its biggest assets and the department is looking to test the market to see if there is any interest in pursuing new development.

‘The marinas at Douglas and Peel make a significant contribution to the Manx economy and visitor experience. There appears to be strong demand for such facilities, with waiting lists for berths at both Douglas and Peel.’

He added: ‘Proposals for new marinas in other parts of the island have been suggested in the past.

‘At this stage we are just exploring the options and not looking for any firm commitments. However, I hope this process will generate some exciting and viable ideas.’

To register an interest, interested parties should contact Rebecca Williamson, Attorney General’s Chambers, 3rd Floor, St Mary’s Court, Hill Street, Douglas, IM1 1EU, email: Rebecca.Williamson@attgen.gov.im

The island’s new Director of Prosecutions was yesterday officially presented with his commission as an Isle of Man advocate.

Richard Butters took the oath of allegiance and the oath of advocate during a swearing-in ceremony at the Isle of Man Courthouse in Douglas.

Formerly a solicitor and barrister in the UK, Mr Butters was called to the UK Bar in 2001.

He has worked at the Independent Bar at 37 Park Square Chambers in Leeds, prosecuting and defending serious crime from 2001 until taking up his post in the Isle of Man earlier this year.

As director of prosecutions, Mr Butters heads a team of legal officers in the Attorney General’s Chambers and is responsible for the prosecution of all criminal offences in the Isle of Man on behalf of the Crown.

First Deemster David Doyle, who administered the oaths, said: ‘I welcome Mr Butters to the island and congratulate him on his appointment as director of prosecutions and on being sworn in as an advocate in this jurisdiction. This appointment is an important appointment for the island.

‘I hope that the new director of prosecutions will receive full support from all members of the Attorney General’s Chambers in respect of the challenges that Chambers and the island presently face and will face in the future

‘The Attorney General’s Chambers forms an essential part of the island’s legal and constitutional infrastructure. I pay tribute to the excellent work which John Quinn, the acting Attorney General, and Walter Wannenburgh, the Solicitor General are undertaking in the best interests of the island.’

Deemster Doyle added: ‘I also pay tribute to the excellent work that all members of the Manx Bar, including those specialising in criminal defence work, are undertaking in the best interests of their clients and the island generally.

‘The continuing existence of a strong, independent and fearless Manx Bar is fundamental to the rule of law and to the future of the island. The judiciary are appreciative of all the valuable assistance the courts receive from members of the Manx Bar and others. We look forward to Mr Butters, as the new director of prosecutions, assisting the courts in the fair and efficient administration of criminal justice on this island.’

Mr Butters said: ‘I am delighted now to be part of a unique group of people known as Manx advocates. It is a huge honour to have been sworn in, in front of the First Deemster, the acting Attorney General, Mr John Quinn and the Solicitor General, Mr Walter Wannenburgh.’

He added: ‘I am extremely proud and privileged to be appointed to the position of director of prosecutions. I will endeavour to make sure that all prosecutions are dealt with efficiently and above all in a fair-minded way.’

Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne MHK has denied he approved a scheme to resurface the Sloc road just because it’s in his constituency.

But Mr Gawne told a Tynwald scrutiny committee that there were plenty of other roads that had greater priority – and the only reason why the Sloc was chosen was because his department had underspent on its capital projects budget and it was a relatively simple scheme.

The Minister was grilled about the £473,588 Sloc scheme as he gave evidence to the environment and infrastructure policy review committee.

He said: ‘There have been allegations made, certain people have said “oh well the Minister has just done this because it’s in his constituency”. Well first of all, that’s not true - the Minister had nothing to do with it. I don’t get into that sort of detail - I believe that’s appropriate to leave that to the engineers.

‘But secondly, even if I was, if I had chosen to pick a road in my constituency and said “you must get that done” I can’t imagine that the Sloc would even come close to the top 10. There are loads of other roads that need to be done.’

He added: ‘The reason that the Sloc was done was because first of all we had an underspend in our capital programme so we had some spare money and we needed to spend it on something.’

The Minister said the Sloc scheme was ‘relatively simple’ as there were no kerbs, junctions or drains to deal with. He insisted it was value for money at £15 a square metre compared to most schemes that would be £30-plus.

DoI chief executive Nick Black said planned work to the Sloc was brought forward due to delays in other capital schemes including Douglas promenades.

Committee chairman Graham Cregeen suggested there should not be this ‘mad March’ spend by government departments.

Entrepreneur and technologist Owen Cutajar is the first Isle of Man based professional to be offered entry to Seth Godin’s altMBA programme.

The altMBA programme was founded in 2015 by author and entrepreneur Godin, and is a four-week online management and leadership workshop.

The programme allows only 100 students per session, requiring an intensive application process. Alumni include executives from Google, Coca-Cola, Kickstarter, Red Cross and more.

‘I’ve been a fan of Seth Godin’s work for many years”, Owen said.

‘He’s a best-selling author, thinker and marketer who has inspired me in more ways than one.

‘The altMBA was created as a programme that focuses on coaching and learning by doing.

‘Designed to be hands-on, we’ll be delivering 13 projects in a four week sprint, balancing this undertaking with a full-time job and family commitments.

‘It’s going to be intense, but a fantastic growth opportunity’.

Owen’s session begins mid-April.

Thus far, students from 27 countries and 35 industries have participated in the programme and he’s pleased that he can add the Isle of Man to the list.

Owen Cutajar is the founder and CEO at Future Tech Limited.

More information and application into the programme’s next session can be found at altMBA.com.

Isle of Man Friends of the Earth’s John Griffiths looks at some smelly business practices.

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‘The back of Peel Hill is not the place it was for watching the sun go down because of the rip-roaring stench that comes from the scallop shell tip there.’

Isle of Man Friends of the Earth are not the authors of the above statement, it has been copied from a 1973 issue of Manx Life, written by TV, radio and newspaper reporter and columnist Terry Cringle. The article continued:

‘Peel commissioners allow it because they recognise a duty to dispose of these shells and even government seems to shrink before threats that the scallop and queenies fishing boom is going to grind to a smelly halt unless the millions of old shells are dropped back into the sea.

‘I do not see why the fishing industry as a whole cannot accept responsibility itself for taking the shells back out to sea. When they go back to sea why cannot they take the empty shells with them?

‘ It seems to be the simplest thing in the world except to the people in the industry.

‘I am told that the fishermen won’t do it.

‘They are fishermen they say, not refuse men.

‘The processors will not get a vessel to do the job. They say it would be uneconomic.

‘With a little goodwill and common sense the industry could work out a way of dumping its own rubbish back at sea. They are all in this business together and all make a good living out of it. It is to their advantage to work it out themselves without running to the authorities to do it for them.

‘If the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries decided to dig its heels in and throw the whole messy problem right back in the industry’s laps, they’d manage all right. They’d have to.’

Over the last 43 years nothing has changed. The practice of tipping the waste over the back of Peel Hill continues, the putrid smell wafts over Peel and thousands of seagulls can be seen to scavenge on the waste flesh.

This constant food supply ensures gull numbers are far higher around Peel than any other part of the island’s coastline.

At the tax-payer funded Food Park hundreds of gulls sit on the roofs waiting for the open-top trailers to carry the fetid, dripping loads away several times each day.

Are there health risks to the general public, food manufacturing and processing businesses in the Peel Food Park caused by the constant rain of seagull droppings?

Last year Peel commissioners used rate payers’ money to shift 1,000 tons of scallop shells washed up onto Fenella Beach. After the recent winter storms they will have to do it again this year.

During the last 50 years over 200,000 tons of shellfish waste has been dumped into the sea at Peel. Of this one third (70,000 ton) is flesh waste.

The UK Environment Agency has classified flesh on shellfish waste as a category three animal by-product and imposed a complete ban on disposing of it into the sea.

Only once the flesh is removed can the clean shell be dumped back into the sea or used for other purposes. Why is something that is banned in the UK allowed to happen here?

No other businesses on the island are allowed to dispose of putrescible waste this way so why are the shellfish processors allowed to do so?

Minister Richard Ronan tells us that the Fishing Industry is worth £13,000,000 a year to the island’s economy. So it should be able to afford the cost of properly disposing the waste.

World Book Night will be celebrated this Saturday with an event at the Henry Bloom library in Douglas at 7pm featuring several local authors.

Tickets for the event are free and are available from the library or can be reserved by telephoning 696461.

Featuring in the evening will be local writers Rakie Keig, Michele McGrath, John Boyle and Michelle Tonnesen, as well as Manx Bard Stacey Astill.

Michele McGrath will also be giving a talk tonight (Thursday) on ‘how to publish an ebook’ at the Harvey Briggs Onchan Library at 7pm.

World Book Night is about sharing books with your local community, and library staff say they are looking forward to welcoming existing members and new visitors alike to join the celebrations and discover all their local library has to offer.

To find out more about World Book Night and other upcoming events visit the libary websites at www.library.onchan.org.im or library.douglas.gov.im

A new look Manx Music, Speech and Dance Festival gets under way tomorrow (Friday).

For the first time this year, the classes include a Battle of the Bands competition, taking place in the Villa Marina’s Royal Hall on Tuesday evening next week.

Bands include Hilltop Hallucinations, The Game is On, Ignite the Sky and The Clown Calls for War.

There are ‘Own Composition’ and ‘Covers’ classes and under-18s will be followed by adult bands.

The bar will be open and the audience will have an opportunity to vote for their favourites.

Soundcheck will help the bands set up.

Festival committee chairman Sarah Kelly said: ‘The Guild has always changed with the times and this is our chance to modernise and attract new participants and audiences.

‘It’s going to be an exciting night with a lively atmosphere and I would encourage as many as possible to come and support their favourite bands.’

The dance classes have been extended to include Solo Ballet, Group Modern and Character Duet.

Entries to the piano classes have dramatically increased this year owing to a rule change which means that anyone learning to play at the standard of a particular grade can enter the class in that grade irrespective of their age.

This year, the Cleveland Medal Test, which celebrates the very highest standard of singing which the island has to offer, will take place on Friday, April 29, from 8.30pm.

Last year saw soprano Karen Elliott claim a record sixth Cleveland Medal win.

The festival will culminate in a ‘Festival’s Finest’ concert on the Saturday, from 8pm.

It will feature a broad cross-section of class winners from dance, drama and music disciplines and there will be performers of all ages.

The winners of both the Sheffield Plate for young soloists and the prestigious Cleveland Medal Test will perform along with the best from the ever-popular Songs from the Musicals class.

There are some 35 entries in the Songs from the Musicals class, which takes place on the Thursday evening, from 6.30pm.

The Guild, supported by Dandara, runs from tomorrow (Friday) to April 30.

It had its origins in The Isle of Man Fine Art and Industrial Guild.

It was during the fifth Annual Exhibition of this organisation, held in December 1892, that choir competitions were held for the first time.

These were organised by Miss M.L. Wood, who became known as ‘the mother of music in the Isle of Man’, and took place over just one day. Competition was accepted as the motivation for improvement in many spheres.

Tickets for most sessions are £4 and a season ticket is £30.

The Songs from the Musicals, Cleveland Medal Test and Festival’s Best 2016 are ticketed events costing only £8 for an adult and £4 for under-18s.

Visit www.manxmusicfestival.org

Richard Radcliffe retires from Ramsey Commissioners at the end of this month after a career spanning more than three decades.

It all began on June 1, 1984, when he was first elected to represent South Ward.

He has served with 19 chairman and 46 members, and he remains the longest serving member of the board since it was inaugurated in 1865!

He has been board chairman twice, in 1994/95 and the current term 2015/16, always with the full support of his wife, Helen. It is fitting that he ends on a high note, as chairman during the 150th anniversary year.

‘I have decided that 32 years is long enough. It has been an absolute honour to serve the town and if I could go back to 1984, I’d do it all over again’, he says.

As lead member for finance for many years, there is satisfaction in knowing that the town’s finances are on a sounder footing than when he was first elected:

‘One of the things that pleased me most was that we were able to pay off the huge South Ramsey debt, which was due to run until 2023!’.

Among the landmark improvements to the town he counts the complete rebuilding of the Lezayre Estate, the development of Mooragh Estate, the creation of Poyll Dooey nature reserve and – not least – the introduction of wheelie-bins. But as well as achievements there has been much frustration, especially with planning, and he hints that this might be why all but three of the present board have chosen not to seek re-election.

‘It has become increasingly difficult to progress matters – there seems to be unwillingness in government to take decisive action. You ask them for clarity in order to plan for the future of the town and nothing comes back’. There seems to be no clear plan at all for the Isle of Man government. It appears to be reactive rather than pro-active, and that is a matter of great concern to me,’ he says.

‘Planning has been the biggest bug-bear. It has driven us mad. First stage planning should be in the hands of the local authorities, which is what the people who elect you expect. At the moment our comments are completely ignored.

‘It’s the same with public housing. Several years ago, the government commissioned a report and was advised that the Island should have four area housing authorities plus Douglas, but nothing has been done to implement it’.

He is a strong advocate for reform of local government which would give local authorities control over local matters, ‘not civil servants in Bucks Road’.

‘We’ve always had a good relationship with (Chief Minister) Allan Bell and I agree with everything he says about local authority reform’, he adds.

He has fond memories of colleagues from the past, such as Beryl Quine - ‘a wonderful lady with a heart of gold’, Charles Cain – ‘a man of intellect, vision, charm and wit’, also Jack Morris, Mary Bruce, Kevin Crowe and Geoff Quayle – ‘all of whom were totally dedicated to the town’, and town clerk David Evans, whom he describes as ‘the ultimate professional’.

At a reception to mark the end of his term attended by some 80 townspeople, Mr Radcliffe honoured singing duo Marlene and Dilys, Town Band leaders Robert Quane and Ray Gillis and Special Olympian Lawrence Dyer with ‘Spirit of Ramsey’ awards.

He will chair his final meeting on Wednesday (April 20) and will then embark on the next phase of his service to the town by taking forward the scheme to develop a community sports facility at the Mooragh, which will bring together the many sports clubs in Ramsey and the north.

As the veteran of no fewer than 19 London Marathons, he is definitely the man for the job!

The vicar of Christ Church in Laxey is appealing to the community to support the church which is in financial difficulty.

Reverend Jo Dudley and parishioners in Laxey and Lonan are rallying together to raise awareness of the church’s financial problems and dwindling congregation.

The church has an average congregation of around 12 at its services and it costs just over £100 a day to run the building.

Reverend Dudley, who will mark five years of being vicar of Christ Church in September, said the church needs the support of everyone in the Laxey and Lonan parish and to gain support a newsletter about the situation at the church will be sent out on Monday, April 25.

It will be sent by the Isle of Man Post Office to make sure all houses in the parish receive the publication.

‘We have decided to make a newsletter to raise awareness of the financial difficulties of the Parish of Laxey and Lonan Church. If we work together we can save the building. If everyone gives even just £5 a year, then we would be able to pay for the church.’

Even though Christ Church is having difficulties, Reverend Dudley wants to make it clear that this is not a ‘dire warning’ that the church is in danger of closing.

She wants the people of Laxey and Lonan to use the church more for weddings, funerals, baptisms as well as get involved with services and events held at Christ Church. ‘The church can be used for all sorts of things. It’s great for charity events and is available for everyone to use.

‘There is no form of income from anywhere other than donations, no support or any other benefactors. The congregation is now too small to maintain and run the building. We want the people of the villages to be aware of the situation.’

As well as notifying the public of the problems, the newsletter also marks the 160th anniversary of the church. Christ Church was consecrated on May 28 1856 as the Laxey miners’ church and all miners had the day off to attend the consecration.

‘It seems appropriate to celebrate this event and encourage those living in Laxey to embrace the church as a vital part of the community not just as a place of worship but as a community hub.’

The celebrations will begin on May 14 with a ‘Big Concert Quiz’ at 7.30pm.

Tickets are £5 and are available from Laxey post office and Laxey chemist. A hog roast is also planned for May 28.

Mrs Dudley hopes the community will support the efforts to keep the church building in the centre of the village alive. She aims to be there for anyone who needs advice. ‘I do my very best to be available and I try to be around everywhere.

To make a donation visit Christ Church in Laxey for more information.