Football Foundation president and former Labour MP Lord Tom Pendry officially opened Castletown Metropolitan Football Club’s new facilities on Saturday.

The foundation - which is the charity of the Premier League and the FA Facilities Fund - has given a grant of £99,175 towards the new clubhouse which now has a new stadium, changing rooms and bar.

Club treasurer Billy Beech said it was very gratifying to reach the end of what has been a very long endeavour that began in 1998, when the club decided to investigate rebuilding the stadium, which was built by club volunteers in 1949 and had reached the end of its useful life.

A dedicated redevelopment fundraising team was established by club supporter the late Bernard Peel and they created the ‘Castletown Football Club Lottery’ which for many years held a lotto draw every two weeks and raised £100,000 at the time the lottery was disbanded in 2006.

The club also secured a grant of £25,000 from the Manx Lottery Trust.

The donation from the foundation enabled the club to reconstruct and extend the changing rooms and stand.

Lord Pendry cut the ribbon to officially open the new facilities and had a look around to see how the money has been spent.

Billy said: ‘It went very well, he loved it and loves the Isle of Man, he has been here three time and wants to come back. The Football Foundation is so glad to help the island, he hinted we get more than our fair share of funding.

‘It’s a big relief to reach the end, it’s been three years of form after form, you got to the point when you said forget it.’

He added local contributors are too numerous to name individually but thanked them all and said: ‘It’s smashing the way everyone has helped us.’

Club secretary Cheryl Callow said: ‘It feels great – all the money and hard work, you can see it’s been worthwhile.

‘It looked absolutely gorgeous on the day.’

Once some work in the kitchen and porch is completed the job will be finished.

Cheryl added: ‘Then I’ll be able to have a rest.’

On Saturday, May 14, from 1-4pm, Glen Maye Chapel is holding its fifth annual Great Glen Maye Duck Festival in Glen Maye’s National Glen

There will be duck-related stalls, duck games, duck crafts, a duck treasure hunt, refreshments and a fun duck racing tournament down the glen from near the lower picnic site.

The race entrance fee is £2, which covers two races, or £1 if you bring your own duck.

People can collect their own ducks after the races.

Organisers still have some ducks that were left behind last year, which can be collected on the day. Prizes include a return ticket for a car and tow adults on the Steam Packet.

The event is raising money for Glen Maye Chapel’s community centre project. Call Pat Costain on 842873 or Paul Craker on 845681 for details.

At just 18 year old Manx student Liam Miller has been elected as a commissioner for Garff Laxey.

Liam is thought to be the youngest ever Manx commissioner and was elected with an overwhelming 85 per cent of votes in the Garff local authority election.

The Ramsey Grammar student, who is studying history, geography and business studies at A Level, said it was a ‘great honour’ to be elected by his fellow parishioners in Laxey.

He said: ‘I wasn’t expecting it and to get a high turnout and receive 85 per cent of the vote is absolutely amazing. I’m really, really pleased and chuffed that people are obviously looking for change.’

Liam said he has always had an interest in politics and local politics in particular as his family have lived in Laxey for generations.

He said: ‘I thought “I’m 18, I would like to make a change”. I want to have a positive impact and hopefully inspire young people to get into politics.’

During his four year term he wants to focus on tackling issues affecting younger people and improve the football club, tennis courts and skate park in the village to provide better facilities for youngsters.

He also wants to improve recycling, car parking and make sure the 20mph speed limit in Laxey does not get raised to 30mph.

The teenager believes he will be able to handle the pressure of being a commissioner and thinks his age will bring diversity to the board.

Mr Miller said: ‘The past board of commissioners was of an older generation. I think people were just looking to see a younger representative, someone who can bring change and I think younger people thought I would represent them. I think that’s why I was elected.

‘I don’t think age is a problem. On the board now there is a good mix with younger and older generations. All in all that will work really well because there’ll be a viewpoint from every area

‘There’s not really much I’m not looking forward to. At the end of the day I have been elected so I have to carry out my role. Overall I’m looking forward to helping out where I can and having a positive impact.

Liam will finish school this year and, as he has no desire to go to university, hopes to carry on his gardening business. He said he now looks after 22 gardens in Laxey, Douglas and Maughold and wants to expand when he finishes school.

Chief Minister Allan Bell MHK said he believed that Liam was the island’s youngest ever politician and congratulated him on his achievement.

He said: ‘The Isle of Man took the lead in granting the vote to 16 year olds. Liam’s election is excellent news and a reflection of a growing enthusiasm of young people in the political process.

‘Politics is vitally important and will shape the future for young people – it’s right that their voices should be heard. I congratulate Liam on his success. He could be a role model for young people to emulate in the future.’

The Laxey man also wanted to thank his family and friends for supporting him throughout his campaign.

The Mannin Hotel on Broadway has officially opened its doors to the public.

Guests were welcomed to an official launch on Friday where Chief Minister Alan Bell opened the Isle of Man’s newest hotel.

Island residents also had the chance to look around the establishment during the day.

The £6m hotel will be assessed later in the year for its rating but owner Keith Lord and general manager Rom Kesa hope it will receive a four-star rating.

At the launch, Mr Bell said the Mannin Hotel will be a ‘huge asset’ to the Isle of Man and will help boost the island’s tourism industry.

He said: ‘I hope this will be a step in the right direction to start to expand the appeal of the Isle of Man further and generate more profitability within the hotel industry. Tourism itself is hugely important not just for the tourism industry but it’s an essential ingredient for the rest of the economy.

‘Financial services as we know have been the bedrock of the economy now for many many years.

‘We are now moving towards an ICT economy, and e-Gaming is hugely important, but underpinning those vital ingredients is the hospitality industry which is essential.

‘We need good quality hotels, good quality restaurants, we need good quality bars and entertainment, we need a vibrant night economy. All these things, built together, help to underpin a vibrant, growing, expanding economy.’

He added: ‘I’m sure the whole project will be extremely successful. It’s a huge asset to the Isle of Man that we can be proud of and we will do our best to tell the world. I’m sure once the rest of the industry have realised what you’ve done it’ll sharpen their game as well so we’ll all gain at the end of it.’

The 54-bedroom establishment cost £6m and has a restaurant and bar open to the public, underground car park for customers’ use, underfloor heating and air conditioning.

Hotel owner Keith Lord, of Mannin Investments, said it’s ‘absolute magic’ to have the business open after more than three years in the making.

He said: ‘I think we’ve created something special here and I think people will appreciate that. The most rewarding and satisfying part of the completion of this lovely hotel is that we have spent many hours creating its own identity with arts and craft using Archibald Knox and Rennie Mackintosh in order to achieve what you see today.

‘Looking ahead, I hope the Mannin will gain a reputation for being one of the best hotels on the island and will make a real contribution to the island’s economy.’

Finance firm Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management is hailing the success of a fund it launched 15 years ago.

The company claims its ‘Select Global Opportunity’ strategy marks a decade and a half of outperforming other funds in its peer group, averaging a return of 8.2 per cent since its inception – compared to three per cent for its peers.

Assets under management (AUM) currently is standing at 280million US dollars (as at March 31).

Mark Piper, the fund manager who has headed up the Select Global Opportunity Fund since the start said: ‘The Fund is attractive to both regular savers and lump-sum investors with investment horizons of three to five years, as it is often exposed to short term volatility.

‘The Fund is opportunistic and can move quickly between strategies, shifting weightings quickly – what could be a 20 per cent Asian weighting one day can become a 20 per cent US weighting the next.

‘Our strategy is to use our insight, backed up with thorough research, with a good dose of gut feeling.

‘While there is a robust investment process in place for fund selection and input from the asset allocation committee, we are not tied to any benchmark.

‘We believe this approach combined with dynamic and focused asset allocation has created the Fund’s attractive long-term record. We are looking forward to continuing to produce strong performance going into the future!’

Launched originally in 2001 as the FPI Collins Stewart Aggressive Fund with Friends Provident International (FPI), the Fund started life at the same time as the dotcom bubble burst and the Enron and Worldcom scandals broke.

Its initial performance was a sign of things to come as it kept its value in US dollar terms from launch until the end of 2002, buoyed by a weighting in Asian and Eastern European equities.

Having weathered the tech crash and accounting storm, the strategy moved from a defensive stance to take advantage of the five-year bull market that followed, returning over 125 per cent. Despite its auspicious start in troubling times, for the first six years of its existence, it remained a bit of a hidden gem.

All this changed in 2008, when the launch of the Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management Select range opened the Fund to all its clients and re-branded the Fund to reflect its potential.

The re-launch coincided with the global financial crisis, but as global equities plummeted, the manager raised cash to more than 40 per cent to mitigate the worst of the falls; by the end of November 2008 the Fund was down 27.4 per cent compared to a 43 per cent loss for the FTSE World TRI USD Index.

The Fund’s strategy as the crisis neared its end was to embrace risk, focusing on thematic plays in unloved sectors of the market. This enabled the Fund to return over 33 per cent in 2009 and recoup its losses much faster than global equities. Since September 2008, the Select Global Opportunity Fund’s assets have grown at an annualised rate of 35.5 per cent.

A total of nine hedgehogs had their first taste of freedom since last autumn when they were released back into the wild at a remote area near Ronague.

The hedgehogs, all a strapping 900-plus grammes, had spent the winter in foster care because they were too small to have survived winter hibernation.

Sandy Huyton, of the Manx Hedgehog Conservation Society, said: ‘Without the care and support of our dedicated foster carers, these orphaned hoglets would have most definitely perished during the colder months. The event brought together all our foster carers for the first time and we shared wonderful happy stories of how much they all enjoyed the experience.’

She said if the animals had insufficient body fat at the point of hibernation they would usually not survive until the spring. Many of the fostered animals were rescued by members of the public and handed to the charity.

Thanks were extended to the Glassey family, of Ballalona Farm, who supported the society and provided snacks and refreshments at the end of the release.

‘We had a wonderful evening for all the right reasons,’ Ms Huyton said.

Yesterday (Monday) the society was at the Strand shopping centre in Douglas, fundraising and promoting Hedgehog Awareness Week.

The group was running a team activity to build a giant hedgehog using driftwood.

The society is currently fundraising. Its target is to raise £80,000 for a hedgehog visitor centre at St Mark’s.

Discretionary fund manager Creechurch Capital has made two appointments.

Emily Garrett has been hired as management accountant within the finance team and Annette Ferguson taken on as assistant portfolio manager.

Emily joins from Sanctuary Trust Limited where she was the chief financial officer.

Joining the business at a time of growth, she brings with her a wealth of experience in regulated entity financial reporting.

Outside of the office, Emily is a trustee of Naseem’s Manx Brain Tumour Charity and is the treasurer for the Isle of Man Athletics Associations.

Joining the business with 11 years’ experience, the team welcomes Annette from Barclays Wealth where she was a treasury specialist and dealer.

Throughout her career she has built a stellar reputation with premier and corporate clients, providing so-called ‘bespoke solutions’.

Her experience is said to be a ‘fantastic fit’ with Creechurch Capital’s values and ethos of providing all clients with a personalised approach for wealth protection.

Speaking of the latest appointments, Mary Brady, COO at Creechurch Capital said: ‘We are delighted to welcome Emily and Annette on board.

‘These key appointments will strengthen our team during this time of expansion for Creechurch Capital.

‘We now have a reputable presence spanning the globe as the business continues to thrive on an international stage, establishing the Isle of Man’s presence as a global centre for excellence.

‘We will continue to nurture and grow talent from the Island with a global outlook.’

Creechucrch Capital is based at Knox House, Finch Road, Douglas.

Last autumn 80 people from the island and further afield celebrated the company’s fifth birthday.

Controversial politician Ken Livingstone, suspended by the Labour Party on Thursday amid an escalating row over alleged anti-Semitism within the Party, is due to be the guest speaker at an event later this year organised by the island’s Sporting and Dining Club.

Mr Livingstone, a former Labour MP and London Mayor, was dubbed ‘Red Ken’ in the 1980s in the wake of his support of controversial issues such as republicanism.

He was also involved in a bitter clash with then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her resulting abolition of the Greater London Council of which he was Leader.

A close friend of Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn, Mr Livingstone’s suspension from the party came after he made a number of controversial comments in the ‘Zionism’ row. In a statement the party said Mr Livingstone had been suspended ‘pending an investigation for bringing the Party into disrepute’ while Mr Corbyn told journalists his Party ‘won’t tolerate racism’.

In a BBC interview Mr Livingstone had defended Labour MP Naz Shah, who was suspended on Wednesday, for sharing allegedly anti-Semitic posts on social media.

‘An Evening with Ken Livingstone’ is due to take place at the Gaiety Theatre in Douglas on October 5 and will conclude with an open question and answer session.

John Wanennburgh, who founded the Sporting and Dining Club 10 years ago, said the event would be an opportunity to meet one of the UK’s most fascinating figures.

‘Like him or loathe him, he still has the power to mesmerise audiences when speaking about what is undoubtedly an extraordinary political career,’ he said.

He added: ‘For nearly 30 years this controversial political chameleon has been making headlines and continue to do so, antagonising, shocking and delighting the public and the media in equal measure.’

Tickets for the event are £17.50 and are available from the Villa Box Office, online or telephone 600555.

Over the past 10 years the Club, which has raised more than £60,000 for local charities and community projects, has brought leading celebrities to the island from the world of sport, entertainment, politics and business. Previous events have included England World Cup winning rugby captain Martin Johnson, Anfield legend Kenny Dalglish and explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBE who will be making a return speaking engagement at the Royal Hall, Villa Marina on December 15.

Friday is the deadline for returning the interim census forms issued to all island households last month.

After the deadline reminder letters will be sent and the census team will visit all properties that have not yet completed and submitted the form.

So far nearly 30,000 (29,667) forms have been returned out of an estimated 37,000 occupied households. The running total includes more than 4,000 (4,251) households that have taken advantage of the easy online census option available for the first time as part of Government’s Digital Strategy.

Every home has been provided with a paper version of the form, which includes a unique online code allowing householders access to the online form.

{https://www.gov.im/categories/home-and-neighbourhood/census-2016/|More information here}

Experienced estate agent Graham Wilson is celebrating his ‘most popular’ sale ever in the island.

Mr Wilson said he has never experienced such a volume of demand when the ‘iconic’ Kate’s Cottage on the TT course was put up for sale

He is director of Manxmove which has announced the sale, subject to contract, of Kate’s Cottage (Keppel Gate Cottage) on the TT Mountain Road. at the 34th Milestone.

The cottage has been snapped up for £275,000 cash by a couple.

Graham Wilson from Manxmove told Business News: ‘In more than 20 years in estate agency this is by far and away the most popular property of all time as far as I’m concerned.

‘The historic Kate’s Cottage on the TT Mountain Road was launched for sale with us on the morning of Tuesday, April 5 , and was quickly put through the normal Manxmove marketing process.

‘By Wednesday lunchtime the property had been shared on Facebook among motorcycle enthusiasts hundreds of times and had received well over 50,000 hits on our website.

‘We spent the following day dealing with dozens of calls and emails from literally all around the world before securing a full price cash offer of £275,000 subject to contract the following day. (Thursday)’

The historic landmark home is presently owned by TT and Grand Prix enthusiast Ralph Clark who has decided to ‘downsize’ into a smaller bungalow closer to amenities in Douglas.

Mr Wilson said that as soon as word got out that thecottage was for sale things went ‘mental.’

He said: ‘No sooner had we put the phone down than it would be ringing again.

‘We had enquiries from all over the world, it was amazing.’ He said it was unlikely the couple - the husband is a keen TT supporter - would be in the cottage in time for the launch of TT fortnight later this month.

But they are looking forward to their new home.

One of the most easily recognised landmarks on the TT course the cottage looks down towards the Creg-Ny-Baa a popular viewing area for TT fans.

It has panoramic views of the easterly coastline including the port of Douglas.

The property requires updating but offers two double bedrooms, two reception rooms, a bathroom, garaging for one car, an outside W.C. and woodstore.

Mr Wilson is not expecting any last-minute hitches but reveaed there is a 30-strong list of back-up buyers waiting in the wings . . . just in case.

It’s that time of year again; exams are nearly upon us and for many young people it can be a very stressful period.

How can we support our young people through this difficult time and ensure they approach each exam fully prepared and confident they can succeed? • Get the basics right – Know when their exams are. Secondary schools provide exam timetables to download from their websites. Have a big version where you can all see it and highlight your child’s schedule. You can then plan your approach effectively in a team effort.

• Devise a cunning plan – Ensure your child has a set plan for when they will revise certain topics, for how long and using what media. If you can, build in breaks and other stimuli as rewards.

• How do you revise? – This is very much up to your child’s learning style, but bear this in mind; we remember only 20 per cent of what we read, but 90 per cent of what we see, hear, say and do. If they are seeing it, hearing it, speaking about it and doing it, they will remember it more effectively. Good methods include flash cards, mind mapping and revision games.

• Manage their distractions – Our children have so many digital distractions from Facebook, twitter and Instagram to Youtube, gaming and snapchat. Sit down with your child and build ‘device time’ and going out with friends into their break and reward periods.

• Sleep – Teenagers need at least eight hours’ sleep. They must build in time to relax before bed.

• Stay focused – Help your child to ignore negative peer pressure. Classmates might have them believe they are doing more/less revision than them. Encourage them to be single minded about their future goals.

• On the day – Ensure they get a good breakfast, they are well equipped and they are as relaxed as they can be. Use positive language and tell them you are proud of them.

• If all else fails, hug it out! – This is an emotional time for our young people. Some simple reassurance, a favourite meal, or just a hug can help.

An early morning ‘ginger shot’ followed perhaps by a vegetable-based ‘heart beet’ juice are giving staff at Duncan Lawrie Private Banking something of a zest factor for the working day ahead.

Staff at the Douglas-based business are becoming healthier by the day after backing their social committee’s decision to sign up to a ‘juicy menu’ of 100 per cent natural raw, cold pressed vegetable and fruit juices from Creative Juices Isle of Man.

Michelle Ward, human resources manager, said: ‘Like most companies, social activities away from the office invariably involve over-indulgence so we decided to do something healthier in work time and Duncan Lawrie is subsidising the cost by 20 per cent.’

Michelle also has responsibility for office management.

Once soundings among the staff showed support for the idea Michelle, and fellow social committee member Lynn Jones, wasted little time in implementing the scheme.

The twice-weekly orders of a selection of juices in 500ml bottles is also something of a coup for Bev Clegg, owner and founder of Creative Juices, as Duncan Lawrie is her first corporate client.

‘This is a company which is actually investing in promoting healthier lifestyles and in turn reaps the rewards from greater staff motivation and performance,’ said Bev, who set up her business in September last year.

She added: ‘It has really taken off as people become more aware of what they are putting into their bodies.

‘These juices, more vegetable based than fruit, are the perfect antidote to the stresses and strains of modern day life. ‘I personally can’t get going without my daily ginger shot.’

Pictured right,Duncan Lawrie Private Banking social committee members Michelle Ward, left and Lynn Jones, right, with Bev Clegg, owner and founder of Creative Juices IOM.

A public meeting will be held next Wednesday (May 11) to discuss the future of Knockaloe Farm.

The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) will hold the event at Patrick Church Hall at 7.30pm to inform the community of its progress.

DEFA, along with MHKs, commissioners and residents, has investigated uses for the farm that will create an attraction offering economic development while paying heed to its history.

The site in Patrick was once a World War One internment camp and DEFA ceased to operate the 337-acre farm in 2010.

Richard Ronan MHK, Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture, said: ‘We will soon be in a position to market Knockaloe to a suitable tenant who will develop the site and buildings to create economic development opportunities there, in line with its history and heritage.’

Previous meetings about Knockaloe were held in September 2014 and May 2015.

The possibility of people in the Isle of Man having a vote in the referendum determining the UK’s membership of the European Union will be discussed by top UK politicians today.

A petition to the Privy Council will be heard today (Thursday).

Campaigners have argued that the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey should have a say because of the effects of EU membership on them.

However the Isle of Man did not get a vote in 1975 when the UK confirmed its membership of the then European Economic Community.

The Privy Council is a formal body of advisers to the Queen. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians, who are present or former members of either the House of Commons or the House of Lords.

If the Privy Council recommended that the Crown Dependencies should get a vote, it would be a significant development.

The islands’ trading relationship with the UK is governed by Protocol 3 of the treaty that the UK signed for membership. But they remain outside the EU.

If the UK votes to leave the EU, the islands’ relationship with the EU will be uncertain.

Former Guernsey politician Anthony Webber said; ‘Many people apart from the petitioners have stated that the UK EU membership is a matter of major concern to the Crown Dependencies.

He added: ‘The three Chief Ministers of the Crown Dependencies have engaged in a policy of deception and disengagement with their public on this exceptionally important issue.

‘The people of the Crown Dependencies have been lulled into an illusion of security on this matter.

He said that for the Channel Islands it was ‘the most serious political issue they have faced since the German occupation’.

He added: ‘The deception has even been used on the international financial stage with the grossly misleading impression being given that Guernsey [and Jersey and the Isle of Man] will not be affected by the results of the UK EU referendum.

‘I point out that whilst those of us involved in the campaign have strong views about whether the UK and thus the Crown Dependencies should remain in the EU, the campaign has been supported across the Crown Dependencies by those on both sides of the argument.

‘The campaign is all about the right to vote on our future, and the outrage at that right to vote being denied by the respective authorities in Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man.

‘We feel these three Chief Ministers, acting in unison, had absolutely no mandate to refuse to ask the UK government for our inclusion in the referendum.’

Voters in the UK will decide whether to leave the EU or remain in it on June 23.

An online petition asking for a vote for the Crown Dependencies on the UK parliament website had attracted 1,754 signatures by the time we went to press.

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/serious-consequences-for-the-isle-of-man-if-uk-votes-to-leave-eu-1-7870205|Serious consequences for the Isle of Man if we leave the EU}

The Manx Dialect Group will meet at Lezayre Church Hall on Saturday, 7pm for 7.30pm start.

And to stimulate interest, organiser John ‘Dog’ Callister has set up a teaser for readers to test themselves.

Take a look at these words and find their meanings on page 41 of this week’s Manx Independnet: cooish (pronounced coosh); bravvag (bravvig); sleetch; jeel; murran (murrun); blughtyn (blucktan).

For further information about the group, contact John ‘Dog’ on on 878509 and leave a message or email dog@iom.com

A former boss of the Manx NHS, who quit his job after less than a year, has landed a new role – 5,000 miles away in the remote South Atlantic island of St Helena.

Mark Charters was appointed to head up the newly merged Department of Health and Social Care in July 2014. But last June it was announced he had quit as chief executive for personal reasons.

Now he has been appointed director of safeguarding for the British Overseas Territory of St Helena, famous as the place of Napoleon’s exile.

Its lifeline to the rest of the world is RMS St Helena, which takes five days to sail from Cape Town. The opening of a new £250m airport has been postponed indefinitely over safety concerns involving dramatic changes in ground windspeed and direction.

While head of the Manx NHS, Mr Charters spearheaded a new strategy of integrated healthcare. He and Health Minister Howard Quayle came in for much criticism when they travelled to New Zealand on a fact-finding mission.

Mr Charters said of his new appointment: ‘When I look back at my career it has been the team, the people, the professional family, that all pull together in the same direction that has been the difference between a good service and a great service. From the most junior to the most senior, we all belong to one team, and I hope to bring that ethos to St Helena.’

Children from across the Isle of Man will compete in the annual Manx Youth Games on Saturday (May 7).

Primary and secondary school pupils will take part in 13 different sports representing their region.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the island’s biggest sporting event for children and guest of honour will be former international rugby player Gavin Hastings OBE.

Gavin, who won 61 caps for Scotland and six for the British and Irish Lions, will be at the games’ opening ceremony at the National Sports Centre on Saturday.

He will also help to run a training session and answer questions for up-and-coming rugby players who discovered the sport through the games tomorrow (Friday).

Tim Crookall MLC, Minister for Education and Children, which is responsible for sport, said: ‘Having Gavin, who reached the pinnacle of his sport, with us will give the 15th anniversary games an added sparkle.’

‘The games allow children to participate in sport for fun and hopefully inspire them to stay involved in sport, whether as a hobby or competitively, with the resulting benefits to their health and wellbeing.

Youngsters can take part in a variety of sports which include basketball, cricket, hockey, netball and tennis.

The Minister also praised the many people who had contributed to ensuring the games would go on despite the NSC being badly damaged by flooding in December.

‘With many of our facilities out of use, it has been a real team effort between MSR staff, other venues and many volunteers to ensure the games take place,’ he said.

The games’ first ever mascot will also be unveiled at the event on Saturday. Odin the Raven was chosen from hundreds of designs submitted by primary school pupils in a competition.

It was designed by eight-year-old Grace Cooper, a pupil at St Mary’s RC Primary School.

Kevin Cartledge, senior manager of HSBC Isle of Man which has sponsored the sporting event since its inception, said: ‘Since the start of the games in 2002, we have seen thousands of young people take part in many different sports and the success stories are amazing. Some have even gone on to be very successful at both national and international level.’

AS good old George would have put it: ‘Turned out nice out again last week.’ And not so nice. Also terrible weather with some sunshine mixed in.

The old saying is that the British Isles, within which the Isle of Man is imprisoned for life pretty well right in the middle of them, do not have a climate. They have weather. Lots of it.

Last Wednesday we here in the Irish Sea experienced a rousing performance of the Four Seasons. There was snow, there was sleet, there were hailstones and the day finished with acres of blue sky and increasingly warm sunshine

We might also have had Gene Kelly (from the Isle of Man) singing ‘Wringing in the Rain’.

What next? When this appears in the Examiner we will be in the month of May so the question is worth asking especially in relation to rainfall.

The weather forecasts on Manx Radio from the meteorological office at Ronaldsway sometimes advise us nonchalantly of ‘organised rain.’

Does this mean it’s not just going to come and go and stop and start without any kind of advance planning? We must be on our guard. The Rain Gods are organising against us.

One more thing. How long is it since we have had an Ice Age.

WHEN you get a letter from Sky Television you know exactly what’s in it without opening it. They are going to hit you, hard, with yet another increase in their annual fee for no apparent good reason. Believe in Batter?

I wish they would just run a fish-and-chip shop.

THIS week’s crossword clue has come in from Manx expatriate Redvers Skillicorn in Bristol. It was in the fortnightly Rail magazine as follows: ‘Mythical creature lives in a cottage on the Manx Electric Railway (5).’

JUST inside the entrance to the Winerite store in Douglas there is a sign saying: ‘Now stocking sandwiches.’ Does that mean 16 denier?

It would seam to be the case.

Frank Bond tells us: ‘A friend of mine is a sailor who hides his money under his mattress. It’s called an offshore bunk account.’

When he has the sheets washed is that like money laundering?

Crossword: Fairy.

THE consumer group ‘Which’ has accused UK supermarkets of selling rolls of lavatory paper with 10 sheets fewer than before but at the same price or even a higher one in order to increase profits. I wonder how the group’s investigators were able to work this out.

They were sitting down on the job?

FUNNIES File: What used to be called Isle of Man Transport advertised a vacancy for a new ‘Head of Railways’ saying: ‘Strong management, leadership and negotiation skills are called for along with a demonstrable track record.’

They didn’t want somebody who might go off the rails?

WORLD headline: ‘New study of obesity looks for a larger test group.’

Cat Turner of Isle of Man Friends of the Earth investigates a way of tacking the rising tide of ‘stuff’ – and at the same time, building community and saving money

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Do you have more belongings than you can really do with, cluttering up drawers, cupboards and your garage?

And do half those things get used less than once a year?

This week, I came across a great website aimed at helping people avoid the need to buy new things which they’ll only use occasionally.

It’s called ‘Streetbank’, (www.streetbank.com), and it lets you sign up, enter your contact details and post details of things you’re willing to lend out (or in some cases, give away) – so that other people don’t have to spend money buying them, and so that more ‘stuff’ doesn’t get manufactured than needs to be.

This last point appealed to me. I have a power-drill which sits in my outhouse and gets used about four times a year – there’s no sense in my neighbour also buying one, only to do the same.

Of course, there’s always the risk that the borrower loses, breaks or otherwise doesn’t return the item, or takes ages to do so.

The lender needs a certain level of ‘trust’, and to accept the possibility of loss or damage.

It’s a UK initiative, supported by the government’s Cabinet Office, and has been described by the Times as ‘one of the 50 websites you can’t live without’.

As yet, there aren’t many people on my street signed up (total: one. Me.)

But there are a growing number in Douglas and on the island, and it’d be great to see more getting involved.

If we can get away from the slavery of having to own everything we think we need, and get used to sharing, and trusting, our neighbours, we stand to benefit in many ways.

For me, chief is the environmental impact – less stuff being manufactured and bought, means less depletion of our scarce natural resources and the energy required to make and transport things.

But for others, the benefits will include saving money, gaining access to things they might otherwise not be able to find, and – crucially – building friendships, community, and the resilience that goes with those things.

Take a look, you might decide to become part of the sharing economy, and help our island become more sustainable in the process.

The Peel and Western District Housing Committee, care of the Town Hall, Derby Road, bought parcels of land abutting upon Douglas Road, Peel, for £1,230,000.

They were bought from Basil Keith Corlett, of Croit-ny-Greiney, Douglas Road, Peel.

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

Alessandro Derrick Spadoni and Gillian Anne Spadoni sold Thie Vane, Truggan Road, Port St Mary, for £485,000, to Andrew Neil Bennett, of Southwinds, Trollaby Lane, Union Mills.

Kevin John Boik and Victoria Mary Boik sold 31 Alberta Drive, Onchan for £290,000, to Marissa Samantha Forrester, of 2 Albany Street, Douglas.

Coralyn Margaret Brew, by trustee, and Helen Margaret Brew, of 41 Mysore Cottages, Waterloo Road, Ramsey, as trustee, sold Windrift, Brookfield Avenue, Ramsey, for £252,000, to Anthony Paul Watts, of Spain, and Pamela Florence Watts.

Carole Winifred Edgecox sold 23 Cedar Walk, Onchan, for £247,000 to Thea Mary Ozenturk, of 20 Hillside Avenue, Douglas.

David Crellin Warrilow and Ruth Karen Warrilow sold 36 Glenfaba Road, Peel, for £226,000, to Alan Joseph Thomas Clarke and Norma Clarke, both of Greasby, Merseyside.

Michael John Forrester and Marissa Samantha Forrester sold 2 Albany Street, Douglas, for £223,000, to Craig Robert Williamson and Jazz Mariel Garrett, both of Flat 2, 18 Derby Square, Douglas.

William Kershaw Burton and Felicity Ann Burton sold 53 Murray’s Lake Drive, Santon, for £220,000, to Sian Louise Meeuwsen, of Flat 4, Highgrove, Switzerland Road, Douglas.

Alison Mary Quaye, of 5 Cronk y Berry, Douglas, sold 26 Hillberry Heights, Governor’s Hill, Douglas, for £210,000, to Ivo Aguk Ntuiabane and Breda Jane Craine, both of 4 Grove Mount, Ramsey.

Maxine Martin sold 15 Lhon Dhoo Close, Onchan, for £177,000, to Samantha Jane Murray and Alexandra Elizabeth Murray, both of 70 Highfield Crescent, Onchan.

Mark Andrew Norton and Susan Dorothy Cafearo sold 2 Mill View Cottages, Kissacks Lane, Crosby, for £70,000, to Koba Investments Limited, whose registered office is situated at European House, 22-24 Victoria Street, Douglas, and Susan Dorothy Cafearo.

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