Young cricketers have been able to develop their skills after the Isle of Man Cricket Association received a Celton Manx Recognition award to fund a series of summer camps.

Held at Peel St John’s and Finch Hill cricket clubs and at King William’s College the camps were a mix of day-long introductory (Kwik Cricket) and ‘hard ball’ sessions for children between the ages of six and 14.

Cricket development officer Greig Wright said: ‘The Recognition award from Celton Manx has made a very real difference. To have this sponsorship made the camp fees all more the affordable, therefore accessible to more young people, and also meant we were able to provide T-shirts bearing the Celton Manx and the association’s logo for the first 40 who signed up.

‘These camps give a good introduction to the game – not only the playing of cricket, but also the rules and code of behaviour expected – and over the course of the sessions we saw significant improvement in standards.

‘It’s also emerged there’s a keen appetite to carry on with the camps indoors over the winter. Additionally, with the Isle of Man Cricket Association being a not-for-profit organisation, we’ve been able to donate any surplus money made through fees to our hosts, so there is very much a lasting legacy to our Recognition award.’

Christian Webster, 11, attended four summer camps. He said: ‘The camps were very good. It’s helped to improve my batting skills a lot and also my catching technique’s got better, too. You also get to know everyone else on the camps and make new friends, which is great.’

Celton Manx executive director Bill Mummery said: ‘In holding these camps the Isle of Man Cricket Association is helping to create more personal development opportunities for a wider audience of young people of all playing abilities.

‘This mirrors one of the core aims of our Recognition scheme which seeks to benefit as broad a cross section of the community as possible.

‘It is also commendable that Greig and his colleagues are doing much to integrate the island’s cricket clubs and reinforce the fundamental sporting values of fair play, respect for others and teamwork.’

Two young men breached their bail conditions by attempting to leave the island because they wanted to go to a music festival, Douglas magistrates were told.

Emanuel Jay Kaneen of Switzerland Road, Douglas, and Davis Keith Taylor, of Palatine Road, were both arrested by police who boarded the Ben-my-Chree as it waited to set sail for Heysham on Thursday morning.

For the prosecution, James Robinson told the court Kaneen and Taylor, who are both aged 21, were both bailed with a condition not to leave the Isle of Man without first gaining the court’s permission.

Despite this, he said, they were found by police on board the morning sailing on September 8.

‘They had both boarded the boat and the gang plank had actually been removed ready for departure,’ Mr Robinson said.

Both admitted the breach.

Mr Robinson said both men were facing charges of causing grievous bodily harm with intent in June, and were due to reappear before the court on September 29. He said both were subject to a recognisance and bail conditions of residence, not to leave the island, not to contact witnesses and not to enter certain areas of Douglas. He said permission had been sought and was granted previously during August.

‘Both were fortunate to get bail but they did not even attempt to get permission to go away for this current trip,’ he said.

On behalf of Kaneen, Paul Rodgers told the court: ‘They were going to the Isle of Wight Festival and only managed to get tickets confirmed at 10pm last night. They only made the ferry booking at 5pm last night so they had not got permission. It was naive of them.’

Taylor’s advocate Louise Cooil said it had been a last-minute booking and this was the first breach. She said the men were £400 out of pocket and sought formal permission to do the trip.

Chairman Kenneth Faragher declined permission but allowed bail to continue with a stern warning about future breaches.

A whole host of vegetables, flowers, confectionery and art were showcased at the Ballaugh Horticultural Show on Saturday.

Despite the recent windy weather, there was an abundance of flower entries and garden flower arrangements, as well fruit and vegetable entries.

The children’s decorated cakes and fruit and vegetable models proved popular and there was a display of art, poetry and creative writing by Ballaugh school pupils.

The show, which was opened by Clare Christian, former president of Tynwald, raised £1,133.80 to help children’s groups in the village and ended with the auction of produce.

Organisers say residents of Ballaugh should feel proud of producing an ‘excellent village show’.

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

RESULTS

Children’s section:

FOBS Award, creative writing - Leo Berry

Ann Kelly Memorial Book, poetry - Leo Berry

Art Cup, best entry from reception - Charlie Quayle

Create-a-Scape Cup, art (excluding reception) - Elsie Hyett

Photography Award - Lucy Field

Derek Harper cup, best in children’s cookery - Meredith Creighton

Ruth Quirk Cup, floral arrangement - Grayse Teare-Kermeen

Nigel Hull Shield, children’s miniature garden - Lucy Field

1st Ballaugh Scout Group Cup, fruit/veg model - Rebecca Radcliffe

Charles P.Gill Memorial, most points, child of the parish - Lucy Field

H.M Queen’s Golden Jubilee Cup, best in children’s section (opener’s choice) - Elsie Hyett

Adult section:

Charles C.Craine Memorial Cup, best onions, resident of the parish - Will Radcliffe

Greenhouse Cup, best veg, excluding onions - Willie Kaighen

Jean Kaighin Shield, best collection of vegetables - Willie Kaighen

Howard Crowe Memorial Plaque, best potatoes - Willie Kaighen

Davison’s Ice-Cream Prize, the heaviest spud - Rachel Radcliffe

Ruskell Cup, best fruit - Voirrey Oates

The Howland Cup, best gladioli - Gill Dixon

Kelly Brothers Trophy, roses - Gill Dixon

Maureen Mcdonald Memorial Shield,best rose in show - Jane Teare

Northern Motors Trophy, Dahlias - Janet Kennish

Francis Goldsmith Memorial Cup, best flowers - Gill Dixon

Gillham Cup, floral arrangement, resident of the parish - Linda Cowin

Victoria Sandwich Cup, victoria sandwich - Kellie Keenan

Ballamoar Campsite Trophy, best chocolate cake - Kellie Keenan

Talbot Wood Goblet, best sweets/confectionery - Kellie Keenan

Marjorie Widdas Cup, best preserve - Janet Boothby

Ruth Quirk Plate, best adult craft - Judy Greenhouse

Millennium Cup, most points, resident of the parish - Willie Kaighen

25th Anniversary Show Cup - best entry in adult classes (opener’s choice) - Jessica Egelnick

The Kaighin Award, presented by the committee for effort and contribution to the show - The Kelly family, Kate, Darren, Erin and Joe

Davisons, best craft - Joe Kelly

Davisons, arts/crafts - Charlie Quayle

Discover your senses at a dinner with a difference.

Guide Dogs for the Blind Isle of Man will host a unique ‘Dine in the Dark’ dinner at Portofino Restaurant in Douglas.

Diners will be given blindfolds which will give them the chance to experience dining in a different way by being able to focus on the smell, sound, and taste and texture of the food.

Two of three courses will be eaten in the dark under the guidance of the charity’s volunteers. The main course will be a choice of meat or fish.

It will take place on Thursday, October 6, at 7.30pm.

In addition, the charity is holding a wine tasting event on November 18 between 5.45pm and 7.45pm in the boardroom of Callin Wild Advocates in Athol Street.

Richard Solomon, an importer of fine wines in the island, will conduct the tasting and a selection of cheeses will be served. Guests will have the chance to purchase all the wines tasted at the event.

Tickets for Dine in Dark cost £50 per person including wine, and tickets for the wine tasting are priced at £20.

Contact treasurer Amanda Woodward on 480884 for tickets for both events.Places are limited and will be issued on a first come, first served basis.

There are around 600 visually impaired people in the island, eight of whom have guide dogs. It costs approximately £40,000 a year to support the eight guide dogs.

The Isle of Man Embroiderers’ Guild will be holding an exhibition inspired by the gardens and landscape of the Milntown Estate.

The ‘Landscapes and Gardens’ display will run from September 14 to October 17 at Milntown cafe in Lezayre.

It will showcase a range of creations using a vast array of embroidery techniques made by members of the Isle of Man branch.

Members have been visiting Milntown gardens during the year and have been inspired to create pieces of work using a range of traditional techniques such as redwork, casalguidi and goldwork and also contemporary mixed media textile techniques.

The exhibition is one of more than 40 similar exhibitions taking place around the British Isles, which celebrate the 300th anniversary of the birth of landscape designer Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown.

The organisation’s patron Lady Gozney will officially open the exhibition next Wednesday, accompanied by her husband Lieutenant Governor Sir Richard Gozney.

Milntown café is open daily, excluding Tuesdays,from 10am to 5pm

The Embroiderers’ Guild aims to promote and encourage the art of embroidery and welcomes all ages and abilities. For more information visit www.iomeg.blogspot.co.uk

A 76-year-old Ramsey man who offered to pay a £10,000 bounty for the heads of prominent court figures has been jailed for 18 weeks.

Michael John Morris, of Mooragh Promenade, was found guilty of three counts of harassment after a trial and was also handed a restraining order.

Chair of magistrates Alan Gelling told Morris while passing sentence: ‘You are a bully, anyone who disagrees with you, you consider fair game to threaten.’

The court heard how Morris had been publishing and distributing newsletters to a vast mailing list.

The content related to a long-standing legal battle over property involving Morris.

The matter had also involved advocate Jason Stanley and Martin Marlow, of Marlow Construction.

In August 2015 Morris’ newsletters took on a more sinister tone with one saying: ‘Let right be done, I commoner Michael Morris, do hereby record and publish my offer of £10,000 for the head of one Jason Stanley, if and when the premature end of life, of either or both my lady wife and myself is seen to have been caused by Jason Stanley’s actions or inactions.’

A further newsletter stated a similar offer for the head of Martin Marlow.

On August 15, 2015, Morris turned up unannounced at the office of Krystina Thompson, coroner for Ayre and Garff, and began hurling foul abuse at her.

He was interviewed by police voluntarily on August 19 and said that the £10,000 offers were never intended to be threatening and that he only wanted their heads after their deaths to be displayed in the museum.

On August 23 another newsletter emerged, this time with £10,000 offers for the heads of Deemster David Doyle and Krystina Thompson, ‘for memorial purposes’.

Morris was arrested and interviewed again, again saying he had no threatening intent but had just wanted to ‘start getting people doing something’.

In September 2015 another newsletter put £5,000 prices on the heads of Deemsters Geoffrey Tattersall, David Doyle, Andrew Corlett, Sharon Roberts and High Bailiff John Needham.

Morris told police he wanted their heads added to a memorial towards ‘judicial corruption on the Isle of Man’.

Defending himself in court Morris said: ‘I accept the limitations of the police, probation and prosecutor who have to work under a corrupt Manx government. I think it’s wrong I shouldn’t be able to name people I’m complaining about. It was not my idea to cause them distress.’

The general manager of the Villa Marina and Gaiety has been suspended while allegations concerning the staging of a loss-making music festival are investigated.

Those allegations have been made by Lee O’Hanlon, chief executive of private music promoter tinyCOW.

The Department of Economic Development says that all claims are being taken seriously and will be investigated thoroughly.

Villa-Gaiety general manager Dawn Maddrell has been suspended while an external investigation is carried out.

Mr O’Hanlon and his company are involved in a legal dispute over the Tom Jones concert in Noble’s Park this summer. But his most serious allegation, involving claims of collusion to prevent details of losses being disclosed, concern an earlier gig, by 1970s music legends The Jacksons, which was booked by tinyCOW and staged at the Villa in September 2014.

The event had been billed as ‘the party of the summer’ but poor tickets sales and a clash with the spectator stage of Rally Isle of Man meant that show had to be moved inside from the Villa Marina Gardens to the Royal Hall.

The following month, Economic Development Minister Laurence Skelly - who was not in that post when The Jacksons were signed - told Tynwald there had been a ‘disappointing response’ to the concert but he could not say whether it had made a loss due to confidentiality agreement with the promoter.

But Mr O’Hanlon says the gig lost £100,000 and he has provided the Examiner with a copy of an email chain between him and Ms Maddrell which purports to show that a confidentiality agreement was only created six weeks after The Jacksons performed.

In an email dated October 27 2014, Ms Maddrell says the department is looking for a ‘damn good reason’- one that ‘will hold water’ - why the losses of the concert should not be revealed.

Mr O’Hanlon replies that he can issue a contract ‘dated pre-event’ that states that fees, commissions, profit and losses for shows booked by tinyCOW cannot be revealed.

The next day Ms Maddrell emailed back: ‘Thought you would like to know the T&C did the trick. Hopefully this will be the end to the matter!!!’

But the DED insist the original contract was not amended and that they have an email from Mr O’Hanlon confirming that terms and conditions, including a confidentiality clause, were provided before the show and others apparently showing that he refused to waive that confidentiality clause.

However, an external investigation is being carried out into whether the terms and conditions were in force and whether there was any collusion to prevent financial information being published.

In other allegations, Mr O’Hanlon claims the DED failed to comply with financial regulations over the booking of Tom Jones.

Again, the DED denies this, insisting Treasury approval had been secured.

But Mr O’Hanlon told the Examiner: ‘The position of the DED has become untenable. They refuse to discuss the matter with me insisting everything goes through the Attorney General’s chambers.

‘In my opinion, they are doing this because they know they are in the wrong.’

In a full statement responding to the allegations, the DED said: ‘The department remains in a financial dispute with tinyCOW relating to the Tom Jones concert.

‘The department offered to resolve the matter by mediation which tinyCOW initially accepted but then reversed its decision. The department has since repeated its offer of mediation as the best way to resolve this dispute fairly for both parties.

‘A number of allegations have been made directly to the department by tinyCOW chief executive Mr Lee O’Hanlon as well as via a social media page falsely claiming to be a “Newspaper, Douglas, Isle of Man”.

‘In the public interest the department wishes to respond to those allegations.

‘Firstly, it is alleged that the department failed to comply with government’s financial regulations in relation to the booking of Sir Tom Jones. This is untrue. Treasury, as is required by the financial regulations, gave approval to the department’s request. Secondly, it is alleged that The Jacksons contract was amended retrospectively.

‘The department can confirm that the original contract for The Jacksons event, signed by the then Minister for Economic Development John Shimmin in April 2014 with The Jacksons’ agent Marshall Arts Talent, was not amended subsequently. The concert took place in September 2014. Laurence Skelly became Minister for Economic Development in July 2014.

‘Separate from this contract, there was an arrangement with the booking agent for the event, namely tinyCOW. The booking agent provides terms and conditions relating to such events, including the confidentiality of any related financial information which is common practice in this industry.

‘The department is in possession of an email from Mr O’Hanlon stating that the agent’s terms and conditions were provided prior to the event. The department is also in possession of emails from Mr O’Hanlon refusing to waive the clause relating to the confidentiality of the event’s financial information.

‘Postings on social media in the last few days indicate Mr O’Hanlon is now claiming that his email to the department dated 27 October 2014 stating that the terms and conditions were provided prior to the Jacksons event was untrue.

‘These postings also indicate Mr O’Hanlon is claiming he colluded with a member of staff within the Villa Gaiety to prevent financial information being published.

‘Due to the seriousness of this allegation and the extent of further allegations emanating from Mr O’Hanlon, the department has commenced a number of internal investigations as well as an external investigation to ensure complete independence and so retain the public trust.

‘As part of the ongoing investigations, the department can confirm that an officer has been suspended and all relevant authorities have been contacted.’ The department said it will release further statements once the investigations are concluded.

Its statement adds: ‘The department notes with concern the growing trend for serious allegations to be made anonymously often via social media against named individuals within government including members of staff with little if any evidence provided.

The department has a duty of care to its staff and will consider all of the options available to protect the public interest and staff welfare.’

Soon after Isle of Man Newspapers contacted the DED about the story, the chief executive of the department, Chris Corlett, sent an email to all staff, which was then leaked to other media.

It read:

Dear Colleagues

I want to further update you on the ongoing dispute with Tiny Cow.

A number of allegations have been made directly to the department by Tiny Cow chief executive Mr Lee O’ Hanlon regarding the Jacksons concert in 2014 and the Tom Jones event earlier this year. Also, allegations have been made anonymously via a social media page.

We have been contacted by IoM Newspapers and made statement defending the department against these allegations. We expect this will be in tomorrow’s Examiner.

The department notes with concern the growing trend for serious allegations to be made anonymously, often via social media, against named individuals within Government including members of staff with little if any evidence provided. The department has a duty of care to its staff and we consider all of the options available to protect the public interest as well as our staff welfare.

Due to the seriousness of the allegations emanating from Mr O’Hanlon, the Department has commenced a number of internal investigations as well as an external investigation to ensure complete independence and so retain the public trust. As part of the investigations, Dawn Maddrell, general manager of the Villa Gaiety has been suspended.

Fiona Bryans and Seamus Shea will be working with Robin Bischert to manage VMGT until the investigations are concluded.

I believe that the story will continue to be covered on social media and the local press over the coming days and so I must instruct you all, while it may be frustrating, to refrain from commenting publicly as this may impair the ongoing investigations.
Thank you for your understanding and support during this difficult period.

Chris Corlett

Chief Executive Officer

Department of Economic Development.

Information about a major highway improvement scheme in the north of the island is currently on display at Ramsey Town Hall.

Work is scheduled to start on Lezayre Road in Ramsey on Monday, September 26, at the beginning of a project scheduled to take almost two years to complete.

The Department of Infrastructure intends to carry out the work in three phases. Each phase will be sub-divided into phases of 100 metres. To ensure that vehicles can still use the roadway for access, only half the width of the roadway will be closed at a time, with the other side under the control of traffic lights.

Phase 1A will concentrate on the junction of Lezayre Road with Fairfield Avenue and Bircham Avenue to the entrance of Ramsey Grammar School’s east building, and will run until December.

The road will be closed between 6am and 4.30pm on Sunday, September 25, to enable traffic management measures to be put in place.

Phase 1B will run between January and April 2017 with 1C completed between July and August 2017.

The Department of Infrastructure scheme – which aims to improve the lifespan and ride quality of the road as well as installing new drainage and services – will involve the full depth reconstruction of sections of the carriageway and the resurfacing of other areas.

New drainage and utilities will be installed and work carried out on footways and kerbs to improve pedestrian safety.

Additional street lighting will be introduced from Westalls to Gardeners Lane, while the plans also include the provision of new highway gullies and road markings and improvements to bus stops.

The phased scheme will see sections of road under construction closed across half its width to allow traffic flow to be maintained on the other half of the carriageway.

Meetings have taken place with the schools in Ramsey and discussions are continuing with Bus Vannin to manage timetables and access when work is taking place at the school entrances.

A 7.5 tonne weight limit will be in place throughout the scheme because of the narrow lane widths and depth of excavations. Heavy goods vehicles will be diverted at Sulby Bridge and Parliament Square via Jurby Road.

The plans will remain on display at Ramsey Town Hall until Friday (September 16).

A spokesman said the department wishes to thank the residents of Ramsey and road users in advance for their patience and cooperation while the improvements take place.

View the different phases of the project and the timescales involved on the government website: gov.im/media/1352851/hw2845p005-phased-works-programme.pdf

A man aged 27 spent six weeks on remand at the Isle of Man prison after a drug testing error led to the wrong charge.

Stephen James Parkhill was originally charged with possessing a class A drug and was denied bail three times. But six weeks after his arrest forensic test results on the drug proved it to be class C and the charges had to be amended.

Parkhill’s advocate Peter Taylor was highly critical of the police in court saying: ‘Why has a man been deprived of his liberty for six weeks?

‘The police have been incredibly negligent. They were told the drugs were steroids. My client always maintained they were steroids.

‘And six weeks after this we produce a forensic report that agrees entirely with him.

‘That issue is more pressing than the matter of the forensic test. Why does it take so long? Especially when someone is denied bail.’

However, prosecutor James Robinson said: ‘It’s not the fault of the Attorney General’s chambers, who followed procedure.

‘But it is far too early to accuse police of acting negligently when we don’t know what has happened. We don’t know if it was an error in the testing procedure or the test itself.’

Parkhill, of Garden City, Flintshire, was arrested on the Manannan Steam Packet vessel on July 25 and found to have 40 tablets in his bag.

He was asleep in the cinema lounge and was arrested in relation to a different matter.

As he was being taken off the vessel in handcuffs he told police: ‘I’m not going to lie, all I’ve got are 40 steroid tablets in my bag.’

A bottle in his bag containing various pills of different sizes and colours.

Mr Taylor continued saying: ‘If the class C charge had been put to him on July 25 we would have been talking a fine, community service or a conditional discharge.

‘A conditional discharge might not have been appropriate, as he is subject to one in the UK for possessing class B drugs, but for six weeks he had the presumption of innocence.

‘Class A could have resulted in a sentence in years. He missed his grandmother’s funeral where he was asked to be a pallbearer. He has not seen his kids, his relationship with his partner has collapsed because of this. He had an offer of employment but that may not be there now.

‘He has lost so much by being remanded. We will await the outcome of police and Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) investigations.

‘He was denied bail three times based on flawed field testing. The issue is why did it take so long for these drugs to be property tested?

‘The suffering my client has had these last six weeks outweighs any punishment for a class C drug offence.’

Earlier, Mr Robinson had told the court how Parkhill was arrested on at 9.18pm on July 25 after the Steam Packet called police to meet the Manannan arriving from Liverpool due to concerns about some passengers.

In a police interview Parkhill said that he had bought the steroids from an unnamed friend in the UK and used them for bodybuilding.

A field test was said to have identified the drugs as class A and he was remnded in custody. But forensic test results six weeks later identified the drugs as oxymetholone and metandienone, both anabolic steroids.

Magistrates sentenced Parkhill to an absolute discharge, the lowest-level adult sentence that an offender can get.

Inspector Derek Flint, force media spokesman, told the Examiner: ‘We are aware of the anomaly that arose in this case regarding the ultimate identification of the class of the drugs leading to the conviction.

inquiries

‘There are now some internal inquiries in hand, which will hopefully identify the reasons behind the difference in the initial tests and the final laboratory confirmation.

‘Once we know the outcome we will be liaising with the courts, and reviewing any procedural elements that require it.’

Asked who performed the field testing and what it involved, Inspector Flint added that ‘no further comment would be made at present’.

According to the UK Crown Prosecution Service website, which details what happens in England and Wales, drugs are initially tested at a police station using a Drug Testing Kit (DTK) by suitably trained police staff.

If the detainee contests the conclusions of the results in court, the drug must be submitted to a forensic science service provider for independent testing.

Steve Burrows puts the spotlight on a Castletown firm set up by ex-Carphone Warehouse executives

Tucked away in sleepy Castletown is probably not the first place you would look for a global FinTech (Finance Technology) leader, but nevertheless in quiet upmarket offices on the edge of Parliament Square you’ll find one.

Virtual Systems is a spin-out from EIP, a consultancy and managed service provider to the mobile phone insurance industry, set up by ex-Carphone Warehouse executives.

Phone insurance is a lucrative business, and through having the captive insurer for Carphone Warehouse on the island the Isle of Man has developed world-class expertise in this niche.

EIP staff travel the world helping mobile operators and insurers to set up phone insurance schemes, devise products, market them, and establish claims processes and all the logistics of replacing or repairing lost, stolen or broken phones.

complexity

Given the complexity of processing claims it’s perhaps not too surprising that it needs a sophisticated IT system to make the process efficient and join up all the business partners in the supply chain.

While working through the IT barriers of creating such a system at a client it occurred to EIP’s directors that it would be much simpler and quicker to bring new schemes to market if there was an IT system available off the shelf.

Thus Virtual Systems was born, in 2010, to create such a system.

Starting with a single senior developer Virtual Systems has developed the CIAD system which automates mobile phone insurance claims processing.

Deployed into telcos and insurers call centres, CIAD holds the policy database.

When a customer calls in to report a lost, stolen or broken device the CIAD system requires the call centre agent to enter the customer’s answers to a few questions, and then the system takes over.

Currently 83 per cent of claims are decided automatically by the system’s Rules Engine, a huge saving in call centre and second-line time.

With the claim decided CIAD then sets up the logistics for repair or replacement of the phone, actioning transactions with couriers, repairers, replacement warehouses and salvage operators, and producing all necessary correspondence to remove the cumbersome and costly administration work associated with replacing or repairing equipment.

The first deployment of CIAD was to a Vodafone partner in Europe, BITE Telecommunications in Lithuania, which enabled Virtual Systems to continue development and test with a real live customer.

When the system came out of beta testing in 2013 Vodafone took a global license to use the system and have now deployed it to the Netherlands, Greece and Hungary.

In 2015 Dixons Carphone came on board and have deployed into the Netherlands, Portugal and Germany.

Chubb Insurance has gone live in Germany, and Regenersis (a major repairer of mobile devices) has taken the CIAD system into Poland, meaning that 2015 was a frantically busy year for Virtual Systems.

remarkable

Virtual Systems’ CIAD system is clearly a success; for a small company in Castletown to engage as a supplier to so many major corporates so quickly is remarkable - but their CIAD system is the only publicly available system of its type in the world.

Prior to CIAD all telcos and mobile phone insurers had to develop their own in-house systems.

Unsurprisingly the Virtual Systems team has been growing quickly, and has grown to seventeen people.

Most of these are based on island, but some of the customer account managers and business analysts are off-island in order to be closer to customers.

Ross Sinclair, CEO of EIP and Virtual Systems, counts himself fortunate to have been able to assemble a very high quality development team on-island.

Recruiting technical staff has been a major challenge, but to date only one of the development team has come from abroad.

The company is however clearly on the crest of a wave and the plan sees it growing to around thirty people by the end of 2017, which will be tough.

Despite the problems of recruiting in an environment with ICT skills shortages and minimal unemployment the company has shown strong commitment to the island and island staff, promoting them into leadership positions so that the original financial controller and senior developer are now managing director and chief technology officer respectively.

expand reach

Growing the company will enable Virtual Systems to expand its reach into more regions and countries around the world, which is the plan, and also to introduce new functionality.

Despite being the global market leader in its space the company is not resting on its laurels and there is a development roadmap to enable customers to make claims for their phones online, 24x365, taking the telcos and insurers call-centres out of the process entirely.

Ross anticipates that in the near future a third of all claims will be processed without any human participation, and the system will provide a next-day phone replacement capability even if the customer has dropped it on the way home from the pub long after the call-centres have shut for the day.

The company is also looking at increasing the payments processing services it provides for clients; the system already handles hundreds of thousands of direct debit payments from policyholders, but Ross clearly has an eye towards expanding that to include credit card payments.

Aside from the universal difficulty of recruiting staff, the logistics of getting off and on island is really the only other major challenge the company experiences in being on the Isle of Man.

With a truly international customer base the island’s current travel troubles are frustrating, but it’s a good place to be.

clear advantages

On the upside, our datacentres and off-island Internet connectivity are clear advantages. CIAD is a web based system, and most customers are running on systems hosted here.

Virtual Systems will supply the system to run in a customer’s private data centre, but to date their experience has been that the system runs better when it’s hosted in one of the top-class data centres in the Isle of Man, despite the remoteness of the customers.

Providing a hosted system has enabled Virtual Systems to generate collateral benefits for the EIP consulting business. CIAD processes millions of policies and claims meaning that the company has possibly the most extensive database of policy history outside of the major mobile phone suppliers, and can analyse that to generate and sell performance and risk information to insurers considering the design of new policies. Leveraging this unique information resource is one of the clear priorities for the coming year.

grown a real FinTech leader

In summary, without fuss or ado, the Isle of Man has grown a real FinTech leader addressing a multinational customer base of major corporates, based on homegrown technology hosted in homegrown data centres - exactly the sort of technology-based economic diversification anticipated in the government’s Vision 2020 strategy.

Visual Systems is proof that specialist technology development is a viable path for the island, and that we can do it on our own, without having to import business or technology expertise.

Rapid growth is never easy, and whilst the company is currently a world leader in a niche where the barriers to entry are high, it must clearly keep growing quickly or bigger players will try to muscle in to the new market that Virtual Systems has created. With this in mind, despite being profitable with a multi-million pound turnover, the company is currently arranging additional financing to fuel the rapid growth it must deliver if it is to stay on top.

You may by now be wondering why the UK does not feature in the Virtual Systems user base, I certainly was.

Ross explained that the UK is among the most mature of mobile phone markets so the incumbent suppliers already have in-house solutions.

Most of these however are not automated to the degree achieved by CIAD, so with the efficiency gains evidenced from the continental European deployments the company is starting to consider the possibility of displacing those old in-house systems.

If Virtual Systems can crack the UK the company’s growth potential will be stratospheric.

You can read more about EIP and Virtual Systems at http://www.eip.eu.com

Litigation specialist Gough Law has announced the appointment of Victoria Murphy as advocate to the practice.

Victoria, a fluent French speaker, has experience of both English and French legal systems and will work in the commercial department.

Raised in Standish, near Wigan in Lancashire, Victoria read English and French Law at the University of Manchester and also studied at l’Université de Bourgogne in Dijon, France.

She completed a Legal Practice Course at Chester College of Law before passing her Manx Bar Examinations and qualifying as an Advocate and Commissioner of Oaths.

Victoria has worked for the past two years as associate advocate with M&P Legal.

Her role there focused on civil litigation including breach of contract disputes, debt recovery, professional negligence, personal injury, immigration, employment and matrimonial and family law.

Prior to this she trained with Laurence Keenan Advocates and Gavan Law.

She has also worked for Europe Direct Picardie, an information centre for the European Union based in Amiens, France.

A keen sailor, rower and motor sport enthusiast, Victoria has an active life outside work, earning a Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award which was presented to her by Prince Phillip himself.

Victoria said: ‘Gough Law is a highly regarded litigation practice and I am delighted to join a firm which has both so much respect and in-house expertise.

‘I look forward to developing my specialist skills in commercial litigation and drawing on my earlier experience to assist and represent a broad range of clients.’

Gough Law founding director Alan Gough said: ‘With her excellent language skills and working knowledge of another legal system, Victoria brings a useful international perspective to Gough Law that will be particularly valuable when working on cross-jurisdiction cases.

‘We look forward to working with her and welcome her to the team.’

A Santon man’s short film, which tells the stories of Nepalese villagers after the devastating Nepal earthquake, has been nominated in the Adventure in Motion Film Contest.

‘Nepal: One Year On’, created by videographer Olly Pemberton, follows the lives of villagers who have suffered hardship and emotional and physical pain since the huge earthquake – 7.8 on the Richter scale – hit the country on April 25 last year, killing more than 8,000 people.

Olly travelled to a British funded medical camp in Thulopatel, six hours east of capital Kathmandu, to document the plight of the villagers.

His video has now been nominated in the Adventure in Motion Film Contest, which recognises films that inspire viewers to experience adventure travel.

The three films with the most Facebook ‘likes’ will be showcased at the Adventure Travel World Summit in Alaska next week.

The overall winner will receive a one-year Adventure Travel Trade Association membership, a ticket to the 2017 Adventure Travel World Summit, a grand prize from travel clothing company ExOfficio and their film showcased on the Adventure.Travel website and in its newsletters.

Olly, who is now based in London, said the film has received a very positive response from viewers and he is honoured to be recognised in the competition.

He said: ‘It is a massive honour to be nominated for the award. As adventure travel events go, it doesn’t really get any bigger than the Adventure Travel World Summit.

‘I am particularly proud that this film has been nominated because the more awareness that it can bring for the ongoing work that needs to be done in Nepal, the better.’

To view Olly’s film go to ‘Nepal: OneYear On...’ by Exodus Travels on YouTube.

A suicide verdict was recorded on a 33-year-old man from Ramsey.

Edward Andrew Binnie was upset after splitting from his partner, the court was told.

On April 24 this year he dropped his children off at his parents’ house in Ramsey. Later the same day he sent texts to his ex partner making comments such as ‘I wish it didn’t end this way’ and ‘I don’t mean this as a threat but this is the last time you will be able to talk to me’. He also told her he would leave their children’s clothes in a bag outside the house and warned her not to let the children go near the house. He was found hanged at home by his ex partner’s sister, later the same day.

The court heard he had made previous threats to kill himself but no-one actually believed he would do it.

Coroner John Needham said Mr Binnie’s act was an impulsive one, not one he had been considering for a long time.

‘There is no evidence of intoxication but the balance of his mind was disturbed,’ he said.

‘He didn’t think through the consequences of his actions on the people left behind.’

Offering his condolences, Mr Needham reminded the court that everyone now had the benefit of hindsight and said Mr Binnie should not be blamed for his actions.

Hospice Isle of Man has announced who’s going to be its new boss.

Anne Mills, currently chief executive at Ardgowan Hospice in Greenock, Scotland, will take over as chief executive here.

She has previous experience at national, board and strategic level in the NHS in Wales and as policy lead for cancer and palliative care in the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in Northern Ireland before moving to charities.

She is also a nurse with more than 30 years’ experience in paediatrics and oncology.  

She will succeed Margaret Simpson, who is stepping down from Hospice Isle of Man in December after 13 years in post.

Sir Miles Walker, chairman of Hospice Isle of Man, said: ‘I am delighted that Anne will be joining Hospice Isle of Man as our new chief executive and very much look forward to working with her.

‘Anne brings with her an enormous enthusiasm and experience which will contribute significantly to continuous improvements in quality of care that Hospice provides for more than 400 patients every year.

‘On behalf of the board of governors I would not only like to welcome Anne Mills but also pay tribute to Margaret Simpson for the tremendous impact she has had as Hospice Isle of Man chief executive. I believe that Anne will continue to transform end of life care across our island.’ 

Ms Mills said: ‘I am delighted to take on the management and leadership role at Hospice Isle of Man – such a successful and much loved charity that has grown over the last 33 years and will continue to develop thanks to the highly dedicated board, staff, volunteers and generous support of the island’s community.

‘I have a fantastic legacy to build on and I wish Margaret all the very best in her retirement.

‘My husband Ken and I are looking forward to living on this beautiful island and I am keen to revisit the many warm memories of holidays spent.

‘Our three sons Calum, Euan and Finlay are delighted for me and are looking forward to visiting us on the island that I talk so fondly about.’ 

The woman who heads the island’s Financial Services Authority has told of how she has been ‘broadening’ her understanding of the industry.

Karen Badgerow also described the ‘historic decision’ by UK voters to leave the European Union.

And she has told of how the FSA has embarked on a ‘Programme for Change.’

She took over at the helm of the FSA last November.

At the time she told Business News she was vowing to do all she can to protect Isle of Man residents who invest their money with companies in the island.

She took up the post on November 1, the day the new Financial Services Authority replaced two bodies, the Financial Supervision Commission and the Insurance and Pensions Authority.

Now, in an update newsletter issued by the FSA, the Canadian says that during the first six months of her tenure she spent time introducing herself to the industry to ‘get familiar with the island’s financial system and key participants.’

But she says: ‘These last few months have been much more inward-focused, as I have been broadening my understanding of the industry through the lens of our processes and regulation and the work of our team. I look forward to engaging in a second round of more informal conversation with the industry in the coming months.’

She points out that the creation of the new authority has ‘been a continuing journey. Staff have become more familiar with how each of the previous regulators operated and have started to consider what the Authority ‘‘brand’’ should look and feel like, both internally and to our stakeholders.’

Ms Badgerow points out that earlier this year the FSA embarked on a ‘significant process review we have labelled the ‘‘Programme for Change’’.

‘This programme is intended to capture all significant change projects at the Authority, be it internal focusing or external facing.’

And she added: ‘We have taken a bit more of a stern to stern approach as we started our review focusing on the point of entry into the Authority, that being our vetting and authorisation processes.’

Over time the Programme for Change would also be looking at supervisory processes and policy.

The views of the industry were also important and informal discussions with representatives had already started.

Talking about the EU Referendum vote to leave the European Union Ms Badgerow says: ‘As these events continue to unfold, we will be thinking about any sector vulnerabilities and the opportunities and constraints this historic decision may impose.

‘Brexit also reminded us of the need to temper the desire for change with a reminder of what is good.

‘On that note, the Authority has been mindful of the need to remain focused on key priorities.

‘ Core projects such as the Insurance Core Principles project and the roll-out of new initiatives such as crowdfunding and alternative banking have seen significant progress over the last quarter and we continue to engage with numerous parties who are interested in the opportunities that these new regimes provide.

‘At the same time we have recently approved the first Isle of Man Credit Union for registration and wish Manx Credit Union Limited much success.’

l The newsletter reveals in a general update that there are 233 registered designated businesses and work continues to process remaining applications.

External accountants are said to represent the largestdesignated business sector, comprising 52 per cent of existing registrants.

The FSA says it will begin its first cycle of visits to designated businesses in quarter three of this year.

‘It is planned to visit all designated businesses within the first three years, with focus being given to higher-risk businesses in the first year,’ says the update.

l Details are also given in the newsletter of companies which have surrendered their licences.

They include Habib European Bank Limited on August 2 - as previously reported in Business News recently.

l The MONEYVAL on-site assessment of the island took place from April 25 to May 7, as reported in the Examiner.

The regulator’s update says work is currently being undertaken to agree the draft report.

It added: ‘Face -to-face meetings between the Isle of Man authorities and MONEYVAL are scheduled for October 2016. The plenary meeting to agree the report is scheduled for December 2016.

‘The report will be made public after the meeting.’

A bucket full of money being collected for charity was emptied of a lot of its cash over the weekend.

The Big Beat, whose organisers play drums for extended periods for chairty, advertised an event t the invitation-only, Tannyfest music festival in Ballasalla.

Sometime between the hours of 1am and 9am, the bucket was broken in to and a large portion of the donated cash stolen.

One of the organisers, Martin Rigby, said: ‘We do not know how much cash has been stolen but the bucket was almost full when it was last checked and when the theft was discovered, the bucket was less than half full.’

The donations made were intended for Craig’s Heartstrong Foundation, a charity that provides free heart screenings and provides automated electronic defibrillators in many places around the island. T

Martin added: ‘While this was an invitation-only event, the Big Beat team felt that it was safe to leave our collection buckets on site for the duration of the event.

‘Some could consider this naïve on our part but we have had no issue in the past leaving collection buckets at events.

‘We quite simply believed that, on the Isle of Man, music fans would not stoop to criminality so low as to steal cash from a charity collection bucket for an event run by musicians.

‘We condemn this act in the strongest possible terms and call on all attendees of the Tannyfest event to speak up if they have any information. It seems unlikely that there was a lone person on-site, known to nobody else, who committed this theft.’

He added: ‘We would like to state that we do not hold the organisers of the Tannyfest event responsible. They have assisted us at every opportunity since the theft was discovered and have called on their festival attendees to make donations to The Big Beat via our Just Giving page www.justgiving.com/thebigbeatIOM and in light of this, we thank them for their help and the donations which have since generously been made.’

The police have been contacted and investigations are contrinuing.

Martin said: ‘We ask that if anyone has any information regarding this despicable act that you contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.’

If you can’t make the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday night for the spectacular culmination of the BBC Proms season, then fear not.

For the world-famous ‘Last Night’ celebrations are going to be held in the Isle of Man in a fortnight’s time.

The Gaiety Theatre will play host to the Manx Last Night of the Proms on Saturday, September 24.

The Guild’s Cleveland Medal winner Paul Costain will team up with the Manx Youth Band and Manx Concert Brass for the occasion.

Conducted by Ian Clague, the Manx Last Night of the Proms will have a contemporary and traditional repertoire, with classics interspersed by party pieces.

Band chairman Ian Mansell said: ‘This really is an evening for all the family, whether the more serious music lovers or those who enjoy the patriotic flag-waving finale.

‘There will be everything you expect from the Last Night of the Proms, plus a few local extras thrown in for good measure. It will be an enjoyable evening for all ages.’

Guests will be able to join in with classics such as Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance, Land of Hope and Glory, Fantasia on British Sea-Songs and Hubert Parry’s Jerusalem, a piece which is considered England’s unofficial national anthem and is celebrating its 100th birthday this year.

Flags and streamers will also be provided to add to the party atmosphere.

The Manx Last Night of the Proms celebrations will begin at 7.30pm, with doors opening at 7pm. Tickets cost from £12.75 for adults, from £10.20 for seniors and £5.10 for under 16s.

Tickets are available now from the Villa Gaiety box office by calling 600555, visiting the Welcome Centre at the Sea Terminal or online at www.villagaiety.com

The Isle of Man Farmers’ Union is seeking legal advice in the wake of a recent court case involving sheep worrying.

Two farmers were convicted of criminal damage but given a two-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay £1,000 costs, by Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes, after shooting two dogs responsible for repeated attacks on livestock.

Belinda Leach, of the Farmers’ Union said it was too early to comment on the case as they were currently seeking legal advice on the matter in order to offer guidance to members.

She said on the face of it the outcome seemed to be at odds with some recently reported cases in the UK press and farming press. In the light of this, she said it was important to establish precisely where farmers stand in relation to the law when they shoot dogs responsible for livestock attacks.

The UK National Farmers’ Union offers the following advice on whether or not a farmer can legally shoot a dog: ‘This is a complex issue covered by a number of laws created to protect both the farmer and the dog owner. The short answer is yes, a farmer can shoot a dog, but he would need to have lawful excuse and believe that his livestock was in immediate need of protection.’

Daniel Creer, 28, and Jeffrey Fargher, 31, both denied criminal damage on April 13 after Fargher shot a Weimaraner cross breed and a Newfoundland cross breed dog belonging to Neil Cheetham, a neighbour who lived around three quarters of a mile away.

Witnesses said Creer was visibly upset by the dog attack which left eight ewes and 41 lambs dead, strewn across the fields he farmed at Ballavitchell. In addition, a further 11 lambs were aborted. The April incident was the third attack involving dogs belonging to Mr Cheetham, the court heard. In a previous incident in January, at Ballavitchell, the dogs were taken away by the dog warden and returned to the owner.

A second incident in March involved livestock on land at Baldwin farmed by Creer’s father. On that occasion the dogs were left with the MSPCA, then returned to the owner.

For the prosecution, James Robinson argued killing the dogs was not necessary to protect Creer’s livestock because the dogs were tied up, under control and therefore posed no immediate threat, when they were ‘summarily executed’ by Fargher.

In an earlier case, the dogs’ owner, Neil Christopher Cheetham, of Main Road, Greeba, was charged in relation to the attack by his dogs. The 55-year-old admitted two offences of being the keeper of the dogs involved in a sheep attack on April 12.

He was fined £1,000 with £50 costs and ordered to pay compensation of £6,760.

A doorman drove his car to work without insurance because it was raining and he didn’t want to get wet, a court has been told.

Jan Amadeusz Jakobik, of Derby Square in Douglas, was spotted by police at 3.20am on Peel Road in Douglas heading towards Quarter Bridge in a blue BMW car. Police claimed the car had weaved slightly. They called back to the police station and were told the car was not taxed.

For the prosecution, James Robinson said Jakobik stopped the car in McDonald’s car park, where police spoke to him and issued him with a fixed penalty. He was also ordered to produce his driving licence and insurance documents at the police station. He failed to do so and admitted driving the car without insurance.

Representing Jakobik, Louise Cooil said the 26-year-old was between jobs at the time and just working one day a week as a doorman.

‘He did not have funds and was keeping the car on a private car park and not driving it,’ she said.

‘But he was due to work that night and it was raining quite hard so he made a rash decision to drive. He should have used a bus, taxi or umbrella.’

Referring to the fact that Jakobik was originally scheduled to appear in court two days earlier, she added: ‘He’s disappointed to be in court. He did not know how to go about things and he has come to court of his own volition today.’

She said the offence was a one-off and her client had not been in the habit of driving without insurance.

He was banned from driving for 28 days, fined £400 and must pay £50 costs.

The Manx government has restated its commitment to press for the complete closure of Sellafield.

It follows further claims about the safety of the plant highlighted in a TV documentary last week.

The BBC Panorama expose alleged ‘years of neglect’ had left parts of facility – which is just 34 miles from the Manx coast – ‘rundown and vulnerable’.

There were not always enough workers to maintain safety levels, it claimed, and liquid containing plutonium and uranium is being stored in degrading plastic bottles.

The claims have been dismissed by both the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Sellafield Ltd who said in a joint statement: ‘Sellafield is safe, there is no question about that.’

But, as iomtoday reported last week, the Mannin branch of the Celtic League is calling for the plant to be independently inspected.

Now the Manx government has responded too. It said it was aware all of the issues raised, as they have all come under scrutiny at the Sellafield local liaison committee meetings at which the island has been represented for more than 35 years.

The spokesman said: ‘These meetings provide early notification of the facts about any events at Sellafield, and indeed the government has asked questions on operational practices which give us cause for concern, including sub-standard staffing levels on parts of the Sellafield site.

‘The Isle of Man government is not happy about the state of the Sellafield, and the structural integrity of the ageing waste storage ponds and silos are a particular concern.

‘However, the government is content that Sellafield Ltd and the nuclear regulators are trying to improve the safety situation.’

The spokesman said the government had asked questions about the technical solutions being developed to decommission redundant structures at Sellafield and island representatives have visited the site to look at the work underway.

Regular contact with the operators Sellafield Ltd is maintained and ‘we can speak to them at any time on any issue’, he added.

Opposition to Sellafield in the island culminated in the 1980s with Tynwald resolutions calling for the plant’s closure.

The government laboratory monitors environmental radioactivity levels in the Isle of Man. To date traces of radioactive contamination from Sellafield have not been sufficient to present any hazard to health or food safety.

However, even such small traces of radioactivity are not acceptable, and so the government’s aim is to seek the complete closure of the Sellafield site. It recognises that this not immediately attainable and so is pressing for radioactive discharge to be reduced to as close to zero as possible.