The mariners’ shelter in Port St Mary is getting a facelift thanks to the combined efforts of residents.

Several months ago, commissioner Ian Skelly said the shelter – which is on Alfred Pier and contains plaques to remember mariners – was in a poor state and an ‘insult’ to the memory of those featured on the plaques.

In response to an article about Mr Skelly’s comments, Port St Mary resident David Norman, from Fistard Project Services and Lightfast Ltd, wrote offering his services – for free – as a chartered building engineer, to make a survey and provide a maintenance works schedule for the building.

He also offered to donate Keim mineral paints, which are specifically formulated for use on buildings and structures in harsh marine environments.

He wrote: ‘I believe that the shelter was origianally constructed and paid for from charitable donations and therefore is part of the port’s history and heritage.’

Mr Skelly with fellow commissioner Michelle Heywood and Andy Phair rolled up their sleeves and cleaned the shelter several weeks ago. They said they had the time and the workforce was busy, so decided ‘to go ahead and clean it’.

Commissioners’ chairman Bernadette Williams met Mr Norman at the shelter and thanked him for his help.

Mr Skelly said: ‘Dave is going to survey and project-manage the shelter, as that is required, along with supplying high quality Kiem paint for the masonry work all free of charge. He has also found a painter to apply the masonry paint and a joiner to do some cladding labour-free and will lend us a machine that’ll clean the roof.’

He added: ‘This is the sort of thing I hope snowballs among our community which offers advice or assistance for the benefit of Port St Mary.’

Sulby Horticultural Show committee will be holding its annual general meeting in the Community Hall, Clenagh Road, on Monday, November 21, at 7.30pm.

Anyone interested in joining is encouraged to attend and can be assured of a warm welcome.

For more information, call secretary Kirstie Martin on 818147 or email sulbyshow@gmail.com

A wartime tea dance held recently to celebrate the show’s 70th anniversary raised £490.40 for Help the Heroes. Thanks go to all who helped and attended.

Life assurance provider RL360 has produced a new corporate video which well and truly flies the flag for th e island.

The financial services company based in Cooil Road, Douglas, decided it was time to show off its island home to clients and potential

future clients

Nigel Danzelman, RL360°’s marketing services and communications manager said: ‘We’re often asked questions by our financial advisers and their clients about the Isle of Man and why it is a strong and secure location in which to invest money.

‘We decided to put together a video to help them understand and worked with a London agency, ERTL Design.

‘We’re extremely pleased with the outcome.

‘The video explains how policyholders are protected by strong layers of regulation and a comprehensive policyholders’ protection scheme.

‘And the island’s former Chief Minister Allan Bell discusses the Isle of Man’s strength and security for investors.

‘He explains what makes the Isle of Man such an attractive centre for financial services.’

http://www.rl360.com/row/aboutus/why-the-isle-of-man.htm

Winter’s coming, and you can really feel in the air now. So IoM Friends of the Earth’s Cat Turner was glad to have a chat with Rodger Harper at Energy Management Systems Ltd about what people can do to chill-proof their houses

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We’ve looked in the past in this column at different types of heating systems, at insulation and at air-tightness testing – checking your house for draughts and air leaks.

But one of the simplest and most effective things you can do, according to Rodger Harper from Energy Management Systems Ltd, is to check whether your radiators need flushing out, to ensure the wrong kinds of gunk aren’t stopping them circulating heat efficiently.

It’s something lots of people overlook, but can really pay dividends.

The benefits of flushing your system periodically include: better central heating efficiency, hotter radiators and considerably faster house heat-up times.

It can also cut costs, as you can reduce the time your boiler spends on generating the temperature for your central heating. A good flush will prevent the build-up of oxidative sludge as well, therefore extending the life of your radiators and boiler.

Better water circulation will carry the heat from your boiler faster, and you may even get a quieter boiler out of the process.

But for many of us, the big plus will be savings on heating bills. Mr Harper estimates the potential saving at between 10 and 25 per cent, depending on the state of your system.

Given the significant savings, I assumed this would be quite a big job.

However, Rodger suggests the whole process can be done in a day – and usually less – for most houses.

He showed me some heat images of a radiator, before and after flushing – the difference in surface temperatures was a whopping 53C – that’s a lot of heat not being emitted into the room!

And how can you tell if your radiators need flushing? Mr Harper’s advice is this: simply feel the middle/bottom of the radiator (especially with long radiators). If it’s cooler than the rest of the rad, then it’s likely you need a system flush to improve efficiency and save money.

So don’t delay – check your radiatorss today, and make sure you’re well prepared for the colder days to come.

Michael Cowin, otherwise known as Pullyman, writes a weekly column for us. This week he talks about his show at the Gaiety, which takes place tomorrow.

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Last year, on October 28 in the Peel Centenary Centre, a group of friends who had met each other in and about the local poetry scene staged a variety concert. It was a sell-out success and ‘Pullyman and Friends’ was born.

Let me tell you a story. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin.

On a pleasant summer’s afternoon, in late June, or early July, last year, we had gone for a spin in the car.

Brown Eyes was at the helm, and was letting the car decide where it would like to go. We had arrived in Peel and were cruising along Atholl Street.

We were about level with the Centenary Centre when my inner voice shouted: ‘Stop the car.’

Brown Eyes pulled in to the side and said: ‘What now?’.

I didn’t know why we had to stop I just knew that was what we had to do. So we did.

I got out of the car and tried the door of the Centenary Centre. It was locked.

But a small hand-written card advised the caller: ‘If this door is locked, please phone the following number.’

So I did and five minutes later, a pleasant enough bloke arrived and let us in.

‘How can I help?’ he asked. Two minutes later I had booked the Centenary Centre for one night only, in the coming October.

‘What type of show are you putting on?’ he asked. I don’t think that he believed me when I said that I had no idea.

We went home with a form to fill in and a cheque to write. I phoned a couple of poetry friends, set up a meeting, and before you could say ‘William Shakespeare’ we were in business.

There were four of us. Hazel Teare, Bill Strutt, Ernie de Legh-Runciman and me.

Hazel was producer and stage manager, Bill was the on-stage MC, Ernie did the tech and I pretended that I knew how to put on a show.

The plan was based around comedy and performance poetry.

Heaven knows what the Centenary Centre team thought about us but I think the show we put on surprised more than a few folk. Including us.

Fast forward to 2016 and the Erin Arts Centre. On May 20, two things happened. Number one, we did it again, another sell-out. Number two, I broke the news that I’d booked the Gaiety for Friday, November 18.

I am writing this column on Friday, November 11.

There is only one scary week to go before curtain-up and I have just checked my link to the Gaiety ticket office.

As things stand with just one week to go we have filled 550 seats. There are only about 70 unsold seats.* A miracle.

‘Pullyman and friends at the Gaiety’. Who could have thought that when we stopped the car outside the Centenary Centre on that summer’s afternoon that in one short year we would have travelled so far.

All of the proceeds of the concert will be divided between two local charities, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

About 10 years ago I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. And to say it changed my life would be something of an understatement .

To be told you have got a progressively degenerative brain disorder tends to focus the mind rather quickly. Different people react in different ways and it is not for me to pass comment on or advise someone on what they should do.

We joined the local Parkinson’s Society and were made very welcome.

But back to miracles. About five years into my journey down Parkinson Street, I bumped into someone who was to become a very good friend. Pullyman.

He introduced me to two of his friends, poetry and writing. The rest is history. Luck happens. Recognising it when it comes along is the skill.

‘Break a leg’.

*This figure is for the dress circle and the stalls. The amphitheatre and the gallery, aka the Gods, will only be opened if the stalls and the dress circle are filled.

Callum O’Shea and Mary Sarah Patricia O’Shea, both of Longfield, Old Castletown Road, Port Soderick, bought Kitterland, 1 Ellenbrook Avenue, Kewaigue, for £450,000.

It was bought from John Malcolm Mudge and Jayne Maria Evett.

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

Christina Anne Barry Norbert, of London, sold 17 Cherry Walk, Hightonwood Hill, Douglas, for £307,000, to Graham Leslie Taubman and Kristen Zoe Edwards, both of 9 Brunswick Road, Douglas.

Vera Farnen, of 15 Kerroo Glass, Ramsey, sold Hilbre, 19 Barrule Park, Ramsey, for £295,000, to Duncan Stuart McLeod, of 9 Faaie ny Cabbal, Michael, and Karen Mary McLeod.

Lawrence Hanlin and Ailsa Gillian Hanlin, sold 19 Queen Margaret Road, Glen Vine, for £357,000, to Peter Dennis Skelton and Bernadette Margaret Mary Skelton. of 11 The Abbeywoods, Douglas.

Valerie Joan Clague, of 31 Ian Cannell Court, Glencrutchery Road, Douglas, sold Hibernia, 14 Somerset Road, Douglas, for £205,000, to Anthony Roosenbroek and Rachel Anna Roosenbroek, of Bryan House, Back Marina Road, Douglas.

David Richard Partington sold 13 Westminster Drive, Douglas, for £137,000, to David Richard Partington and Romana Partington.

Peter Roy Kelly, of Marjon, 52 Alberta Drive, Onchan, as trustee, William Harley Shimmin, of Woodlands, 4 Forest Close, Eyreton Lea, Crosby, as trustee, Caroline Edith McDonald, of Harold Cottage, Strang, Braddan, as trustee, Sandra Margaret Kermode, of 14 Westbourne Close, Ramsey, as trustee, Margaret Jane Miles, of 20 King Edward Park, Onchan, as trustee, James Maurice Kite, of Lea House, Solomons Corner, Ballamodha, Malew, as trustee, and Cunningham House Trust, by trustees, sold 60 and 62 Murrays Road, Douglas, for £185,000, to Colin James Pazera and Agnes Brenda Pazera, both of 14 Lucerne Court, Douglas.

Jason Mark Fleming, of 5 Bridson House, Bridson Street, Port Erin, and Ingrid Simone Fleming sold 46 Ballahane Close, Port Erin, for £128,737.66, to Ingrid Simone Fleming and Noel James McConville, of 46 Ballahane Close, Port Erin.

David O’Sullivan and Barbara Ann Sullivan, of Grove House, Grove Mount, Ramsey, sold land part of Ballaseyre, Andreas, for £35,500, to Michael Frederick Price and Rosemary Anne Price, of Lough View Cottage, Ballaseyre, Andreas.

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

Donald Trump’s presidential victory should not be seen as a shock because surprise has been a constant theme on the political landscape in recent times, says a leading island businessman.

Andrew Gerrard is also hoping that Trump’s ‘bark’ will prove to have been more severe than his ‘bite’ when he eventually takes office in the White House in January.

The outspoken Republican billionaire made many outspoken remarks and comments during a bitter election campaign.

Mr Gerrard, director of accountancy firm Harding Lewis Ltd said: ‘The political landscape in the West has been going through major changes in recent times and the constant ‘‘theme’’ has been surprise.

‘On reflection, therefore, the announcement of Trump as President should not be a shock.’

The Athol Street businessman told Business News: ‘As far as business is concerned, in the short term at least, most (other than for example speculators) will fear the uncertainty and thus this could dampen investment.

‘The uncertainty will, however, not have the same lagged effect that Brexit will have as the latter will take at least two and a half years before the impact can be seen, and even then full clarification is very unlikely.

‘The Trump effect will hopefully start to take shape in the next six to nine months and his bark will likely be (please God) more severe than his bite.

‘Trump has hinted at tax cuts and has criticised the increase in interest rates by the Federal Reserve.

‘He has also talked about investing in infrastructure projects and perhaps taking a more isolationist approach.

‘Of course Trump cannot just immediately have his way, but lower US interest rates could flow through to the EU and maybe the U.K., perhaps in terms of preventing rate rises rather than causing decreases, although this is far from clear.

‘Large infrastructure spending may however cause market concerns about its funding and so there may be opposite and upward pressure on interest rates if this materialises.

‘Low rates are good for business and investment, but bad for savers.

‘There are so many variables in all of this and predicting the future is not possible.

‘Business will continue to invest in good opportunities and the continued technological revolution will ensure that new opportunities will occur.

‘In the Isle of Man we must take a positive approach and invest in these new opportunities.’

A proposal to impose further restrictions on dog owners in the capital by banning their pets from Douglas Head unless they were kept on a lead has been abandoned.

Douglas Council had considered a call by some members of the public to ban dogs from being exercised there.

The matter came to light after some complaints of dogs causing a nuisance, particularly near to the public barbecue areas.

Current law allows dogs to be exercised off the lead but, as in most areas, owners have to pick up excrement.

The new proposal was to prevent owners from exercising their dogs off the lead on Douglas Head and to confine them to footpaths.

However, when the public was consulted about any possible change, it found little support.

A meeting of Douglas councillors was told a one-month consultation on the proposal ended in October. A total of 23 responses was received. Only two of which supported a change to the by-laws. The remaining 21 objected.

To effect a change to the by-laws would have needed approval from the government’s Department of Infrastructure, and councillors decided this was unlikely to be given, in the light of the lack of public support.

An alternative proposal has now been put forward to prohibit dogs from having access to the lower barbecue area nearest to the Camera Obscura.

This will still need a change to the by-law governing the area, and this too will have to go through a consultation process first.

If it is approved, the change will then give the council’s dog wardens the authority to enforce the by-laws with a clear demarcation between the two barbecue areas, councillors were told. There are two barbecue areas on Douglas Head and the other would remain unaffected.

The main Douglas to Peel road was closed this morning after two cars crashed.

One of the drivers had to be cut out his car by fire and rescue staff.

It happened at about 6.30am in Glen Vine.

Police, fire and ambulance crews attended.

The man cut out of his car was taken to hospital for a check-up.

The other driver was able to get out of his vehicle unaided.

The road was closed for about 90 minutes to allow crews to work safely in the carriageways and to enable the vehicles to be cleared from the site.

These are a few of the pictures taken by Isle of Man Newspapers photographer Mike Wade on November 11 in St John’s.

Children from St John’s School and Bunscoill Ghaelgagh paid their respects to those who gave their lives in conflicts.

Beach Buddies will begin this weekend’s beach cleaning session from a new venue on Sunday morning, with volunteers meeting in the car park alongside the Old Grammar School in Castletown for a 10.30am start.

Organiser Bill Dale said: ‘We have cleaned the beach in this area previously, but always from the Scarlett end of the bay, so this is a new venue for us - and it has lots of parking spaces.

‘Having visited the area briefly this week, there is a fair amount of waste, largely plastic, to be removed.’

Beach Buddies provides all the necessary equipment but volunteers may prefer to bring their own gloves. Metal, glass bottles, tin cans and some plastics are all recycled - and the rest goes to the incinerator to generate free electricity.

New volunteers, of all ages, are always welcomed, especially families, and well-behaved dogs.

There’s no need to register - volunteers can attend for as long as they like, finishing no later than midday.

An Onchan woman who has cerebral palsy will undertake a major physical challenge on Saturday when she ‘cycles’ 45 miles to help a Ugandan family.

Kathryn Williams will be swapping her wheelchair for an exercise bike at the National Sports Centre to ride the equivalent of Douglas to Jurby in the Parish Walk.

The 36-year-old got the idea while working with Andrew Wansonele who visited the island with charity Scripture Union Ministries Trust.

While here Andrew learned how to establish businesses and now runs an internet shop in Uganda to support university students.

Kathryn said: ‘Andrew’s family have no hot water and only charcoal to cook on. His grandmother looks after numerous children with no income. Some are HIV positive and all live in poor conditions.’

Sponsor Kathryn by emailing kathrynwilliams@manx.net or visit Facebook ‘virtualparishcycle’ or Twitter @onchankathryn

EasyJet says it is introducing ‘firebreaks’ in its schedule to try to minimise the disruption to services – including flights on the Ronaldsway-Gatwick route.

The budget airline’s annual profits before tax fell from £686m last year to £495m, the airline blaming unprecedented external events such as strikes, severe weather and airport issues.

But commercial manager Ali Gayward told the Manx Independent that the three routes operated to Ronaldsway – from Gatwick, Liverpool and Bristol – were ‘all continuing to do well’. And she added: ‘We are committed to the Isle of Man.’

She said that, in response to demand, an extra rotation was being put on the Gatwick service on Saturdays next summer.

EasyJet hit the headlines over several weeks during the summer after passengers were left stranded in Gatwick when Sunday return flights to the island were delayed or cancelled overnight.

But Ms Gayward said of the 199 flights scheduled to operate to the island between June 1 and August 1 this year, only six were cancelled and five were delayed overnight. And she said the reasons were all out of the airline’s control such as air traffic control restrictions and adverse weather.

EasyJet was not alone and all airlines have been affected by unprecedented disruption over the summer.

But Ms Gayward said she recognised passengers need to be confident when they book flights they can rely on getting home or catching onward connections.

She said the entire flight schedule had been reviewed and ‘firebreaks’ introduced so if there is a problem it doesn’t have a knock-on effect on subsequent flights. ‘Our aircraft doesn’t just shuttle back and forth between Gatwick and the Isle of Man. Introducing firebreaks in the schedule will give us a better chance to get back on track. We want to assure our passengers that we do everything we can to minimise disruption,’ she said.

Ms Gayward said that both the Liverpool and Gatwick routes were performing ‘really well’. Bristol had started out with four flights a week but this frequency had been halved to a twice a week service. The commercial manager said that there had been a definite improvement since that reduction in frequency. ‘We need to make sure that routes work. I’m confident about that route moving forward,’ she said.

EasyJet has been vocal in its support for a third runway at Heathrow and has promised to launch 20 new routes from there potentially including direct flights to the Isle of Man.

Members of the Rotary Club of Douglas along with partners and guests enjoyed a ‘roaring success of a night’ when they donned Scout uniforms for a charity event that raised more than £1,000 for national emergencies around the world.

‘We certainly followed the sentiments of the Scout motto, being in a ‘‘state of readiness in mind and body’’,’ said chief scout for the night Gareth Hooson-Owen.

‘Last year the theme for a similar charity fundraising event was ‘‘Bond, James Bond’’ but for this year we decided to have a scouts’ theme night as a bit of fun and it certainly was,’

He added: ‘It all took place on a steam train and the atmosphere certainly allowed some members to wallow in nostalgia and look back to their days as Boy Scouts ,although middle-age spread had perhaps got the better of some old uniforms.

‘Members of the Northern Adventure Scouts were on the train and did a really great job for an event kindly sponsored by Black Grace Cowley. There were a couple of Scouts to each compartment who ran a number of quizzes, observation tests, knot tying etc.

‘At Castletown Station there was Prosecco and other drinks, all sponsored by Heron & Brearley.’

Menus were in the form of first-day covers with stamps, franked at both Douglas and Castletown stations.

‘It was all in aid of a great cause which sees money raised for the Rotary Foundation going towards the provision of ‘‘shelter boxes’’ and Water Aid in those areas hardest hit by natural disasters plus the worldwide eradication of polio,’

Willow lantern workshops takes place at Scoill Phurt le Moirrey this weekend.

The event takes place ahead of Port St Mary Commissioners’ Christmas celebration on Friday, December 2.

The workshops, which are free to attend, take place on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm.

Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

The Christmas celebration will also see Ballafesson Brass playing in the town hall.

Douglas Council is currently compiling evidence to support an application to court to enter one of the capital’s dilapidated former hotels.

The council’s environmental services committee chairman Cllr Ritchie McNicholl said concerns had been expressed about the Pitcairn Hotel on Church Road Marina.

He asked if a further survey could be completed on the hotel’s current structural state.

Councillors were told a survey would cost between £300 and £500 to complete. Evidence is being put together to support an application to the High Bailiff for a warrant to enter the property.

It was decided a further survey would best be carried out once a warrant to enter the property was in place.

A new dilapidation enforcement officer is due to take up his post shortly.

A decision to refuse an FoI request for the release of the health and safety report into the bouncy castle accident has been upheld.

But it has been confirmed for the first time that civil action has been instigated into the incident during last year’s Douglas Carnival which could so easily have become a tragedy.

Onlookers at the Carnival watched in horror as a bouncy castle was lifted by a gust of wind and pitched over railings, flinging six-year-old Liam Hansen into the sea.

Fortunately Liam, from Onchan, was rescued by a quick-thinking hero Johnny Glover who leaped into the water and brought him safely back to dry land. A second child managed to cling on to the bouncy castle as it was blown from Loch Promenade.

The Department of the Environment, Food and Agriculture cited as a reason for not publishing the investigation report an exemption covering ‘investigations and legal proceedings’.

It confirmed that the Health and Safety at Work Inspectorate’s investigation into the July 2015 incident is now complete – and that it has been decided that no criminal proceedings will be instigated.

Isle of Man Newspapers requested a review of the decision.

And, as expected, the original refusal has been upheld with the DEFA saying the release of the report could prejudice civil proceedings.

It said: ‘In this case, civil action has been instigated. We consider the public interest is best served by allowing the civil action to run its course without any risk of undue external influences.’

Isle of Man Newspapers has submitted four requests for the disclosure of health and safety reports – and all four have been refused.

Where civil or criminal proceedings have been instigated the decision to refuse disclosure is understandable – although the risk of prejudicing civil proceedings is remote,

More debatable, however, is the exemption cited not to disclose the full accident report into the Snaefell Mountain Railway crash, reported in this week’s Manx Independent, where it is stated: ‘Where a decision has been taken not to progress a prosecution, release of the detail of an investigation would be unfair to those involved.’

In short, health and safety reports will not be released if there is a prosecution – or if there isn’t!

Lifting work permit restrictions will create a ‘free for all race to the bottom’.

That’s the view of island TUC president and Unite industrial organiser Eric Holmes who is calling for a meeting with Chief Minister Howard Quayle to discuss moves to expand the range of work permit exemptions in response to a skills shortage.

He also wants talks with Treasury member Ralph Peake who has gone one step further - by calling for the work permits rules to be lifted altogether for a year.

But Mr Holmes said as far as Unite and the TUC were concerned, the removal or further relaxation of the work permit scheme is ‘not up for grabs’.

He said the work permit committee had always looked after the interests of the Manx workers against attempts to ‘parachute’ people into roles from off-island.

He told the Manx Independent: ‘We realise there were recruitment issues within health, education and IT and our affiliated trade unions who cover those areas where able to assure us this was in fact so.

‘We therefore relaxed our stance on the subject and never assumed the Chamber of Commerce would manage to bend government’s ear that much and certainly not to the point whereby they have gained support to look at lower employment groups exemptions or in fact the removal of the system completely.

‘The new parliament contains many business owners or members with vested interests and by allowing this protection or counterbalance to be undermined or even dismantled the island enters into a free for all race to the bottom.’

Mr Holmes said Unite has requested a meeting with the new Chief Minister on two occasions since his appointment and to date not received an acknowledgement.

He said: ‘The internal economy is broken and needs to be supported and that is done with local spend and the greatest group of workers able and willing to buy Manx are the lower paid who don’t have ability to flit across to the UK to buy goods.

‘Mr Peake MHK and the Chief Minister have been taken advantage of and dropped their guard in this instance.

‘We have pledged within the Unite and Isle of Man TUC affiliate trade unions to restore this counterbalance so that issues such as this attempted blanket removal of Manx workers’ protection does not happen and needs to be campaigned against.’

Mr Peake suggested in the House of Keys this month that ‘now might be the time to consider removing the work permit for a year to give business the full opportunity to remove that barrier and offer good employment opportunities’ for people moving here.

One of the island’s best-known jewellers has announced it will shut its doors after more than 100 years in business.

Wilkins the Jeweller, which is situated at 76 Strand Street, will close at 5pm tomorrow (Saturday) but will re-open for the final closing down sale at 10am on Black Friday on November 25.

The sale will run over the Christmas period before shutting its doors for the final time in January.

Owner Michael Hyman has taken the decision to retire and close the Douglas jewellery business which has been in his family for more than 90 years. Michael, aged 66, said: ‘It hasn’t been an easy decision to close the store as the business has been in my family for many years and a big part of my life, but the timing feels right to retire.

‘I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of the Isle of Man and I would like to thank all our loyal customers for their support over the years.’

Wilkins is known for selling exquisite diamonds and exclusive jewellery brands such as Omega, Rolex and Breitling.

The luxury jewellery shop has been in business since the late 1800s.

Michael’s father, Dave, first bought the business in 1929 with his brothers.

It has remained in the Hyman family since, with Michael taking over from his father in 1968.

The store first traded on the corner of Strand Street and Regent Street from the early 1900s.

It traded on that site and four other sites in Douglas, with the head office located on Walpole Avenue.

Isle of Man Bank expanded its position on the corner which forced a move to Duke Street.

In 2012 the business returned to its ancestral home at 76 Strand Street.

Six years ago Michael brought the Pandora store to Strand Street which he operated until last year when the franchise was taken over.

All stock in Wilkins’ Christmas sale will be priced at up to 60 per cent off.

Michael said: ‘We’re looking forward to launching into a final closing down sale and we’ve got some fantastic bargains on offer for our customers.’

The store will be open from 10am to 5pm Monday to Saturday and on Sundays from 1pm to 5pm.

As well as selling a range of jewellery, the shop offers services including watch repairs, jewellery repairs and insurance valuation.

To view the various jewellery ranges that Wilkins has to offer go to www.wilkinsthejeweller.co.uk

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Maternity store Mothercare has announced it will shut its store in Douglas in December.

The British retailer, which sells a variety of products for parents, babies and children up to the age of eight, will close down on December 15.

A Mothercare spokesperson said the closure of the store in the Strand Shopping Centre is part of a ‘larger transformation plan’ for the business.

The spokesperson said: ‘Mothercare in Douglas on the Isle of Man will close on December 15, 2016. We will be emailing our customers in the area to advise them of the closure.

‘We greatly value all our customers and hope they will continue to shop with us via our website. We would like to thank them for their continued loyalty and support for Mothercare.

‘Whilst we regret the closure of the store, it is part of a larger transformation plan for our business.

‘The plan will see us close a small number of our unprofitable stores across the UK whilst investing in cutting-edge online and mobile shopping channels, as well as refurbishing some of our other larger stores to make the experience even better for our customers.’

It is not known how many jobs will be lost due to the closure.

Mothercare’s announcement comes around two weeks after HMW, which is situated next to Mothercare on the ground floor of the shopping centre, confirmed that it will shut its doors at the end of January due to a change of ownership of the centre.

UK retail giant Sports Direct bought the Strand Shopping Centre in July this year.

When the sale was announced it was claimed that Sports Direct was planning to open in ‘multiple units’.

The centre houses shops including The Card Factory, Peacocks, Manx Crafters’ Gift Shop, Millets and Avanti Cafe.

One positive piece of news from Strand Street is the opening of outdoor clothing shop Newson’s, which has moved from the North Quay.

Apart from the Strand Centre there are no empty units on Strand Street itself, although the number of charity shops has increased in recent years.

Last Saturday saw Amber in Douglas host the second heat of their Battle of the Bands.

Congratulations go to the heat victors and 2015 Battle of the Bands winners, The Fletcher Christian Mutiny who go through to the final on Saturday, November 26.

Commiserations go to Matt Kelly and Han FX.

This Saturday sees the third and final heat featuring Aeons, Eoin O Maol Mhuaidh and Tiger T!

Aeons is made up by ex members of The Water is Rising and The Southern Audio Conspiracy and specialise in all things in the technical metal end of the spectrum.

They are up against acoustic singer/songwriter Eoin O Maol Mhuaidh who in turn battle it out with acoustic Reggae songstress, Tiger T, aka Teresa McNulty of Rusty Jam Revolution fame.

The doors open at 8pm and the music kicks off from around 9.30pm.

For further information, visit their Facebook page www.facebook.com/Amber-Bar-317692424912775/

Staying in Douglas and on Saturday night you’ll see 9 Mile Smile in their regular slot at Jaks.

The band is made up by vocalist Angela Wells, guitarists Graham Smith and Grant Evans, bassist Lewis Thompson and Johnny Wade on drums.

They specialise in covers from the likes of anything from the now ubiquitous Kings Of Leon via The Stereophonics to Blondie and Michael Jackson via Amy Winehouse and Aretha Franklin and just about anything in between.

A good time band and well worth having a look at if you’re in the area on Saturday night. For more information on the band please visit www.facebook.com/9MileSmile

Finally this week and heading out for two shows over the weekend are Konstruktion.

The two-piece band made up by Joy White on vocals and Nige B on keys and vocals have their roots in live versions of dance anthems from the modern chart to ‘old skool’ classics.

If a little bit of Calvin Harris, David Guetta, Rihanna and Lady Gaga at one end through to Diana Ross and Tina Turner at the other end of the spectrum takes your fancy then this will be well worth a look at.

The band head to The Union in Castletown tomorrow (Friday) and the Mitre Hotel in Ramsey on Saturday.

For more information on the band visit www.facebook.com/iommusic

That’s all for this week!

If you have anything for inclusion in The Manx Sound Exchange, please email leachsteve@hotmail.com

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Steve Leach brings the latest rumblings, murmurings, news and views on forthcoming events in and around the island’s music scene. Help support the scene by emailing leachsteve@hotmail.com