A charity has come up with an alternative to sending Christmas cards.

For £25 a personal message could feature on the ‘Giving Tree’ at the Manx Blind Welfare Society’s headquarters in Onchan.

The ‘Giving Tree’ was unveiled earlier this year as part of the society’s 80th anniversary celebrations, to provide an opportunity for permanent tributes and recognition of support to be displayed.

The large wooden sculpture, which has taken pride of place at Corrin Court, was handmade by the Manx Workshop for the Disabled and funded by a bequest.

Since April, people have been buying specially-made acorns and leaves and having them engraved with a personal message to be added to the sculpture as a lasting commemoration of people’s support for the society.

So far almost £4,000 has been raised to fund the society’s work providing free services and support for hundreds of blind and visually-impaired people across the Isle of Man.

Manx Blind Welfare Society events organiser Debbie Thomson said: ‘Individuals and organisations have been making donations in exchange for a leaf or an acorn and having them engraved with the names of people, organisations and businesses, memorial tributes or just simple messages. Whatever the words chosen, each has been added to the Giving Tree ensuring every contribution will always be part of our future.’

She added: ‘At this time of year we know many people decide to make donations to charity instead of sending out cards, and are looking for Christmas gifts they can give which have real meaning. Purchasing an acorn or leaf for the Giving Tree on behalf of a friend, family member or other loved one is not only a unique gift, which you can personalise with any message, but will also make a huge contribution to helping the society.

‘Money raised by the Giving Tree helps fund the provision of assistive technology, sporting activities, social inclusion, our audio library and recorded news service, as well as many more life-enhancing services.’

To find out how you can contribute to the Giving Trees, contact Debbie by emailing dthomson@mbws.org.im or calling 674727.

Donation forms can also be collected from Corrin Court and downloaded from www.mbws.org.im

Police are investigating the death of Onchan man David Howarth.

The 42-year-old’s body was found at his home on Thursday and his death being treated as ‘unexplained’.

Officers are appealing for anyone who may have had contact with Mr Howarth on the evening of Wednesday, November 30, to get in touch with the CID department at police headquarters, Douglas, on 631212.

Alternatively, call the anonymous Crimestoppers line on the free phone number 0800 555 111.

A drunken man who hurled an empty glass Doritos dip jar at his girlfriend has been bailed by a court pending sentencing.

Kenneth Andrew O’Connell had been drinking all evening with his girlfriend at Kerroo Coar, Peel, before the entree-inspired 1am assault.

Hazel Carroon, for the prosecution, said O’Connell’s girlfriend fled from the house, running to a neighbour. An ambulance was called and she was taken to hospital for treatment to an inch-long gash on her head.

She was kept in hospital overnight for observation but discharged in the morning.

Meanwhile, O’Connell was arrested. He told police he had thrown the dip jar, hitting his girlfriend on the head, but offered no other comment during interrogation.

Defending him, Dawn Jones described the incident as an ‘instantaneous grabbing and throwing during an argument’ and said no major medical intervention had been required.

She reminded the court 38-year-old O’Connell had admitted assault causing actual bodily harm, following the November 18 incident.

Recording a conviction, Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes noted bail was being sought on O’Connell’s behalf and the prosecution did not oppose it.

Bail was granted subject to conditions and approval by the deemster at a separate court hearing the following day. The case was adjourned for an all options report until January 10.

He was bailed to his home address, Peveril Street, Douglas, subject to a £500 recognisance. He is to observe a 10pm to 7am curfew, with doorstep checking conditions, he must not enter on-licensed premises, buy alcohol or drink in public, and he must not contact the victim. He must not enter Kerroo Coar or leave the island without the court’s permission.

The 15th Festival of Trees, held in aid of Save the Children Isle of Man, is now under way Ronaldsway airport.

The annual event was launched on Friday, and will run until January 6, with people being encouraged to vote for their favourite as well as make donations.

Guests enjoyed a performance from King William’s College choir and were welcomed by director of ports Ann Reynolds.

Lieutnant Governer Sir Richard Gozney, who was accompanied to the event by Lady Gozney, then conducted the official opening before taking a look around this year’s entrants.

A total of 20 trees are on display, representing a combination of companies, charities and schools, while Noble’s Hospital is represented by the oncology department, and Hospice Isle of Man also has a tree.

As well as being a charity fundraiser, the event also has a competitive element, with visitors being asked to choose their favourite. The winners will be unveiled at a special dinner to be held in the new year.

John Cuddy, from Save the Children Isle of Man, said: ‘We are hugely appreciative of the support once again shown by everyone at the airport.’

The Ramsey Eco-Active work party will meet tomorrow (Sunday) to complete the conversion of a mountain bike trail at Claughbane plantation into a children’s trail.

Volunteers should meet at Ramsey hairpin at 10am, while late arrivals should head for the middle of the plantation.

The work party will be helping with step building.

The event will continue until 2pm.

Refreshments, tools and gloves all provided.

For more information contact project manager Andree Dubbledam on andree@manxwt.org.uk or 434251.

The Young Magicians of Mann were thrilled to be invited to a lecture by French magic star David Stone at the Columba Club.

David is internationally famous for his magic, and recently received a standing ovation when he lectured at The Magic Circle in London.

Most of the island’s magicians attended the lecture, arranged by the Magicians of Mann with support from the Isle of Man Arts Council.

Chairman Paul Martin said: ‘David Stone is revered by magicians worldwide for his originality and humour. He was an inspiration to the Young Magicians of Mann, who are staging their own magic show at the Youth Arts Centre in Douglas on the afternoon of Sunday, December 4.

‘David was so supportive of them, and his lecture will definitely help them to put on an another entertaining and fun-filled afternoon of magic.’

Secretary Mike Clague added: ‘We have been able to bring some fantastic wonder-workers to the island, but David was probably the best of them all.’

For information about their show, called Finale, leave a message on 878328. Tickets cost £7.

A sporting event for secondary students will become a firm part of the school calendar after it encouraged them to get active and sign up to clubs.

The Community Games was launched in 2016 with support from Microgaming through its PlayItForward initiative.

Aimed at 11- to 18-year-olds who don’t belong to a school, club or island team, the games were attended by students from the Department of Education and Children’s five secondary schools.

Manx Sport and Recreation (MSR), which ran the games, says the event will be called the Microgaming Community Games in future to further highlight the company’s support.

The 2017 games will take place on Wednesday June 21.

Education and Children Minister Graham Cregeen MHK, who oversees sport, said: ‘The games give students the chance to try sport in an environment where the emphasis is on enjoyment and not results.

‘Participants are encouraged to stay involved with sport and to join community clubs.

‘Joining clubs offers young people many benefits,’ Mr Cregeen said. ‘The health advantages of being active are clear but membership of a club can lead to lifelong friendships. It can open doors to officiating, coaching, sitting on committees and developing skills that give young people confidence and self-esteem to flourish away from sport.’

The inaugural games featured 10 sports – glow sport, badminton, basketball, girls’ football, golf, judo, netball, rugby, snooker and swimming. In 2017, hockey, bowls, squash and rifle shooting will be added.

After the inaugural games, sports are already experiencing an upsurge in membership from young people.

Ken Kinrade, chairman of the Isle of Man Billiards and Snooker Association, said: ‘We held follow-up coaching sessions for games participants which attracted two new players. Resulting from these sessions, we attracted four other juniors through word of mouth and even two new adults. This is in no small part due to the showcase provided by the Community Games.’

Roberta Cannell, who chairs the Isle of Man Badminton Association junior committee, said: ‘We picked up six new youngsters after the games. We ran a follow-up session in October and 14 new players attended.’

Claire Coleman, head of Microgaming PlayItForward, said: ‘The inaugural Community Games was a great success and we are proud to see it in the school calendar again in 2017.

‘This year we saw first-hand how much fun students had trying new sports in a relaxed and non-competitive environment. I have no doubt the 2017 event will be just as successful, if not more.’

Novus Brass Quartet, featuring Manx musicians Illiam Quane and Bobby Corkish, will be performing in the next Ramsey Music Society concert.

The Manchester quartet will be performing at St Paul’s Church, in Ramsey, on Monday (December 5) from 7.45pm.

The quartet also comprises two of Illiam and Bobby’s fellow students at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Sam Lovatt and Daniel Thomas.

They describe themselves as a versatile brass quartet specialising in performing new and diverse pieces.

And the concert programme certainly reflects that. It features everything from Illiam’s arrangement of Beethoven’s first movement from Piano Sonata op. 2 no. 1 to Daniel’s arrangement of contemporary composer Django Bates’s My First Scooter.

There is also a nod to the Isle of Man with an arrangement of Ellan Vannin, and Illiam’s own composition, Ohfa Fuh.

Illiam’s musical tuition began at the Ramsey Town Band in about 2002, and he has since been the principal cornet of the National Children’s Brass Band of Great Britain and the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain.

He is currently in his fourth year of study at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), having graduated from Manchester University with a degree in music this year.

He recently enjoyed performing with the Halle orchestra, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra Academy and the London Sinfonietta Academy.

Bobby is in his final year of study at the RNCM. He is currently playing first horn for the Fairey Band in Stockport.

He has enjoyed many competitions and tours with the band, including Germany and France.

Sam is in his fourth year of study, on trumpet, at the RNCM. He plays front row cornet for Black Dyke Band and is a former member of James Shepherd Versatile Brass. Daniel has been playing the euphonium for more than 12 years. While studying at the RNCM he became second euphonium player of the Brighouse and Rastrick Band.

Port St Mary Commissioners have bought Manxonia House, which is on the corner of the Promenade and Bay View Road in Port St Mary.

The precise figure paid for the property is unknown. There was no response from the commissioners’ office to a request made by this newspaper for the exact sum.

In the summer the authority petitioned the Department of Infrastructure about buying Manxonia from Decorum Ltd for £190,000.

Decorum Ltd is controlled by the family of the last occupying owner, who operated a legal business from there.

More expense will be required to refurbish the building to bring it back into use as a shop, a flat and an office.

Commissioners’ chairman Bernadette Williams said: ‘The last government invested heavily in the regeneration of the centres of our towns and villages. With this considerable investment we are following that lead and supporting our local retailers by making the village centre a more desirable place in which to shop.’

The Manx Museum’s galleries came alive thanks to children from St Thomas’ School.

On Friday, pupils from years five and six (ages nine to 11) took over the running of the museum for the day, sharing with visitors their detailed knowledge on everything from Viking crosses to the life of marine biologist Edward Forbes.

They also helped to develop an Archive Code Cracking Challenge, which invites code crackers to track down secret clues hidden around the galleries, crack the code and learn more about MNH’s archives.

The Take Over the Archives Day followed three months of preparation by the children.

Isle of Man Newspapers was taken on a tour of the museum by Poppy Elvin, dressed as a newspaper boy, who had essential information on cards hidden inside her socks, in addition to her already encyclopaedic knowledge.

The first stop was a hospital ward, where Maddie Haworth and Amy Willetts explained that the Manx Museum building was originally a hospital.

Tylerjane Shields was on hand in the Viking gallery to talk about Thorwald’s cross, which shows Odin being eaten by the wolf Fenris.

Lizzy Jenkins told us about the life of Illiam Dhone, asking as the story was about to reach its conclusion: ‘Do you want to hear gory or not?’

Meanwhile her sister Catherine Jenkins invited us to pore over the Act of Revestment manuscript, dated 1765, displaying King George III’s royal crest.

Maddie Needham and Ellie Johnson, wearing matching bonnets, spoke about the reasons why many Manx residents chose to emigrate in the 1800s.

Rhys Dowling and Preston Cooper were dressed as Victorian holidaymakers, and explained about the populaity of the island’s holiday camps as well as the devastating Summerland fire.

In the folk life gallery, Reuben Thiagarajan showed us replicas they had made of a number of old newspapers that the Manx Museum has in its collection, dating back to 1792.

This task turned out to have been one of the children’s favourites, using a blend of coffee and tea to make the papers look authentic.

Robert Docherty was dressed as Captain John Christian, an officer in the Royal Manx Fencibles, to talk about the local defence army that was set up during the Napoleonic Wars with France.

The contribution that 8,000 Manxmen made fighting in the First World War was highlighted by Aalish Dooley.

She invited us to compare the two different uniforms on display.

Finally, wildlife lover Hollie Hazell had chosen to position herself in the natural history gallery, where she spoke about marine biologist Professor Edward Forbes.

Did anyone miss me last week? No? Well fair enough, Heaven forbid that I become big-headed.

That was the first Pullyman column I have missed in nearly three years of slaving over a hot keyboard. Some 750 words every week for 154 weeks.

That’s almost as many questions as Peter Karran asked in Tynwald and the House of Keys in the same time (only joking, Peter).

The truth is, the Pullyman and Friends concert was just about ready to burst into life at the Gaiety Theatre and I ran out of time.

I was going to send the editor a note to say the dog had chewed my notebook but he might know that we don’t have a dog. So I told him the truth, I’ve had a week off, and here I am, pencil sharpened, refreshed and ready to go.

Anyway, I’m sure you can’t wait to find out how the concert went down. Well I’ll tell you, it was f f f f f f antastic.

I defy anyone to stand on the stage in that beautiful theatre in front of such an enthusiastic, capacity audience and not be inspired.

It was a night to remember and I’m sure we all will treasure the experience. Thank you. But time moves on and nights to remember are sadly soon forgotten.

In the weeks and years to come, if you asked anyone in the world what was the most important event that happened in November 2016, Pullyman and Friends would be fairly low on the list.

To the delight of some, to the dismay of many and to the obvious surprise to himself, Donald the Trumpeter became the President Elect of the United States of America.

Now I know nothing about Mr Trump, apart from what I have read in the Daily Mail and it was obvious he was not on their Christmas card list.

Likewise I know nothing about Mrs Clinton, except for the fact that she has a husband called Bill, who most categorically ‘did not have sexual relations with that woman’. Or so he says.

The lady in question being a certain Miss Lewinski, who once found it necessary to change her dry-cleaners because they were returning clothing to her that were still stained. As I say, given the limited amount of information I had on the candidates, if I was an American I would rather have voted for Miss Lewinski.

The public behaviour of Desperate Don and Hopeless Hilary left a lot to be desired.

The whole campaign was a farce. The Donny and Hilly show was more like an episode of The Simpsons, with each one trying to out-do the other.

Mrs Clinton at least had some idea of the enormity of the world-wide responsibilities of the President of the USA .

In my opinion, Mr Trump, who I’m sure never thought he would be elected, was just playing games.

‘Vote for Trump and see what happens.’ I think he just wanted to see how far the hare would run before it was caught.

And then it happened. He won and the hare is still running.

And if I can borrow a quotation from one of our longest serving local politicians, Peter Karran, who I hope is enjoying his well earned retirement: ‘All his white elephants are now coming home to roost.’

There is one thing that we should never forget. Mr Donald Trump is a very clever, very shrewd and very successful business man.

He does know how to get things done but he has made some very big promises. He has also started to learn how to back-pedal on some of his more interesting ideas,

One question I would like to ask: Does he know how many bricks it will take to build his Mexican wall? Can the world produce enough cement? I doubt it but I think I have the solution. Roller shutters.

He can create thousands of jobs in new factories to make enough shutters to surround the whole of the USA, and he can open or close them every time he changes his mind.

A yob who hurled rocks at police vans and cars as they were parked outside Castletown police station was already subject to a suspended prison sentence at the time.

Christopher David Lunt, of Malew Street in Castletown, did damage totalling £1,295, plus VAT to two cars, a Ford Fiesta and a Ford Focus, and two Transit vans at tea time as they were parked outside the police station.

Lunt, who said he ‘just hated the police’, was arrested nearby soon after.

Hazel Carroon, for the prosecution, said the vehicles had to be taken out of service for eight days for repairs.

Police calculated the cost of the vehicles being out of service was £720 per day per vehicle, she said.

Defending the 22-year-old, Deborah Myerscough said he had been drinking.

She added: ‘He is only 22 and he has pleaded guilty, as well as making frank admissions to the police.’

She told the court the defendant had experienced a difficult childhood, had some health problems and some problems with alcohol.

When he was much younger, she said he had spent time living on the streets.

He had been offence free for the past seven months, which may not sound impressive, but for Lunt was a ‘very significant’ achievement, she said.

The court heard Lunt had been stressed by a number of personal issues, including his accommodation, and suffered from anxiety.

Sentencing him, Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes noted that Lunt had a difficult youth but had acquired no convictions until he was 19 years old.

‘This was wanton damage,’ she said.

He received four months’ custody for criminal damage, no penalty for using threatening or abusive words or behaviour, all on October 20, plus 35 days in lieu of unpaid fines.

A motorist had a lucky escape after crashing on the Peel to Kirk Michael coast road yesterday (Saturday) afternon.

The single-vehicle accident happened shortly before 3pm at Lynague, close to the Apple Orphanage.

Fire and rescue crews from Peel and Kirk Michael attended the scene, but the sole accupant of the Land Rover Discovery had managed to free themselves before help arrived.

Crews provided first aid until an ambulance arrived, when the occupant was taken to hospital for further checks.

Fire crews made the vehicle safe and were in attendance for around 90 minutes.

A team of six business students from the University College Isle of Man (UCM) are to travel to Birmingham to represent the isalnd in a competion in June.

They beat other island schools to win an Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales’ heat in a business and accounting competition.

The students are in their second year of a national BTEC level 3 extended diploma in business (equivalent to three A levels), a vocational qualification that enables students to understand the wide facets of business, which include marketing, accounting, law, human resources and team building.

Dawn Kinnish, assistant programme manager for the business area said: ‘I was extremely proud of the students’ professional approach on the day, demonstrating the ability to analyse and solve problems under pressure, communicate effectively and work in a cohesive team.’

This is the second accolade in recent weeks for the business programme area, recently the Institute of Bookkeeping awarded the Gold Standard for excellence in teaching and assessment.

College principal Jo Pretty and lecturer Catherine Delaney will collect the award during a ceremony at the House of Commons in London.

Manx Gateway Drama Group is celebrating Christmas with a performance of The Innkeeper’s Tale.

The Christmas celebration – a regular events in the group’s calendar – takes place at St Andrew’s Church, in Douglas, on Sunday, December 11.

The Innkeeper’s Tale is the traditional Christmas nativity story based around the Innkeeper and his wife and is being directed by Elan Karran.

Introducing the story will be narrator Katie Toohey.

And it will be told by a host of Angel readers including Rebecca Maller, Julia Karran, Laura Oram, Fiona Powley, and Hannah Cowell accompanied by Amy Towler and Amy O’Rourke.

The Angel soloists are Sonia Plested and Danielle Milligan.

They will be accompanied by John Riley and the choir Musicale will also perform.

Playing the roles of Mary and Joseph will be Amanda Jones and Paul Clucas.

The parts of the Innkeeper and his Wife have gone to William Derbyshire and Julie Hinstridge.

The Three Kings are Geoff Briscoe, James Quilliam and Maria Kaighin and the Shepherds will be Jack Leece, who will also perform a reading, along with Suzanne Woods, Rebecca Corkish and Lian Milne.

Rehearsals have been taking place since October and are said to be going very well.

Elan explained: ‘All of the Manx Gateway Drama productions are conceived, written, staged and directed by volunteers and the amazing costumes are designed and made by a dedicated wardrobe team.

‘The volunteers work with performers with learning difficulties and the objective is to assist them in improving communication, interaction and self confidence skills.

‘The group members have worked very hard to achieve the readings, speaking parts and solos.’

Manx Gateway Drama Group was founded in 2008.

Its chairman is Sandie Newson, who said that everyone was welcome to join in with the group’s celebration.

The concert starts at 6.30pm.

Among the guests will be Lieutenant Governor Sir Richard Gozney and his wife Lady Gozney, and Douglas Mayor John Skinner and Mayoress Gill Skinner.

A new food bank in the south is being launched at 3.45pm on Tuesday, December 6, at the Methodist Church in Port Erin.

Directors of the Isle of Man Food Bank, which is based in Douglas, David Gawne and Neal Mellon will talk about how the service works.

There will also be a presentation by the homeless advice and advocacy charity Housing Matters.

Festive food, products and crafts will be showcased in a Christmas fair in Douglas town centre on Saturday-Sunday, December 10-11.

Organised by Douglas town centre management in association with the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture, the fair will comprise some 50 stalls – from hog roasts to handmade gifts and much more – along Castle Street, Howard Street and Granville Street and will run each day from 9.30am to 5pm.

Christine Howson, from the Manx Crafters Market, said: ‘The Christmas fair is an inspired idea which we’re delighted to be supporting.

‘We see it as a great way to display the wealth of artisanal talent we have in the island to a wider audience and to offer shoppers some fantastic bespoke gift suggestions for Christmas.’

David Paramor, of The Eatery, will also be taking a stall.

He said: ‘Although we trade from our town centre premises in Duke Street we were keen get behind the Christmas fair, as we felt it would be a valuable way of raising our profile, and helping to fuel Christmas shoppers with some of our great food and drink.’

Douglas town centre manager Oliver Cheshire said: ‘We’ve seen how craft and food fairs not only bring a real boost to the vibrancy and street life in the regenerated town centre but also how they increase footfall and benefit local retailers.

‘Response from traders for this event has been really encouraging.

‘The fair will provide a great opportunity to celebrate the talents of local crafters and producers in the run-up to Christmas and offer a wealth of inspirational gift ideas.

‘It will also complement the many other attractions we have planned over the coming weeks in the town centre – from ice carving to carol singing and live music – that will make Douglas the go-to destination this Christmas.’

A fundraising night in support of the family of a mother who died in a car crash has been hailed a success.

The event was held at the Mitre Hotel in Ramsey by friends of Laura Kinrade, aged 27, of Jurby, who died at the scene of a crash in Lezayre in late October.

It saw two of Laura’s childhood friends, Alecia Foulis and Amy Black, have their heads shaved in front of the pub full of well-wishers by stylist Lynsey Woods.

Alecia, of Ramsey, told the Isle of Man Examiner that she had been thinking of giving something back to the community before Laura’s death, but that the tragic event spurred her into action.

‘We knew that if we had our heads shaved as part of a charity night that it would get a good audience,’ she said. ‘My hair was really long, it hadn’t been cut in nearly four years, and Amy’s was dead thick.

‘It was our way of giving something back.’

Alecia added: ‘Laura would think I’m mad but would have enjoyed it. She would be proud. I’m glad we did it.’

But she admitted that in the current cold spell she now never leaves the house without a hat on!

The night, which also included food, karaoke and a raffle, has already raised £700, with sponsorship money still being collected.

A separate fundraiser, a coffee morning held at The Church on the Rock in Ramsey, raised more than £1,000.

It’s hoped that in total they will raise £3,000.

That was in addition to a successul fundraising campaign that raised money to pay for Laura’s funeral, held at St Paul’s Church on November 23.

Laura leaves two young children, her parents and six siblings.

SMP Partners Group has completed the acquisition of Royal Bank of Canada’s (RBC) trust and fund administration business in the Bahamas, expanding its operations into the Caribbean.

It will operate from offices in Lyford Cay, with Stephen Turner, CEO – Caribbean Region, leading the team and Deidree Bain, director, who is transferring from RBC, managing the operation and working with Stephen to expand the service offering.

In November last year, SMP Partners announced it had entered into an agreement to purchase RBC’s trust, fund administration and custody business across the Caribbean region, which includes businesses in the Bahamas, Barbados and Cayman.

The Bahamas portion of the transaction, which was subject to standard regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions, was concluded last month.

The sale of the Barbados and Cayman businesses will conclude when certain regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions are fulfilled.

Financial terms have not been disclosed.

SMP Partners Group Chairman Steve McGowan said: ‘This acquisition further extends the Group’s global network by establishing our presence in the Caribbean region.

‘We have earned an excellent international reputation as leaders in trust, fund and corporate administration services and look forward to delivering the same high standards to clients from our new offices in Lyford Cay.’

Headquartered in the Isle of Man, the independent SMP Partners Group is wholly owned by its management and is dedicated to providing trust, fund and corporate administration from its offices in the Isle of Man, Switzerland, Hong Kong and now the Bahamas.

The Group has a global client base with solutions spanning more than 60 jurisdictions and extensive experience in trust and company management, fund administration, tax, corporate law and accounting.

Stephen Turner said: ‘SMP Partners is committed to investing time to establish long-term relationships and applying the collective expertise and experience to build and manage tailored solutions that fit precisely with the requirements of our clients.

‘This expansion of the business is an opportunity to bring our high quality services to a new client base while growing our Caribbean trust, fund and corporate administration operations as part of the SMP Group, further enhancing the services and opportunities for clients and staff.’

Focus on strength not growth. That’s the key to emulating family business success

Remi Krug, former president of Krug Champagne and Peter Lamble, chairman of Start-rite Shoes agree that family businesses measure strength rather than growth as the key factor behind their continued success.

Both were speaking at The Exchange, a Barclays hosted event in the island, to explore how the rest of the business world might adopt this approach in order to replicate the long term success of the family-run business model.

Director of global investment strategy at Barclays, Henk Potts, said: ‘Family businesses are driven by their values and try to do the right thing by their key stakeholders.

‘They measure success in more ways than just on a balance sheet. PLCs are driven by their quarterly numbers, which prioritise growth and encourage short termism, whereas family business plan for a 20 year time horizon, ensuring their businesses have the strength to endure.’

Peter Lamble, himself an eighth-generation descendent of the founders of one of the UK’s oldest fashion brands, summed this up by describing some decisions Start-rite had made and how they had taken their time in moving manufacturing jobs to India.

‘As a family business we have the luxury of time,’ he said. ‘Without the pressure of quarterly numbers we can make decisions that are financially sub-optimal but are the right thing to do for the long-term strength of the business.’

The debate was moderated by financial journalist and former host of Sky News’ breakfast programme, Sunrise, Emma Crosby.

The panel discussed family business success being a combination of drive and DNA and how family-run businesses focus on long term decisions aimed at benefitting the future health of the business, rather than looking for short-term gains.

Remi Krug, a fifth-generation descendant of Johann-Joseph Krug, who founded the famous Champagne brand in 1843, said that his family business’ success had perhaps come at the expense of growth. Over the years the brand has resisted the temptation to increase its production: ‘It’s not a matter of size, it could be the energy, the drive or the passion. You could be small but put your ambition and uniqueness into your planning to give you the will to succeed,’ he said.

Director at Barclays, Nick Gordon also reviewed a variety of challenges for family-run businesses, including dealing with multiple dependents and stakeholders and providing an objective viewpoint which benefits all.

‘It’s our role here at Barclays firstly to understand the dynamics between different family members. This is important as their views may differ whether they are actively or passively involved in the business.

‘After this, we have to bridge the gap between these two different groups to find common ground, which can sometimes be tricky.

‘By ensuring you have reasonable governance procedures to deal with the business dimension and consider setting up family councils to deal with family issues and shareholders meetings to deal with ownership issues, there is no reason for your business not to be successful.’

The Exchange, now in its second year, is a thought leadership panel event organised by Barclays featuring experts from the world of business and finance.

Managing director of Barclays in the Isle of Man, Simon Scott, said: ‘The Exchange has yet again been a valuable experience for our clients, local business owners and investors to learn about the success of family-run businesses.’

“Both Peter and Remi have given great insight into their renowned brands and we hope the event will inspire entrepreneurs in the Isle of Man to follow suit.”