A NEW website allows users to see Manx history at the click of a mouse.

Manx National Heritage this week launched www.imuseum.im. It provides access to a treasure trove of stories from the past.

Highlights include more than 150 years of Manx newspapers, 17th to 20th century baptism, marriage and burial records, records of the island’s war memorials and thousands of images of Manx people and places.

iMuseum.im can be searched free, although a small subscription charge applies for using newspapers and publications for which more than 400,000 pages from 26 titles are fully searchable.

The newspapers and publications provide countless accounts of how our ancestors lived, worked and died. They mainly date from the 19th century, but some go right the way back to 1792 and cover every aspect of local news, social life, advertisements and classifieds.

The project has cost more than £2m from a variety of sources. This includes contributions from government, the Charitable Fund of the Manx Museum and National Trust and the Friends of Manx National Heritage.

THE eagerly-anticipated film about the Manx Grand Prix gets its first showing on television a week on Tuesday (Febraury 5).

The hour-long documentary filmed at last year’s event concentrates largely on the experiences of the 50-odd newcomers as well as showing on-bike footage, startline and practice scenes and behind-the-scenes footage of riders’ in the paddock, going through scrutineering and - for a lucky few - in the winners’ enclosure.

Scenic shots capture the island during the few moments when the sun shone during last year’s fortnight and the racers, who came from homes as diverse as Bolton and Prague talk about the event.

Producer Rob Hurdman of film makers Greenlight said, ‘We set out to capture the spirit of the Manx through the eyes of a few of its many competitors and we hope that this film will give viewers the chance to share the emotions and experiences of this unique event.’

Manx Motor Cycle Club chairman, Harvey Garton said: ‘Grand Prix Racer gives a great insight for both Newcomers planning to participate in the Manx Grand Prix and for the general public to see how much commitment riders give to the challenge of the Mountain Circuit.’ Grand Prix Racer is on ITV4, Tuesday, February 5 at 8pm. Available from Duke Video, March 4.

Monday, January 28

Aries

(March 21 - April 20)

Stimulating conversations and inspiring companions scatter this week with laughter. Although finances may not be great, you do realise where your heart lies. A romantic atmosphere midweek starts you thinking about what could be. Should you come out and tell someone how you feel? It appears that there is little to lose and much to gain. Stifling feelings could prove a headache.

Taurus

(April 21 - May 21)

A romantic link or a good partnership could be your saviour this week. Keep contact between loved ones by getting out a bit more and having some intimate chats. The home could be the site of some irritation. A need to break free, if only for a few hours, may be strong. Staying flexible and relaxed gives an air of confidence even if you feel far from it underneath.

Gemini

(May 22 - June 21)

Bring yourself closer to loved ones by paying them extra attention. When they ask about your concerns, be willing to share your feelings. With some irritating aspects at work, it will be important to relax at home. This weekend can be extra special if you put in a bit of effort and imagination. After all, your mood can be enhanced by what you do through to the weekend.

Cancer

(June 22 - July 23)

There are bargains to be had and deals to be done, so sort those finances! Some spending may be cut back to give more scope for a purchase or holiday. The challenge is to move forward without spending too much. You are always good when given a challenge. A small gift to a young person is very much appreciated and shows that you care. Bring someone new into your social life.

Leo

(July 24 - August 23)

Stay flexible and relaxed in the evenings as during the day there could be some irritations. Keep that balance that you are renowned for, Leo. News midweek could mean the need to consult an expert rather than take casual advice. Should you want to keep a long-distance romance alive, it may be necessary and even desirable to arrange a trip. Make someone feel special.

Virgo

(August 24 - September 23)

A busy week is ahead so be sure that there is a ‘cut-off’ point when at home! Never underestimate the benefit of relaxation and happy conversation. Thinking of booking a holiday? Make arrangements flexible so that last-minute changes are easy. With new and interesting people coming into your life this month, new friends could be joining you!

Libra

(September 24 - October 23)

The need for a little romance may be strong. However, it may need to be self-generated. Someone who interests you may be in the doldrums and need a bit of encouragement. A long-term friendship may wither away or end and this is sure to leave a gap. Be strong and find an answer in the company of children and younger people. Optimism is all around you.

Scorpio

(October 24 - November 22)

Feeling a bit frazzled? Some retail therapy after Tuesday should cheer you up. Yes, there are bargains to be had. There are also friends to be made if only you are willing to look further afield. Some awkward customers seem determined to carp on. Be polite, though there is little to be done to please them. Move on from any discontent you feel around you.

Sagittarius

(November 23 - December 21)

Being a home bird has a lot to be said for it at the moment. Delays in travel and less than pleasing weather can upset the best-laid plans. Be prepared to juggle money around a little midweek to make the most of a bargain. A bit of luck is really cheering, so make the most of it. Asking for a favour is best at the weekend when others are in a brighter mood.

Capricorn

(December 22 - January 20)

When it appears that you cannot do anything for yourself this week, aim to do something for someone else. With a bit of imagination and optimism, you will find a new way forward. Fretting about finances? You are not alone, so seek help if needed. A new interest shows the way to a couple of friendships that perk up your health and feelings of wellbeing.

Aquarius

(January 21 - February 19)

Although an exciting and busy week, it is not a time to take chances. Indeed, being too outspoken at work could irritate a colleague. After Wednesday the aspects relax a little. At this time, ask for any favours that are needed. People can be prickly, but if you want someone on your side, arrange a get-together at the weekend. Give something without expecting anything back.

Pisces

(February 20 - March 20)

Someone who sparked a romantic interest in you in the last few weeks seems to want to move ahead. That can be good or it may be too soon. Be tactful if you want to slow down but be yourself. Showing your true colours should not be a risk if you intend to be honest. Make any travel plans flexible in case of delays or poor weather. Avoid misunderstandings by being clear.

THE Department of Economic Development has been awarded Investors in People (IIP) gold status following its recent assessment.

Investors in People is a framework that helps organisations transform their business performance through its people. The practical benefits of working towards IIP accreditation include customer satisfaction, greater efficiency through reduced costs and wastage, and competitive advantage through improved performance.

John Shimmin MHK, Minister for the Department of Economic Development said: ‘The IIP Gold status recognises the efforts we have made within the Department to further improve our business performance and I would like to express my thanks to all staff for their contribution to this achievement, especially deputy chief executive, David Ronan, who led the IIP Project Team.

‘Our challenge now is to ensure that we continue to reinforce our ‘‘can do’’ attitude when dealing with our many stakeholders, by providing excellent standards of service and ensuring that we play our part in delivering against the overall Government aims of generating economic growth, rebalancing the budget and protecting the vulnerable.’

Laurence Skelly MHK, Political Member of the Department of Economic Development with responsibility for Investors in People, said: ‘This is a significant achievement considering the Department’s relatively short existence and diverse responsibilities.

‘Within the first 10 months of the Department’s creation, 125 management and staff had been relocated into different buildings, some more than once.

‘Therefore, it’s pleasing to note that during several visits the Assessor witnessed significant progress in terms of the impact that Investors in People was having as a business improvement tool.’

Michael Lynch, IIP Assessor for the North of England, said: ‘To achieve the Gold standard, the Department of Economic Development had to satisfy 165 criteria during their assessment and achieved an overall total of 168 criteria. The Department now joins an elite group of only five organisations in the Isle of Man who have been awarded the Gold standard.’

l Any organisation interested in finding out more about Investors in People can visit the Department of Economic Development’s website at http://www.gov.im/ded/grants/investorsinpeople.xml

BADLY planned and a terrible waste of money is how one tenant of the new food park at Peel has described the development.

The new retail development hit the headlines last year after it was reported that the entrance was too narrow causing problems for delivery lorries entering and leaving.

According to Peel Commissioner Ian Davison who produces and sells Davison’s ice cream, not only are the gates narrow and awkwardly angled, but so many delivery lorries have collided with them they haven’t even worked for months.

Mr Davison said: ‘This system has only worked for about one week and the gate is the wrong angle.’

To compound the problems, he said further money was about to be squandered because the retail park itself needed work on the drainage system and resurfacing which would necessitate removing the gates and then reinstating them when it was finished.

‘It’s a waste of tax payers’ money putting it in knowing they are going to take it out again. You shouldn’t concrete it into the ground knowing full well it was going to be dug up for new drainage,’ he said.

He added that when the gates were removed they were likely to be reinstated at a modified angle to improve access.

‘I’m told the architects have said there is no problem with the design but I understand when they put them back they are going to move them. Why? That suggests to me they are aware of a problem.’

Mr Davison said he understood the cost of putting in the gates and security fencing had been £88,000.

‘Basically this is our money and they don’t seem to care,’ he said.

Environment Food and Fisheries Minister Phil Gawne said he was aware that some tenants had been upset about the issue with the gates.

‘There’s a variety of issues some of them predictable and some we were not aware of.

‘It is true that part of the security fencing has to come down again because of another part of the work and this will cost about £5,000. It’s disappointing because we should have known about it.

‘But we did not expect to be able to bring forward the next stage of the work so quickly.’

He said the security at the food park was needed to meet British Retail Consortium standards.

‘I’m the first to admit there have been teething problems but it is going well and we are pleased to invest creating more jobs for the island which has to be a good thing.’

A HUGE thank you to our readers for a fantastic response to our campaign to protect the island’s lifeline ferry routes from over-intensive wind farm development in the Irish Sea!

Isle of Man Newspapers’ ‘Don’t cut us off campaign’ received a total of 1,253 petition forms.

They were signed by some 1,616 people.

Isle of Man Newspapers editor Richard Butt said: ‘We’ve been staggered by the response to our campaign. It clearly illustrates the level of concern that there is in the Isle of Man over the possibility of over-intensive wind farm development in the Irish Sea. It could have a major impact on our lifeline ferry routes.’

He added: ‘Although we are sending off all the petition forms to Celtic Array this week, please continue sending in your petition forms to us.

‘The more pressure we can put on Celtic Array the more they, and other potential developers, will realise this is a scenario we cannot and will not tolerate!’

We contacted developer Celtic Array – a joint venture between Centrica and Dong Energy – to update them on our campaign.

Laura Jeffs, head of development at Centrica Energy, said: ‘I appreciate the time that people have taken to respond to this campaign and the team working on the wind farm proposals will consider this carefully.’

We launched our ‘Don’t cut us off’ campaign in December in the hope they will then abandon their plans for the North East wind farm development.

A number of local businesses showed their support, including Shoprite, which sent in more than 100 petition forms.

The Manx government, the Steam Packet, the Chamber of Commerce and TravelWatch Isle of Man all expressed concerns the cumulative effect of the current and proposed wind farms, together with the Morecambe Bay gas field platforms, will present a very real threat to lifeline services and the Manx economy.

Concerns include a greater likelihood of cancelled/delayed sailings, particularly in bad weather, and increased journey times and costs.

In the House of Commons, Transport Secretary Stephen Hammond was asked by Morecambe MP David Morris what steps he would take to prevent the building of offshore wind farms in the waters and shipping lanes between the Isle of Man and Heysham. Mr Hammond said Celtic Array had yet to submit a planning application for that zone.

A new coffee shop in Douglas in inviting smokers in to enjoy a drink and, if they wish, a cigarette.

Not a standard cigarette - since legislation banned smoking in enclosed spaces some years ago - but an electronic cigarette which produces no smoke and can be used to help smokers kick the habit.

Craig Jay who opened the Coffee and Vape shop at Railway Terrace on Peel Road just two weeks ago said it was the first of its kind, selling the cigarettes and offering detailed advice on how to use them to give up smoking for good.

‘I was a 30-a-day smoker and used one of these to give up,’ he said.

‘I did it with hardly any will-power at all. I’d tried patches and chewing gum before but this actually worked superbly well, so I started to wholesale them.

‘The important thing to remember is there are lots of different flavours and concentrations, If it’s too strong or too mild or the wrong flavour people won’t stick to it. There’s more to it than just providing the cigarette.

‘At the moment we have a 100 per cent success rate.’

Apart from the various tobacco flavours the cigarettes can be charged with apple, blackcurrant, orange and a range of other flavoured infusions. They contain a rechargeable battery which controls a small heating element which vapourises the nicotine but without the harmful carcinogens contained in the smoke and tar of a normal cigarette.

The idea is people follow a structured programme, gradually reducing the nicotine concentration until they are no longer addicted. The nicotine content - which is the addictive element in smoking - can be reduced ultimately to zero.

‘They are huge in America. Anything that helps people give up smoking has to be a good idea,’ he said.

As an added inducement, the shop is the sole supplier of coffee from the renowned Atkinson’s of Lancaster.

‘I had to go on their training programme before they would supply the coffee to me,’ he said.

‘There’s a bit of an art to making the perfect espresso. It’s a different brand we’ve brought in to the island so more and more people are coming in for that.’

As well as the health benefits to the cigarettes, he’s keen to stress the financial ones too.

‘It’s £4.99 for the equivalent of 200 smokes using the e-cigarette,’ he said.

‘Really the product sells itself. As soon as a smoker tries it they see how well it works. Anyone who is sceptical can just try it out for nothing. They don’t even breach the no-smoking law but using it is down to the manager.’

THE Mountain Road is now completely open.

Although it was widely expected for the Mountain Road to reopen to traffic at midday, snow continued to pose a safety risk.

The section from the Creg-ny-Baa to the Bungalow opened at lunchtime, but the northern section from the Bungalow to Ramsey Hairpin remained closed until around 4.45pm.

The B10 Beinn-y-Phott road, from Brandywell Cottage to Mountain Road, is still closed as large snow drifts make the route impassable.

Elsewhere, the Sleau Whallian road, from its junction with the Gleneedle Road to Arrasey Road junction, suffered substantial damage due to excessive surface water over the weekend and remains closed until further notice. And the B30 Bayrauye Road,from St Marks to Ballamodha, will remain closed until 8am tomorrow (Tuesday) as the carriageway is reported to have suffered damage caused by excessive surface water, and standing water is still presenting problems.

The routes from Tholt-y-Will to the Mountain Road, the Injebreck road from Brandywell Cottage to Mount Rule, Barregarrow crossroads to Brandywell Cottage and the Druidale road from Brandywell Cottage to Ballaugh Bridge all opened at midday.

Chief Minister Allan Bell will be joined by the Council of Ministers for a public meeting in Ramsey tomorrow (Wednesday, January 30).

The meeting is the fourth in the series of so-called Roaming Comin gatherings where the electorate has had chance to meet the government and question politicians directly.

Mr Bell said he was pleased to be visiting Ramsey and re-engaging with the public.

Similar meetings were held around the island last year, starting out at the Manx Museum in Douglas. Further meetings followed in Peel at the Centenary Centre and in Port Erin.

The meeting is at Scoill Ree Gorrey on Wednesday January 30. Doors open 7pm for a 7.30pm start,

THE Department of Education and Children is advertising for a deputy head teacher.

The post is for St Ninian’s High School, in Douglas, and would start from September.

It comes as Richard Miller, the school’s curriculum deputy and timetabler is due to retire in August.

Mr Miller has worked at St Ninian’s for 11 years.

During his career he has worked at all Manx secondary schools apart from Ramsey Grammar School.

In the advert it states: ‘Are you an inspirational leader with a vision and commitment to excellence in learning?

‘If so, we are looking for a leader with the skills to challenge, lead and support colleagues across all areas of the school.’

The deadline to apply is February 8.

Meanwhile, four teaching posts are being advertised for Ballakermeen High School, in Douglas.

They include BTEC performing arts co-ordinator, a teacher of religious studies with another subject, and a teacher of business education.

The DEC is also looking for a teacher of ICT and media studies for Ballakermeen. In the advert it says both these subjects are popular at both GCSE and A level.

The deadline to apply for these posts is February 1.

THE VIEWS of Onchan residents are being sought on the proposed boundary changes proposed recently by the Boundary commission.

The proposals, which would see the constituency split to create Onchan urban, with Onchan parish and Birch Hill forming part of a new East constituencey with Lonan and Laxey, have received mixed reactions from MHKs and commissioners.

Onchan deputy commissioners’ clerk Tim Craig said the proposals were being publicised around the area on notice boards and at the post office and they were going to set up a public meeting to assess the views of residents.

‘We want the public to look at them and we want to raise public awareness of this,’ he said.

The plan is for a public meeting then in early February to decide public opinion.

Commissioners’ chairman Robin Turton said they had not yet agreed a viewpoint but he personally had misgivings about the proposals.

‘The details are posted on noticeboards around the village and we hope people will make their views known to us by the time of our February meeting,’ he said.

‘We also have a meeting set up with MHKs and hope they too will have had a resonse from the public by then.

‘Personally I think this proposal rips out the heart of Onchan and I think the people of Birch Hill will feel put out. They are part of the village of Onchan and have good representation. I don’t think they will want to change so we are in for an interesting period.

‘The commissioners will be led by the views of the residents. I don’t know if we could challenge it legally if need be but our MHKs will be our first line of defence. I’m not against change but it has to be sympathetic.’

He added he could appreciate the intention but did not think it was to be achieved by taking a ‘huge swathe out of the centre of Onchan’.

Onchan MHK Peter Karran also said he favoured change in principle but did not feel the current proposal was appropriate.

‘I would be very disappointed to lose Onchan parish and most of Birch Hill polling areas,’ he said, but added he accepted the need for equality with everyone in the island having equal representation in Tynwald.

‘I personally think there should be six four-seat constituencies, but we lost that vote and we are where we are,’ he said.

‘ I think it will inflict major damage on my area but at the end of the day there should be equality of votes.’

Fellow Onchan MHK David Quirk said the proposals made no sense.

‘It is a good community that gels together and it does not take account of that.

‘I’m quite annoyed really about it. It doesn’t take account of things like the community and the schools,’ he said.

The proposed changes to Onchan would see a proposed East constituency which would take in Laxey and Lonan (from Garff) plus Onchan parish and most of Birch Hill.

In addition, Onchan Urban would be formed from the current Onchan constituency minus Onchan parish and the remainder of Birch Hill. This would see part of Onchan transferred to speaker Steve Rodan’s current constituency of Garff.

A TEACHING union official has raised his concern about proposed changes to the A-level system.

Karl Flint, branch secretary of the National Union of Teachers, has spoken out after UK education secretary Michael Gove outlined plans to bring back traditional two-year A-levels with end-of-course exams, from September 2015.

Under a major overhaul, AS-levels would be separated from A-levels to become a separate qualification.

The Department of Education and Children is waiting to see how the proposals develop, and how other authorities respond.

Mr Flint said: ‘The proposals are yet another attempt from an unsympathetic, out of touch, British minister from a privileged background who appears to have virtually no grasp of the exceptional progress that has been made across the curriculum in recent years with regard to getting the best out of students given their widely different abilities and expertise.’

He said: ‘Decades ago we had an education system geared towards elitism in order to provide a university education for those seemingly best befitted to top jobs in the Foreign Office, international services, banking, insurance and financial sections. What worries me is this appears to be part of the direction this present [UK] government sees fit to take. Not all students, and some may argue the majority, perform best under exam conditions where they have to undertake a plethora of lengthy tests in widely different subjects over a very short period of time.’

He said top pupils would always excel, but there was a danger the proposals meant others wouldn’t reach their full potential.

A DEC spokesman said: ‘The proposed changes are coming under intense scrutiny from politicians and educationalists in England, and as this is likely to continue for several months, the DEC will wait to see whether this leads to any amendment before making any decision as to how to respond to any changes. The DEC is also watching to see how authorities in Wales and Northern Ireland respond to what is happening in England because, although the island needs to offer its young people the opportunity to take appropriate qualifications at the age of 16 and 18 this does not necessarily have to be through the English system.’

The DEC will then work with secondary schools to make decisions on what should happen ‘once the options are clear’.

Mr Gove has announced changes to GCSEs, including introducing the English Baccalaureate Certificate. It would also see students take final exams.

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MUCH criticised plans to relocate Douglas bus station to Victoria Street have been abandoned.

The proposal to relocate there from the current site at Lord Street sparked a storm of protest from local businesses, passengers and Douglas councillors - while Douglas Development Partnership warned it could ‘severely damage the town centre commercially and aesthetically’.

But after reviewing the results of a public consultation, the Department of Community, Culture and Leisure has confirmed it will not be moving forward with the Victoria Street bus interchange plan.

DCCL Minister Graham Cregeen MHK said: ‘The planned redevelopment of Lord Street means that Douglas bus station must be relocated but I can confirm that the department will not be pursuing proposals to relocate it to Victoria Street at this time.

‘As the department said at the beginning of this consultation, no plans were made and we wanted to gauge what bus users, local business and the general public thought of the potential.

‘While the number of responses the department received from the public was low, the consensus was not in favour of a move to Victoria Street. Given that neither the public nor the local businesses supported the proposal for a bus interchange on Victoria Street, the department will endeavour to identify and evaluate alternative options.’

The Minister said potential solutions would be considered that could ‘mitigate’ the concerns expressed of those who were opposed to the Victoria Street bus interchange proposal.’

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RATE capping is the ultimate sanction if local authorities don’t make efficiency savings to absorb extra costs of services that are being passed on from central government.

But Infrastructure Minister David Cretney MHK insisted any extra costs resulting from the phased withdrawal of the government’s waste disposal subsidy was not as onerous as has been made out.

His comments came as Douglas Council set a 2.1 per cent increase in rates with town hall leader David Christian saying the increase could have been much higher if £371,330 in savings had not been made to offset a 64 per cent increase in gate fee charges levied on domestic and commercial waste disposal.

That increase will add £297,000 to the existing £467,000 to the rate borne budget - while further annual increases over the next five years will reach what Councillor Christian said was an ‘alarming total rate borne cost of at least £2,147,660 for 2018-19, a whopping 360 per cent increase.’

Mr Christian said the council’s message to central government was authority for authorities. ‘Don’t just pass on the costs. Give us full and absolute authority so we can deliver a full service to our customers and create a more streamlined and cost-effective system of local government.’

But Mr Cretney insisted the withdrawal of the waste disposal subsidy would add just £20 to £22 per household on to the rates this year. And he said: ‘If local authorities work together they should be able to manage their costs. Just as government has to be more efficient than it was previously, local authorities have to be as well. There are significant efficiency savings that can be achieved by better working together in waste disposal but other areas as well.’

Mr Cretney described rate capping as the ‘ultimate sanction’ but did not believe it would need to be employed if local authorities did work together to make savings and cut costs.

He said the fact local authorities had managed to contain rate increases this year indicated they had been able to accommodate cost increases that were not as onerous as some had made out.

‘There has been all sorts of scaremongering as to how much this was going to cost the ratepayer. We worked out it will cost between £20 and £22 per household per year at the moment.

‘The impetus is on local authorities to make sure they look for all efficiency savings to ensure things are done in a more cost effective way. Waste disposal is their responsibility. Yes politicians have been reluctant to grasp the nettle and pass the costs to those who should be responsible for them.’

He said he agreed with Mr Christian’s sentiments about authority for authorities. ‘It’s tied up with local authority reform. Government will work with them so they have a proper structure with proper functions,’ he said.

THE police are to crack down harder on drivers who use their phones at the wheel.

They will be acting from this week as part of a joint campaign with the Department of Infrastructure’s road safety team’s new initiative ‘Smart Phone Idiot Driver’.

Mobile billboards will be placed on roads advertising the crackdown.

Police sergeant Allan Thompson of the roads policing unit said: ‘The constabulary will be proactively supporting this campaign with officers being briefed to pay particular attention to the act of mobile use while driving.

‘For the first time, an overt recording vehicle will be deployed around the island’s high volume traffic routes, with a view to identifying offenders and supporting the education side of this campaign.’

About 70 per cet of accidents are caused by driver error and a quarter of those are caused because the driver was distracted.

Motorists found using their phone when they’re driving can be fined £2,500 and receive four penalty points on their licence.

David Cretney MHK Minster for Infrastructure said: ‘There is no excuse for using a hand held mobile when driving, as there are many bluetooth devices on the market.’

Members of the public can download the poster images from the department’s website for displaying on their work place notice board.

A CONTROVERSIAL planning application for 95 homes to be built on land next to Michael School, in Kirk Michael, has been refused.

Heritage Homes’ scheme was dependent on a land-swap deal, agreed by Tynwald in 2011, involving part of the school’s corner field being conveyed to landowner Pinecrest Investments to afford access to the development.

The Council of Ministers followed planning inspector Ruth MacKenzie’s recommendation that the application be refused.

It was ruled that the proposed development would ‘neither preserve nor enhance the character or the appearance of the Kirk Michael Conservation Area and would also detrimentally affect important views out of the conservation area’.

In addition, it was decided the location of the junction of the proposed estate road at Douglas Road Corner could ‘prejudice future decisions about a possible relief road for Michael’.

The decision was welcomed by former Michael MHK David Cannan.

‘I am absolutely delighted for the people of Kirk Michael that the iconic Douglas Road corner entrance to Kirk Michael has been preserved,’ he said.

‘I hope this is now the end of the matter. This battle started in 2007 and my fight was carried on by Alfred when I retired. This has been rejected twice. I hope that Dandara will not pursue this matter further.’

Heritage Homes’ initial plan (11/01250/B) for the same site for 100 dwellings – with associated infrastructure, new school field and playground, public open space and landscaping – was refused in February 2012.

Under the land-swap deal the Department of Education and Children would convey 0.63 acres of Michael School’s corner field to the landowner, to afford access to the housing development.

In return, the department would receive 2.01 acres of land to the north and east (rear) of the school site from the landowner.

The developer would create a new sports pitch, hard play area and boundary works, including ball-stop fencing, boundary fencing, gates, walls, ramps, paths and landscaping at no cost to the DEC.

A Tynwald select committee into the deal is on-going.

It has already found there that then Education Minister Eddie Teare’s close involvement with the negotiations was ‘not unexpected’ given his background and expertise.

75: Carpe Diem

It’s 6-00am Monday morning, quick check through the blinds, the promised overnight dump has materialised bang on schedule; there’s six inches of fresh snow on the car roof and the sky hints at clearing cloud. While the guests snooze on, we swing into action. The bread, mixed last evening and proved in the fridge overnight goes into the oven while the tea brews. Then into winter trousers, hat, gloves and head torch and out with Ffin and up through the beechwood to the top road. Branches hang low, burdened with the overnight snow; the roads are not yet ploughed, the first cars leave 2 deep parallel ruts, one for me, one for Ffin. Muffled detonations make him skittish, the pisteurs are blasting off dangerous accumulations in Flaine.

Back down to our road; neighbour Denis is setting off in his van; quick chat: ‘Skiing today?’ - of course – ‘la poudreuse!’ (powder). Just one thing on every right-thinking person’s mind. Back in the Chalet the Boss is showered, exercised and resplendent in thermal underwear. This bodes well, normally low temperatures and an overactive conscience proscribe work-day forays but today she’s up for it. Out come the meal-plans, a quick conference, some judicious amendments are made – the duck’s quick and a few other changes will save an hour or so - put off the hard work for a dull day.

The snow-blower roars into life first try and the drive is cleared in 10 minutes; the racket would awaken Rip van Winkle but the guest are as keen as us and come clattering down for breakfast bang on time. There’s still low cloud around but as we eat it slowly lifts disclosing a glistening mantle swathing the peaks across the valley. Eagerly we scan the webcams; clear skies at altitude, it’s going to be a wonderful day.

Our boots and skis are loaded into the van; quick check list, helmets, gloves, neck-warmers. My usual blue down-filled top is relegated in favour of the red deep-snow jacket with elasticated waist; the Boss is sporting her new North Face yellow & blue. Punters into the van, the table can be left until later and we’re off down to the main road, by now immaculately ploughed for our ten-minute run to the village.

Yesterday the pistes were thronged with weekenders, today the carpark is deserted; we drop the guests at the bootroom and drive up to the top carpark where we boot-up out of the back of the van; a short ski down and we meet the guests at the turnstiles. Up through the trees and we emerge from the top station into a sundrenched world of kneedeep powder cut through by immaculately groomed pistes. We’re skiing with Pat & Andrew, guests and firm friends of many years standing; Andrew is a true powder-hound and we know the warm up red-run down to the Gron chairlift is unlikely to satisfy him for long. And so it proved – up the Gron chair and he was eagerly eying up the black off-piste below – just begging to be done. So right-turn off the chair, and round to the top of the black – don’t stop and look or you may have second (wiser) thoughts – straight over and pick some untracked snow – heaven! Yesterday this slope was pisted so under a foot of powder there’s a regular packed layer – all very flattering. Doesn’t stop both of us coming various croppers though – Mrs C pirouettes, face-plants, does the whole repertoire, in fact, but never stops giggling.

Then up the chair again and more off-piste before the long blue down to Les Molliets, another chair and we’re into Morillon for our favourite unpisted red – Bergin. Andrew takes the Boss in hand and draws her far out of her comfort zone into soft off-piste billows on a steep gradient which she tackles with aplomb – it’s clearly one of those days. By now thighs are aching and a break is called for, so down to Le Beu at Morillon for hot chocolate and coffee on a sunny terrace where we’re greeted with delight by a guest from 2 summers ago – Ness even managed to dredge up her name, the sign of a true professional.

The long chair up, then we part company with Andrew & Pat and swoop back towards Les Carroz; three long tree-lined blues see us back in the car-park by 11-45am with a bagful of memories that will carry us through whatever tribulations the next weeks may bring. A quick stop at the breadshop and we’re back in the chalet by midday; Ffin greets us rapturously and we set to to clear breakfast and begin the day’s tasks with a spring in our step.

Of such days are dreams made...

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BEING a company director is one of the most responsible roles an individual can undertake, but surprisingly it is not illegal to hold this position without any formal director qualifications.

The Institute of Directors (IoD) has developed programmes to remedy this knowledge gap and to equip directors with all the tools they need to discharge their director responsibilities to the highest level of professional competence.

Luckily for Manx directors and aspiring directors it is not necessary to leave the island to gain this director qualification.

The Certificate and Diploma in Company Direction Programmes have been run on island since 2002 and many of the island’s prominent business leaders have graduated from these programmes.

For example, David Hester, Isle of Man Newspaper Awards for Excellence Business Person of the Year in 2012, is a graduate of the 2010/11 programme.

David said: ‘The IOD Certificate and Diploma was an excellent way for me to follow a well proven and structured syllabus, delivered by experienced professionals, covering just about all the knowledge areas I needed to transition from a management role to a director role.

‘It has certainly helped me, as general manager of Swagelok Ltd, to manage and grow the business 30 per cent in the last two years, even through the difficult economic climate.’

The chief executive of the Manx Electricity Authority, Philip King, is also a graduate of the programme.

Philip has gone on to attain the ultimate recognition of his competence to act as a director by being awarded the status of chartered director, an accolade only open to those holding the Diploma in Company Direction.

As the Certificate and Diploma in Company Direction have been designed by directors for directors, studying for these qualifications is less onerous than might be imagined.

There are no assignments to complete and the class contact time required for the entire suite of courses is only 13 days spread over one year. The programme is delivered as a blend of class contact and e-learning. The 2013 cohort begins in June.

For those interested in hearing more about the programme an evening preview is being held at The Nunnery, Douglas from 6pm to 7.30pm. on February 11.

This will provide an informal opportunity to hear about the programme from, and to ask questions of, past delegates.

David Hester and Philip King will be joined by Chris Gledhill of PDMS Ltd and Andrew Lodge of Nedgroup Investments.

If you are interested in attending the event you can book a place by emailing j.a.kennedy@salford.ac.uk

A £12.7 million scheme to build a multi-storey car park and library at Cambrian Place presents an opportunity to begin the long-awaited and much-needed regeneration of Lower Douglas.

That the view of Douglas Council leader David Christian as he outlined what he called a ‘balanced, responsive and realistic’ budget.

He told a special meeting of authority that substantial savings of £371,330 had made to keep the rate increase down to a below inflation 2.1 per cent - despite a 64 per cent increase in waste disposal costs due to the phased loss of the government subsidy.

But Councillor Christian insisted that this was no standstill budget and central to it was a commitment to £24.34 million of capital schemes including the Cambrian Place scheme which he said brought with it the guarantee of longer-term building work.

The scheme is currently being considered by the Council of Ministers and a decision is expected shortly.

Mr Christian said: ‘From the council’s perspective, once all approvals are in place, we are ready to purchase the site.

‘This project is so much more than just replacing a library and building a car park. It’s about providing the infrastructure and setting the tone for other developments in the area to followed, to boost enterprise and investment and edge towards a Douglas fit for the 21st century.’

The council leader said the project will not place any additional burden on the rates for the forthcoming year as the development loan costs are being funded entirely from reserves.

Councillor Chris Thomas suggested the project would be a distraction from the main task of the council. ‘We have to go back to basics,’ he said.

But Mr Christian insisted: ‘I don’t see Cambrian Place as a distraction whatsoever.’

He said he didn’t think the authority had an option of withdrawing from the scheme. ‘If we broke the contract we would leave ratepayers opens to substantial claims.’

HEALTH Minister David Anderson believes significant improvements are being made to hospital waiting lists.

Concerns were raised about the length of waiting lists, particularly relating to orthopaedics and the pain clinic, at a hearing of the Social Affairs policy review committee where it was suggested the only way to make improvements was to open an extra operating theatre currently lying dormant at Noble’s.

In Tynwald this month, Alfred Cannan (Michael) called for an action plan to tackle ‘unacceptable’ waiting lists, including a three year wait for pain management and dermatology and two years for hip and knee and orthopaedic surgery - and claimed existing initiatives were ‘merely scraping the edge of this quite serious problem’.

At last week’s scrutiny committee hearing, David Callister MLC suggested some waiting lists were ‘extraordinarily long’.

But giving his evidence, the Health Minister said significant improvements were being made and he hoped to provide tangible evidence of this when he gives a presentation to Tynwald members later this year.

He said improvements had been made to administration which had led to the number of patients who did not attend appointments had been reduced.

But committee member Steve Rodan suggested the only real answer to waiting list problems would be to open an extra operating theatre at Noble’s.

He said the UK had through hundreds of thousands of pounds into the NHS to tackle waiting lists. He said: ‘We are never going to get grips with this problem until we open a sixth operation theatre at a cost of £1 million a year. That’s what’s really needed.’

Mr Anderson said the issue had been a political football in the UK.

He said: ‘If we open our extra theatre it would cost well over £1 million and that’s only staff costs.’ An extra 17 staff would be needed if the seventh operating theatre did open, he said.

The Minister said it would never be possible to satisfy the appetite for health services whose budget would continue to come under pressure. There was an increasing number of people living longer which meant medical intervention was also rising substantially.

‘We hope to demonstrate to Tynwald members that we’ve made significant improvements and give tangible evidence of this. Obviously, we have to keep within our budget. We can make our case to Treasury as to why our budget should be ring-fenced.’

But he said he had to be realistic and even if the department knew it was getting the money it would not be able justify the extra head count.

The Minister suggested there may be other initiatives that would benefit a greater number of patients.

Committee chairman Brenda Cannell asked if there was any flexibility in the budget to a number of smaller initiatives. She suggested that there could be a cost benefit of sending more serious orthopaedic cases to the UK for surgery

Mr Anderson replied money for any initiatives would have to be found within the existing health budget. He said a business case was being put forward for cataract surgery and clinicians were looking at the best way of delivering this at Noble’s. ‘At the moment it’s looking positive. It’s something that’s a top priority because I think it could be fairly cost neutral.’

The Minister said sending more patients to consultants in the UK would put even more pressure on the budget. He said there were now fewer repeat referrals back to the UK. Health chief executive David Killip said some patients liked to go back to the see the doctor in the UK were not ‘terribly happy’ when they were told their case could be managed perfectly well at Noble’s.