Police are appealing for information after a vehicle was scratched, leaving the owner with considerable repair bill.
The incident happened between December 31 and January 7, when a Silver Mitsubishi Evolution 8 parked in the Ballamillaghyn Estate, Mount Rule, Douglas, was scratched on the passenger side, from the front to the rear panel.
Call police on 631212 if you can help.
The public are invited to help choose a food provenance label for the Isle of Man that will be launched this spring.
The label will be used to indicate produce is grown, reared, caught and/or processed in the Isle of Man and/or contains mostly Manx ingredients.
Its creation forms part of the Food Matters strategy to grow the value of Isle of Man food and drink to the economy.
The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture is conducting a survey into the three shortlisted designs.
Participants in the survey are asked to rate all three labels, stating which they prefer and why. They are asked how likely they would be to look out for an official logo when shopping.
The survey – which will take only five minutes to complete – can be found here and runs until Sunday, January 22.
Paper copies of the survey can be obtained by emailing food@gov.im, ringing 695735 or by visiting DEFA, Thie Slieau Whallian, Foxdale Road, St John’s.
The Steam Packet Company is warning passengers that stormy weather is likely to affect sailings tomorrow (Wednesday) and Thursday.
A decision on tomorrow’s 8.45am service to Heysham will be made at 7am, which will in turn affect the return trip due to depart the Lancashire port at 2.15pm.
An announcement on tomorrow evening’s 7.45pm service from Douglas to Heysham will be made at 5pm, and this will have an impact on whether the return overnight sailing can be made.
For the latest information, visit the Steam Packet website’s latest sailings page: https://www.steam-packet.com/LatestSailings?__SPCoWinID=0732e6fc-7567-4a26-b311-2155ec8f96b8
The penalty for non-attendance of children at school could be set to double.
Education and Children Minister Graham Cregeen is bringing forward an order to this month’s Tynwald sitting to increase the fixed penalty issued to parents of compulsory school age to £100.
It is being argued that the increase is necessary to ‘reflect the seriousness of not sending a child to school’.
A total of 11 fixed penalty notices were issued in 2016.
A department spokesman explained: ‘The Student Attendance (Fixed Penalty) Order 2017 seeks to increase the amount of a fixed penalty from £50 to £100 as it may be viewed that £50 puts non-attendance of children at school on the same level as a parking fine.
The risk is that this is not seen as significant.
‘The Department of Education and Children believes that regular attendance of pupils at school is of utmost importance and that a parent not sending their child to school is a serious issue.
‘£100 is therefore seen as a more significant amount although still only 10 per cent of the total possible if a prosecution were followed.’
Under the Education Act, it says that pupils will be treated as having failed to attend regularly at school if he/she ‘fails without leave or reasonable excuse to arrive there punctually at the beginning of the school session on any day’.
It excludes sickness or any unavoidable cause as well as ‘any day exclusively set apart for religious observance by the religious body to which his parent belongs’.
The spokesman said that such notices are only issued where attendance falls below 80 per cent and where other interventions on behalf of the DEC are unsuccessful.
The maximum fine, on summary conviction, is £1,000.
Fisherman Aaron Dickinson has set his sights on opening his own business after scooping the top prize of £250,000 on a scratchcard.
Aaron, aged 25, of Douglas, was feeling lucky when he spent the last £2 he had in his pocket on a £250K Navy Scratchcard - and when he won £2 decided to buy another.
He said: ‘It is like all of my dreams have come true overnight.’
Aaron works as a fisherman and sells the scallops he catches to fish markets in Peel.
He will now be able to buy ‘the boat of my dreams’.
‘This will be the year when all of my dreams finally come true following my scratchcard win,’ he said.
‘I will be able to put a deposit down on my own home – something I never believed I would be able to do – and launch my own fishing business.’
Aaron bought the National Lottery scratchcard from a Douglas Spar on January 4.
‘I bought the £250k Navy Scratchcard with the last £2 I had left in change in my pocket and won £2.
‘So I thought I would buy one more – I was feeling really lucky.
‘I went for a walk and just scratched the card as I was walking. I thought initially I had won another £2. And then I saw a 5 and a 0. I screamed, I thought amazing I have won £250.
‘Things like this don’t happen to people like me. And then I saw all of the zeros and realised it was actually £250k!’
He said: ‘I honestly don’t think I have ever screamed so loudly in all of my life. I was literally screaming all of the way back to the shop – and running as fast as I could at the same time.
‘When the shop confirmed it was a winning ticket I didn’t know whether to scream even louder or just burst into tears.’
Aaron is looking forward to enjoy some of his winnings seeing new places too.
‘I obviously want to be sensible and think about the future but I am going to enjoy myself too and may just splash out on a holiday or perhaps go travelling for a few weeks and see a few different places – something which would never have been possible without this win,’ he said.’
The name of the man who fell to his death at the Chasms on Saturday afternoon has been confirmed by police as being Roger John Leece.
Tributes on social media had been paid to Mr Leece, who was 51 and lived in Union Mills, on Sunday.
Officers were called to the Chasms, deep fissures between rock stacks on the coast near Port St Mary, by members of the public who saw him disappear over the edge.
A police statement issued this lunchtime said: ‘At this time there are no suspicious circumstances and enquires are still ongoing.
‘Anyone with any information is asked to contact police headquarters on 631212.’
Several posts on social media paid tribute to Mr Leece. One, from Celine Appleyard said: ‘Am devastated my wonderful caring love has gone. RIP my darling Roger.’
Former King William’s College pupil Mr Leece was a drummer with a band called The Government.
A post from John Quayle said: ‘Earliest memory of Roger was him constantly drumming with anything he could get his hands on, pencils, pens. He’ll be sadly missed.
The Queen’s Pier Restoration Trust which aims to restore Ramsey Pier will hold a public meeting this Thursday.
The purpose of the meeting, on January 12, at 7pm at the Methodist Centre on Waterloo Road in Ramsey will be to update people on the progress made so far.
Everyone is welcome to attend and in addition to the update there will be a chance for people to ask questions.
A comprehensive survey of the pier has been completed and its results will be revealed at the meeting. Work is expected to be done during January to connect utilities for the pier, and trust members hope to sign a lease agreement with the DoI for the pier in March.
If all goes according to plan, the trust hopes to start the first phase of work on bay one of the pier in the spring.
Chief Minister Howard Quayle has launched the Council of Ministers’ Programme for Government.
Entitled ‘Our Island – A Special Place to Live and Work’, the 24-page document to be presented for approval at next week’s Tynwald sitting, sets out strategic objectives, themes, outcomes and initial actions to shape the work of government over the next five years.
However, the CoMin says the programme is ‘the first step on our journey’ and is a living document which will evolve over time.
Departments, boards and offices will develop further plans to support the outcomes, and performance indicators will be published quarterly by Cabinet Office.
There will be an annual update on the programme providing an opportunity for Tynwald to debate the progress and direction of government.
The document includes clear deadlines for some policies.
There’s a commitment to set out a full plan for rates modernisation by October this year and to bring forward proposals for flexible options for private pensions by the end of this year. It says a high level policy for means testing will be developed by May this year.
Hospital waiting lists will be published by April and a border security policy developed by June.
A new Manx State Pension will be introduced in 2019 and a year-long event celebrating the island as a special place to live and work will be organised for 2018.
The Chief Minister said: ‘It really has been a marathon job. As a Council of Ministers it’s about pace and delivery. We’ve done pretty well to get the plan to Tynwald so shortly after the general election.
‘We’ve working really closely with Tynwald members. Our plan is ambitious. It provides a blueprint for departments to follow.’
The documents sets out three strategic objectives - an inclusive and caring society, an island of enterprise and opportunity and financially responsible government.
There are 20 outcomes groups in five main themes supported by a number of policy statements. One such statement is a commitment to identify and bring forward proposals to Tynwald to address the public sector pension legacy funding gap.
A number of actions have already been agreed by CoMin. For example, a team will be created to ‘identify oppportunities, efficiencies and savings in public finance expenditure to meet cost reductions’ which will be identified in the 2017 Budget.
Policy and Reform Minister Chris Thomas said: ‘We are going through those services government provides and prioritising them, It’s a first step.’
The select committee on the organisation and operation of the general election intends to hear oral evidence in public at 10.30am on Thursday.
Evidence will be given by the following persons at the times shown:
10.30am Andres Cowie, chairman and Peter Whiteway, clerk, Ramsey Commissioners
11.10am Paul Cowin, assistant town clerk, Douglas Council
11.50am Speaker of the House of KeysJuan Watterson
1:40pm Alfred Cannan MHK
2:20pm Louise Whitelegg, an unsuccessful candidate in Ayre and Michael
3pm: Juan Moore, Isle of Man Law Society
4pm: Will Greenhow, chief seecretary, Della Fletcher, director of external relations and Kirsty Hemsley, senior external relations officer.
Island businessman Trevor Hemmings may give Many Clouds a run in the Cheltenham Gold Cup en route to the next Grand National, he has revealed.
The popular gelding ran in the Gold Cup in 2015 before romping home to victory in the Aintree thriller the following month.
Many Clouds owner Mr Hemmings and Lambourn trainer Oliver Sherwood are considering the options as to where to run the nine-year-old next. His last outing saw him win a big race at Aintree in convincing style last month (December).
Mr Hemmings told Isle of Man Newspapers about that victory: ‘It was a stunning performance, he jumped for fun.’
Speaking from his base in the north of the island, Mr Hemmings said Many Clouds could first be aimed at the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham on Saturday, January 28.
He added: ‘Then I would imagine it will be time for a good glass of red wine thinking time before deciding whether the superstar steeplechaser will go for the Gold Cup.’
Mr Hemmings agreed with comments by trainer Oliver Sherwood, who said: ‘There is a nice gap between Cheltenham and Aintree this year so it is possible to run in both.’
Racing again in the world’s most famous steeplechase on Merseyside in April is very much the plan as Mr Hemmings looks for an amazing fourth win as an owner, having already won the race with Hedgehunter, Ballabriggs and Many Clouds in 2015.
The Gold Cup on March 17 is the highlight ‘Blue Riband’ event of the four-day Cheltenham Festival.
Some bookmakers are offering ante-post odds of between 40 to one and 50 to one on Many Clouds in the Gold Cup. And bookies are offering ante-post odds of between 14 to one and 16 to one on the horse tasting victory again in the Grand National onSaturday, April 8.
Punters are warned about the risks in ante-post wagers. For instance they won’t get their stake back if the horse does not run.
Mr Hemmings explained in a previous interview how he came up with the name of his Grand National hero: ‘On the day in question I looked up at the sky here in the Isle of Man and I thought the clouds seemed busy in the sky. So that was it: Many Clouds.’
Many Clouds would probably come up against market leader Thistlecrack if he runs at Cheltenham. The Colin Tizzard-trained horse won the King George at Kempton Park on Boxing Day.
Mr Hemmings said his racing manager Michael Meagher reported Many Clouds is looking in ‘excellent’ shape.
Hedgehunter and Ballabriggs live in retirement at the Ballaseyr stud, near Andreas.
A pub quiz organised by the Onchan Live at Home Scheme, which helps old folk, takes place on Wednesday, January 25, from 7pm in the Manx Arms pub.
Tickets are £5 which includes nibbles, a raffle and prize for the winning team. Each team should have no more than six members .
Contact Sarah on 472447 or Anni on 459226 for tickets/more information.
Pupils at St John’s School raised hundreds of pounds for charity at a Christmas fair.
The year six (10 and 11-year-olds) craft club at the school held the event in the school hall.
One of the teachers who runs the club, Sara Ayres, said: ‘As soon as the doors opened, people were clammering to pick up a bargain.’
‘Seventeen children, led by some of the school staff, made sock penguins,p ainted wooden tree decorations and hangings, pine-cone reindeer badges and owls, edible goodies including jams and chutneys and peg-dolly fairies to sell.
‘The children had also organised some festive games.
The children raised almost £600 which will be shared between Rebecca House, the charity the children chose to support, and themselves.
Construction companies have been warned to secure unattended building sites and ensure risks to trespassers who do gain access are minimised.
The Health and Safety at Work Inspectorate (HSWI) says that, for children in particular, construction sites have the appeal of an adventure playground.
In the UK, dozens of youngsters are injured each year after trespassing onto sites.
The following precautions are particularly relevant to child safety:
l Secure sites adequately when finishing work for the day
l Barrier off or cover over excavations and pits
l Isolate and immobilise vehicles and plant and, if possible, lock them in a compound
l Store building materials (such as pipes, paving blocks, and cement bags) so that they cannot topple or roll over
l Remove access ladders from excavations and scaffolds
l Lock away hazardous substances.
The HSWI – part of the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture – says that when work stops for a period, eg holidays, building firms should still check on sites. People should also be aware of the dangers of entering building sites and dilapidated and derelict properties, the HSWI says.
The organisation has received reports about people putting themselves at risk in such a way.
Many dilapidated and derelict properties have rotten timbers, which can lead to the collapse of floors and staircases.
The HSWI says those responsible for derelict and dilapidated properties should do all that is reasonable to prevent trespassers gaining access and to find out whether asbestos is present and remove and correctly dispose of it or manage it.
The loss made by the meat plant rose to more than half a million pounds in 2015, figures released following a Freedom of Information request show.
But the trading results of the government-owned abattoir for 2016 remain under wraps, with officials claiming their disclosure could fuel ‘unhelpful speculation’.
The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture had initially refused to release any details of the plant’s trading performance, claiming the figures were ‘commercially sensitive’.
Isle of Man Newspapers then submitted an FoI request, pointing out that the figures for profit/loss for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014 were available in a report on Livestock Pricing by Isle of Man Meats that had been published on the DEFA’s own website.
Now we’ve had a response back which reveals the 2015 trading results – although our request for the 2016 figures has been refused.
The DEFA said the 2015 figures were released at the recent AGM of the Isle of Man Fatstock Marketing Association and so are now in the public domain.
They show that the meat plant made a loss of £1,220,441, reduced to £587,941 after payment of the government subsidy of £632,000. The loss is more than five times that of £115,440 made the previous year when the subsidy was £610,000.
The meat plant made a loss of £86,604 in 2012 after payment of a subvention of £680,754.
This became a loss of £44,111 the following year, despite the taxpayer subsidy increasing to £900,000.
The DEFA said details of the plant’s trading results in 2016 will not be released until the Fatstock Marketing Association’s 2017 AGM, which is usually held in late spring or early summer.
Explaining the decision not to disclose the figures, the department said releasing unaudited figures would be misleading.
It said the plant’s operation is currently under review, a review that will be concluded in the first quarter of this year.
‘Release of this information may fuel unnecessary speculation both within and outside the farming industry, which would be very unhelpful at this time,’ it said.
The DEFA said there was no guarantee that the government-funded subvention would continue.
Isle of Man Newspapers’ FoI request also asked for figures for throughput.
The DEFA’s response included details up to and including 2016. There were 4,698 cattle slaughtered at the plant last year, up from 4,429 the previous year but this was well down from the 5,914 in 2014. The number of sheep was down significantly from 52,794 in 2015 to 35,697 in 2016.
Throughput of pigs was also down from 3,070 in 2015 to 2,577 last year.
A Douglas man was captured by cops after running into a post during a Keystone Cops-style chase.
Daniel Marran, of Albany Road, was fined £300 after pleading guilty to a charge of being drunk and disorderly.
Prosecutor James Robinson told the court how, on Christmas Eve at 2.45am, police were called to the Glen Mona Hotel in the Central Promenade area of Douglas.
They had been informed of an incident involving 21-year-old Marran.
When officers arrived Marran was stood outside with another man.
As police approached Marran saw them and tried to run away but he ran straight into the post and was knocked to the ground.
Undeterred, Marran got up and continued his efforts to escape, this time trying to trying to climb a fence but again falling over.
He was detained by the police who then offered to take him home, but as he walked to the police van Marran swore at officers.
He was subsequently arrested and taken to police headquarters where his disorder continued and had to be restrained.
He refused to accept a charge sheet and continued to be aggressive.
Mr Robinson said that Marran had two previous cautions.
Defending Marran in court his advocate John Wright said that the facts were accepted as presented by the prosecution.
Mr Wright said: ‘It was just before Christmas, a night out, far too much alcohol was consumed.
‘It reads like a Keystone cops chase. After being helped by the police he used offensive words, unfortunately under the influence of alcohol.
‘He is going to learn with a financial penalty. Mr Marran has asked me to apologise profusely to the court.
‘He has no recollection at all of the incident, no doubt due to the alcohol consumed.’
Mr Wright went on to say that his client was in employment and had only two previous cautions on his record.
The advocate said that his client could pay any fine by the end of March.
Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes gave Marran credit for his immediate guilty plea to the charge, which was entered at the first opportunity.
Mrs Hughes said: ‘You were drunk, and certainly disorderly.
‘But there is no evidence of violence towards the police officers, other than a comment.
‘You have lost your good character. It is unfortunate. You were given the opportunity to go home without further incident.
‘I accept your remorse is genuine and will treat it as a one-off incident which I hope won’t be repeated.’
Marran was also ordered to pay £125 prosecution costs by March 31.
Leading Isle of Man law firm Cains is expanding its litigation department in the face of increased demands from both current and potential new clients with the appointment of experienced advocate Jacqui Owens.
Jacqui’s work for high profile law firms in the City resulted in her wide-ranging international dispute resolution experience.
She said: ‘Not only is Cains a leading law firm but it is outward looking and has both national and international platforms.’
Jacqui joins Cains from the litigation department of Simcocks Advocates, where she handled high value commercial disputes and assisted the corporate department with insurance issues.
Her CV underlines the fact that many of her cases have involved complex financial transactions and business structures.
She has acted for international clients based in the UK and overseas in high value multi-jurisdictional disputes, court proceedings and arbitrations.
‘My 15 years working for leading City law firms allowed me to gain extensive insurance and reinsurance market experience, including managing inspections, coverage and agency related disputes,’ said Jacqui, who has been featured in the prestigious Legal 500 for her insurance knowledge .
‘Cases typically involved allegations of fraud, misrepresentation, negligence, breach of contract, insolvency and trust issues.
‘What is particularly stimulating for me in joining Cains is that it offers an absolute match for industries I have always worked in.
‘It epitomises so much of the background I come from as a result of working in the City.’
After a partnership at Wragg Lawrence Graham, Jacqui was appointed chief general counsel at a Lloyd’s of London managing agency and served on its executive committee.
Since moving to the Isle of Man, Jacqui has continued to advise on commercial and litigious insurance and reinsurance matters as well as developing a broader practice focused on the financial services and investment management sector.
In welcoming Jacqui to Cains Peter Clucas, director, said: ‘We are delighted to have someone of the calibre of Jacqui joining the litigation department.
‘She has in depth experience of Isle of Man High Court procedures, including Chancery and Commercial Court cases involving FSA investigations, liquidations, fund management related disputes and Doleance (judicial review) proceedings.’
He added: ‘Jacqui is keenly aware of clients’ needs for timely, cost effective commercial resolutions to disputes and the practicalities of managing litigation from an in-house perspective.
‘She has many years experience of dealing with document heavy litigation, of getting to grips with complicated business structures and financial transactions and of working with international legal and business advisers to achieve solutions.’
Born and brought up in the Isle of Man, Jacqui attended Buchan School prior to going to Sheffield University to study law, graduating with an LL.B Hons degree.
She then went on to Guildford Law College and was admitted to the Manx Bar in 2011.
Her appointment follows hard on the heels of the announcement by Cains that Garry Manley was joining the firm.
Garry is a former head boy of St Ninian’s High School who went on to become an international corporate lawyer.
We reported he was looking forward to returning to his Isle of Man roots.
A Manx woman has swapped life on the Isle of Man for the tropical climate of Anguilla.
Marnie Wynne (nee Emery) and her husband Stuart, a marine biologist who is the deputy director of the Department of Fisheries for the British overseas territory in the northern Caribbean, feature in the BB2 programme An Island Parish, currently being aired on Monday evenings.
Marnie, aged 35, a former Buchan School pupil whose parents live in Onchan, met Stuart when she decided to go travelling to the Bahamas when she was 23.
‘I met Stuart who was the chief scientist on the project I was volunteering for,’ she said.
‘It was there that I learned to dive and learned to identify and survey fish and coral.’
It was while the couple were in Africa later that year that Stuart was offered a job in Anguilla, where he had previously spent time researching the spiny spotted lobster for his Masters degree.
Marnie said: ‘I told him he must take it and decided to take a leap of faith and come too.’
They initially spent four years in Anguilla, which comprises a main flat coral island, 16 miles long and just three miles across at its widest point, and several offshore islets.
They moved back to Europe for five years, and have been back in Anguilla again for two years.
It’s home to more than 15,000 people and features 33 white powder beaches and turquoise seas.
‘In our spare time we cook, kayak, paddle board, dive and snorkel,’ she said.
‘Neither of us enjoys lying on a beach and we literally cannot sunbathe. I don’t know how anyone can do it.’
As well as rescue cat Kitkat, they live with Dexter, a Dachshund who also clearly enjoys life in the east Caribbean.
‘Dexter has his own rubber ring to float around on when we go snorkelling so he can come with us,’ Marnie explained.
Marnie is a nutritional advisor, personal trainer and life coach who trained in culinary arts at Leiths School of Food and Wine in London.
She runs a website and social media sites as Simply Fadless.
Stuart is responsible for reef monitoring, installing dive and boat moorings, and writing up scientific reports on beaches, turtles, fish and fishery assessments.
He has recently secured funding for turtle conservation and for a project promoting integrated coastal zone management in Prickly Pear Marine Park.
The BBC filmed Stuart at work and Marnie was brought into help.
‘The Department of Fisheries here needed an extra person who knew their fish and coral, and how to survey,’ she explained. ‘One of their colleagues had been in an accident and couldn’t dive. As I was already trained, I stepped in.’
She added: ‘Many of our friends here appear in the show so as we are watching it we will probably rotate whose house to watch it in each week so we can all make fun of each other and cringe together in solidarity.’
Funding for some minor surgical procedures at Noble’s Hospital including tonsillectomy has been withdrawn as the NHS battles to cut costs.
Health Minister Kate Beecroft will ask Tynwald this month for extra funding to shore up an £11.1m overspend in her department.
That’s on top of the extra £9.943m agreed by Tynwald in June to cover a shortfall in the previous financial year.
Department of Health and Social Care chief executive Malcolm Couch has written to the island’s doctors, including GPs, about the suspension of some procedures deemed to have limited clinical value.
Many of the 33 procedures or treatments that have been suspended are ‘cosmetic’ and not routinely funded through the National Health Service such as tattoo removal, breast augmentation, liposuction and even face lift.
But others have been suspended while a review is carried out to determine the ‘clinical thresholds’ that will set out when a procedure is deemed medically necessary.
Procedures likely to be subject to a ‘threshold’ are tummy tucks, removal of adenoids at the back of the nose, breast reduction, circumcision, the insertion of grommets to help treat glue ear, the removal of tonsils and the surgical release of trigger finger.
Doctors have been advised no new referrals for these procedures should be made to the hospital during the review.
The DHSC said it has a duty to use its resources to provide services which deliver the ‘best outcomes possible’.
The letter to the doctors said a significant number of procedures were being carried which have a ‘limited or negligible effect’ on health outcomes, including quality of life.
Ramsey MHK and GP Dr Alex Allinson said: ‘I think this is designed to reduce unnecessary referrals rather than save money.
‘Most GPs would agree with the majority of the conditions on the list. However, there are some conditions where there needs to be a certain degree of flexibility and the ability to refer for a second opinion, especially if the patient asks for it, is very important. The tonsillectomy and circumcision inclusion are probably the most contentious as there are clear indications for them to be carried out.
‘A blanket ban on them is not good medicine and patients should be assessed on an individual basis.
‘As GPs we often see patients with recurrent sore throats who probably would benefit from having their tonsils removed. Similarly sometimes circumcisions are done for very valid medical reasons.’
The reasons for the £11.1m overspend are much the same as last year – the cost of locums and temporary staffing, rising prices of therapeutic drugs, tertiary care referrals to the UK and losses made by the government catering service.
Mrs Beecroft said: ‘Seeking approval from Tynwald for additional funding from the Treasury is not an action the department takes lightly. As Minister I take this matter seriously, especially as it is the second year in a row the department has sought approval for additional funding.
‘My highest priority will be to ensure that the department lives within the resources voted to it for 2017/18. The department must continue its drive to become more efficient. But if the books are to balance it is likely that hard and uncomfortable choices will need to be made.’
In October, Mrs Beecroft overturned a decision to refuse funding for life-transforming treatment for seven-year-old Finley Hesketh, who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Finley’s treatment with Translarna is expected to cost about £180,000 a year.
-----------------------------
Procedures likely to in future be subject to a ‘threshold’ are:
Abdominoplasty, known as a ‘tummy tuck’; Adenoidectomy (removal of adenoids at the back of the nose Breast reduction); Circumcision; Grommets to help treat glue ear; Tonsillectomy; Trigger finger – surgical release.
Procedures being reviewed include:
Alopecia; Benign skin lesion removal; Blepharoplasty and brow lift; Botulinum toxin for cosmetic indications or hyperhidrosis; Breast augmentation; Depilation; Ear lobe surgery; Face lift; Ganglion excision; Gynaecomastia – surgical correction; Labiaplasty, Lipoma removal; Liposuction; Nipple inversion correction; Penile implants; Pinnaplasty; Redundant skin removal, including thigh lift; Brachioplasty; Rhinophymal; Rhinoplasty; Scar removal; Skin resurfacing; Tattoo removal; Treatments for thread veins; Vaginoplasty; Viral warts
Next time you need a haircut or a shave, or you just feel like pampering yourself, maybe you’d like to try something different and do it Turkish style.
Orhan Okur has opened the island’s only Turkish barber shop in Castle Street in Douglas.
Among the delights on offer at The Turkish Barber are haircuts, wet shaves, eyebrow threading, face massages and even crazy with designs shaved into your hair.
All the products, such as wax, gel and shampoo that Orhan uses in his shop are from Turkey.
Orhan, who is 33, started his career early, at just 11 years old, and has now been working in a barber shop for 23 years.
He said: ‘I started working when I was 11 ,in a barber shop in Mersin in southern Turkey, just learning, and after two years there I started cutting hair and giving shaves.
‘When I was 16 I moved to Bodrum on my own and worked there cutting hair.
‘For the past 10 years I have had my own barber shop in Turkey.
‘But in July I came to the Isle of Man to visit a friend and I liked it so much I wanted to move here. My shop in Bodrum is still open – my brother is looking after it now.’
Orhan, who is single, runs the Castle Street shop on his own at the moment but is looking for someone to help with cleaning and making tea and coffee.
The Ward family, John and Bronnie, and their son Brad, aged 17, from Douglas, were Orhan’s first customers when he opened in November and coincidentally they were also in the shop when we interviewed Orhan.
John said: ‘The thing that strikes me is the detail that goes into Orhan’s work. It’s good fun and nice to relax in a manly sort of place and just chill.
‘We’ve recommended Orhan to lots of friends who have come along.’
Bronnie said: ‘I’m a teacher and I’ve put lots of photos on Facebook of Orhan’s work. The kids at school have been admiring it.
‘You feel confident you’re not just having someone fussing around you and he is doing things.’
The Turkish Barber is open every day, except Wednesday, from 10am to 7 or 8pm.
A 46-year-old former Peel commissioner has been convicted of a charge of causing serious bodily harm by driving without due care or consideration.
Rodger Mark Gimbert, of Derby Road, pleaded guilty in court to the offence and will be sentenced on February 16 after the preparation of a probation report.
The court heard how Gimbert lost control of his Hyundai Tucson on the A5 Shore Road in Rushen and crashed into a Vauxhall Corsa.
The woman driving the Corsa suffered a shattered right knee which required pinning, a fractured left knee, two broken foot bones, significant abdomen bruising and internal bleeding.
Gimbert ran for election in a bid to become Peel MHK in 2006 and 2011 but was unsuccessful.
Prosecutor James Robinson told the court how on September 26 last year, the woman was driving, negotiating bends at no more than 40 miles per hour.
She told police that she saw Gimbert’s 4x4 vehicle come into view, travelling at speed and appearing to be out of control, crossing the centre line.
She said that there was a large impact on the passenger side of her vehicle, triggering the car’s airbags.
Emergency services arrived and in the back of the ambulance Gimbert was reported to have said: ‘I lost control round the bend and couldn’t correct it and ploughed into a woman coming the other way.’
Gimbert was interviewed by police at Peel police station and said that he had been driving for more than 20 years and that he knew Shore Road very well. He said that he was in no particular rush and did not recall travelling fast. He said he could not remember the collision and did not recall the comment he made in the ambulance.
Asked if he had been at fault, he answered that he couldn’t remember.
After caution Gimbert said: ‘I’ve got nothing to add.’
Gimbert’s advocate Deborah Myerscough entered a basis of plea on behalf of her client which said that Gimbert drove without due care and had tried to correct it, causing his car to snake down the road and collide with the woman’s car. There was no evidence of excessive speed.
Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes accepted jurisdiction and bail was granted.