Whether it’s for the running, walking, strengthening, chatting or the good coffee, fitness group Southern Striders has 25 devoted members who turn up regularly at The Hub, Thie Rosien, at 9.30am on Saturdays.

This friendly group welcomes new people of all ages to join them.

‘We are not an athletics club and the only competitive voice you will hear is the one in your head trying to get you to stay in bed on a cold, grey Saturday morning,’ said co-ordinator Janet Bridle.

‘You may have seen us walking or jogging around Port Erin and Port St Mary on a Saturday morning, and maybe we look like an elite group of runners, but if only you knew the truth!

‘We are indeed elite in one aspect – we chat and drink excellent coffee afterwards. We will often leave The Hub together in a group but will always have the option of taking a shorter route back and allowing the more intermediate among us to forge on ahead.’

Participants, whose ages range greatly, walk or jog and do strengthening and conditioning exercises.

Lesley Christian, who runs the chair-based exercises (11am to midday), said: ‘We would like to invite all of you who want to take up running but can’t quite take that seemingly big step. Or maybe you have fallen off that particular wagon and getting back is proving a bit difficult? We will introduce you slowly and carefully to the art of jogging while helping you to gain strength and flexibility that will keep you strong and avoid injuries.

‘You will never be the one at the back that is left behind – we will always be there encouraging you along.’

Never think you are too old to start, added Janet: ‘I never jogged until I joined Southern Striders when I was 50. I intended never to jog, I don’t like jogging at other times, I don’t like running alone. I can now do 5k a week and I love it!’

Teachers have seen an increase in the number of children entering primary school lacking basic social skills since pre-school provision was privatised.

National Union of Teachers president Anne Swift raised the issue during a visit to the island earlier this week.

Lacking the social skills to be able to share equipment or cope in a classroom environment with one teacher, a lack of language development and not even being toilet trained were some of the concerns teachers had over reception class pupils (ages four and five).

‘Schools are having to do a lot of work helping children get on with each other so they don’t have behavioural issues,’ she said.

The Department of Education and Children announced in 2012 that it was privatising its teacher-led pre-schools and introducing credits for use with private and voluntary providers.

Under the credit system, parents could initially get a standard universal credit of £800 a year towards the cost of pre-school education or a higher credit of £1,500 a year for low-income families on benefits.

That level of credit provided, on average, just under five hours a week of free nursery care or just under nine hours per week for the higher credit.

But at the July Tynwald sitting, the standard credit was raised to £1,700 per annum, giving a child the chance of attending sessions up to 10 hours per week or 12 and a half hours a week of pre-schooling for those from families on the higher credit.

Mrs Swift said that in 2012 the DEC, then led by Minister Peter Karran, had ‘picked the wrong thing to cut’ and that studies showed that there were better outcomes for children if there has been investment in early years’ provision.

She described the quality of the private pre-school providers as ‘variable’.

A DEC spokesman told the Manx Independent the 2012 change had established a ‘more universal system’ but added: ‘It has become clear, however, that this universal system still needs to be extended and we will continue to work in partnership with schools and pre-school settings in order to ensure that all pupils are ready for school, by the time they start in reception classes.

‘Though it is impossible to ascribe a single cause, there is anecdotal evidence, that in some areas teachers have identified poorer social skills, though, of course in areas where previously there had been no provision the evidence appears to demonstrate an improvement.’

The DEC is working on an Early Years Strategy ‘which will include enhancing the current pre-school provision across the island,’ the spokesman added.

Education Minister Graham Cregeen’s 2016 election manifesto stated: ‘The introduction of pre-school vouchers has had mixed results. I would investigate if the provision would produce better results if pre-school worked with, or alongside the education provision within our primary schools.’

In the Programme for Government the Council of Ministers has pledged to improve standards and availabilty of pre-school education.

A granite memorial to Manx poet, inventor, engineer and explorer William Kennish will be shipped to Northern Ireland this week for cutting to shape.

The finished memorial is to be placed on Kennish’s grave, which currently lies unmarked in Green Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.

Once it has been cut to shape it will return to the island for its final finishing and engraving in Peel.

William Kennish lived from 1799 to 1862.

He was born in the island but emigrated to America in 1848. As a Royal Navy explorer he helped find the location for the Panama Canal and invented the first ‘gun commander’ system for a warship in 1828.

Last year, the William Kennish Memorial Trust was set up to raise money to mark Kennish’s final resting place on the 155th anniversary of his death, on March 19.

The trust was formed by author and chairman of the Manx Victorian Society, Bob Stimpson and Roy Moore, who is a direct descendant of the Kennish family.

Mr Stimpson also wrote a 2011 book on Kennish entitled ‘Forgotten Manx Genius’.

He said: ‘We are halfway to our £5,000 funding target. On January 15, in Peel, and January 28, in Ramsey, Roy and I will be giving an illustrated talk about William Kennish to promote the fundraising and to hopefully seek donations.

‘We have got a Manxman who has had a building and stamps named after him but he lies in an unmarked grave, and that needs to be corrected.’

In 2014 the Department of Education and Children (DEC) named its Engineering Training Centre at the Isle of Man College after William Kennish, and he was also featured on Panama Canal commemorative stamps.

The talk in Peel will be held at the Sailor’s Shelter on East Quay at 7.30pm, while the Ramsey one will be at St Paul’s Church Hall lounge at 7.30pm.

Admission is free to both events but donations are welcomed.

The talk will tell of Kennish’s life from his humble beginnings in Maughold, his naval career, his life in the Isle of Man and his explorations of South America.

There will also be details of his later family connections to the Statue of Liberty and the characters in PG Wodehouse’s stories.

Fire crews were called to the Blackboards in Ballasalla in the early hours of this morning after a car crashed and rolled down a bank.

The driver, who was alone in the car, escaped serious injury but needed to helped out of the vehicle.

Firefighters used a ladder and an improvised handrail to walk the driver to the roadside where they were met by paramedics.

A statement from Station Officer Tony Duncan, at Fire Service Headquarters in Douglas, said that the accident was due to adverse driving conditions, due to a recent snow shower.

Peel Fire Crews were called to Ballacraine this morning and the road was closed after a tree fell onto a van.

The uninjured passenger of the vehicle managed to get himself free prior to the fire service arriving but the driver remained trapped in the vehicle due to damage to the offside door.

Hydraulic cutting and spreading equipment was used to free the driver, who was treated at the scene for a minor hand injury.

The fallen tree also damaged overhead power cables leading to loss of power to the traffic lights and houses in the vicinity.

The Department of Infrastructure were contacted to attend so that the tree could be removed and the road reopened.

The next phase of the major roadworks which will close Foxdale’s Main Road until after TT2017 have begun.

A letter to Foxdale residents and businesses, from the Department of Infrastructure’s highway services, has been posted on Facebook by the village’s MHK Geoffrey Boot.

Two separate parts of the road will be closed, from just north of Brookfield Bank to Brookfield House, and from Mines Road junction to Costain’s Yard.

The whole project is costing £800,000 and is set to last beyond TT2017, with the road being re-opened for TT, then closed again afterwards.

The letter states: ‘From Monday, January 9, the DoI will commence the next phase of construction work on Main Road, Higher Foxdale.

‘There will be two areas where the road will be closed to through traffic.

‘The main road will be closed from just north of Brookfield House, including Brookfield Terrace. This will mean that there will be no parking of vehicles along this section of road until the works have been completed. On street parking will be available at either end of the closed section with access either from Mines Road, or from Lower Foxdale.’

The letter goes on to say that vehicle access to the filling station, the shop and the Baltic Inn will be via Mines Road.

Main Road will also remain closed from the junction with Mines Road to Costain’s Yard, as it was through the Christmas period, until January 16.

A narrow section of Main Road, from Mines Road to Costain’s Yard, will then partially open to allow vehicle access to Costain’s Yard, but with no parking along this section and with the route towards the south remaining closed.

So, from January 16, vehicle access to and from Costain’s Yard will be via Mines Road, and not from the Ballamodha.

The bus timetable will be unaffected, operating the same as it did before Christmas.

The DoI say that there will be pedestrian access maintained through the works at all times, although the route past Brookfield Terrace will be via the back lane at the rear of the properties once the work reaches the terrace.

A small amount of parking will be available in the private car park at the rear of the filling station which residents should contact the filling station manager to discuss.

The letter goes on to say: ‘As there will be no through traffic on Main Road, the bulk of diversion signs will remain in place. However some signs will need to be altered to reflect the revised access to the filling station and pub.’

The department thanked the public for their patience and co-operation.

A pastor at the Living Hope church has been forced to resign as a director.

Rousseau Moss has given an undertaking to the Financial Services Authority not to be a director, secretary or registered agent of any company for five years after admitting being ‘incompetent, negligent and irresponsible’ in connection with his role in the collapsed Louis Group (Isle of Man) Ltd.

Six other directors of the Louis Group face disqualification hearings in the high court in Douglas at the end of this month. But Mr Moss, a pastor at the Living Hope Church in Port St Mary since January 2012 and a director since September 2013, has given a voluntary undertaking of disqualification which has been accepted by the FSA.

The 38-year-old South African, of Fairway Drive in Port Erin, accepted the findings of the FSA on his actions as a director of five companies linked to Louis Group (IoM) but insisted he had acted in good faith.

But in his disqualification undertaking, he states: ‘It is now apparent, and I accept this opinion after reading the facts, that I have been incompetent and/or negligent and/or irresponsible in exercising proper control of the affairs of these companies.’

Mr Moss’s unfit conduct relates to his approval of the drawdown on loans knowing they were to be used to prop up unrelated companies that were ailing financially. He also failed to exercise proper financial control, caused or allowed mismanagement of funds and failed to keep adequate accounting records or comply with anti-money laundering rules.

In 2014, a liquidators’ report concluded there was a ‘taint of illegality’ across the vast majority of the business carried out by the Louis Group in the Isle of Man. The collapsed group had been wound up by the high court the previous year, unable to pay its multi-million pounds debts.

The FSA began high court disqualification proceedings against seven directors in June, including Mr Moss.

The other six – Louis Group CEO Dr Alan Louis, Lynn Keig, John McCauley, Dirk Frederik Mudge, Lukas Nakos (a team leader at the Living Hope church in Douglas) and Andrew Mark Rouse – now face an initial hearing in the disqualification proceedings in the high court on January 31.

Liquidators of Louis Group IoM identified many areas of concern including a substantial loss of investor capital running into tens of millions of pounds with almost every company in the island being insolvent.

They concluded there was highly improper activity with investor funds, a culture of fear and intimidation with Dr Louis having ultimate and absolute control, misleading promises of high returns and low risk, unlicensed deposit taking, inter-mingled funds, poor accounting records and evidence of substantial sums paid to Dr Louis and his trusts from money sourced from investors and accounted for as debts which he denies liability for.

Dr Louis denies wrongdoing and claimed he has been unjustly persecuted.

Mr Moss states in his disqualification undertaking that he had trusted in the track record of the Louis family’s three generations of property investment success. He said: ‘I was part of a culture built on secrecy. Various critical pieces of information would be withheld and only became accessible after the fact.

‘Both my family and I have suffered personal financial loss as a result of our trust in LGIOM. When it became increasingly clear there were various issues coming to light, Lynn Keig and I endeavoured to bring these to the attention of the FSA during 2011.’

He said he had been out of financial and investment services since his resignation from the Louis Group in December 2011 and had no intention of returning to the industry. ‘I am not and have not been and will not be in a position where I am able to influence decision on the finance of the general public,’ he added.

In October we reported how the Living Hope congregation had made donations totalling £66,000 to help lead pastor Jonathan Stanfield buy a five-bedroom home and base in Douglas.

Mr Moss subsequently gave a sermon on ‘integrity’.

He told the Port St Mary congregation: ‘People are calling into question the integrity of the body of Christ and the leaders within the church. We can’t let the world around us determine our ethics and morality.’

A spat between two customers in a Douglas pub culminated in both rolling around on the floor as one held the other in a headlock, a court has heard.

Glen Cairney, of Farmhill Park, Douglas, was drinking in the Cat With No Tail on December 11 when the fracas erupted.

Michael Jelski, for the prosecution, said both men got into a disagreement during the evening and even when the pair were separated they had still tried to get back at one another.

The court heard 29-year-old Cairney had goaded his opponent, telling him: ‘You think you are a hard man.’

The other man responded by hurling a bottle at the defendant, causing a slight cut, then left.

Mr Jelski said Cairney had declined medical attention and had not made a formal complaint. The fight was recorded by the pub‘s CCTV system and both men were later arrested.

Cairney admitted disorderly behaviour on licensed premises.

His advocate, Jim Travers said Cairney was, in fact, the victim of an unprovoked attack from the other man as he was standing by the pool table.

Mr Travers said: ‘The other party was the instigator of the incident, however he has gone beyond self-defence and he has put the other man in some sort of headlock as they fell to the floor.

‘Staff intervened but the final act was him being struck by a bottle and suffering a cut at the hands of the other man.

‘So not only did he not start it, but he was hit with a bottle and suffered an injury. But for the initial actions of the other party, he would not have been embroiled in this.

‘He suffered a significant cut as a result of being hit by a bottle.’

Mr Travers contested a claim by the prosecution that it was difficult to tell who had actually started the fight.

‘The CCTV footage shows the defendant being launched at as he is standing by the pool table offering no threat to anyone; it’s as plain as day,’ he told the court.

Passing sentence, Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes said she acknowledged it was the other party who threw a bottle, hitting and injuring the defendant. She said she also accepted it was the other party who had started the altercation. However, she added: ‘But it was you who continued it and it ended up with you both grappling on the floor. Any incident in licensed premises is serious. You already have an alcohol-related offence on your record from 2016, but it is a relatively short record.’

For the offence of disorderly behaviour on licensed premises, he was fined £600 and must pay costs of £125.

Banning him from entering licensed premises, buying or being sold alcohol for one month, Mrs Hughes added: ‘This was committed while you were still subject to a penalty imposed for another alcohol-related offence so a Licensing Act ban is appropriate in this case.’

Heavy snow and sheet ice have been causing major disruption on the island’s roads tonight.

Richmond Hill had to be closed due to sheet ice on the northbound carriageway.

Motorists were urged to avoid the area which became gridlocked with traffic including on the Mount Murray Back Road.

Heavy snow also forced the closure of the Mountain Road.

The Dalby coast road was also closed due to ice but later reopened.

A roads policing unit spokesman urged drivers to be careful.

He said the snow had fallen so quickly and frozen that Richmond Hill had to be closed to be treated.

The Met Office at Ronaldsway said an amber weather warning for snow and ice remained in place.

A black tie ball is to be held to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society.

It will take place on Saturday, April 1, 7pm at the Claremont Hotel, Douglas.

Tickets are £50 each which includes Prosecco on arrival and a three-course carvery,

There will be a live banc, ReVamp and DJ Matt Fletcher until 1am.

Contact Sophie Hinks 222955 or Debra Heaney 203516 for tickets.

Island choir Musicalé, which performs at a wide variety of venues around the island and, in its 29-year history has supported many island causes, presented a cheque for £500 to Tim Jones of Crossroads Care (Young Carers) at its Christmas party.

Each year members of the choir nominate a charity to benefit from any donations received throughout the year, and members were delighted to hear from Mr Jones that their efforts would help provide activities over the summer holiday period for the increasing number of young people on the island who find themselves caring for family members.

Mr Jones said: ‘This is an amazing and generous donation from Musicalé, and will be of huge benefit to all of the Young Carers currently receiving support from the Crossroads Care Young Carers Project. Thankyou Musicalé on behalf of all the Young Carers and Crossroads Care.’

Let us know about your charity fundraising.

Send details to newsdesk@newsiom.co.im

Every time you email us please include a telephone number.

The second half of the seasonal programme of the Isle of Man Photographic Society got under way this week with a ‘sandwich’ – the first part of the evening being an audio-visual presentation on Bali by our vice president, John Phipp, and the second part a showing of a print portfolio from the Lancashire and Cheshire Photographic Union.

John’s digital presentation was delightful, well put together and included a wide selection of images based on a visit made in 2006.

It covered many scenic shots of the local landscape, including the terraces cut into the hillsides to enable the growing of rice and other crops, images of the many picturesque temples as well as of the local people and their brightly coloured attire, all accompanied by an informative commentary.

Following John’s presentation, Antony Hamilton shared his experience of Bali and confirmed the attractiveness of the country and the people with details of his own visit.

The L&CPU print portfolio comprised more than 60 images, largely of natural history shots but also including other genres.

The images are selected competitively from entries submitted by the nearly 100 clubs in the federation – and assessed by a panel of three judges on the basis of a maximum score of 5 points per judge – and a top score therefore of 15.

To be included in the portfolio usually requires a minimum score of 12 points (though an occasional 11 creeps in, if of an interesting subject) whilst the maximum score of 15 is a rarity.

One such was titled ‘The Ice Lady’ – an image of a woman in an ice-blue dress against an snowy background – absolutely stunning, beautifully printed and well worth its maximum points.

The portfolios are highly aspirational and hopefully motivational, showing some of the best images currently being taken – and setting a standard for club members to aim for.

The society meets at the Art Society Building (Thie Ellyn) in Withington Road, Douglas, with all meetings starting at 7:30pm.

Meetings are open to the public, and all will be given a very warm welcome. Full details of our programme can be found on our website at www.iomps.com.

Our next meeting on Wednesday, January, 18, will include an open digital competition.

Chris Blyth

Lordship and sovereignty in the Isle of Man from 1300 to 1600 is the subject of the next talk in University College Isle of Man’s history and heritage lecture series.

Professor Tim Thornton from the University of Huddersfield will be the speaker at the event, taking place on Wednesday next week (January 18), from 6pm.

Drawing on the example of the kingship/lordship of Man, he will challenge the widely held belief among academics that by the 1500s English kings had eliminated all subordinate or competing claims to kingship among lords in territories they ultimately controlled.

He will talk about the way in which the Stanley Earls of Derby and Lords of Man, among others, used royal titles and associated ceremonials and issues.

Tim will also consider some of the practical manifestations of ‘sovereign’ power, seen in the rights that were associated with justice, taxation and relations between princes; and the capacity to exclude the intervention of others in these spheres.

The lecture takes place in the lecture theatre at Elmwood House (behind the St John Ambulance Centre, off Glencrutchery Road, Douglas).

All are welcome and no booking is required.

It will be streamed live on the University College Isle of Man Facebook page and a video of the lecture will also be made available online at a later date.

Walkers are being invited to step up and take part in this year’s Lisa Lowe Walk.

The Manx Cancer Help fundraiser, which sees participants tackle the Millennium Way, takes place on Sunday, April 23.

Fundraising events co-ordinator Gareth Nicholson said: ‘Last year almost 400 people took part and raised funds for our charity and we are hoping for the same this year.

‘The terrain was muddy but the weather was glorious as all but one who started finished the course, raising over £23,000 for Manx Cancer Help.’

He added: ‘‘Lisa was a really brave person and her contribution to Manx Cancer Help wasn’t just her impressive fundraising but she has left a legacy which carries on.

‘We hope that Lisa would be proud of the service that we provide today’.

Individuals and teams of four will tackle the 28-mile long distance footpath from Sky Hill, in Ramsey, to Castletown, setting off at 8am.

Participants can also set off from the Crosby Hotel at 1pm to tackle the final 10 miles of the route.

The 2016 walk was the first time that event had taken place since 2007.

The Lisa Lowe Walk first took place in 1997, the year that Lisa lost her life to cancer, and raised £70,000.

Lisa organised and was the public face of many events held while she was ill and raised more than £80,000.

Entry costs £20 and those taking part are encouraged to raise money in sponsorship too.

The deadline to enter is March 14.

Sign up for the walk at www.manxcancerhelp.org/lisa-lowe-walk/

For more details contact Gareth Nicholson on gareth@manxcancerhelp.org or 679544.

Meanwhile, fundraisers whose talents are more artistic than athletic, are invited to contribute a single postcard sized creation to be displayed at Marks and Spencer’s cage and then sold in an exhibition with proceeds going to the charity.

A total of 1,000 five inch square canvasses have been sponsored by CuPlas to be turned into artworks by everyone from school art students to forgotten sketchers.

Artists, crafters, photographers and needleworkers are all welcome to unleash their creative side.

The charity’s chief executive, Andrea Chambers, explained: ‘Everyone is born as a blank canvas.

‘Paint us a picture of your passion and inspiration through life.’

Anyone who would like a free canvas pack should contact gareth@manxcancerhelp.org

Manx Cancer Help provides specialist psychological and emotional support to anyone whose life has been affected by a cancer diagnosis.

Time has stood still at Ballasalla School for many years since the timepiece on the clock tower stopped working.

It has been given a new lease of life thanks to Ronaldsway Aircraft Company apprentices Adam Calder and Nathan Teare. They repaired the clock’s mechanism by remanufacturing a number of the original parts.

A school open day was held on Monday to celebrate the fitting of the newly repaired clock, which was unveiled by Education and Children Minister Graham Cregeen.

Friends of Ballasalla School, members of the community, pupils, parents and staff, past and present attended.

Bobba Cowley recalled: ‘I used to look at the clock to decide when to go for the bus to work, but that was back in the 1950s.

‘It is wonderful to see it working again.’

Pupil Kiera Corlett, aged 10, said: ‘It is really good that the clock is working again because when we are playing outside we can look at the clock and know if it is time to go home.’

Supporters of the Douglas horse tram service have castigated government proposals to end the track by the Gaiety Theatre instead of continuing it south to the Sea Terminal as at present.

The Manx Electric Railway Society has described the latest proposal as a ‘destruction of the horse tramway’.

Before Christmas the proposal was narrowly defeated in Tynwald but the debate is to be revisited early this year when it is expected to be passed.

The society has pointed out the majority of new MHKs before the election said they favoured retention of the system in full along the sea front but a number seemed to have reneged on this.

A spokesman for the society said: ‘Not a trace of what we have now – tracks, depot, stables – will be left.’

He added it was a wholesale destruction of Douglas promenades as we know them, a unique and attractive doorstep to our island as recognised by their designation as a conservation area. He also said Keys members were being asked to vote without having seen the full picture.

A statement from the society said passenger numbers would fall if the tracks were removed by the Sea Terminal, where visitors arrive – including those from cruise liners.

They would then be faced with a long slog along the sea front to the tram stop. Claims that the cost of the extra rails down to the Sea Terminal was prohibitive were not valid, it said, because there was already enough track available to do the job.

In essence, the proposals were: ‘Confining the horse trams to an over-engineered light railway between a new terminus at the Gaiety and Derby Castle.

‘No part of the original tramway infrastructure will be left and this is being done in the pursuit of a “pie in the sky” light rail scheme that the Island will never be able to afford.’

The society also accused the government of having a hidden agenda, saying the proposed temporary buildings at Derby Castle will end up being permanent, an eye-sore and occupying a key development site at Summerland. Members of Tynwald had no written briefing from the DoI on the planning application for the buildings which, the society points out, involve significant engineering work including a traverser, which is used to move trams in and out of the depot, and inspection pits, to repace the existing depot and stables.

The statement continued: ‘Permitting such development would render the present car sheds redundant (no doubt a proposal for demolition and re-development will follow). The same for the charming, functional and ancient stables. MHKs do not understand the distinction between “stables” (in good condition) and Tramway Terrace (less so). The former should be capable of instant re-use.’

The society said it appreciated Infrastructure Minister Ray Harmer’s honest objective was to get something done, but Tynwald had been encouraged, wrongly, to believe it was a simple matter to rip up the tracks between the Sea Terminal and Broadway and get on with repairs.

In fact, because the region is a conservation area, it says there will be problems getting planning permission to remove the tracks

The stement continued: ‘There is therefore no instant route to get things done other than to maintain the status quo; any attempt to do otherwise will be fraught with a planning battle and subsequent litigation. Putting a bit of tarmac round the present tracks is the obvious, common sense, positive and cheap option. In any event, it is imperative to consider the implications of the whole scheme before throwing the baby out with the bathwater.’

An artist who hails from the Isle of Man has landed a dream space in a world famous art gallery.

Julie Anne Denton has recently discovered that she, amongst others, has been selected to display her artwork at the highly prestigious Saatchi art gallery, in London.

Julie, who currently lives in Switzerland, but grew up in Douglas and studied Art at the Isle Of Man College, has been selected to have her work included in an exhibition sponsored by the UK Craft Council, designed to showcase the best craft talent in Britain today.

Alongside that, she will also make a speech to the gathered artistic luminaries about her artwork when the gallery opens early next month.

Julie works predominantly with glass, and produces free flowing, distorted sculptures which have been shown all over Europe and have been lavished with praise from many circles.

Those who viewed her last exhibition on the island, held in September 2015, will be familiar with the type of intricate glass formations that will make up her entry to the gallery.

‘I have produced three major pieces for this, which is part of what I called the “Coral Series”, said Julie. ‘It comprises three vessels and they are made with sand-blasted lace glass.

‘They are three individual pieces, but they have the potential to be interlocked and combined to create a new piece with a different philosophical meaning. It is essentially very much form over function. Once you put them together you lose the essence of the original and they take on another form altogether. ‘

Each piece will be on sale for between £3,000 to £6,000 each.

Being shown at such a gallery as the Saatchi is a massive feather in the cap for any artist, and can represent the pinnacle of any career.

Julie, however, sees it as a chance to develop and grow as an artist, and is excited about the possibilities it may open up for her.

‘Who knows where this will take me, but I want to move onto bigger and better things, she said. ‘Being shown at Saatchi means that I can’t accept smaller galleries now, and that I have to look towards the bigger places, such as New York and London based galleries. There is a lot of prestige attached to being shown at Saatchi that will open doors for me and lead to bigger things.

‘Hopefully it will lead me to becoming super famous!’ she added, tongue firmly in cheek.

Later this year, she will open up a gallery space of her own in Zurich, Switzerland.

‘I feel I have deserved this. I have worked hard for this over 20 years, though,’ continued Julie. ‘As an artist you have to work often with no reward, and often for little or no money. You have to be so strong and believe in yourself when there is no one else around you that believes in you.’

‘There are a lot of sacrifices that have gone into me getting to this point,’ she said. ‘I have focussed on glass and being creative rather than do things like start a family or settle down. Glass is my baby.’

If you would like to see some examples of Julie’s work, some of her earlier ‘Coral’ series pieces are on display at the Studio 42 in Port St Mary.

The Mountain Road between the Hairpin and the Bungalow was closed following a road accident.

The collision which took place at about 12.30pm today (Saturday) in the area of the Waterworks and Gooseneck.

Motorists were asked to avoid the area. The Mountain Road fully reopened at about 2pm.

Police are investigating the theft of lambs from land at Ronague.

A significant quantity of lambs between six and eight months old were stolen from land off the Corlea Road between mid-December and early January.

They are marked with blue lines or circles on their backs.

Anybody with information about the theft is asked to contact Constable Robin Arnold at Castletown police station on 822222.

The public needs more information on the regeneration scheme in Port Erin, the village authority agreed on Tuesday.

Commissioners’ clerk Jason Roberts updated members about the scheme.

Regeneration focuses on the railway station building and involves demolition of the flat-roofed annex, reinstatement of a belfry, refurbishment of toilet facilities and the removal of the existing awning and its replacement with a new canopy that will wrap around the building.

As part of the scheme, the village’s bus station will relocate from Bridson Street to a layby outside the station.

Station Road itself is being reconstructed, and there will be new paving and street furniture together with a new public open space created by the railway museum.

Mr Roberts said there could be road closures as there have been ‘issues’ with the water and gas mains.

Discussions are ongoing with the village’s traders’ organisation about signage.

He added members of the public have inquired about various aspects of the scheme.

Regarding updating the public, Gerry Callister said; ‘Not everybody has social media. People do not know what’s going on.’ He said PR ‘needs to be better’.

Barbara Guy proposed they write to the Cabinet Office, which is managing regeneration schemes, and ask them ‘to get something into the public domain’. She was seconded by Mr Callister.

The authority also plans to issue a notice to remind the public about alternative car parking in the village.