Three Girl Guides from the Isle of Man have been presented the second highest award in Girlguiding.

Lucy Pendlebury and Natasha Curphey, both aged 18, and Rachel Ward, aged 19, were all awarded the Chief Guide’s Challenge honour.

The girls, from Garwick Rangers in the island, had to complete 32 challenges, 24 of which lasted two hours with the additional eight taking at least 12 hours to complete.

It took the girls four years to complete and it is believed that nobody else in the island has completed the award.

The trio were presented their awards by Clare Christian at Garwick Rangers’s annual water fight on Douglas beach on the group’s last official night of term.

Lucy was also presented her Commonwealth Award and her Leadership Qualification, which contributed to her being nominated as a Guiding Idol by the North West earlier in the year, on the night.

Felicity Wood, leader of Garwick Rangers, said: ‘They have given a great deal to Girlguiding on the Isle of Man, not only have then been loyal members of Garwick Rangers for the past four years, but they have both been dedicated young leaders for that period too.

‘I think they were very excited and pleased to have their awards because it’s taken theem four years to do, so there was a big sense of achievement and of seeing it through. They have to really stick at it.

‘We haven’t found anybody who’s got their award in the island before,’ Felicity said.

‘They’ve all been leaders as well so it’s almost impossible to get the award while doing that so it’s quite a big achievement.’

The Chief Guide’s Challenge is open to all senior section members from the age of 14 to 25.

Girlguiding Isle of Man is the island’s largest voluntary youth organisation comprising of 65 groups catering for ages from five years to 26 years.

The organisation is also part of Girlguiding UK.

For more information about getting involved with Girlguiding in the Isle of Man visit www.girlguidingiom.im

Old Mutual International, part of Old Mutual Wealth, the leading wealth management business in the UK and internationally, has extended its sponsorship of the children’s art workshops organised by Artreach Studios.

Gallery co-ordinator and workshop instructor Kate Jerry said: ‘We are thrilled that Old Mutual International will continue to support the children’s art workshops.

‘Continued funding means we can offer the children’s workshops to families at an affordable price, and increase the range and variety of materials and techniques we offer.’

Last year, Old Mutual International announced their sponsorship of the half-term and Christmas workshops run by Artreach.

This year the sponsorship has been extended to include the parent and child workshop to be held in December as well as the Easter and Summer holidays art workshops during 2017.

Mark Callow from Old Mutual International said: ‘As a responsible business we believe it is important to support the local communities in which we operate. The children’s art workshops are a great example of community involvement and can help make a difference to the lives of local families.

‘We are delighted to be able to help Artreach, who have been leading the way with the children’s art workshops on the island for more than four years, carry on their valuable work with children and adults, helping to inspire and nurture the next generation of artists.’

Along with the arts, Old Mutual International is also committed to supporting other local initiatives such as Douglas Rugby Club, Junior Football, Douglas Athletics Women’s Football team and the Family Library.

Douglas coastguard and lifeboat were called out to help a small fishing vessel which had run aground off Marine Drive.

The fishing boat had gone onto the rocks below Little Ness, just off Marine Drive, yesterday afternoon (August 1) at around 4.45pm.

Four coastguard officers were despatched with fishing lines and first aid to help the two people on board.

Barrule, Trampie and lifeboat Sir William Hillary all helped with the rescue.

The Lifeboat took over the line to the fishing vessel and waitedg until the tide had risen enough to allow the boat to be towed off the rocks where it was found to be taking on water.

A pump was used which allowed the boat to be towed back to Douglas where it was lifted out of the water by a crane at the Battery Pier.

The two people on board were not injured or harmed.

A teenage boy had to be rescued after he fell 30 feet from a cliff.

The boy was climbing on the cliffs at the old baths in Peel when the incident occurred at 3.40pm yesterday (August 1).

His friends raised the alarm and a doctor who happened to be walking by aided the casualty until paramedics and coastguards arrived on the scene.

The young man walked away with bruising and a suspected broken arm.

Peel Coastguard would like to remind the public that climbing on cliffs is very dangerous and if anyone sees somebody in difficulty they should call 999.

Isle of Man Newspapers’ IT problems have been resolved.

Earlier today a number of emails were not being received.

But everything is now up and running as normal.

For advertising inquiries, please email ads@newsiom.co.im

The newsdesk email address - newsdesk@newsiom.co.im - never stopped working but for some time many reporters could not receive emails sent directly to them.

The 70th Sulby Horticultural Show will be held this weekend.

The popular event will take place at Lezayre Parish Community Hall on Saturday, with village resident Arthur Radcliffe opening proceedings at 1.30pm.

Show secretary Kirstie Martin said: ‘This friendly, traditional fruit, vegetable and flower show has grown in popularity and is an enjoyable way to spend the afternoon.

‘The show has been actively encouraging new “come and have a go” exhibitors for the last few years, and engages positively with local schools and playgroups. It also has many loyal, life long exhibitors who return year after year.

‘It has a strong Facebook presence and this year’s Dig for Victory theme is very fitting for the 70th Show, linking back to its origins in 1946. There’s a special wartime confectionery class for this year’s event.’

A huge variety of classes include fruit, vegetables, photography, pot plants, floral art, soft handicrafts, hard handicrafts, art, honey, eggs, preserves, alcohol, confectionery and junior classes.

There are also classes for junior exhibitors in photography, confectionery, miniature gardens, veg sculptures, painting, crafts, drawing and writing classes .

Admission is £1, children free when accompanied by an adult.

For children, a bumble bee treasure hunt will be held throughout the afternoon. A selection of home-made refreshments will also be available in the tea tent.

This year’s raffle is well supported with wonderful prizes, but tickets are only available to buy on show day.

Entries close on Thursday night at 9pm (by phone, email or post).

Visit the Facebook page sulby.horticulturalshow or contact Kirstie with any questions on 818147 or email sulbyshow@gmail.com

The island’s first same-sex wedding ceremony took place at Ramsey Town Hall on Saturday.

Manx couple Luke Carine and Zak Tomlinson became the first same-sex couple to have their wedding in the island since same-sex marriage became legal on July 22.

The couple, who now live in Manchester, said their vows at Ramsey Town Hall and had their reception in a marquee at the Fun Barn in Onchan.

Luke, aged 26, and Zak, aged 22, both attended Ramsey Grammar School and now work as ophthalmic science practitioners at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, after they moved to the city around two years ago.

Luke said they wanted to come home for their wedding to celebrate with their family and friends. ‘We came home to get married surrounded by family and friends. It feels amazing to be the first couple to have a ceremony.’

He said 70 guests attended the ceremony in Ramsey, along with members of the public who wanted to show their support, and 130 people attended the reception.

Last week Marc and Alan Steffan-Cowell, from Douglas, became the first same-sex couple in the island to become legally married. The 26-year-olds converted their civil partnership to marriage at the Civil Registry in Douglas.

The Marriage and Civil Partnership Amendment Act came into effect on July 22, following the announcement of Royal Assent to the legislation in Tynwald on July 19.

The Act enables same-same couples to marry either in a civil ceremony, in a register office or approved premises, or in religious premises (except those of the Church of England) subject to the agreement of the religious organisation in question.

It also makes the Isle of Man the first place in the British Isles to allow opposite sex couples to enter into civil partnerships as an alternative to marriage.

Manx netball’s Summer League, organised by SMP Partners Ballasalla Netball Club, has drawn to a close.

The league began in May and 10 teams battled it out over the summer months, with only one week having to be postponed because of heavy rain.

Team SMP Partners Ballasalla 2 were crowned league champions after winning all nine matches, pipping their sister team SMP Partners Ballasalla 1 by only two points.

They played each other in early July which was ultimately the deciding match, with team two edging the win by only four goals, the end result being: 30-26.

SMP Partners Ballasalla 2 are now undefeated for two consecutive Summer League seasons.

Route 1 came in third place, winning seven of the nine fixtures but being unable to defeat both Ballasalla teams.

HBN and Manx Gems were joint winners of the Most Sporting Team award, having received the most nominations voted for by participating teams.

The following teams took part in the Summer League: SMP Partners Ballasalla 1, SMP Partners Ballasalla 2, Team DQ, Thompson, Route 1, Manx Gems, Manx Aces, Absolute Scaffolding, HBN and Marbree Motors, with more than 100 netballers taking to the court.

The matches were played on Thursday nights between 6-8pm at St Ninian’s Lower School, Bemahague. It is a fun and friendly league with a twist to traditional netball as player positions are picked via lollipop sticks each quarter, allowing netballers the chance to play out of position or umpire, and gain experience all over the court.

Players range from the age of 14 upwards, with members from all three winter leagues - Premier Division, First Division and Second Division - along with some new faces who are either completely new to netball or keen to get back into the sport.

The Manx Netball Winter League will be back in action in September and in the build-up, the Manx Netball Association is running a ‘new rules’ tournament at Noble’s Park on the morning of Sunday, August 14.

For more information about this and any other netball sessions, contact Rachel Andrew on 308893 or by email mnadevelopment@gmail.com

Plans to outsource the promotion of the TT to a private company have been delayed.

Economic Development Minister Laurence Skelly MHK confirmed that a contract with Vision Nine had yet to be signed.

Vision 9 was due to take over as the government’s private partner after this year’s Manx Grand Prix, in time for TT2017. It has ambitious plans to invest £2.5m in the event and attract tens of thousands of new visitors.

But now it may not take over until after next year’s TT at the earliest.

Mr Skelly blamed the delay on failure to reach agreement with other government agencies involved in the TT.

He said: ‘I can confirm that the contract has not been signed.

‘There are on-going negotiations with all the different government agencies responsible for delivering the TT event. We are pursuing the will of Tynwald that we outsource to our preferred bidder which is Vision Nine. We are content with the decision to select Vision Nine as our preferred bidder.’

Tynwald supported the proposal to award Vision Nine a 10-year contract for the TT and Classic TT from 2017 following an hour-long debate in April.

The London-based company’s ambitious growth targets envisage spectator numbers for the two combined events increase to between a minimum of 76,500 and a maximum of 125,000 by year 10 of its contract (85,000 for the TT alone).

But critics of the appointment of Vision Nine have queried how all these extra fans are going to get here and wondering where they will stay.

The racing itself will continue to be run by ACU Events Ltd.

A walk due to take place on Saturday and planned by members of the church in Dalby has been cancelled because of subsidence that’s damaged the coastal footpath.

Cheryl Cousins, the minister for Dalby at St James’ Church, said: ‘We hope that we may be able to run this later in the year after essential work has been completed in that area.’

Communications and marketing firm MM&C has appointed an intern as part of the company’s drive to support training opportunities for young marketers.

Katie Nelson, from Douglas, is gaining experience in marketing and PR by spending her summer break with the Douglas-based agency, and undertaking roles such as administration, media communications, and carrying out market research.

The 20-year-old recently completed her Level 3 Business course at Isle of Man College of Further and Higher Education, and in September will begin a Business Management Course at the University of Chester.

She said: ‘During my time at the Isle of Man College, I thoroughly enjoyed the marketing modules which led me to apply for the internship at MM&C.

‘I look forward to learning and experiencing life in the marketing world this summer and hope to use this valuable experience to assist me at University in September.’

Craig Wolstencroft, MM&C managing director and founder, said: ‘We take great pride in the education of young marketers on the island.

‘Our internship offers opportunities to gain practical business experience across a wide range of services we offer, including advertising, media relations and events management to name but a few.

‘We’re delighted to welcome Katie to our team.’

MM&C – which in addition to its headquarters in Douglas also has offices in Jersey and London – has a client portfolio including Manx Telecom PLC and STM Group PLC which are both AIM-listed companies, and Hansard International which forms part of Hansard Global PLC, the latter having been listed on the London Stock Exchange since 2006.

The Manx Exchequer is set to make a £6m profit from its remaining shareholding in Pinewood, if a deal to sell the film studio goes ahead as expected at the end of this month.

Treasury Minister Eddie Teare said the island has doubled its money from its investment in Pinewood shares.

The Treasury purchased a total of 4,891,582 shares at £2.50 a share in October 2012 – at a total cost of £12.23m taken from the government’s investment reserves.

In April last year it sold 2,026,827 of those shares, making a net profit of about £2.5m. Further shares were sold, leaving just over 2 million.

Now with the Pinewood film studios set to be sold for £323.3m, that remaining share-holding will achieve £5.60 a share, a profit of more than £3 a share.

Pinewood Group’s two biggest shareholders have provisionally agreed to sell the studios to property investor Aermont.

Mr Teare said the Pinewood deal had defied its critics: ‘We are in a good position.’ He accepted that the investment in Pinewood involved risk, but added: ‘If you don’t change, you stagnate.’

LibVan leader Kate Beecroft (Douglas South), a long-standing critic of the Pinewood deal, said: ‘LibVan have always maintained this purchase was not one government should have made but we hoped it was successful as we can ill afford to lose money on what was, in effect, a risky investment.

‘However, the Pinewood shareholding cannot be viewed in isolation from the investment in films, as recorded in the Media Development Fund. All in all, investments in film have been written down by over £24m and expenses have exceeded income by more than £8m.’

The government wants to make it easier for farmers to notify it of cattle deaths.

Under the Bovine Identification and Traceability Order 2007, farmers must notify authorities of an animal’s death within seven days.

There are two ways for farmers to return cattle passports to the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture upon an animal’s death: directly via DEFA or via the Animal Waste Processing Plant. In addition, two parties are obliged to notify DEFA of cattle deaths, the farmer and the Department of Infrastructure, operator of the Animal Waste Processing Plant.

This has, on occasion, led to the loss of paperwork/failure to correctly notify DEFA of an animal’s death, the department says.

The department is consulting the public over a change in regulation which would mean farmers simply notify DEFA directly, returning the animal’s passport to the department.

The consultation can be found at www.gov.im/consultations

Replies should be sent to:

Jo Brew, Field Delivery Manager, Agriculture Directorate, Department of Environment Food and Agriculture, Thie Slieau Whallian, Foxdale Road, St John’s IM4 3AS

or agriculture@gov.im

by Friday, August 26.

Paper copies of the consultation can be requested at the DEFA or by ringing 685229.

An injured wallaby has been rescued from the sea in Ramsey.

PC Kerruish and PC Hardy, from the Northern Neighbourhood Policing Team, waded into the sea below Ballure Promenade to rescue the animal this Morning (August 2) and then wrapped it in a thermal blanket. The wallaby had been seen heading to The Arches before going into the sea.

It has a badly injured leg and it is suspected that it will not survive.

Douglas Council is to appoint an enforcement officer to crack down on dilapidated buildings in the capital.

Environmental services committee chairman Ritchie McNicholl said: ‘The council’s building control team perform sterling work in carrying out enforcement against owners who allow their properties to fall into dilapidation.

‘Their duties, however, extend considerably beyond this, and dealing with dilapidation issues is a complex and time-consuming process.

‘We have therefore determined that a dilapidation enforcement officer should be appointed, tasked with enforcing legislation to ensure properties are brought back into an acceptable and secure condition.’

The council has not said how much the officer will be paid.

Council leader David Christian said: ‘The vast majority of property owners in Douglas are responsible and maintain their properties to a high standard.

‘It is thanks to their sense of civic pride and the improvements brought about by town centre regeneration schemes in Douglas that the capital is taking on a distinctly more “open for business” appearance.

‘Regrettably, though, there will always be irresponsible owners with no concern for the damaging effect their unsightly properties have on the environment and on business confidence, and the council will be relentless in pursuing such offenders.

‘Dangerous and dilapidated properties and neglected sites are a blight on our town and an affront to the community of Douglas.

‘They also invite antisocial behaviour and present a very real threat to attracting new investment at a time when the economy is fragile. In appointing a dilapidation enforcement officer the council is sending out an unequivocal message that it takes this matter extremely seriously and will employ every legal recourse available to ensure empty and derelict properties in the borough are returned to a suitable standard and that the capital’s quality of life is not undermined.’

For full details of the post and an application form, visit Douglas Council’s website. Closing date for applications 5pm on August 12.

These young sports leaders are in line to be the coaches of the future after completing a summer camp at the National Sports Centre.

Fifty young volunteers 15- to 21-year-olds took part in the annual Sports Leader Programme, run by Manx Sport and Recreation (MSR) and sponsored by Sure Isle of Man.

Over a week at the NSC, they learned to coach tag rugby, badminton, golf, swimming, cricket, netball and hockey.

They gained nationally recognised qualifications from St John Ambulance in emergency first aid and Sports Coach UK in safeguarding and protecting children.

Certificates were presented at a closing ceremony at the NSC second sports hall.

The participants are pictured above.

iomtoday.co.im/buyaphoto

Vintage fashion lovers had the chance to shop for clothes, accessories and decor at a Vintage Fashion Sale.

Stallholders showcased a variety of retro, shabby chic and vintage items at Union Mills Memorial Hall on Sunday.

There was also tea served in vintage china and plenty of cakes for visitors to enjoy.

The sales are held every three months at the Memorial Hall.

To find out more about the sales and to keep up to date with future events go to ‘Vintage Fashion Sales’ on Facebook.

Let you know about any events you are holding in the island. Email us at newsdesk@newsiom.co.im and always include a daytime phone number.

Law firm Corlett Bolton has donated £300 to charity from funds raised at its branch in Douglas in lieu of fees for the swearing of oaths on documents.

The money will be shared between Alzheimer’s Society Isle of Man and UNICEF’s Syria Appeal, which offers aid to 4.8 million refugees from the war-torn region.

Sally Bolton of Corlett Bolton said the firm wanted to support local charities and help refugees.

A Douglas man has been jailed for five years and two months after admitting possessing cocaine with intent to supply.

Frankie James Thompson, of Lord Street, also pleaded guilty in court to possession of cocaine and possession of cannabis with intent to supply.

Prosecutor Michael Jelski told the court how, on November 13 last year, police executed a search warrant at a flat in Kensington Road.

No one was at home but in 30-year-old Thompson’s flat police found a small green bag containing five blocks of cannabis resin.

Also on the lounge table in the flat were two bags containing cocaine with scales and cash next to them.

The cannabis found weighed 464.3 grams and had a street value of £2,100. The cocaine weighed 12.86 grams and was said to be worth £729.80.

Attempts were made to locate Thompson and on November 16 he attended police headquarters where he was arrested.

He handed in a prepared statement admitting that he had bought the cannabis intending to sell it for profit, but said that the cocaine was for his own personal use.

Thompson said that he had been selling cannabis to fund his coke habit.

In a separate incident, on January 7, police executed another search warrant at three flats in Harris Terrace in Douglas.

Thompson was living in one of the flats but the occupants of the three flats all had access to each other’s via connecting doors.

Kamil Romon Myszor lived in another of the flats and in his flat a tin was found containing two large bags of cocaine with two smaller ones and weighing scales. In the tin was also a list of names. The value of the cocaine was between £2,600 and £3,640.

After forensic testing Thompson’s fingerprints were found on the tin and list. In a basis of plea submitted by his advocate, he admitted that he had been involved in taking money from people for drugs and keeping the ‘tick’ list of who had paid what.

He added that a third party, whom he would not identify, would give out the drugs and he would keep the list up to date.

Thompson’s plea concluded, saying: ‘I had a role in the chain but not to sell personally to drug users.’

Defending Thompson in court, advocate Steve Wood said: ‘Class A drugs are expensive and once they get their clutches in you it is hard to break the addiction. Sadly that’s what occurred in this case.’

Deemster Alastair Montgomerie said: ‘An otherwise law abiding member of the community has been derailed by the power of cocaine.’

Kamil Romon Myszor was jailed in March for four years and three months.

The hugely popular musical Oliver! will be performed at Gaiety Theatre next month with support from SMP Partners.

As it celebrates 10 years of performing summer musicals in the Isle of Man, Taylorian Productions will stage Lionel Bart’s ever-popular show from August 8 to 20

Leading corporate service provider SMP Partners is a ‘Gold Sponsor’ for the musical, the sixth Taylorian production it has supported. It will host a corporate night on August 10 with a collection for the company’s charity of the year, Crossroads Young Carers.

Mark Denton, managing director of SMP Partners, said: ‘We are long-time supporters of Taylorian Productions, having sponsored six shows, and are always delighted by the high standards, talent and professionalism they bring to the stage.

‘Oliver! is a popular musical, and we know Taylorian will combine all the well-known aspects with its own innovative staging and production to deliver a show which will delight Manx audiences.

‘As part of our active role in the community, SMP Partners supports musical theatre not only because of the enjoyment it brings to audiences, but also because of opportunities and experience it offers to everyone involved. Productions like this are a chance for people with a diverse range of talents to develop skills, build confidence and understand the value of teamwork both on and off stage.

‘We’re all looking forward to seeing what I’m sure will be the smash hit of the summer.’

Tickets, from £22.50, from www.villagaiety.com and www.taylorianproductions.net

Based on the classic Charles Dickens novel, Oliver! tells the story of an orphaned boy who escapes the workhouse only to end up part of a gang of thieves and pick-pockets in Victorian London before being rescued from a life of crime.

SMP Partners has supported many major productions at the Gaiety Theatre, including The Phantom of the Opera, Sunset Boulevard, CATS, Tommy, the Wizard of Oz, Miss Saigon, Evita and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

Pictured above: Nancy (right) played by Georgia Maddocks with Mr Brownlow and Mrs Bedwin, played by Bob Harrison and Mandy Griffin