A magistrate from Union Mills has retired after 21 years serving the court.

Roz Wilson, who is 70, has worked at Chrystals and Next and also been a teacher in the UK.

She said: ‘I will miss my colleagues and the interest. It’s a fascinating job.’

Roz said she will be spending more time doing work with her local church.

Fellow magistrate Pat Costain paid tribute to Roz in court saying: ‘Roz Wilson has been a magistrate since February 6, 1995, over 21 years.

‘She is always a valuable member of the bench and works quietly, giving thought, deliberation and fairness to decisions in the retiring room and on the bench.

‘She has served on the Magistrates Executive Committee from March 2007 to March 2011 in charge of training, and she is also on the Licensing Appeals Tribunal.

‘Roz has seen many new laws and procedures and taken them all in her stride with her usual attitude to give of her best a true professional in all she does.

‘We thank Roz for all her work in the magistrates courts, she will be sadly missed for her knowledge and wisdom in all court matters.

‘From all the magistrates we wish her a very happy and healthy retirement.’

Advocate Darren Taubitz also addressed Roz and paid tribute saying he spoke on behalf of his fellow advocates when he said: ‘Thank you for your good humour, fairness, true professionalism and compassion.’

Mr Taubitz also thanked Roz for the way she dealt with young advocates.

A total of 63 candidates will by vying for a seat in the House of Keys in next month’s general election.

Nominations closed at 1pm on Wednesday.

The candidates include 13 women - nearly the double the number who stood in the 2011 general election.

But there are four constituencies with an all-male list.

Polling takes place on Thursday September 22.

This year for the first time, following boundary changes, the old system of 15 one, two and three-seat constituencies has been replaced by 12 constituencies each returning two MHKs.

Voters in Douglas East will have eight candidates to choose from but in the new combined constituency of Glenfaba and Peel there are just three.

There are seven candidates standing in Arbory, Castletown and Malew, six each in Ayre and Michael and Douglas Central, five in Douglas North, Garff, Onchan, Ramsey and Rushen and four apiece in Douglas South and Middle.

The Manx Labour Party has fielded three candidates and Liberal Vannin four. Four candidates describe themselves and Independent and there is one Independent Green candidate.

Almost half the candidates have no previous experience contesting Keys elections or by-elections.

The first candidates put themselves forward in June. The last to declare their intention to stand did so the night before nominations closed.

Chief Minister Allan Bell is not seeking re-election and fellow Ministers Eddie Teare, John Shimmin and Richard Ronan are also bowing out of politics.

Together with the departure of long-standing MHK Peter Karran, it means that more than 100 years of political experience will be lost from the House of Keys from September.

The Representation of the People Act 1995 allows for anyone who is entitled to vote in the general election and who wants vote in advance to apply to do so to the returning officer of their constituency.

They must do so no later than September 16, or September 12 if the ballot paper is to be marked elsewhere in the British Isles.

Someone entitled to vote at the election but who cannot do so in person at a polling station or by casting an advance vote, can appoint a proxy to vote on their behalf.

Anyone who wishes a proxy to be appointed to vote for them must apply to the Electoral Registration Officer, Cabinet Office, Third Floor, Government Office, Bucks Road, Douglas, IM1 3PN no later than Friday September 16.

A 46-year-old Baldrine woman has been jailed for eight weeks for drink-driving and being drunk and incapable.

Angela Julie Maddrell, of Main Road, wept as she was led away to begin her sentence and was also disqualified from driving for five years.

Maddrell pleaded guilty to being drunk and incapable but pleaded not guilty to the drink-driving charge and was convicted after a trial.

The court heard how Maddrell failed a breathalyser test on October 22 last year with a reading of 112, the legal limit being 35.

She had claimed that the drinking had taken place after she had been driving.

She pleaded not guilty to the charge but was convicted in summary court after a trial.

In a second incident the court heard how, on June 21, Maddrell boarded a bus at Lord Street in Douglas heading for Ramsey and sat in a disabled seat.

She intended to get off at Baldrine but fell asleep and ended up still being on the bus when it arrived in Ramsey.

The driver tried to rouse her but could not wake her up. She was said to be smelling strongly of alcohol so police were called and tried to wake her by shaking her arms and pinching her ears.

Despite this she could still not be woken so an ambulance was called as there were concerns for her health.

Paramedics took her to Noble’s Hospital where she spent the night.

Defence advocate Paul Rodgers said: ‘It is no exaggeration Ms Maddrell finds herself at the lowest point in her life. She has issues with alcohol.

‘She has felt great shame in response to this drinking, there has been an element of secretiveness in it.

‘She is devastated to face a further charge. She is no longer going to be able to drive as the minimum ban is five years.

‘She drove only a short distance. Witnesses didn’t say she was drunk. She is in a very critical state of health at the moment, unless she can change things her life expectancy is short.’

Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes said: ‘The most aggravating factor is the level of reading, 112.

‘You are co-operating with the Drug and Alcohol Team but you continue to binge drink. I am not satisfied there are grounds to suspend the sentence.

‘I hope it gives you an opportunity to draw a firm line under the difficulties you have with alcohol.’

Martin Perkins, one of the Keys candidates for Garff, wants to change the name of the constituency.

After the political map was redrawn Garff stretches from the border of Ramsey to Lakeside Gardens in Onchan.

Mr Perkins says he’ll try to amend the name to Garff and North Onchan if he becomes an MHK.

He said: ‘It is clear that many of the Onchan residents feel totally disenfranchised by being lumped into Garff.’

The critical period between cardiac arrest and treatment should now be much less for anyone who collapses near the TT grandstand thanks to a new public access defibrillator.

The machine, which can be used by anyone without specialist knowledge, can shock a patient to restore a heart beat, improving their chances of survival which diminish with delay.

Funding of £4,000 came from the Rob Vine fund charity to buy the defibrillator and a secure wall mounted storage box to keep it in. The apparatus can be accessed in an emergency using a code number obtained by dialling 999.

The plan now is to build up a map pinpointing all the defibrillators, so 999 operators can explain the location of the nearest one. To help do this, the public are being asked to provide information on the whereabouts of the machines by emailing defibs@gov.im. They can also get advice on how to make an existing machine publicly accessible. For example support can be given to an organisation with a privately owned machine if they would like to re-site it in a box outside their premises.

The summer of 1976 saw the UK in the grip of a drought with hose pipe bans and emptying reservoirs but for racing fans it was much more momentous as the year the legendary Joey Dunlop made his TT debut.

Now, marking the 40th anniversary of that first appearance, fans can visit the Jurby Motor Museum and marvel at one of the largest displays of Dunlop memorabilia to be found outside his home town of Ballymoney in Northern Ireland.

The display was organised on behalf of the Museum by former Manx Grand Prix racer and Joey Dunlop fan Chris Wedgewood.

‘I heard there was a big display at ExCeL in London so I jumped on a plane and went there. I managed to speak to Joey’s son Gary and asked if we could do the display in the museum here in the Isle of Man.

‘By the time I had arrived back in the island there was a phone message saying yes. I went across to Ireland with Darren Cunningham from the museum and the deal was signed over a pint or two of Guinness.’

Initially, the museum had to prepare not knowing exactly what would be coming over. A container arrived courtesy of Mezeron and the team at the museum had two days to get everything unloaded and set up in purpose built display cabinets. The result is a stunning display comprising not just trophies but numerous sets of racing leathers, helmets, bikes, personal items like tool boxes and kit bags, as well as photographs and contemporary newspaper articles.

Among the 480 trophies are the first he ever won at Mid Antrim in 1972, a few from Andreas Racing and the numerous TT replicas, including his last, from 2000. Joey’s casual attitude to the trophies - often just thrown in the attic of his garage, shows in one of the TT replicas - broken and welded together again minus its wheel.

There are also his OBE and MBE awards, of which he was extremely proud.

Among the quirkier items are a pair of gloves with one of the fingers taken off and sewn up to stop it flapping about after he lost a finger.

There’s a large number of bikes, from a Honda RS125 to the Honda RC30 and RC45, ridden at Talin in Estonia, the meeting at which he died in 2000 just a few weeks after that year’s TT.

Manx National Heritage will host a children’s picnic on Sunday at Rushen Abbey Gardens, Ballasalla.

The picnic will be themed ‘The Pirates meet the Little People’ with pirate and fairy themed craft activities, a fairy trail, garden games, face painting, child friendly tattoos, bumbee cage making demonstrations and storytelling with the Isle of Man Family Library.

Anthea Young, education services officer for Manx National Heritage said: ‘Our Little People’s Picnic is always a popular event and our most popular day of the year at Rushen Abbey. Children and families are encouraged to come along dressed as pirates, fairies, goblins and mythical creatures for the day and participate in crafting and play.’

Standard admission charges apply. It will take place from 11am to 4pm at Rushen Abbey Gardens.

Keys candidates for Ramsey will face the public at a meeting in the East Hall, Ramsey Grammar School on Wednesday, September 14.

The hall will be open from 7pm and the meeting will begin at 7.30pm.

At present there are three candidates – Alex Allinson, Lawrie Hooper and Leonard Singer.

The General Election will be held on September 22.

In view of this, the commissioners have agreed to delay their monthly meeting for one week until September 28.

Two members of the board are seeking election – Lawrie Hooper in Ramsey and Pat Ayres in Ayre and Michael.

Julie Blackburn sits down to lunch with Chief Minister Allan Bell CBE, who has recently announced his retirement

I’ve interviewed Allan Bell several times over the years, in his various ministerial roles in government, and he has always been very much ‘on message’, as they say in marketing circles, and very much on top of his brief.

But times change and life moves on and, having in his own words ‘agonised for months’, Mr Bell has taken the decision to leave the political arena.

So now we are sitting down to lunch in Samphire, overlooking North Quay in Douglas, and I am looking forward to giving him a chance to talk a little more freely than he has been able to in the past.

We start off by discussing the future and I am wondering if he can even imagine what it might be like without the life-consuming political pace he has been used to:

His answer is simple: ‘No. I’ve had this conversation with a few people and it’s almost going to be new territory because I got involved with politics really not long after I left school. It’s never been a job or a career for me, it’s something I passionately believe in.

‘So the concept of simply switching off in early October and sitting at home, retired with my feet up… I just can’t conceive how I will possibly adjust to that.

‘I will always be taking an interest in politics. I’ll never lose that but I’m fit and healthy so I want to find something else to do – I’ll be looking for a new challenge.

‘I’m not quite ready for Jeremy Kyle and daytime television just yet!’

Listening to Mr Bell talk about a wide range of political issues reveals a somewhat contradictory mix of idealism and hard-headed commercial sense that probably reflects the essentially individual nature of the Manx political system where members don’t have to fit neatly into one political party or other.

This is a man who is passionate about seeking out and developing niche opportunities to grow the island’s economy. During his time in Government he was responsible for opening up new initiatives in space, eGaming and film sectors, for example.

If this were the UK you might immediately assume him to be a member of the Conservative party (an idea which, I suspect would make him shudder).

On the other hand, his one regret in terms of the things he didn’t manage to achieve in his long political career was to get the Equality Bill passed into law, although it is still alive and hopefully will be agreed by the incoming Tynwald. And listening to him talk about his passionate belief in social equality – the ideal that got him into politics in the first place - you couldn’t imagine him anywhere else but the Labour party.

In his mind there is no contradiction: ‘Economic development has always been another passion, largely driven from the fact that we had very high unemployment and I was able to see the tremendous damage that long term unemployment did to younger people in particular, to society and to people’s hopes and dreams. Unless you have a strong economy, unless you can create the jobs to give people a belief that they really do have a future, then there is always going to be fragility about the Isle of Man.

‘It’s not just growth for the sake of growth, but to give that security to the next generation of young people.’

We take a break to consult the menu and Mr Bell tells me that Stephen, his partner of 21 years, likes to cook spicy foods but he prefers traditional food in general, especially fish.

Does he ever cook himself? ‘Not if I can avoid it - if it wasn’t for Marks and Spencer and the man who invented the microwave I’d have been dead years ago!’

He orders the kipper pate and turns down the wine in favour of sparkling water.

We talk about music and Mr Bell tells me that his first musical passion was Tamla Motown in its earliest days in the 60s when he had to buy the records on import:

‘I’m a child of the 60s. I grew up with the Paris riots, the Vietnam war, President Kennedy, segregation: all that background helped to fire me up for politics. That was when I joined Mec Vannin - there was such a belief that we could change the world at that time.’

On the Isle of Man, the political landscape was unimaginably different from today. The ‘big new idea’ in government at the time was the New Residents Policy which brought in a wave of retirees and saw a rash of bungalows springing up everywhere. Not surprisingly, people on the island - and especially young people – could see very little benefit coming their way from this and saw Mec Vannin, which had over 2,000 paid up members at the time, as the answer.

‘My nationalist feelings came out of a passion for the Isle of Man, for our identity, for the fact that even our own government was not protecting us, and the lack of any imagination in government to stimulate the economy and bring about any social fairness. Equality was something that never passed anyone’s lips in those days,’ Mr Bell recalls.

His political career began with Ramsey Commissioners during the 1970s. In 1976 he stood in the general election as MHK for Ramsey and just failed to get in by a handful of votes. In 1984, a by-election gave him the chance to stand again.

His rather quirky occupation during those intervening years had given him the chance to see for himself the effect that a lack of economic opportunity had on young people:

‘In the early 80s I had my shop in Ramsey: I was the island’s sole supplierfor punk and New Romantic clothes and all the island’s punks used to descend on Ramsey on a Saturday afternoon!

‘It was an exciting time but it meant that an awful lot of young people came through the shop and I would see so many of them just coming up to leaving school really bright eyed and bushy-tailed and looking forward to life. A couple of years later they would still be coming in but with no chance of a job, no chance of a home of their own and no real opportunities here on the island. That was the final push that got me standing again.’

This time of course, he was elected and, again looking back it seems hard to imagine what the social and economic conditions on the island were like then. Government held just £1 million in reserves and unemployment was pushing 10 per cent. Hanging and birching were still on the statute books and, if you were gay, you could look forward to the prospect of life imprisonment. If you were a woman, you weren’t even guaranteed statutory maternity leave.

Mr Bell recalls: ‘The Isle of Man was an absolute basket case, economically and socially. I remember the first few Tynwald meetings that I attended there were job creation resolutions on virtually every agenda and if we’d been able to create a half dozen or a dozen jobs in that Tynwald sitting we’d have been doing well.

‘Today, the unemployment figures have come out and they’re the lowest for eight years at 1.4 per cent. It’s a different world altogether and it’s very difficult, if not impossible, for people today to reflect on what the Isle of Man used to be like.

‘One of the big worries about the exodus of experience from the House of Keys this time is the loss of that corporate memory as to where we came from. If you’re making decisions today you must never lose sight of your history, how we got here and just how fragile what we’re enjoying today could be - we’ve had to work 30 years to get to where we are. There will be no members left in the House of Keys with any memory of anything that goes back that far and that does cause me a concern.’

We take a break and both order the Samphire Luxury Fish Pie which is delicious and we take our time to enjoy it.

I ask Mr Bell about the passing of the Same Sex Marriage Act and whether he would now consider getting married.

‘Who knows? Stephen and I have been together for over 20 years so it’s been a long relationship but the job I’ve had intrudes into family life in a way most people can’t appreciate. It’s been very difficult for him as well to be in a relationship with the Chief Minister, which is high profile. Stephen is mixed race and that’s caused some comments -we’ve had to suffer a huge amount of pretty vile abuse on social media.’

Mr Bell went on to quash one of the rumours that has been doing the rounds for quite some time: ‘The one that had me owning a mansion in Perth - we know where it came from and it’s utter nonsense. It just shows the stupidity of some of the stuff you read on social media.

‘I don’t mind being criticised: I’ve got a thick skin and I take no notice. I get angry at times at the nonsensical rubbish you read but when family and friends get drawn into it as well it did make me think: “Do I really want the job any longer?”’

This also brings us on to the social changes that have been brought about during Mr Bell’s time in government.

‘Things like the Same Sex Marriage Act have been quite important: our social attitudes have done the Isle of Man so much damage over the years. We used to get absolutely battered in the UK media, we had the UK government at us for many years and there was a union boycott on holding conferences here so we lost a huge amount of business.

‘So it’s not just Allan Bell protecting his own narrow interest, it’s winning over friends in a much broader way which will help us at every level because, if the island’s economy is going to grow and we’re going to grow the population, we have to have the right social structure over here to make the Isle of Man attractive.’

Over coffee, we discuss Brexit and what future opportunities there may be to grow the island’s economy.

On Brexit, Mr Bell doesn’t mince his words: ‘The whole direction of the UK and the lives of 60 million people has changed on a string of lies and threats from both sides – I am just lost for words when I begin to describe my anger at the way that whole thing was handled. It’s the first time I’ve ever felt ashamed to call myself a politician.’

He adds that the politicians and civil servants he regularly meets with in London are of the opinion that it’s likely to take up to 10 years to unravel Britain’s membership of the EU so the ramifications could be felt for a long time. But when it comes to the island specifically and its future he says:

‘The challenge ahead isn’t going to be that different from what we’ve had over the last five years.

‘We absolutely need more people, but people of the right sort who are working and making contributions and that might just mean more of our own people staying here rather than leaving - it’s not boosting immigration for the sake of it.

‘If you look at our recent history we’ve been able to identify niche opportunities on a fairly steady basis the aircraft registry, shipping, eGaming, space, film – a whole raft of things.

‘These niche opportunities often come out of the blue and we’ve got to be fairly fleet of foot to be able to capitalise on them, and be willing to take a risk from time to time.

‘Not everything we try will come off: sometimes it will fail and we’ve got to accept that. Unless Tynwald changes its attitude and is prepared to accept failure from time to time we will not be able to take the ones which could work out.’

And, as a final thought about his years spent in government and the achievements in that time, he says: ‘I know we get criticised now, we get beaten up about all sorts of things. But what we have in the island today is incomparable to what the island was like 30 years ago. I think the island now does look outwards: it’s far more expansive, more tolerant, more inclusive. Equality is not entirely entrenched but it’s a lot better than it was and the rights of the individual are respected in a way that they weren’t before.

‘People forget what we went through, economically and socially, to get to where we got to today. It’s not been an easy journey by any stretch of the imagination.’

So as Mr Bell heads off into the sunset, will we look back on his time in government, in his various roles, as a golden era for the island, politically, economically and socially?

I wonder . . . hsitory will judge.

Tributes have been paid to a former government Minister who has died in hospital following a tragic accident.

Former Middle MHK Martyn Quayle was found unconscious at the foot of a flight of stairs in Douglas a few weeks ago.

He was airlifted to Walton Hospital in Liverpool with head injuries and was put in an induced coma but sadly he passed away this morning. He was just 57. His family was with him when he died.

Health and Social Care Minister Howard Quayle, who succeeded Martyn Quayle as MHK for Middle, said he had suspended canvassing in the constituency today as a mark of respect.

He said: ‘I knew him all my life. He was an absolute gentleman. He was honest and did his best for the Isle of Man. He did not have a bad bone in his body. I’m genuinely very upset - it is desperately sad.’

Lifelong friend Jane Ellis said: ‘Martyn had so many friends in all corners of the world. He was bursting with life and he had such a great sense of fun and humour. This is such a huge loss to so many. He was the perfect gentleman.’

Alex Toohey, chairman of Marown Commissioners, said: ‘We are deeply saddened by the news of Martyn’s passing.

‘On behalf of the Marown Commissioners and all within the parish, we would like to pass onto Martyn’s mother and family our heartfelt sympathies and condolences at this extremely sad time.

‘Martyn was a dedicated member of the parish and a gentleman in every sense of the word. His contribution to the parish, Marown Parish Community Care, Marown Football Club, Crosby Silver Band, as well as island life as a whole, will be sorely missed by everyone.

‘We are grateful for the huge level of support he showed the Commissioners over the years and will be flying the flags at Marown Parish Church at half-mast as a mark of respect.’

Martyn Quayle was first elected to the House of Keys in 2001. During his political career, he was appointed Minister for Home Affairs, Tourism and Leisure and Social Care.

He grew up in Glenlough Farm and lived in Ballahutchin House in Marown. He leaves his two older brothers Peter and John and is survived by mother Evelyn.

Mr Quayle was educated at Marown Primary School and Douglas High School. Before entering politics, he was a civil servant and then joined Isle of Man Farmers Ltd, serving as general manager.

In 2004, he was left on crutches for months after breaking both his legs in a car crash in Scotland.

The closing match of the Isle of Man cricket season goes ahead on Saturday with the final of the Blincoe Cup.

This was due to be played last weekend, but the game was abandoned because of the heavy rain which swept the island.

The two sides are Valkyres B and Peel & St John’s B.

The delay may well have boosted the Saints’ chances of success with some players who were originally unavailable now in line for selection.

On the other hand, Valkyres were able to get in some much-needed match practice on Sunday with an inter-club game to celebrate the club’s 50th anniversary.

Valkyres have won the trophy only once (in 2010) while their opponents can boast of six cup victories.

To reach this year’s final the Saints beat Crosby and the holders Ramsey, while the Douglas side knocked out Union Mills and IoM Schools.

The final is two innings of 16 overs per side and the maximum number of overs per bowler is two.

These games usually provide some spectacular cricket and great entertainment for spectators.

The final on Saturday takes place at Mullen-e-Cloie with a 1pm start.

CRICKET FIXTURES

Saturday, August 27

Blincoe Cup Final

(1pm)

Shimmin Wilson Peel and St John’s B v Valkyres B

(at Mullen-e-Cloie)

Covert police vehicles are playing a key role in efforts to maintain road safety in this year’s Festival of Motorcycling.

The Roads Policing Unit and Road Safety Team are continuing one of the themes highlighted during this year’s TT Races to encourage people to act responsibly and stay safe.

‘The Force Is Behind You’ safety campaign alerts road users to the increased presence of unmarked police vehicles equipped with video cameras.

Trained officers are also on patrol and are dealing with the minority of people who persist in riding or driving dangerously.

Chief Inspector Steve Maddocks said: ‘We are committed to making the island’s roads as safe as possible all year round and keeping the number of collisions to an absolute minimum.

‘The Festival of Motorcycling is a busy period and we hope everyone will heed the campaign messages, stay safe and remember the event for the quality of the racing and the unique atmosphere.

‘High-visibility police patrols will be supported by unmarked vehicles to enforce the rules of the road and to tackle offences such as excessive speeding, dangerous riding and drink-driving.’

The campaign encourages visiting and local bikers to respect Manx roads and ride within their capabilities.

A pocket-size leaflet stresses the importance of keeping speeds down, maintaining a safe distance from other vehicles and abiding by the central white lines.

It also includes a full list of road closing times and a reminder that the Mountain Road remains two-way throughout the festival.

Leaflets are being handed out on boat sailings and are available from police station counters, the Welcome Centre at the Sea Terminal and other information points.

Gordon Edwards, road safety manager, said: ‘Road users should take extra care to adjust to the festival environment and higher volume of traffic. Excessive speed is a factor in many collisions and people are urged to use their common sense on sections of road that have no upper speed limit.

‘At the end of every straight is a bend, so we want riders to behave responsibly and not take unnecessary risks. Those who flout the law will be dealt with by the courts. Remember: a driving ban follows you home.’

The first practice for The Festival of Motorcycling took place on Monday.

For details of road closures visit www.gov.im, click on ‘Travel, Traffic and Motoring’ and go to ‘Road Watch’.

The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) with take to the skies in Jurby to commemorate all those who have lost their lives serving in the Royal Air Force and its predecessor the Royal Flying Corps.

A display by a Hurricane, Spitfire and a Lancaster bomber will be held during the Vintage Motor Cycle Club Festival of Jurby on Sunday (August 28).

The historic aircraft will roar into the skies in remembrance of ‘The Few’ who defended our skies during the summer of 1940 at 2pm at Jurby airfield.

The Lancaster is one of only two left in the world, the other is in Canada, and the Spitfire and Hurricane single-seater fighters were at the forefront of the Battle of Britain.

While the Spitfire has tended to dominate the limelight as the most iconic fighter of the Second World War, most veterans have pointed out that the Hurricane was the real work-horse of the battle. During the four-month battle, 2,585 aircrew lost their lives and 1,977 aircraft were destroyed.

The ‘Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’ appears in displays all over the UK during the summer months in honour and remembrance of those who gave their lives. It is a regular RAF unit, manned by service personnel and funded by the Ministry of Defence.

The BBMF display, which has been arranged by the Department of Economic Development (DED), is one of the many attractions at the Festival of Jurby.

Visitors to the festival will have the chance to view rare and classic motorcycles, many being piloted by famous riders, and see static displays of many more machines. In addition, there will be stalls, refreshment tents and live entertainment.

David Cretney, government political member responsible for tourism and motorsport, said: ‘It is entirely fitting that the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will take place at Jurby given that the RAF were based there between 1939 and 1963.

‘The memorial flight will really complement an excellent day’s entertainment lined up for the VMCC Festival at Jurby this year, which has grown to become a huge part of the Festival of Motorcycling.

‘I’m delighted that the DED team has been able to facilitate the RAF display coming to the island as well as the star international riders.’

The festival, run by the Isle of Man branch of the Vintage Motor Cycle Club, is one of the biggest events at this year’s Classic TT. It runs from 10am to 5pm at Jurby airfield.

Tickets are available on the gate and are priced at £5 for adults with free entry for children under the age of 16.

Speed demons are revving up for the annual Drag Fest which will take place at Jurby Airfield next weekend.

This will be the sixth year the event has taken place and speeds are expected to reach over 230mph.

There is no charge for spectators and gates open at 9am on Saturday, September 3, and the following day with the racing running from 10.30am until 4.30pm. Six top UK drag racing teams are making the trip over to put on a show and race against the Isle of Man’s quickest drag racers.

Local teams will include Malcolm Forbes from Sulby with his Chevy-powered-dragster and Ian Merryweather from Ballaugh, with his super-charged Chrysler Hemi powered 1938 Fiat Topolino, which was awarded best vehicle at the recent Santa Pod event ‘Dragstalgia’, an event for the finest nostalgia dragsters in Europe.

Ian Merryweather, who is also one of the organisers from the Manx Drag Racing Association, said: ‘The race is run in much the same way as the famous Ramsey Sprint, however it is open to all vehicles which pass a basic scrutineering test. Riders and drivers must wear a crash helmet plus correct clothing for purpose and hold a full licence or provisional licence after the rider/driver has completed observed runs and been deemed competent to race.’

This year’s star attraction is Julian Webb from Yorkshire with his jet-powered dragster which is capable of speeds approaching 250mph in under six seconds.

Also racing will be the reigning UK supercharged outlaw champion Paul Watts, from the Isle of Wight, who will be driving his 1600 Hp 1957 Chevrolet, and Spencer Tidswell, from Yorkshire, who will be driving his 1941 Willys Coupe powered by a 9,800cc procharged Chevy V8.

Mark Flavell, from Teeside, will also be bringing his Pontiac Firebird Funny Car.

There will also be something for fans of two-wheelers with the UK’s and island’s quickest and fastest 1/4mile drag bikes tackling the Jurby track.

Two of the island’s fastest drag racers will provide visitors with stiff competition as Gary Leach from Kirk Michael rides his Kawasaki, and Paul Callow from Peel hopes to be fit enough to ride a new bike.

Paul had a major spill during TT at the Ramsey Sprint which was shown on the recent ‘TT Blues’ TV show.

Provisionally there are 10 classes for cars and 10 for bikes but this is subject to entrants.

Details on how to enter Drag Fest are on www.manxdragracing.com or email info@manxdragracing.com

The 14th annual Steve Hislop Memorial Run takes place in Scotland and England this Sunday.

Hizzy, twice crowned the British superbike champion and one of the most successful riders in the history of the TT races, was killed in a helicopter crash near Teviothead, Roxburghshire in 2003.

Motorcyclists from around Britain set off from his home town of Denholm at 10am sharp and take in a 150-mile round trip which crosses into England before returning to the Scottish Borders.

There is no need to register for this event, just turn up on the day - refreshments will be provided.

All funds raised from the run will be donated to Blood Bikes Scotland which provide a free-of-charge medical courier service to NHS hospitals.

Registered voters unable to vote in person at a polling station in the General Election on September 22 should apply for an advance vote.

Advance votes enable electors to cast their votes before polling day, at a time and venue agreed with the constituency returning officer. This can be done on or off iIsland, provided it is within the British Island.

Advance votes should not be confused with proxy votes.

Advance and proxy vote application forms are available online at www.gov.im/elections, from constituency returning officers or from the Cabinet Office, 3rd Floor, Government Office, Buck’s Road, Douglas.

Completed application forms for advance votes should be forwarded to returning officers by September 16 for voters who wish to cast an advance vote within the Isle of Man and by September 12 for voters who wish to cast an advance vote elsewhere within the British Islands.

Students who are registered to vote but who will be off island on polling day may apply to cast an advance vote. Those at university/college in the British Islands may choose to have a ballot paper delivered to the term time address.

More information regarding the election can be found at www.gov.im/elections or by emailing elections@gov.im or phoning 685754.

Castle Rushen High School PE department organised its first fundraising charity event during the last week of term to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

PE staff planned for all pupils aged 11 to 14 to complete a 5km walk around Castletown during their games lessons.

Jody Astin, who organised the event, said: ‘Knowing the horrifying statistics that, unfortunately, one in three of us will be diagnosed with cancer in our lives, means there is every chance someone in our school may be affected. That’s why we called on all our students to ditch the uniforms, lace up their trainers and teach cancer a lesson once and for all.’

‘Our pupils surprised us immensely, as we only asked for a £1 donation, and we had a target to raise £1,000 over all four year groups, but our pupils went on to raise a superb £5,047. We cannot thank the pupils, parents and community enough in their continued support, and we truly are touched by their efforts, going above and beyond. We will definitely make this a yearly event.’

A government department is embroiled in a dispute with the private promoter behind the Tom Jones concert.

Economic Development Minister Laurence Skelly had declined to make public any details about the gig’s financial performance because of a contractual agreement with promoter tinyCOW.

But the Manx Independent has learned that the DED is in dispute with tinyCOW over who is liable for certain costs of organising the event.

In an email sent to prospective MHKS, tinyCOW’s chief executive officer Lee O’Hanlon threatened legal action if a sum totalling £2,155 in relation to tower lights and seating bars was not repaid. It is understood that claim has been settled.

But his email also states: ‘DED are attempting to not pay out my return on the investment in the show and instead are seeking that my companies provide them with circa £100,000 after the show made a loss. Not as great a loss as The Jacksons, which made a loss of circa £100,000.

‘DED, whilst utterly cognisant of the true position, are threatening my companies, and so the livelihood of my family, to cover their own mistakes. I will not accept this. This saddens me greatly as the fall-out will be tragic for the island as I fight for me and my company to be appropriately treated.’

He said ‘cheating’ his company out of its return on investment would jeopardise ‘multi-million pound’ investment in the island - and he threatened to forward an ‘extensive dossier’ to all media, music agents and theatre companies in defence of his business.

Mr Skelly said the Tom Jones gig would be close to breaking even – if the dispute with tinyCow can be settled.

His department’s chief executive, Chris Corlett, said the DED is seeking further talks with the promoter and had offered to enter into mediation to get the matter resolved.

He said: ‘The department worked with tinyCOW, a private promoter, to deliver the Tom Jones concert. It was a large complex event. Now we are seeking to finalise the accounts in relation to that with tinyCOW.

‘At this stage we are trying to reach a common view with the final accounts. We have offered to meet further and discuss the matter with tinyCOW and are prepared to enter into negotiation and mediation if required to resolve the matter appropriately. We are awaiting a response.’

Mr Skelly said: ‘Subject to us resolving this matter, we believe the Tom Jones concert was close to breaking even.’

A total of 3,945 tickets were sold for the Tom Jones concert in a big top at Noble’s Park on July 26. The venue had a maximum initial capacity of 10,000 but this was reduced to just over 5,000 to provide extra seating.

Meanwhile, the DED says it will look to see what action it could take against a Facebook page over what it says are ‘factual errors’ posted about the organising of 2014’s loss-making concert by The Jacksons, the Vision Nine TT contract and about plans to bring in a private firm to run the Villa Marina and Gaiety Theatre.

The Isle of Man News Facebook page, which has no connection at all to the Isle of Man Newspapers Facebook page, lists the names of three firms it says have been shortlisted to run the Villa-Gaiety.

Mr Corlett said he could not confirm or deny those names.

But he added: ‘There’s been a number of posts on social media which contain factual errors some of which have caused distress to some of our staff and so we are looking at what steps we can take to address that.

‘We have spoken to a wide variety of potential operators and we are down to a shortlist of three. We are about to issue invitations to tender in the next few weeks. We have appraised staff fully.’ Mr Corlett said he expected a decision to be made by the department before Christmas.

The DED Minister has previously confirmed The Jacksons gig lost a five-figure sum. It is understood, however, the total loss was just over £100,000.

Ramsey’s Civic Sunday service will take place on Sunday. September 11.

There will be a procession from the town hall at 2.30pm led by the town band, followed by a service in St Paul’s Church starting at 3pm.

A 25-year-old man from Douglas has pleaded guilty to five drug-related charges in summary court.

Ben Clark Owen, of Belmont Terrace, admitted two counts of production of cannabis to the island, one of possession of 50 ecstasy tablets with intent to supply, one of possession of cannabis with intent to supply, and one of possessing criminal property.

The court heard how, on May 27, police were called to Douglas Post Office sorting office after a report of two suspicious packages.

Both were addressed to ‘Ben Owen’ but at a different address to his home one.

Police opened the packages and one contained green vegetable matter, while the other contained a brown resinous matter. Both were later identified as cannabis.

Police attended Owen’s flat and seized his mobile phone. It showed a record of a call to the post office enquiring whether the packages found to have drugs in had arrived.

The total value of the drugs was said to be £7,309. Cash totalling £665 was also found at Owen’s flat.

Prosecutor Michael Jelski said that the case should go to the higher court. Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes agreed and Owen will appear at the Court of General Gaol Delivery on September 2.