An Onchan woman aged 66 died after being hit by a van this morning (Tuesday).

The incident happened at around 9.50am in Royal Avenue, Onchan, and resulted in the pedestrian dying at the scene.

The driver of a white van is helping police with their enquiries.

Detective Inspector Mark Newey said: ‘A number of vehicles are known to have been in the vicinity of the collision and I would ask those drivers to contact the police if they saw the collision or the moments immediately prior to the collision.

‘Officers from the Central Neighbourhood Police team, other emergency services and roads Policing officers conducted enquires necessitating the closure of the junction for several hours.

‘I am grateful to the public for the consideration they showed during this disruption.

‘At this time, no other persons/vehicles are being sought.

‘My thoughts are with the family at this tragic time.’

Contact police headquarters on 631212.

An array of rabbits, guinea pigs, pigeons and bantams were all showcased at the annual Manx Bantam Fur and Feather Society show on Saturday.

Full results:

Bantams

Mrs Morton Cup, Best bantam in show, Matthew Clague

Quayle Fur and Feather Cup, Best opp sex to Mrs Morton Cup, Nigel Taylor

Ballaugh Cup, Best hard feather, Meryl McCoubrey

R G Morton Cup, Best soft feather, Matthew Clague

A F O’Sullivan Cup, Best bantam exhibit by a junior, Billy Moore

Young Fancier Cup, Reserve best bantam by a junior, Ben Barnett

Rare Breed Plate, Best rare breed, Nigel Taylor

Millennium Trophy, Best bantam current year bred, Nigel Taylor

Asian Hardfeather Trophy, Best asian hardfeather, Nigel Taylor

Don Storey Plate, Best soft feather true bantam, Billy Moore

Pigeons

T A Callow Cup, Best pigeon in show, Ben Corcoran

The Dale Cup, Best pigeon in show, Ben Corcoran

The Turpin Bowl, Best young bird, Ben Corcoran

Rabbits

The Shimmin Cup, Best rabbit in show, Alex Hogg

The Swann Memorial Cup, Best rabbit in show, Alex Hogg

Craig Trophy, Best fancy rabbit in show, Alex Hogg

The Sellars Cup, Best fur bred by exhibitor, Mike Maddrell

Teare Cup, Best Angora or Lop, Mike Maddrell

The June Edge Cup, Best novice exhibitor, Alister Ronan

MW Maddrell Cup, Best juvenile exhibitor aged under 18, Spencer and Owen Qualtrough

TH Melvin Cup, Best child’s pet class, Spencer and Owen Qualtrough

Guinea Pigs

Quirk Trophy, Best cavy, Spencer and Owen Qualtrough

The Kneen Shield, Best self-coloured cavy, Spencer and Owen Qualtrough

Swann Bowl, Best child’s pet cavy, Spencer and Owen Qualtrough

Junior Cup, Best junior in cavy breed classes, Spencer and Owen Qualtrough

A derelict guest house on Douglas seafront could be redeveloped.

Plans have been submitted to convert the Marina Hotel, in Loch Promenade, into flats and offices.

Westminister Associates Limited, which owns the building, has applied to government planners (16/01163/B) for nine flats and two offices.

The lower ground floor would feature two offices, one measuring 40 square metres and the other 28 square metres, along with a unisex, disabled accessible toilet.

On the ground floor there would be a one-bedroom flat and a one-bed studio measuring 32 sq/m.

On the first, second and third floors there would be two one-bedroom flats on each floor, the largest measuring 45 sq/m.

And on the fourth floor there would be a penthouse flat measuring 64 sq/m with two bedrooms and two bathrooms and separate lounge/dining and kitchen areas.

The intention is for the owner of Westminister Associates Limited to buy this flat from the company while renting out the rest of the building.

In the bid it says one-bed flats have been chosen over two-bed flats due to a lack of parking provision on the site, which it recognises will ‘negatively affect the rental market’.

An on-site cycle storage is proposed at the rear of the building.

‘The apartments have been designed to suit, and will be specifically marketed to, young professionals and the more mature singles market who wok in central Douglas,’ it states.

‘The apartments would be suitable for single people, or a couple, and the closeness to central Douglas without the need for, and expenses of, a care would be marketed as a benefit.’

The 24-bed Marina Hotel stopped trading in the 1990s.

In the proposal it said: ‘With the tourist numbers decreasing, it was impossible to make a profit in an old building that required major investment to bring it up to date.

‘It was decided that the considerable amount of funds required would not provide an acceptable return on investment.’

The Lonan and Laxey branch of the Isle of Man Anti-Cancer Association will open a pop-up shop in White House Close in Laxey from Friday (October 21) until October 29.

The shop will be situated opposite the petrol station and will open from 10am until 4pm daily to raise funds for the charity.

For further information call 861724.

A Douglas holidaymaker says she has been over-charged air passenger duty after travelling from the Isle of Man to Portugal.

Gillian Courage, who lives in Derby Square, took a flight with EasyJet, which was booked in August and travelled from the Isle of Man via London’s Gatwick Airport.

But when she checked her ticket, she was shocked to discover both she and her partner had been charged the £13 air passenger duty not once but three times.

‘They charged us twice going out and once coming back so it was an overpayment of £26 each,’ she said.

Mrs Courage, who actually works in the aircraft industry herself, said she took the matter up when she booked the holiday but felt she was brushed off.

‘I was told I had to go through the Civil Aviation Authority’s dispute resolution service and I could not do that until eight weeks had elapsed.’

The charge should be £13 per person per flight but she insists the trip to Portugal should be viewed as a single flight.

‘It was a flight from one place to one place all through one ticket. But even through separate tickets I think it would be hard to justify it because it is still all one journey with less than a 24-hour break in between.

‘It’s a fairly stupid law and it has been badly implemented. If they collected it at the airport like many countries do, you wouldn’t be in this situation,’ she said.

But a spokesman for Easyjet insisted the charge was correct.

‘The Isle of Man falls outside the UK regulations so she was charged for the flight from the Isle of Man to Gatwick then from Gatwick to Portugal was a separate flight so duty was charged on that too. We are not a connecting airline and flights are sold as separate trips,’ he said.

Terry Liddiard, of the Isle of Man pressure group Travelwatch said it was not an ideal situation.

‘Travelwatch has discussed it with EasyJet in the past and passengers have approached them directly as well. But they always say they are a no-frills airline. I don’t think it’s something they will back down on at all,’ he said.

Mrs Courage said: ‘They can’t just change the law to suit themselves. The flight was on one ticket, I don’t think they have a leg to stand on.’

A teenager from Union Mills has been convicted of three assaults on a former girlfriend.

Nathan Yates, of Main Road, pleaded guilty to the three counts of common assault on a female with six other similar charges being withdrawn.

Yates, who is 19, will be sentenced on November 24 after the preparation of a probation report.

Prosecutor Barry Swain handed in photographs of the victim, showing her injuries from the assaults.

Yates’ defence advocate Darren Taubitz submitted a basis of plea on behalf of his client in relation to the three separate assaults.

In the plea, Yates said that, on April 18 at 2am, he saw a message on his then-girlfriend’s phone saying: ‘I hope you have left Nathan’.

A row started between the couple during which Yates admitted holding the woman down. He admitted that he was responsible for any bruises caused.

On June 5, Yates said that he saw another message on the woman’s phone and became agitated.

He said that an argument had ensued during which he admitted he used excessive force, kicking her on the shin and pushing her to the floor.

Yates said that he had grabbed the woman but added that she had also hit him.

In a third incident, on June 30, Yates said in his plea that another row had started when the woman wanted to go to a party without him.

On this occasion, Yates admitted grabbing and pushing the woman, and kicking her shin with his bare foot.

Yates went on to say that, at the time of the incidents, he was suffering from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Bail was granted in the sum of £500 with conditions that Yates lives at his mother’s home, does not contact the victim of his assaults and co-operates with probation and mental health services.

Castle Rushen High School’s year 10 rugby team were drawn against Bramhall High School in round two of the Under-15s NatWest National Vase last week.

After more than six hours of travelling, the CRHS team made it to Stockport in time for a two-minute warm-up before kickoff.

Unsurprisingly, it was a tough start to the game but the Isle of Man side found their groove quickly and caught the hosts on their heels with a Kyle Corrin try after some strong phases. No conversion was added.

This seemed to upset the opposition who came out firing with a number of huge hits leading to a turnover and a converted try to take a two-point lead into half-time at 7-5.

From the restart, the Bramhall pressure was mounting and it took a massive effort for the Manx side to keep them at bay.

The boys dug deep and repeatedly made crucial tackles, one of which led to a penalty in their own 22.

Scrum-half Kyle Davies got hold of the ball quickly and fed Django Kinley who ran hard at an unorganized defence.

No-one could stop him scoring under the posts to give the lead back to CRHS. The conversion was scored and a 7-12 lead was kept for around five minutes.

Bramhall responded again with a well-taken try in the corner to level the match at 12-12 and ensure a tense finish.

The boys’ long day was starting to show but the fresh substitutes all injected energy and gave a much-needed boost.

More Bramhall attacks were being repelled and if the Manx line was momentarily broken at any point, full-back Jake Plant ensured the try line wasn’t breached.

The constant defensive pressure from the Castletown schoolboys caused the opposition to make mistakes and a midfield turnover led to the best passage of play in the game.

Seven quick phases of clean ball culminated with Juan Kneen getting over the line and under the posts with what turned out to be the winning score.

Jack Camarda converted the try to make it 12-19 to Castle Rushen with around eight minutes to go.

It took some more excellent defence to close the game out but the boys stuck to the task and finished the job to record an impressive win.

Young Manx singer Grace Lee, who was born a complex congenital heart and lung disease, is set to perform at the Dorchester Hotel in London tonight (Wednesday).

The 11-year-old will perform to help raise money for Alder Hey Children’s Charity, for whom she is a young ambassador.

Grace was born with a congenital heart disease and lung disease and has undergone several operations, including multiple open heart surgeries, at the hospital in Liverpool.

Over the years she has raised more than £2 million for the hospital by performing at events including singing at Liverpool One and at various star-studded charity balls.

She has also sung on a charity CD and performed with the cast of hit West End musical Matilda.

Grace’s mum Kara said: ‘It’s amazing that Grace can give something back to help other children just like her. It’s her thank you for saving her life and continuing to do so! Also, the extra bonus is that Grace absolutely loves performing so it’s all fun for her.’

The young singer started secondary school at King William’s College last month. Kara said she can’t believe her daughter is now in high school and is doing so well.

‘This really is something dreams are made of, we never thought we would get this far. Grace is absolutely thriving at King William’s College. King William’s College have been incredible with Grace, we cannot thank the school enough.

‘More thanks also to Kewaigue Primary School, Alder Hey, Noble’s Hospital and Rebecca House.’

Grace is also set to perform at the Rotary Top Talent Concert at the Gaiety Theatre on November 26.

The concert, which includes acts such as Paul Costain, Ny Fennee and the Young Magicians of Mann, will raise money for Rebecca House and Pahar Trust Nepal.

Tickets are £12.50 or £8 for under 16s.

Tickets are available from the Villa Gaiety Box Office by calling 600555 or visiting www.villagaiety.com. They can also be purchased from the Welcome Centre at the Sea Terminal by calling 686801.

A delegation from Merseyside was in the island for a networking event organised by the Isle of Man Shipping Association.

The association has monthly gatherings where island and off island professionals can meet and exchange views on this important and growing sector for the Isle of Man.

The IOMSA recently entered into a new trade agreement with Mersey Maritime which aims to supercharge bilateral trade, particularly among small to medium sized businesses.

A delegation came over from Merseyside to attend a packed networking event last Thursday in the Embassy Room at the British on North Quay, Douglas.

The group included Chris Shirling Rooke, CEO of Mersey Maritime, Roxana de Raad, chief representative, Netherlands Business Support Office, Mark Raynor, chief operating officer of BAC Mono and Professor Ian Jenkinson head of the Department of Maritime and Mechanical Engineering who gave an informative talk on ‘Skills for the Marine and Maritime Sector’.

The delegation made the most of their visit to the Isle of Man exploring business opportunities and areas of potential co-operation with private and public sector,

Lars Ugland , chairman of the Isle of Man Shipping Association said the evening was ‘thoroughly engaging with the number of questions provided to Professor Jenkinson testament to the quality of his talk’.

The Isle of Man Shipping Association has also introduced a regular speaking programme from on and off island to stimulate discussion and grow relationships.

November 10 will see a talk on ‘Manx natural gas resources offshore and implications for the shipping industry’ given by Diccen Sargent, managing director of island based CityPort Oil and Gas Services, a risk consultancy company specialising in HSE risk management and risk engineering primarily in the upstream oil and gas business supporting exploration, production and service companies.

On January 12, Angie Redhead, head of cruise operations at Liverpool Cruise Terminal and also chairwoman of Cruise Britain will be giving a talk on ‘The Growing Cruise industry and the importance for the Liverpool, UK and the Isle of Man economy’.

The Isle of Man Shipping Association welcomes non members to these talks but persons are encouraged to pre-register in order to manage numbers and suitable venues. If you have interest in attending and finding out about forthcoming talks check www.iomsa.im and email secretariat@iomsa.im

If you or your company is interested in joining the Isle of Man Shipping Association also contact secretariat@iomsa.im.

A new adventure playground could prove a popular facility for the island’s younger residents.

Douglas Council has approved a proposal to use redundant land at its Ballaughton Nurseries site to create the feature in partnership with the Children’s Centre.

Council leader David Christian said the new playground would be a proper ‘back to basics’ experience for the children.

‘The Children’s Centre gave us a video presentation on it. The area can include things like wooden pallets or even old cars and things for them to build and design and smash to bits again then rebuild,’ he said.

‘It provides a real opportunity for them to learn a variety of different skills. It will be for anyone to use and it will provide a proper rough and tumble experience for them.’

The idea is for the council to fund around £42,000 to pay for preparing the site and putting fencing and a gate around it. The site will be rented at a peppercorn rent of £1 to the Children’s Centre for a seven-year period. Annual running costs of £25,000 and responsibility for manning the attraction will then be borne by the Children’s Centre. with no further liability for the council.

A disused staff portable building, which belonged to the nurseries, is also to be donated to the project.

‘It’s a good location because the Ballaughton Nurseries site is well tucked away from view, which is good because these playgrounds are not always the best looking facilities,’ he said.

‘The land is not needed now for the nurseries so it will be like an extension to the Ballaughton Park. I think the committee are to be applauded for the scheme and it is something that the Children’s Centre has proposed and the council’s executive committee has embraced.’

The scheme was devised to address a lack of play areas in the Hills ward and was favoured by the council’s executive committee and approved at a full council meeting.

An alternative proposal, which was not accepted, suggested extending the adjacent Ballaughton Park into the redundant land at the nursery.

This scheme would have reqired the area to be levelled off and grassed over. Discussion would then have taken place with the local community to decide on the best long term use of the extra space.

The total cost of this alternative was £19,000 but this excluded any cost associated with the future development of the site.

Children’s adventure playgrounds are generally manned by playworkers and when the idea was first put into practice, early examples were sometimes called bomb site adventure playgrounds or junk playgrounds allowing creative rather than regimented play.

Police are hunting for the driver of a car who failed to stop following a collision.

The incident occurred between midday and 3.30pm on Monday, October 17 in the area of Fenella Terrace, Peel.

A silver Toyota has sustained substantial damage.

The offending vehicle has left red paint residue.

If you witnessed the collision or have any further information contact Peel police station on 842208.

Police are asking for the public’s help to identify suspects of criminal damage.

CCTV images have been released which show juvenile males who are believed to have smashed bottles in the playground of Peel Clothworkers Primary School last month.

Officers from the Western Neighbourhood Policing Team have said their clothing is ‘quite distinguishable’ and believe members of the public will be able to identify the suspects.

If anybody recognises any of the males in the images contact Peel police station on 842208.

Firefighters rushed to a flat in Ramsey this morning after a report that someone was trapped in a burning flat.

Crews from Ramsey, Kirk Michael, Laxey and Douglas Stations went to the Lezayre Estate property.

But they discovered that no one was inside. The cause of the smoke logging was found to be an oven and hob which had been left on and unattended.

Appleby has announced the appointment of three senior associates at its Isle of Man office.

The leading offshore law firm has promoted Claire Collister, Helen Fretwell and Eleanor Dangerfield in recognition of their expertise and experience.

Appleby Isle of Man managing partner Faye Moffett said: ‘These appointments are part of our ongoing strategic development of the business, as well as a direct acknowledgement of Claire, Helen and Eleanor’s significant talent and hard work.

‘Appleby is a firm which recognises and rewards ability and dedication as it strives to maintain its outstanding global reputation for client relations and first class legal services.

‘All three play a significant role within the business and have shown themselves to be more than ready to take on even greater responsibilities and leading positions within Appleby.

‘I offer them my congratulations and look forward to watching them flourish in their new positions.’

Claire, who joined Appleby in 2007, has been promoted to senior associate in dispute Resolution department at Appleby’s office in Douglas, while Helen and Eleanor have been promoted to senior associate in the firm’s 18-strong corporate department.

Claire has a broad range of experience in commercial litigation matters, including advising on injunctive relief, search and disclosure orders, cross border mutual legal assistance actions, jurisdictional issues, fund disputes and insolvency matters.

She also acts for a number of insurance clients in defending claims on behalf of individuals, companies and governmental departments, including personal injury claims, medical negligence and damage to property.

Helen, who joined Appleby in 2008, specialises in banking and asset finance law, including ship finance, as well as funds and investment services.

She has also advised both lenders and borrowers on various syndicated and bilateral transactions, including acquisition finance, real estate finance and general corporate finance in both local and multi-jurisdictional transactions.

Eleanor also joined the firm in 2008 and was highlighted in the Legal 500 UK 2016 guide for her shipping and aviation finance expertise, and commended by clients for being ‘efficient and easy to work with’.

She also specialises in banking and asset finance transactions, including property, and has particular experience in providing opinions on Isle of Man companies, dealing with cross-border security and insolvency issues and providing advice on all aspects of ship and aircraft finance and registration in the Isle of Man.

Polling to elect one member to Ramsey town commissioners takes place on November 3, from 8am to 8pm.

Two candidates are standing. Nigel Peter Howard, of Briarville Gardens, Ramsey, is a social worker and youth worker.

Ffinlo Bardolph Runciman Williams, of Court Row, Ramsey, is an outdoor and walk and talk instructor.

The north ward election polling station is at the town hall in Parliament Square, Ramsey.

The seat became vacant after the election of former town commissioner Lawrie Hooper to the House of Keys in the recent general election.

Residents in the new Ayre and Michael constituency will have a chance to raise any issues at a drop-in ‘surgery’ being held later this month.

Sitting MHK Alfred Cannan, recently appointed as Treasury Minister, and newly-elected MHK Tim Baker will hold the session on Saturday, October 29, in the Sulby community hall.

All constituents are welcome to attend between 10am and 1pm and no appointments are necessary.

Mr Baker said he and Mr Cannan were committed to working together. Mr Cannan added, both intended to be as accessible to constituents as possible.

Their intention is to hold regular surgeries at different venues across the constituency.

A new ManxSPCA charity shop in Ramsey has been officially opened.

Lady Gozney, wife of the island’s Lieutenant Governor Sir Richard Gozney, cut the ribbon at the new shop on 64 Parliament Street.

She met with volunteers, staff and supporters of the island charity, owner of the building Sue Harris-Mayes, and Trevor Butler and Breda Craine of the Manx Lottery Trust.

Lady Gozney, who is the charity’s patron, enjoyed a glass of fizz and chatted to everyone at the event.

Around 50 people attended the opening of the shop, which sells men’s and women’s clothing and accessories, bric-a-brac, books and collectables.

General manager of the ManxSPCA Juana Warburton said: ‘Our new charity shop in Ramsey has had a wonderful start, and has been warmly received by so many people.

‘The society needs to generate regular income to sustain its rescue facilities. Parliament Street is a buoyant shopping area and we’re delighted with the shop’s takings to-date and the quality of the donations we’ve received.

‘We were delighted that Lady Gozney was able to officially open the shop, and to seal its place as one of Parliament Street’s great retail outlets.’

The new store is open from Tuesday to Saturday between 10am and 4pm.

Some of the Clucas family diaspora have visited the island to experience for themselves the home of their ancestors, brothers William and James Clucas, who emigrated to the US in the 1860s.

The party included 10 visitors from the US and one from Scotland, who, along with island resident Cathy Clucas, gathered at Ballagarey Chapel in St Mark’s where they compared family trees – and even spotted some family likenesses.

Formidable intelligence transformed William’s life. Despite being the son of a miner, he gained a place to study mathematics at Oxford University.

After graduating, he became a maths teacher at a school in Monmouthshire, Wales, where he met Ann Jones. The couple married in St Petersburg, Russia.

William’s great-granddaughter Nancy Woodcock explained: ‘His wife’s father was in steel mills, so maybe they got married in Russia because they were bringing people into the steel industry.’

He and Ann emigrated to the US in 1866 and he worked in Chicago and San Francisco – possibly in the steel industry – and then bought a farm in south central Illinois.

His brother James followed him to the US in 1868.

Descendant Gary Clucas, who lives in Seattle, explained: ‘After arriving in New York, he proceeded directly to the state of Illinois arriving at an area well-populated by Manxies.

‘After spending time there he then went to San Francisco, California, working in iron and steel.

‘He returned to Illinois and married. He and wife Catherine Ballard Gravatt had eight children. The family eventually had settled in the state of Idaho by 1898.’

William died in 1912 and Ann in 1906; they are buried together and their birth places are on the gravestone.

William’s farm was sold, Nancy believes, after his son John died in 1917, leaving wife Rosa with 11 children to raise. The proceeds gave them ‘something to live on,’ explained Nancy.

Clearly a family with a spirit of adventure, William and James shared two other brothers who also travelled extensively.

John was the first to leave the island, in 1864, when he went to Australia. He first spent time in the outback, then tried working as an undertaker before settling in Sydney. He had 11 children and died in 1898.

Edward, meanwhile, travelled between the island, England and the US and died in California in 1925.

The modern-day Clucas family were always aware William and James were Manx, but knew little more of the island.

Nancy said: ‘That they were from the island is the only thing I was told. The families did not always talk about it, even when I asked questions.

‘It has been a real education to see where they lived and worked.’

The family traced its roots back to the mid-1700s and John Clucas Corvalley Marown and Margaret Fargher Shenvalley Malew, who had 10 children.

Margaret’s father was Thomas Fargher, who is buried at St Mark’s churchyard, where there remain a large monument to the family.

DNA testing has traced the family’s roots back to the 800s in Scotland and the group known as ‘the little Scottish cluster.’

DNA also showed, coincidentally, the family is related to Cathy, who was hired as their tour guide.

Port St Mary resident Cathy said: ‘I had met David [a descendant of James, who now lives in Scotland] and Gary earlier this year and our paths had crossed earlier online and in the reading room at the Manx Museum.

‘Nancy and the others had contacted me looking for a tour guide and they had been recommended by some photographers I had guided in the past from Wisconsin, whom two of the group knew.

‘Subsequently we worked out we were related. We know this through my uncle taking part in the Manx DNA project and finding out, I think it was, 38/39 matches with Gary Clucas and also both having the “little Scottish cluster” gene.’

While the trip represented the first visit to the Isle of Man for most of the group, it was Nancy’s second as she first came in 2007.

‘It’s beautiful here,’ she said. ‘We have enjoyed it – and we do not have to spell our names to everyone here!

‘We found a couple of cousins have a striking resemblance to each other.

‘It’s so interesting to find out where you come from and speak English, so many families in US have relatives in another country where they do not speak English. I kind of feel a connection.’

Cathy thanked the IoM Family History Society for advertising the ‘Clucas meet’ at Ballagarey Chapel in its newsletter and the chapel for allowing them to host the reunion. She also thanked landowners for allowing access on to property to visit where some of their mutual ancestors lived.

Pupil to teacher ratios (PTRs) in the island’s primary and secondary schools compare favourably with maintained schools in England.

That’s according to education chiefs, who have released figures to iomtoday showing the number of teachers increased by 6.5 in September compared with the start of the 2015 academic year.

In September, the PTR in primary schools was 21: 1, a slight fall from 21.2:1 in September 2015. The number of teachers increased from 301.6 to 304.1 while the number of pupils rose by eight to 6,390.

At secondary level, the PTR has fallen from 14.4: 1 to 14.1: 1. The number of teachers has increased from 369.2 to 373.2 while the number of students has fallen from 5,315 to 5,246.

A DEC spokesman said: ‘Pupil numbers at primary level have remained fairly static and slight variations from year to year are a result of different age/class breakdowns in schools. The latest PTR for England is 21:1 (Nov 15).

‘There has been a decrease in the number of pupils per teacher at secondary due to a slight reduction in pupil numbers and an increase in teacher numbers from last year to this year. The latest PTR for maintained schools in England is 15.8:1.’

The spokesman added: ‘Despite tightening budgets, DEC has managed to protect and even enhance frontline services in primary and secondary phases of education.

‘This has resulted in the island comparing favourably to England in terms of pupil to teacher ratios.’

National Union of Teachers island branch secretary Jessica Egelnick said the union supports the DEC’s position that funding for education is in a better state in the island than it is in many jurisdictions in England and Wales.

‘The DEC, teachers, parents, and pupils will be aware that, in practical application, most classes comprise more than the average number of pupils,’ she said. ‘However, this is due to factors such as low PTRs in special needs units, the maintenance of valued subjects that attract a less-than-average enrolment, and the continued operation of small rural schools that form the core and focal point of their communities.’

She added: ‘We continue to work with the DEC and other education unions to develop policies and pursue initiatives which address concerns teachers have in trying to provide quality education and growth experiences to young people.’

In June, MHK Bill Malarkey, a political member of the DEC, told the House of Keys the island does not have a statutory limit on class sizes.

For planning purposes and the allocation of staff, the DEC regards a mainstream class size of 27 pupils as acceptable. But he said class sizes may rise to, or be in excess of, 30 when space and other factors allow.

One of the most prominent experts in the betting industry worldwide is based in an office in Malew Street, Castletown.

WarwickBartlett chief executive officer of Global Betting and Gaming Consultants (GBGC) works from the second floor of Barbican House.

Many shoppers must wander up and down the shopping street outside unaware that expert eyes are at work analysing and consulting people all over the world on the international gaming scene.

Business News was allowed access to Mr Bartlett’s business nerve centre.

In a wide-ranging interview Mr Bartlett, who is 70 next year, told how:

l England’s World Cup victory in 1966 nearly scuppered his ambitions to own a chain of betting shops after he secured a bookmaker’s permit at the age of 18.

l He hopes the new island government will work well to embrace the continuing challenges as growth continues in the eGaming industry in the island.

l He admits he can be seen as ‘controversial’ by some of the powers-to-be in the Isle of Man.

l He loves living and working in the island and always endeavours to fly the IOM plc flag when travelling abroad

l He welcomes more women working in eGaming.

Mr Bartlett has been based at the Castletown office since 2008.

‘When we first moved here there was no office accommodation. There was nothing available then inDouglas. The property market was booming and it was a completely different story to what we see today.

‘Now there is a lot of good office accommodation available for people wanting to move here.’

Mr Bartlett bought a house in Castletown and he says nothing can beat walking along the coast to work.

‘It’s about three quarters of a mile . It’s a bit of exercise for me and I enjoy it.’

He shares the office with an accountant and GBGC’s director of research Lorien Pilling.

And there is a satellite office in Zagreb, Croatia, manned by three staff who do a lot of research work for the company.

Mr Bartlett said: ‘We are a global company, we have worked on every continent.’

Mr Bartlett is contacted daily by clients who seek his expert help. Even as we are discussing things, he receives an email from a contact seeking his take on the talks which were then taking place between William Hill and Amaya, owner of PokerStars on a possible merger. The negotiations were later scrapped.

Mr Bartlett is full of fascinating facts and figures and stories about the betting industry.

For example he points to research showing the decrease in the number of betting shops in the British Isles, no doubt partly because of the rise in digital technology and the internet.

In 1961, when bookmakers were first licensed to operate in Britain, there were more than 9,000 ‘bricks and mortar’ bookies rising to a peak of 15,500 in 1966.

‘I think the figures for 2016 will show there are around 8,840,’ he said.

In fact it was in 1966 that Mr Bartlett first came into the business when he opened his first bookmakers shop in Tipton in the industrial heartland of the West Midlands.

He said he had always been fascinated by the world of betting and horse racing and when he was at school his neighbour found him a Saturday afternoon job in a back room at the bookies where the neighbour worked.

‘It paid £2.50 and I sat in the back office and bets were sent through to me to mark off the losers. I did that and I enjoyed it, I would get a nice cup of tea and a piece of cake.

‘And I thought this was really wonderful.

‘I looked at the way the business was being run and I thought there were improvements that could be made.

‘So I thought: ‘‘Why don’t I do this myself?’’.

‘So when I was 18 I got a bookmakers’ permit, I was the youngest person in Britain at that time with one.

‘And the magistrates said they were very sceptical about granting it because I was so young.

‘They were a lot more liberal inthose days and they gave me a chance. it was 1966’

But shortly after opening his first shop, Bartlett’s Bookmakers, in Tipton, he very nearly faced a catastrophe - all because of England’s World Cup victory over West Germany.

‘We took bets on the football and it very nearly cleaned me out, it was the worst result for me. We had been going for only about three months. When the BBC commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme famously announced: ‘‘They think it’s all over’’ it was all very nearly over for me.

‘I had to go to see the Bank of Dad and I paid him back within three months. The results were really good after that!’

A wave of success came along for the bookmakers and he built up the business until there were around 18 shops in the chain, all based around the West Midlands.

Then in 1984 he received a ‘good’ offer, which he accepted from betting giant Corals for around 13 of the shops. ‘Most of them are still trading so they were good shops.

‘I drive past them occasionally on my visits back to the UK.’

As a bookmaker he also made a book on racecourses in the Midlands such as Cheltenham and Warwick and was ‘fascinated by the whole business and you got to meet such interesting and wonderful characters in the racing world.’

Later he also set up a pawnbroking business which he still owns today, called Cashline, with two branches in West Bromwich and Cannock.

The Castletown office of the GBGC includes a boardroom with the walls plastered with newspaper and magazine cuttings.

One of those taking pride of place is from a recent survey of the Top 50 most influential people in the betting industry.

Mr Bartlett was listed in ninth spot which is quite a magnificent achievement.

He was also for 10 years the chairman of the Association of British Bookmakers and served on important committees within the industry.

He recalls:‘We made a lot of fantastic progress on behalf of the industry.’

During that period he helped persuade the Labour government of the day to tax, not on turnover but on gross profits.

One of the Labour ministers at the time was Ed Balls, who is now appearing weekly as a contestant on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing.

He is delighted to be operating the business from the Isle of Man and says he makes a point of promoting the island whenever he can.

He was married to his second wife Jennifer in a ceremony a few yards away at Castle Rushen in 2009.

He has a son and a daughter while Jennifer has two daughters.

Mr Bartlett has never been afraid to speak his mind on gaming matters and a few years ago called for an improvement to the shopping and leisure facilities in the island so as to attract the bright young people in the eGaming industry to live on island.

Mr Bartlett, who admits he can be seen as ‘controversial’ by some in the corridors of powers because he speaks his mind and is ‘off message’ said everyone was now speaking about these issues.

‘They are all saying that we have to do something and I think that is one of the challenges for the new government in the Isle of Man.

‘People come over here, they look at the tax advantages and the excellent infrastructure of the island.

‘Entrepreneurs come over here to run a business and they bring their family and that is where it does not work as well as it could.

‘Because you don’t have the shopping and leisure facilities that people want, particularly for people aged between 30 and 45 years.

‘I have to admit it is not easy to provide those facilities, we do not have the populations of Manchester and Liverpool, but what I would say is - look at Tesco, Marks and Spencer, they both perform extremely well here relative to stores in the UK and I believe there is an opportunity for some UK chain stores to do equally as well here.’

Mr Bartlett said one cannot expect too much from the newly elected government, it is just getting its feet under the table.

‘But I do hope they will not waste their first year in coming to grips with what needs to be done. If changes are not made after the first two years then they will not happen because of the countdown to the next election.’

Mr Bartlett added how the industry has changed over his lifetime. ‘I recall that it was 100 per cent male dominated but we now see as many women as men being employed and that has been to the benefit of the industry.

‘I think women multi task better than men which is vital in such a fast moving industry.

‘The first thing I noticed as a young man was that the industry is colour and gender blind, totally merit based, and everyone gets along.’

GBGC projects have included market research and assessments, business planning, product evaluations, operational reviews, development of corporate strategies, license applications, regulation development for and on behalf of Governments, IPOs, mergers and acquisitions, and due diligence.

Typical clients include operators, monopolies and state lotteries, suppliers, investment banks, major consultancies and Governments.

As Business News prepared to leave after spending more than an hour and a half in the office it became clear that Warwick Bartlett has no plans to retire just yet.

It is clear he loves this business and I reckon all bets are off on that score.