MAJOR roadworks began on Ballanard Road, Douglas, on Tuesday.

It involves the refurbishment of the carriageway and footways between Glencrutchery Road and Barrule Road.

The Department of Infrastructure says work will involve full reconstruction of sections where the road structure has failed and re-surfacing of other sections where the underlying road structure is sound.

The Water Authority will be refurbishing their sewers and Manx Gas are also replacing their apparatus as part of this project.

The work will be carried out in phases, initially with a total road closure between the section adjacent to the southern end of the recreation ground (No 24 Ballanard Road) and Norwood Drive. It is anticipated that the works will last for about four weeks.

Vehicular access to Norwood Drive will be maintained at all times, although access will be from the Glencrutchery Road only. Pedestrian access will be maintained along Ballanard Road.

The second phase of the works will be from Norwood Drive to Park Avenue. This work will also be undertaken during a full road closure and is expected to last for six weeks.

During this phase access will be maintained to Norwood Drive from Johnny Watterson’s Lane, Park Avenue will be accessible as usual however at the junction with Ballanard Road it will only be possible to turn left towards Glencrutchery Road.

Port-E-Chee Avenue will only be accessible from Bray Hill. During this phase pedestrian access will also be maintained along Ballanard Road.

The works will be totally suspended and made safe for traffic and pedestrians to use during the TT festival.

Further phases of the work will continue after TT with the main reconstruction work being completed by mid-September. The road will be opened again for the Festival of Motorcycling (Manx Grand Prix), and the resurfacing works will be completed by mid November.

The DoI says it has reviewed the impact of these works, along with other major roadworks taking place in Douglas at the moment. It says consideration has been given to the management of traffic flow during all roadworks particularly to ensure that commuter routes in and out of Douglas are maintained.

A spokesman said: ‘The impact of Ballanard roadworks will be carefully monitored.’

THE KPMG Promendade Relay will take place today (Friday) after being postponed on March 22 because of the wintry weather.

Registration will take place at 4.30pm at the Claremont Hotel on Loch Promendade before the real fun starts at 5.30pm.

The event will see serious athletes and fun runners alike complete a 10km promenade course in teams of either four or two in aid of the island’s children’s hospice Rebecca House.

The event is sponsored by The Claremont, Boston Group, Shoprite, Appleby, Barclays, Pokerstars, Mann Link Travel, Skandia and the Douglas Development Partnership, while participants will also collect their own fundraising money in aid of Rebecca House, KPMG’s charity of the year 2013.

KPMG manager Paul Cawley: ‘There is a great cross-section of industries entering the event which will add a different competitive element to what I hope will turn into an annual event.

‘Rebecca House is a wonderful charity and I am proud to see from the response we’ve had so far that the island’s business community is well aware of the fantastic work it does for children that face life limiting illnesses. It seems the hard work has now paid off so I urge everyone who can to come down and show their support during what is certain to be great event.’

Mary Doyle, of Hospice Isle of Man, said: ‘We are delighted to be working with KPMG this year and are really grateful to the team at this firm for organising a Promenade Relay.

‘We are also grateful to all the sponsors that have come on board.

‘Our children’s Hospice, Rebecca House, currently looks after 23 children, ranging in age from six months to 14 years old so events such as this not only allow individuals and companies to get involved in a community way but raise our children’s Hospice profile and income – thank you to everyone involved.

THE 2013 Moto GP World Championship season kicks off at the Losail circuit in Doha, Qatar this weekend where Ramsey resident Cal Crutchlow is expected to feature prominently on the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine in what is his third term at the highest level of racing.

The 27-year-old topped the timesheets on a greasy but dry track in the closing stages of the final pre-season test at Jerez in Spain recently with a brilliant time of 1min 39.511sec to better Valentino Rossi’s best lap of the day by just 0.014s.

‘It was obviously very satisfying to finish the test with the fastest time because it showed what a really good job myself and the team did. It is a shame we didn’t get the chance to get in a lot more dry laps but I have been very fast and consistent and that gives me a lot of confidence for when we return to Jerez for the third race of the series.

‘All-in-all it was a positive pre-season for me and I have made another big improvement for this year. This result gives me a lot of confidence going to Qatar but my goal will be to finish in the top six and get some early momentum like I did last season.

‘It is going to be a very exciting season and now I can’t wait to get going.’

ISLE of Man Newspapers is planning some changes.

We’re intending to give all three of our titles – the Isle of Man Examiner, the Manx Independent and the Isle of Man Courier – a fresh new look and to include some changes.

But before we do that, we’d like to hear from readers.

So the editor, Richard Butt, will be at the Strand Centre in Douglas with a few other staff on Sunday. He’d love to chat to you and for you to complete a survey for us.

If you complete the survey, you will be entered into a prize draw to win a sofa provided by B&B.

Richard said: ‘I always like to hear from readers about what they think of the newspapers and our website.

‘We radically changed the Examiner from a broadsheet to a tabloid paper nearly two years ago after we held a similar event at the Strand Centre. That relaunch went very well.

‘Now we’re looking at all our titles to keep make them more modern and fresh and we’d love readers’ input again.’

He’ll be at the Strand from 1pm till 3pm.

THE Isle of Man’s Space sector was represented at the Satellite 2013 conference, which is regarded as one of the most important events of the year for the global space industry.

The event took place at the Washington Convention Centre in Washington DC, USA.

Alex Downie MLC, the Department of Economic Development’s member with responsibility for Space, said: ‘The level of awareness among those we spoke to about the Isle of Man’s benefits for the Space industry was quite amazing.

‘The work that has been done to date in raising the island’s profile has been very successful and we are starting to see increased levels of enquiries from companies across the board wishing to explore how an Isle of Man presence could benefit their business models.

‘Testament to the success that has been achieved is the fact that the Space sector now accounts for more than 1 per cent of the island’s national income.’

DED’s business development director Tim Craine added: ‘We were kept busy the whole time with good quality enquiries and I am confident that we will see more companies moving to the island in the near future as a result of our attendance at Satellite 2013.’

The Isle of Man team attended a number of meetings involving lawyers, accountants, satellite operators, launch providers and service providers, and were delighted with the levels of interest and enquiries, which are now being actively pursued.

The opportunity was also taken to renew contact with the representatives of the International Space University (ISU) who were in attendance.

The ISU has been very supportive of the Isle of Man’s Space sector and established the International Institute of Space Commerce in partnership with the Isle of Man Government, which is based in Douglas.

After being buried in a snow drift for 12 days, a brown 11-month-old lamb was found alive on Chibbanagh Farm in The Braaid.

Farmer Graham Watterson said after the first heavy snow fall struck on Friday, March 22, they found and sheltered a lot of the flock.

His sister Carole said: ‘This is not what the farming community is used to – the swiftness and severity of it.’

She said of the Friday night: ‘We looked round, but could not see a thing. It was a pretty miserable night, and that the weather was nothing we had experienced and could not imagine how they survived the whole night long.’

They headed back to the field on Saturday. ‘The wind was strong and it was cold. It’s a big, big field, we were prodding round with a stick. We managed to find 12, they were totally buried … they were clever, they got into roots and found pockets of air.’

She said every day until Easter Monday, she carried on looking.

‘It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. I was not sure if any were missing, but where we thought perhaps there was, we could not leave it alone.’

She returned on Tuesday and spotted the lamb.

‘He was just sat there,’ she said. ‘He could not move he was so weak. It was a shock. I was surprised to find one after a day, never mind 12. Quite often they come out and do not survive the evening. His ears are a bit warmer now. He is contentedly chomping on grass. He was quite calm, he had the right temperament.’

Graham said of his sister, ‘she always worries about anything lost, she never gave up.’

COMBINATION football’s showpiece competition gets under way on Saturday with 10 first round ties in the Ascot Hotel Junior Cup taking place across the island.

Pick of the games is probably the all-Canada Life Combination One affair at Blackberry Lane, where DHSOB entertain Rushen.

The Spaniards are the knockout tournament’s most successful side having lifted the trophy on no fewer than 15 occasions.

Old Boys, who are reigning Combination One champions, also have a fair bit of pedigree in the competition having won it six times.

The latter probably go into the tie as slight favourites having won this season’s sole contest between the pair 6-2.

Saturday’s hosts, however, have endured four postponements on the bounce and a young Rushen side might catch them cold.

Elsewhere JCK Combination Two champions elect Colby will be looking forward to a crack at Combi One side Union Mills.

The Moonlighters have been in scintalating form this term, rocketing to the top of the Combi Two standings, building up a massive 21-point lead in the process.

Sharp-shooter Brandon Moore has been the southerners’ star turn and Mills will have to pay close attention to him or they could find themselves out.

Last year’s beaten finalists St Mary’s begin their campaign away at near-neighbours Pulrose and should be favourites to advance, while Combination One pacesetters Laxey should reinforce their reputatuion as one of the Junior Cup favourites with a dominant performance against mid-table Combination Two outfit Douglas Royal.

St George’s have flirted with the competition’s latter stages in recent seasons and they host a Michael side that is realistically the only one that can deny Colby the Combi Two title.

Elsewhere Foxdale could yet spring a surprise against out-of-sorts Castletown if the Billy Goat Park pitch sheds its covering of snow, while Ronalsdway will also be relishing the opportunity to host higher ranked opposition in the form of Combi One Ramsey.

In the round’s two other ties, a Gymns side boosted by a mid-week 10-0 win over Castletown will be favourites to advance against Douglas Athletic. Ayre will also be hopeful of joining the Tromode outfit in the hat for the draw of the next round with a Douglas and District side they’ve beaten already twice this season the visitors to Andreas.

SURE-sponsored Vagabonds welcome Liverpool Collegiate to the island this weekend for a South Lancashire and Cheshire Division Two encounter that promises to be very open.

The Manx outfit will be out for a revenge after suffering a loss back in November’s reverse fixture.

Skipper Mark Howarth will be looking for another dominant forward display up front that will hopefully generate quick ball.

If the ball is recycled quickly then the outside backs will have plenty of room to utilise their speed.

Vagabonds will be looking for a strong finish to their season and winning this weekend would be a great start.

COMING straight off a victory and a busy Easter weekend, Vagabonds RUFC’s women’s side take on Liverpool Collegiate this Saturday with a 1.30pm kick-off at Ballafletcher.

The team will be very similar to the team who beat Southport last weekend with the only main change being Cath Moore replacing Corrina Daly in the front row joining the ever-reliable Sophia Birchall and Nat Bush.

With the forwards having dominated the last few matches the backs will be hoping for a chance to shine with the centre pairing of Sorrelle Williams and Lauren Ellison aiming to show off some of the great lines of running that they have developed over the campaign.

Vagas know that a win this weekend will all but secure them top spot. However, with Northwich having only played six of a possible 14 games in the league Vagabonds know that they still need to secure those all-important bonus points if they want to finish the season on a high.

Fullback Fiona Gavin will be hungry for a try this weekend after being held up on the line last weekend, while wingers Erica Stephenson and Anne-Marie Rivers will be strong in both defence and attack.

With three games left to the end of the season Vagabonds are continuing to recruit new players at every opportunity – if anyone is interested in playing please feel free to have a look on the girls’ Facebook page or contact captain Alana McCaughan on 201622.

2E2 DOUGLAS Rugby Club take to the skies this Saturday for their penultimate away game of the season in South Lancashire/Cheshire Division Two against Wallasey.

It’s been a good few weeks for Douglas with sponsors confirmed for the forthcoming season despite some uncertainty and the club are now on the very cusp of promotion to Division One.

The objective has been clear for Douglas all season long and if they claim a single point this Saturday then it is a mathematical certainty that promotion has been achieved and there will be a party mood around Port-e-Chee if the result goes their way come teatime on Saturday.

First Douglas need to tackle Wallasey. The scoreline in the reverse fixture earlier in the season slightly flattered Douglas and the Wirral outfit were in the game right up until the last knockings. Since that game Wallasey have improved in form having beaten teams above them including Ormskirk whose promotion push fell away soon after.

Douglas will have to be on their game if they are to beat Wallasey and they should expect nothing less than 100 per cent from their opposition who are by no means safe from the division’s dreaded trap door.

The Douglas team this week is boosted with some students returning from the adjacent isle and others becoming available.

The backline should include last year’s skipper Ryan Maddox alongside James Wood.

Mark Ganly is available and may fill in at fullback allowing Scott Goodall the responsibility of fly half outside Bryn Snellgrove, while speedster Callum Carine should be on the wing.

In the forwards the try machine Daryn Thompson is unavailable so there is a tussle between Conor McCaughan, Mark McGee and Liam Murphy over who cuddles Glyn Hooson-Owen in the engine room behind the usual front three of Todd, Ferns and Pote. In the back row Christian Brew and Craig McGee line up on the flanks and PC Niall Killey will look to give go-forward ball from number eight.

This is a strong Douglas team and one that needs to front up to the opposition who are more than capable of turning them over given the opportunity.

They are physical and well drilled and if they get on the front foot Douglas will struggle to wrestle back that momentum.

This means that the Manxmen must attack from the off with power and precision. If all goes to plan Douglas will be celebrating come tea time, but one message to the team is don’t underestimate what’s in front of you.

Saturday’s Fixtures

South Lancs/Cheshire Division Two

Ramsey v Dukinfield @ Mooragh Park ko 3pm

Vagabonds v L’Collegiate @ Ballafletcher ko 3pm

Wallasey v Douglas @ Wallasey ko 3pm

Women’s NC North One

Vagabonds v Liverpool Collegiate

@ Ballafletcher ko 1.30pm

Manx Plate Semi-final

Douglas B v Castletown @ Port-e-Chee ko 2.15pm

Shimmin Wilson Manx Trophy

S’Nomads v Vagabonds B @ CRHS ko 2.15pm

THERE has been a jump in the island’s rate of inflation.

The annual rate, measured by the Retail Prices Index, increased to 3.3 per cent in March, compared with 2.8 per cent in February.

On all other measures, the cost of living rose. Excluding housing costs, the RPI rate was 2.7 per cent, upfrom 1.2 per cent. Measured on the Consumer Prices Index, it was 1.9 per cent, up from 1.4 per cent in February.

The Consumer Price Index excludes mortgage interest payments and household expenditure such as buildings insurance, which rose 11.2 per cent.

The figures have been compiled by the Treasury’s economic affairs division.

The UK’s figure for March has not yet been published.

In February, RPI inflation there was 3.2 per cent. CPI inflation, which the Westminster government usually uses, was 2.8 per cent.

Monday’s Isle of Man Examiner will include more details of the figures.

RAMSEY have reached the sharp end of their season in South Lancashire/Cheshire Division Two and know that victory in their three remaining games should be enough to keep them up.

The hard work starts this Saturday though with a home game against fourth-placed Dukinfield.

With Douglas and Sefton all but secure in promotion, the game is a dead rubber for Dukinfield and hopefully for Ramsey this may mean their visitors have taken a foot off the gas.

The Manx side desperately need some points from the game as recent results elsewhere have seen relegation rivals Marple and Oldershaw close the gap to Ramsey and they are now well within striking distance.

Ramsey were thrashed 73-0 in the reverse fixture back in November and will want to return the favour.

Statistically they should be in with a shout too. Dukinfield are unbeaten on their own turf but have won only three from 10 on the road.

The poor recent weather coupled with the Easter break means that the Ramsey side will be well rested. Rumour also has it that long-term injury casualty Rory Nicholson may be approaching fitness and his return would be most welcome against a big Dukinfield pack.

There has been little in the way of rain in the past 10 days and the Mooragh surface will be hard and fast. This should allow Ramsey to play the running game they do so well, while moving the big visiting pack around and then trying to pick off the gaps later in the game when they start to tire.

Manx Telecom Vikings B prepare to meet Celton Manx Castletown A at Castle Rushen on Saturday looking for vital points in their relegation battle in the Wi-Manx Men’s Premier Division.

Ian Perry’s Vikings currently sit bottom of the division with just a single victory to their name this season.

Opponents Castletown are unbeaten in their previous two matches and having already defeated Vikings twice this season and will therefore be confident of a further victory here.

Wi-Manx Men’s Division One

The top two sides in Wi-Manx Men’s Division One go head-to-head when CM Skye Ramsey B meet HQ Harlequins at the Grammar School.

Matt Shanahan’s Harlequins currently hold the advantage in the title race but will need to improve on their last performance which saw them lose to Saracens.

Opponents Ramsey enter this game on the back of a loss and a draw.

Having lost to Harlequins earlier in the season the northerners will be looking to make amends with a victory this time around.

Wi-Manx Women’s Premier

Manx Telecom Vikings A can secure the Wi-Manx Women’s Premier Division title with victory against IOMA Group Bacchas A when they meet in the Saturday’s lunchtime fixture at the NSC.

Kim Carney’s Vikings side are unbeaten so far this campaign and have already beaten the Tromode side twice.

Bacchas will be hoping to recapture their early season form which saw them push Vikings close as they look to inflict a first defeat of the season on the league leaders.

Wi-Manx Women’s Division One

The top two sides in Wi-Manx Women’s Division One meet at King William’s College on Saturday morning when Paragon Valkyrs C host HQ Harlequins.

Donna Harrison’s Valkyrs side currently sit at the top of the division with a two-point advantage over second-placed Harlequins.

Valkyrs are currently unbeaten in league fixtures and will be hoping to maintain that record here.

Opponents Harlequins will be looking to improve on the draw when the two sides met earlier in the season with a victory this time around.

Saturday’s fixtures

Wi-Manx Men’s Premier Division

Celton Manx Castletown A

v Manx Telecom Vikings B CRHS 2.05pm

Gary Corkhill Colin Kniveton

Paragon Valkyrs A

v CM Skye Ramsey A KWC 2.05pm

John Harrison John McCarrick

Paragon Valkyrs B

v IOMA Group Bacchas B KWC 3.35pm

Unappointed Vic Ferns

Manx Telecom Vikings A

v IOMA Group Bacchas A NSC 2.05pm

Mark EntwisleTim Leeming

Wi-Manx Men’s Division One

IOMA Group Bacchas C

v Celton Manx Castletown B KWC 12.35pm

Russell Miller Unappointed

CM Skye Ramsey B v HQ Harlequins RGS 2.05pm

Karl Flint Rob McKenzie

Fearless Saracens

v IOMA Group Bacchas ColtsCRHS 11.05am

Mike Taylor Fran Tinkler

Paragon Valkyrs C

v Manx Telecom Vikings CRGS 11.05am

Rob McKenzie Sandra Smith

Wi-Manx Women’s Premier Division

Celton Manx Castletown A

v Paragon Valkyrs ACRHS 12.35pm

James Harrison John Pearson

IOMA Group Bacchas A

v Manx Telecom Vikings A NSC 12.35pm

Unappointed

IOMA Group Bacchas B

v Paragon Valkyrs BNSC 11.05am

Unappointed Hayley Crowe

CM Skye Ramsey A

v Celton Manx Castletown BRGS 3.35pm

Peter Foxton Nick Wallinger

Wi-Manx Women’s Division One

CM Skye Ramsey B

v Celton Manx Castletown CRGS 12.35pm

Ian Duggua Lindsay Riordan

Fearless Saracens

v Manx Telecom Vikings CCRHS 3.35pm

Barry Powell James Russell

Paragon Valkyrs C

v HQ HarlequinsKWC 11.05am

Andy Bentley Paul Gould

Manx Telecom Vikings B

v IOMA Group Bacchas CNSC 3.35pm

Jonny Killey Andy Whiting

TESTS undertaken by the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture have found no trace of horsemeat in locally-produced meat products.

The onset of the horsemeat scandal in the UK and Ireland led to the DEFA’s food safety sampling officer taking samples of products, such as sausages, mince and burgers, to ensure that they had not been contaminated.

All local producers had samples of various meat products taken and submitted to the government analyst for examination.

Results indicate that all products tested were free from horsemeat.

Brenda Cannell MHK, member for the Environment Directorate, said: ‘It is pleasing to get such positive results and know that we can rely on our local produce.’

To ensure accuracy of testing, the government analyst had to buy special testing kits, which have a limited shelf-life and are therefore not held in stock.

However, the sudden increase in demand for the kits led to a delay in manufacturers being able to supply them immediately. This has led to the delay in reporting the results

POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a driver failed to stop following a collision on St George’s Crescent, Port Erin.

The incident occurred on Saturday, March 30, at around 5.20pm.

It is alleged that a black vehicle rounded the right hand bend at the top of the crescent, on the wrong side of the road, causing an approaching silver Vauxhall Corsa to take avoiding action, leading to a collision.

If you were the driver of this black vehicle, or have any further information, contact Castletown Police Station on 822222 or Police Headquarters on 631212.

Alternatively, contact Isle of Man Crimestoppers on 0800 555111. Crimestoppers is an independent Manx charity established to enable callers to pass information regarding criminal activity anonymously. Crimestoppers is not an agency of the Police and will never ask callers for any personal details.

MANX actress and singer Samantha Barks says she was thrilled to be back in the island for her latest starring role.

Sam took time out from filming of period festive drama The Christmas Candle to be crowned best female newcomer at the Empire awards in London.

Speaking back on the set at the Island Studios, she told the Examiner: ‘I am so thrilled to be back in the island. A definite perk for me was to learn I would be filming in the Isle of Man. It’s so special for me.’

She said it was a ‘lovely surprise’ to secure Empire magazine’s best newcomer award at a star-studded ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel.

The Christmas Candle is the 102nd Isle of Man film production since 1995 – and the fourth collaboration with Pinewood. It’s also Sam’s second film acting role – having won plaudits for her performance as Éponine in the triple Oscar winning big screen adaptation of Les Miserables.

Based on a story by best-selling author Max Lucado, The Christmas Candle tells the tale of a sleepy Cotswold village where nothing out of the ordinary happens except at Christmas when legend has it an angel visits the local candlemaker and touches a single candle.

Whoever lights the Christmas Candle receives a miracle on Christmas Eve.

It’s the year 1890 and everything changes with the arrival of a sceptical church minister.

Sam plays Emily Barstow, who doesn’t believe in the legend of the Christmas Candle and becomes friends with the new Reverend.

It is not a singing role and Sam says she is delighted to be able to focus on her acting. ‘You see Emily’s vulnerable side,’ she said.

The Manx singing sensation has really hit the big time since first making her name on BBC’s I’d Do Anything in 2008. Her career took off when she was chosen to play Éponine in the West End production of Les Miserables and then reprised that role for the 2012 movie.

Last month the 22-year-old from Lonan sang a medley of songs from Les Mis at the Oscars with her co-stars including Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and Russell Crowe.

Sam said that when she left the island to go to drama school as a teenager she ‘never in a million years’ imagined she would go on to appear on stage with Hollywood legends at the Academy Awards.

‘The whole thing has been like a whirlwind,’ she said.

‘When I was singing at the Oscars I felt so proud appearing on stage with the cast. But it was a bitter-sweet feeling as I knew this whole thing was coming to a close.’

In August, Sam and her sister Kim were in Utah to watch their dad Richard break two landspeed records at the legendary Bonneville Salt Flats. ‘He’s a cool dad,’ said Sam.

Much of the filming for The Christmas Candle has been done on location in the Cotswolds, with the cast and production crew then heading to the island for a further week, with all scenes being shot in the studios at the Mountain View Media Village off the Jurby Road, Lezayre.

For the movie, the studio’s main sound stage has been transformed into a series of spectacular sets including a Victorian candlemaking workshop.

Just three months ago, the stage was a sleazy nightclub used for the production of Dom Hemingway.

Sam said: ‘The whole thing has been transformed by the art department. It’s so good. So many parts go into making a film – that makes it so exciting.’

The role of Gladbury’s village candlemaker Edward Haddington is played by Sylvester McCoy, star of stage and screen, a former Doctor Who who is remembered by many for his role in the 70s TV show Vision On and is cast as the wizard Radagas in the three-part movie adaptation of The Hobbit.

Sylvester joked that he was picked for the role as one of his jobs during the hippy era was as a candlemaker.

Enthusing about the set, he set: ‘It’s beautiful. the guy who does all that is a star. If you think about films and theatre we all get the kudos but its behind the scenes where the wizards are.’

He said acting was ‘great fun’. ‘It’s like being a child. As an actor you have to find the child in yourself.’

Sylvester said his role as Edward Haddington had given him the chance to top the famous Two Ronnies ‘Fork Handles’ sketch as he could talk about four King Candles. ‘Ronnie Barker would have thought that’s great!’ he laughed.

After filming, he is to fly to Bonn, Germany, for a hobbit convention and then jetting off to LA and Australia.

Sam, meanwhile, says she will be doing promotion work for Les Mis.

The Christmas Candle, which is directed by John Stephenson, who visited the island in 2003 to make Five Children and IT starring Eddie Izzard and Kenneth Branagh, also stars Britain’s Susan Boyle, John Hannah, Hans Matheson and Lesley Manville.

It is expected to be out in time to hit the big screen for Christmas - and Isle of Man Film bosses hope it will become a regular feature of Christmas TV schedules in future years.

Filming the final scenes of The Christmas Candle has marked the end of an era for Isle of Man Film, whose development manager Hilary Dugdale retired last week. Hilary had been involved with the Manx movie industry since its inception in 1995.

ASSESSMENTS will be carried out on the Mountain Road to decide if work will be needed before the start of the TT Race at the end of May.

No additional work on the course is planned at the moment, a Department of Infrastructure spokesman told iomtoday, and initial inspections suggested any damage was minimal with only minor maintenance needed.

The Mountain Road reopened to two-way traffic more than 10 days after it was closed by drifts several feet deep, but motorists were warned to look out for animals freed by broken fencing.

Highways director Richard Pearson told iomtoday he thought the road surface was unlikely to have suffered any significant damage as this was usually caused by the continual freezing and thawing of water which can enter cracks in the road and force them apart causing the surface to break up.

This was the type of damage which affected the Jurby South road circuit in 2010 leaving the road too badly damaged to be accepted by the ACU as fit for racing any more.

Preparations for the TT, which involve putting up signs and placing straw bales and recticel impact absorbing barriers in position have already begun but Shaun Counsell who is the ACU course inspection officer, said they were having to tackle the preparations in a different sequence because snow had restricted access to certain areas.

Mr Counsell said:’Some of the areas we usually leave until last we are having to do now so we can keep to schedule. Some of the areas have been restricted by snow at the road side and the mountain has been closed so nothing could be done up there.

‘Instead we have had to put bales and barriers in place that we normally leave until last to minimise disruption to pedestrians, for example.

‘We have been trying to find areas where they can set up so we don’t fall behind. We have a schedule so the course can be checked and signed off in time for the first practices.’

An additional problem over the mountain was that the heavy snow fall had brought down fences in places allowing livestock to escape on to the road and this again would need to be addressed, he said.

Gary Thompson, clerk of the course, for the TT Races said they continually monitored the quality of the road around the Mountain Course and had completed numerous laps in the past year in an inspection car.

It is within the power of the ACU not to issue a course licence should the road not be up to scratch for racing.

He said they also took along experienced Mountain Course competitors like Conor Cummins, John Barton and Richard Milky Quayle for expert advice on the state of the road. He said the road would undergo a thorough safety assessment by them before the start of racing.

Several areas are to be resurfaced before the TT, namely the approach to Parliament Square in Ramsey, the exit from Creg-ny-Baa, Bedstead and the approach to the Jubilee Oak at Braddan Bridge.

Mr Thompson said extra recticel barriers were to be used at Governor’s Bridge and Glen Tramman.

BUS drivers union Unite called off a strike this week ‘to concentrate on the legal side of things’.

That’s according to the union’s regional officer Eric Holmes, speaking after it was confirmed that a number of bus drivers opposed to changes in their terms and conditions have lodged claims with the island’s employment tribunal.

He said the union’s lawyers were representing members but that no tribunal date had yet been set.

He couldn’t say how many members had lodged claims, but said those who hadn’t already still had time to do so.

When asked whether he thought the issues could be resolved before a tribunal was held, he said: ‘The way it has gone from start to finish has been awkward right the way through so it wouldn’t surprise me if it did [reach a tribunal].

‘I take nothing for granted any more.’

The independent Manx Industrial Relations Service’s job is to promote good industrial relations, and it offers impartial and free advice to employers, employees and trade unions.

The service has been involved with the bus dispute for some time.

Industrial relations officer Julie Bradley explained the service had a ‘statutory duty’ to offer conciliation in all cases when a complaint is made through the employment tribunal system.

She said: ‘We talk to both parties to see if we can find a way through the issue that will result in some kind of settlement everyone is happy with and will avoid the need for having a tribunal.

‘Our success rate is about 70 per cent in those cases. Most cases don’t resort to there having to be a tribunal hearing.’

She said ‘We don’t wait for them to contact us. As soon as all of the paperwork is here we will be quite proactive in contacting the parties, sitting down and going through the pros and cons of the cases and looking to see if there can be some proposal to settle it.’

The two two-hour stoppages had been due to take place on Wednesday.

BEACH Buddies will be staging a beach clean event at Smeale tomorrow (Sunday).

Volunteers are asked to meet at the far car park, alongside the wooden walkway to the beach, for a 10.30am start

Beach Buddies will supply all necessary equipment, including litterpickers, gloves and bin bags and will arrange recycling of all metal, plastic and glass and the disposal of all other litter collected.

Volunteers should wear sturdy boots and warm clothing as it’s likely to be chilly.

It is also important to be aware that Smeale is one of the Isle of Man’s most important nesting areas for a variety of seabirds which are in the process of creating nests for the spring, despite the very cold recent weather.

Volunteers are therefore asked to be especially careful when clearing rubbish from above the high water mark.

Directions to Smeale can be found on the Beach Buddies Isle of Man Facebook page.

Douglas seal promotion from South Lancashire and Cheshire Division Two in style with big win at Wallasey

South Lancashire/Cheshire Division Two

Ramsey 26-17 Dukinfield

Vagabonds 19-12 Liverpool Collegiate

Wallasey 6-62 Douglas

Women’s NC North One

Vagabonds 53-12 Liverpool Collegiate

Manx Plate semi-final

Douglas B 75-5 Castletown