The organisers of the New Year’s Day dips have been counting the cash raised during Wednesday’s events.

Southern Dips organiser Lenny Conroy expects funds raised for domestic abuse charity Safe, Strong, Secure (3S) to reach £3,000 through dips at Gansey, Port St Mary, and Port Erin.

Dippers completed the Port St Mary inner harbour dip twice as the sea at Chapel beach was too rough.

About 60 dippers celebrated the 50th Castletown dip, organised by the Castletown Ale Drinkers’ Society.

Money raised for local charities is still being counted. It was moved to the middle harbour due to the conditions.

David Collister said: ‘It was the roughest one I can remember. What a way to celebrate the 50th anniversary!’

Over 100 people took part in Breakthrough Breast Cancer Isle of Man’s Douglas dip.

About £480 was raised through collections – with sponsorship money still coming in. For details on paying in sponsorship money, go to www.douglasdip.im

The dip was moved along the beach following advice from Douglas Coastguard.

Dippers warmed up for the event with Zumba led by Bev Loughran.

Peel dippers raised more than £860 for Peel Lifeboat, Multiple Sclerosis and Manx Workshop for the Disabled, with sponsorship still being collected.

More than 200 dippers braved the sea. Jacqueline Green of Green’s Jewellers in Peel described the conditions as ‘rain, rain and more rain!’

Just 16 dippers entered the sea at Glen Wyllin, raising more than £50 for Hospice.

The Ramsey and Laxey dips were cancelled because of the stormy conditions – but it didn’t stop people handing in sponsorship money and making donations. About 40 entered the sea in Laxey anyway as our video shows

At Laxey, about £800 was raised for Manx Muscular Dystrophy, while at Ramsey a collection of £180 and sponsorship money will be split between the RNLI and Bunscoill Rhumsaa.

Updated story: The waters that flooded many of the island’s ports has begun to recede.

Ramsey and Castletown were particularly badly hit during the storm surge, which was said to be a one-in-50-years event.

For some time power was cut to homes in both towns. The Manx Electricity Authority had warned customers this was a possibility.

Parliament Street in Ramsey was like Venice.

Many townsfolk just looked on as sandbags proved to be little use.

The Chief Minister, Allan Bell, who’s one of the town’s MHKs, went along to the scene as well.

Fire service crews from Douglas, Laxey, Castletown and Ramsey fire stations dealt with more than 20 calls of help from members of the public whose premises were affected by the high winds and tides.

The largest number of requests for assistance came in the Ramsey area were many businesses and domestic properties were flooded.

At 4pm, crews from both Ramsey and Castletown were still dealing with reports of flooding at commercial properties, offering a pumping out service to enable them to re open as soon as possible.

Many roads near the coast were shut during the day.

The clean-up operation is under way in many areas across the island affected by today’s flooding.

Road sweepers will be clearing away debris to assist traffic management plans from the police and Department of Infrastructure.

While waves crashed over the promenades in Douglas, the North Quay was also hit.

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/now-with-video-once-in-50-years-storm-surge-flooding-alert-raw-sewage-warning-road-closures-1-6349328|See our video of the North Quay here.}

Tesco in Douglas closed on the advice of the police to avoid vehicles in the car park being damaged.

Nevertheless, many vehicles were left in vulnerable places. The owners might return to find their vehicle damaged or regret the effects of the seawater in the months to come.

The damage caused is expected to reach millions of pounds in cost.

The next high tide, at about 1am tomorrow (Saturday), is not expected to lead to the same flooding problems that we have experienced today.

The forecast is for more stormy weather on Sunday.

Strong winds, spells of heavy rain and a risk of localised flooding is likely in some areas of the island.

The Department of Infrastructure issued the following advice about clearing up after the storm:

Take care. There may be dangers in the water such as sharp objects and raised manhole covers. Flood water may have caused minor structural damage to buildings.

Flood water can contain sewage, chemicals and animal waste. Always wear waterproof outerwear, including gloves, wellington boots and a face mask.

If your electricity supply is not already switched off at the mains, get a qualified person to do this. DO NOT touch sources of electricity when standing in flood water.

If you have gas or oil central heating and it has been checked by an engineer, turn it on. Keep the thermostat between 20-22 degrees Celsius for steady drying.

You can get water out of your property using a pump and generator. Position the generator outside in the open air as generators produce carbon monoxide fumes which can kill.

The DoI may be able to help with pumps – Tel 850000.

Only pump out water when flood levels outside your property start to be lower than inside. This reduces the risk of structural damage.

Shovel mud away evenly from both sides of a wall. This stops pressure building up on one side.

You can clean and disinfect your property using ordinary household products.

A garden hose is useful for washing down. Do not use high-pressure hoses as they blast contaminated matter into the air.

If you are drying your property naturally, keep doors and windows open as much as possible to create a flow of air through the building and if possible add heat to the flow of air or if using dehumidifiers, close external doors and windows.

The public warning sirens will be sounded across the Isle of Man at 11am tomorrow. This is a routine quarterly test and nothing to do with the storms.

Tonight’s Steam Packet’s Douglas to Heysham service has been cancelled.

The Ben-my-Chree, which didn’t sail last night or this morning, is to stay in port because of the forecast bad weather.

The decision means that the return sailing, due from Heysham at 2.15am tomorrow, will also be cancelled.

For the latest from the Steam Packet, {http://www.steam-packet.com/LatestSailings|click here.}

Two of the island’s overseas stars made a triumphant return to Manx football over the festive period and have been rewarded with places in the latest Team of the Week.

Ant Moore and Jack McVey, who both studied at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, starred for St John’s and St George’s respectively in the Canada Life Premier League while Montana State University student Cameron Lee also made a winning return for Corinthians.

Moore, an assistant men’s soccer coach at Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania, is one of four Johnners players in the latest hypothetical XI after they claimed a shock 3-0 victory over Laxey at Glen Road.

He lines up in a four-man defence alongside Mullen-e-Cloie team-mate Sam Ingham, St Mary’s Neil Brogan and Corinthians’ Lee who makes his first TotW appearance of the season so far.

Ingham and Moore were in resolute form as the Saints nullified the Miners’ usually prolific frontline, while Brogan produced a typically strong display during St Mary’s 4-2 victory over Union Mills at Garey Mooar.

Lee was one of Corinthians’ star performers as the Whites eased their relegation fears with a fine 2-0 victory over Railway Cup finalists Rushen United at Ballafletcher.

Lining up behind that defence is another St John’s player in the shape of goalkeeper Damyan Petkov who earns his third TotW appearance of the season thanks to his cleansheet at Laxey.

One of Lee’s former Ballafletcher team-mates, Danny Gerrard, takes his place in a three-man midfield alongside the aforementioned McVey and Peel star Daniel Bell.

Gerrard began the season brightly for the Saints before heading off to college in England but he has picked up where he left off on his return to the island with a goal for his side during their 4-2 win at Union Mills.

After producing a good performance for St George’s in their Railway Cup final triumph on Boxing Day, McVey went one better and grabbed a goal for his side during their 10-0 thrashing of Ramsey on Sunday to earn his first TotW appearance.

By contrast, Bell has now wracked up an amazing seven call-ups already after he once again shone for Peel during the westerners’ 6-1 thumping of Youthie, in which he helped himself to a goal.

Another TotW regular this season - and in previous years - is Chris Bass Jr who claims his fifth appearance of the campaign following a brace against Ramsey and he lines up in a attacking trio alongside Kane Ridings and Lee Gale.

While he didn’t get on the scoresheet, Ridings stood out for Corinthians against Rushen while Gale netted twice against Youthie for Peel.

Claiming the refereeing honours for the final Team of the Week for 2013 is Stuart Kneen who impressed in the middle of the St George’s v Ramsey contest.

Team of the Week

Goalkeeper

Damyan Petkov (St John’s)

Team of the Week appearances: 3

Defence

Neil Brogan (St Mary’s) TotW apps: 2

Sam Ingham (St John’s) TotW apps: 4

Ant Moore (St John’s) TotW apps: 2

Cameron Lee (Corinthians) TotW apps: 1

Midfield

Danny Gerrard (St Mary’s) TotW apps: 3

Jack McVey (St George’s)TotW apps: 1

Daniel Bell (Peel) TotW apps: 7

Attack

Kane Ridings (Corinthians) TotW apps: 1

Lee Gale (Peel) TotW apps: 3

Chris Bass Jr (St George’s) TotW apps: 5

Referee

Stuart Kneen (St George’s v Ramsey)

RotW apps: 3

The JEMS team of Judith Quane, her daughters Ellen and Meghan, plus Suzanne Wild won Boxing Day’s annual relay run.

The fourth running of the popular Stewart Clague Services-sponsored event was held at Ballannette Estate, Lonan in near-perfect conditions.

Just hours later, the island found itself in the grip of a ferocious storm, so this year’s event was truly blessed by the Christmas weather gods.

The run, organised by Manx Harriers, incorporates many of the features of the former Millennium Way Relay which was held each Boxing Day until 2009.

A toal of 17 teams of four competed over six laps of a trail course of approximately 3.3 miles in length, with a total distance of about 20 miles covered by each team this year.

Legs one and four cover two laps of the course, and legs two and three cover one.

Teams are handicapped accorded to expected ability, in theory giving each team an equal chance of winning.

The course was in magnificent condition, landowner and sponsor Stewart Clague having done a great deal of work to improve the route since the first race was held in 2010.

The majority of the course follows an undulating trail round the perimeter of the Ballannette Estate, and also includes a sharp drop almost down to sea level at the stunningly scenic Garwick Bay. This is followed by a testing climb back up the other side.

This part of the course always catches out any runner who has gone off too hard.

First away at 9.30am was George Shea of Greenlight TV, followed a minute later by Stewart Jones of Chafing the Dream.

Three minutes behind them, Judith Quane of JEMS and Andy Corrie of Quality Feet started together.

One hour after the start, all the teams were out on the course with Island Games double gold medallist Kevin Loundes leading off the CRAK Runners team at 10.29am.

By this stage, some of the teams were out on their second leg and competitors were spread all over the course with many on different laps.

Loundes flew round his first lap in well under 19 minutes, but slowed after suffering stomach problems on the second lap.

There were fine runs on this leg from Paul Sykes, Graham Furner and Christian Varley, while top race walker Alex Eaton demonstrated that he is a more than useful runner too with a very strong leg.

Judith Quane was the only female on leg one, and ran a fine time of 50 minutes 46 seconds to put the JEMS team in a strong position handing over to daughter Ellen on leg two.

Legs two and three, each over one lap of the course, saw plenty of fast and furious action and several changes of positions as the faster teams started to close in on those who had started well in front of them.

Event organiser Andy Fox, running for the St Ninian’s teachers team Three Sirs and a Miss, was the fastest runner on the second leg, with Rebecca Wallace (The Stranger Returns) the quickest female.

The third leg saw two new course records being set, with Ed Gumbley (The Stranger Returns) taking 15 seconds off Ryan Fairclough’s record with a time of 20.52, while Rachael Franklin (CRAK Runners) lopped an impressive 50 seconds off her own female record for one lap of the course with 21.55.

They are two of several athletes who look to be in fine form ahead of the Lancashire Cross-Country Championships this weekend. Other notable runs on these legs came from footballer George Rawlinson, race walkers Dale Farquhar and Michelle Turner and several others.

The final two-lap leg was where the action really hotted up and it was game on to see if any of the chasing teams could catch three of the first four teams to start – JEMS, Greenlight TV and Chafing the Dream.

Suzanne Wild (JEMS) was still well out in front going into her second and final lap having taken the baton from Meghan Quane, but was being chased down rapidly by Adam Killip (Chafing the Dream) who was running a storming race. Circulating the lake with little more than half a mile to go, the gap was down to just over two minutes, but despite a great effort from Killip, Wild was able to hold onto her lead to bring her team home by 32 seconds.

Alexis Shea ran extremely well to bring Greenlight TV home into third place three minutes behind, and the remaining 14 teams were separated by less than 13 minutes.

There was an outstanding run from Alan Corlett (CRAK Runners) on the final leg to record a brilliant time of 39.31, just 36s down on Kevin Loundes’s course record.

Second fastest on the final leg was the evergreen Gianni Epifani who has not missed a Boxing Day relay for 29 years.

Congratulations to all the teams who took part, and commiserations to the final team to finish (Three Sirs and a Miss), whose end of term report will perhaps read ‘could do better’.

A junior fun run immediately followed the relay, and 13 youngsters enjoyed a run over a shorter version of the course, a distance of 1,450 metres. All won a prize - well done to all who took part.

Many thanks go to all who helped to put on an excellent event, especially sponsor Stewart Clague.

Next year’s event will take place on Saturday, December 27.

Staff from Lombard Manx, led by area director Gareth Rowlands, joined the Manx Wildlife Trust’s regular nature conservation volunteers working at the charity’s Cooildarry Nature Reserve near Kirk Michael.

Under the guidance of reserves officer Tricia Sayle, the trust’s regular conservation volunteers, or Midweek Muckers as they’re known, carry out a wide range of jobs throughout the year to maintain the charity’s 22 nature reserves. Tasks change with the seasons and include hay-raking, ditch clearing, tree and shrub pruning, fencing and path building.

The task at Cooildarry continued work started earlier in the year to remove tree debris caused by storm damage that occurred back in March. Last month, a team from Lloyds’ PhoneBank concentrated on clearing debris from the pond area of the reserve whilst the staff from Lombard Manx focused on clearing the pathway behind Glen Wyllin village.

Gareth Rowlands said: ‘Helping the Midweek Muckers at Cooildarry has been very rewarding.

‘Our sister company, Isle of Man Bank, has been a longstanding corporate member of the Manx Wildlife Trust and we’re delighted to have had the opportunity to get involved with the practical side of the charity’s work.’

He added: ‘The Midweek Muckers are a hardy bunch who are fully committed to taking care of Cooildarry and the trust’s other nature reserves.

‘They’re also very lucky in that they get to meet like-minded people and see the beauty of the reserves and how they change throughout the seasons. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed our day with them.’

There were two babies born on New Year’s Day at the Jane Crookall Maternity Unit in Noble’s Hospital this year.

Jamie Kemp and Elise Lang of Close Rushen, Castletown, were blessed with the arrival of Jack Oliver Kemp at 11.06am, weighing in at six pounds, five ounces.

Elise works at Friends Provident in Castletown while Jamie is a postman in Port Erin.

Elise said: ‘Jack was due to arrive on New Year’s Eve but he arrived on New Year’s Day instead so he was only a day late, but everything went pretty much to plan with no problems thankfully. It was a great day to remember for us. I’m so proud.

‘I have one child, Oscar, who is four years old, so he has a little brother now.’

Born a little later in the day, at 12.15pm, was Florence Kewley to her new parents Scott Kewley and Laura Kewley.

Laura, originally from Liverpool, is a health visitor and Scott is a communications engineer.

The couple, who live in Lonan, have three other children, Lily, 13, Noah, eight, and Ruby, five.

Laura said: ‘Florence weighed five pounds, nine ounces, she was two and a half weeks early, she was due on January 18 so she is a little bit early.

‘Everything went smoothly though with no difficulties. We were prepared for it but it was certainly made a New Year’s Day to remember.’

Hospice will be helping people even more this Christmas by offering to collect their Christmas trees for recycling in a newly launched initiative.

For this first year of the new scheme the service will be offered to people living in the post codes of IM1, IM2, IM3, IM4 and IM8.

The charity will be available to collect trees from January 6 to 12, and although it is a free service, a donation of £5 per tree is suggested.

The trees will then go to Ballaneven Compost in Peel to be turned into compost.

Mary Doyle, public relations and marketing manager at Hospice Isle of Man, said: ‘We are delighted to be offering people a helping hand this Christmas, helping the environment and raising funds for the local charity.

‘Eighty per cent of money raised will go to Hospice Isle of Man with the rest going to other local charities.’

The children’s hospice, Rebecca House, along with other children’s charity, Oskar’s Dreams, will be among the other local charities to benefit from the scheme.

To arrange a collection visit www.charityxmastreecollection.com

Once registered you will be given full collection details.

If you feel you could volunteer by helping collect trees please contact the fundraising team on 647434.

Collections will be made mainly during office hours.

Anyone who takes to the boards might be interested in a two-day workshop for people who want to improvise on stage.

The days, for people aged 14 and over, is designed to help performers overcome their inhibitions express themselves without fear or embarrassment.

According to a press release, improvising, without pre-planning or script, allows performers to unlock a sense of spontaneity, imagination and freedom whilst developing skills in listening, creativity and communication.

The workshop will enable participants to explore aspects of improvisation in a fun and supportive environment and is suitable for absolute beginners as well as those with more experience.

The workshop, led by Ali James and John Oakes, takes place on February 22 and 23 at Onchan Community Centre and will run from 10.30am to 4.30pm on both days. It costs £70.

To book your place email londontheatreworkshops@gmail.com no later than January 20.

Ali James is familiar to Manx audiences from her performance as ‘Eva Peron’ in Taylorian Productions’ Evita in 2012.

She made her West End debut in Whistle Down the Wind at the Palace Theatre understudying and playing the lead role of ‘Swallow’.

After many years of Pantomime, UK touring and television work, Ali is now producing and directing her own productions.

She is one of three writers/performers of Giraffe Comedy and is an experienced improviser having worked with BANGyellow, Los Desperados, Quirkish Delight and the Laughter Academy.

John Oakes is a seasoned improviser, having honed his short and long form skills with Quirkish Delight, Los Desperados and BANGyellow.

He was most recently seen at the Camden People’s Theatre and Leicester Square Theatre in Sadie Hasler’s The Bastard Children of Remington Steele.

John was also one of the original cast of Fakespeare by Russell Kane at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and Edinburgh Fringe Festival and can currently be seen in cinemas in Transient Film Exchanges’ Brash Young Turks.

John is now turning his hand to stand up and sketch work with GIRAFFE Comedy who had a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in summer 2013. London Theatre Workshops is directed by Andrew Hilton, familiar to Manx audiences as the Musical Director of many productions for the Douglas Choral Union and Taylorian Productions, most recently Cats in the summer of 2013.

He is assisted in bringing the workshops to the island by local singer Mandy Griffin. More information can be found at www.londontheatreworkshops.com

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

That’s the message from the Office of Fair Trading, whose officers deal with many calls from people who fear they might become a victim of conmen.

Every year the OFT receives hundreds of telephone calls and visits from consumers and businesses who have received unexpected letters, telephone calls, faxes, texts or emails advising them that they have won a prize or a lottery or offering them an opportunity to make some easy money through an investment scheme or by helping a victim of a foreign government get their hard-earned money out of that foreign land.

Last week, hundreds of people in the Isle of Man received a text message suggesting they had won a million euros on the Spanish lottery.

An OFT spokesman said: ‘Although many of us recognise that these contacts are suspicious some people still fail to realise that they may be dishonest attempts to part them from their money.

‘Some of these are easily recognisable as scams but many look legitimate and are very convincing.

‘Fraudsters over the years have realised that the more professional and sophisticated they make their forms of contact the more people will be drawn in by them.’

The OFT’s advice is to look out for these warning signs:

Did the offer come ‘out of the blue’, i.e. was it unexpected?

Do you have to respond at once with such a tight deadline that you don’t have time to give it any thought or check out the details of the offer?

Do you have to make a purchase to win a prize?

Do you have to ring a premium rate telephone number?

Do you have to give your bank or credit card details?

Is the business reluctant to give an address or contact details?

Are you being asked to keep it confidential?

Does it look too good to be true?

There are things you can do to protect yourself.

The Office of Fair Trading has produced a leaflet giving tips on how not to become a victim of a scam and the Office’s consumer advisers advise consumers who receive what they think is a scam contact.

Copies of the leaflet can be obtained from the Office in Lord Street, Douglas, from its website or by telephoning 686500.

This number will also put you in touch with the consumer advisers.

The OFT spokesman added: ‘If you think or have been advised that the offer is a potential scam, do not take up the offer just to stop being bombarded by contacts - scammers will often try to wear their victims down by doing this.

‘In some cases action can be taken to prevent this happening but it is often not possible as letters, telephone calls, etc in many cases originate from distant jurisdictions such as Australia and North America.

‘You should also be aware that scammers an easily switch to a different method of contact or use the same method of contact using different business names, addresses, telephone/text/fax numbers or email addresses.’

Almost £1,700 has been raised for the Isle of Man Children’s Centre during an event to mark the 25th anniversary of the Isle of Man branch of the Institute of Directors.

It was attended by 101 people who were addressed by director general of the Institute Simon Walker.

As well as supporting the event, Barclays Wealth and Investment Management matched money raised during a raffle pound-for-pound, bring the final total to £1,694.

The money will now be donated to The Children’s Centre.

Clive Parrish, chairman of the Institute of Directors in the Isle of Man, said: ‘Our 25th anniversary event proved a huge success.

‘It was a pleasant surprise that our raffle raised so much, and to have that amount doubled by Barclays was magnificent, meaning a significant donation can be made to The Children’s Centre.’

Stuart Nelson, head of corporate and intermediary nanking at Barclays Wealth and Investment Management, Isle of Man, said: ‘We were delighted to underline our relationship with the Isle of Man branch of the Institute of Directors by sponsoring the 25th anniversary celebrations, and were very pleased to welcome Simon Walker to the island.

‘Mr Walker has enjoyed a distinguished and fascinating career, including serving as communications secretary to The Queen at Buckingham Palace and special adviser in the Prime Minister’s Policy Unit at 10 Downing Street.’

The Isle of Man branch of the Institute of Directors was founded in November 1988. The Institute says it is an organisation for professional leaders, supporting members by encouraging entrepreneurial activity and promoting responsible business practice for the benefit of the business community and society.

Island of Culture events continue tonight (Sunday)

Peel Commissioners and Vikings of Mann will be stepping back in time with a torch light procession and lighting of the bonfire on Peel Beach.

Monday will see the invitation only launch of Island of Culture stamps at the Villa Marina.

Links: www.islandofculture.im

Students from Queen Elizabeth II High School went ice skating after winning a prize to reward hard work.

The prize was donated by Ice Skate Isle of Man to 20 pupils, in Years 9 and 10 (13- to 15-year-olds), who enjoyed a trip to the rink at Tynwald Mills in St John’s.

The hardest working students from Year 11 (15- to 16-year-olds) also won an afternoon at Laser Mayhem in South Barrule.

The winners were nominated by their tutors and the ice skaters were: Arthur Bankes-Jones, Jimmy Bostock, Affrica Bethune, Eleanor Curphey, Daniel Done, Emily Downs, Hannah Doyle, Josh Fairhurst, Sarah Glover, Harry Hewson, Chloe Irving, Emily Jones, Abigail Lloyd, Kelly McMullin, Chloe Mylchreest, Ben Roobottom, Emma Vickers, Sara Watterson, Lucy Webber and Amy Whiteway.

The Laser Mayhem prize was won by Kaye Apugan, Sam Bowers, Cliodhna Caley, Megan Greggor, Harry Lowe, Lee Moffatt, Darcie Phillips, Elena Reid and Zoe Thompson.

In a separate award, Voirrey Leadley won a £30 meal voucher from Paparazzi Italian restaurant in Douglas, in recognition of her continued hard work, endeavour and achievement.

Three Year 13 students (17- to 18-year-olds) from the school recently travelled to a prestigious awards ceremony at London Zoo where their ‘Grow your own clothes’ project achieved a Gold medal.

The Jane Goodall Roots Awards were attended by Dr Jane Goodall, renowned British primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and United Nations Messenger of Peace.

The lucky students, Annabell Jose, Emma Howard and Grace Harrop, got to showcase their work and were also interviewed by a German film company currently making a documentary about Dr Goodall.

Tara Golshan, executive director of education at the Jane Goodall Institute UK, praised the Manx girls saying: ‘This is one of the most impressive projects I have seen during my time here at the Jane Goodall Institute.

‘We want to make people aware of the environmental and occupational hazards of the “fast fashion” industry.

‘With simple ingredients of green tea, sugar and a few microbes we can grow our own green material and subsequently make our own environmentally friendly, biodegradable clothes.’

The three girls also took part in a fashion show wearing their grown clothes.

To round off an amazing day they were presented with certificates, a trophy, a year’s subscription for the school to National Geographic Kids Magazine, and a signed book from Dr Goodall.

Annabell said afterwards: ‘Dr Goodall’s speech was so inspiring. Her passion and dedication to her work has enthused us all.

‘We need to spread her message and motivate others to implement practical positive change for people, animals and the environment.’

The school thanked the Manx Lottery Trust Grant Scheme for its help.

The Isle of Man Railways ‘Blow Away the Cobwebs’ train proved popular on Saturday (December 28).

The one-off popular Christmas holiday special runs from Douglas station to Castletown and back.

Railways events co-ordinator, Anji Street, said: ‘The ‘Blow Away the Cobwebs’ train is always popular.

‘It’s a time of year when people are looking for something to do between Christmas and New Year.

‘It’s a great trip to the ancient capital for people who have friends and family staying.’

A 30-year-old man has been charged with possessing £54,000-worth of cocaine with intent to supply.

Police allegedly seized the drug and £9,000 in cash.

The Douglas man is also alleged to have assaulted a police officer.

He is to appear in court tomorrow.

Hospice Isle of Man has launched a fundraising initiative with a difference.

New ‘gifts of care vouchers’ are for specific activities undertaken by patients in the hospice, so that a donor will know exactly what his or her money is going towards.

They cover the four main areas of the Hospice, including the in-patient unit, Hospice at Home services, The Scholl Day Centre and Rebecca House.

Coutts Bank was the first organisation to buy 39 gift cards to support the children’s hospice, Rebecca House.

This donation, totalling more than £2,000, covers 10 teatime sessions and 29 daytrips for the children.

Rebecca House currently looks after 29 children and their families so every child who attends the wing of Hospice Isle of Man will have a chance to enjoy a day trip in their bright red Lady’s J Bus.

The trips will be from Rebecca House and include a visit to the park for fun and ice cream, museums and shows to name a few.

All trips out are designed around the children and their needs.

Some of the children recently visited the ice rink at St John’s and thoroughly enjoyed the experience of being pushed around by Kyran Bracken. The main aim of these day trips is to give the children of Rebecca House some social enjoyment. All excursions are led by trained nurses and Rebecca House carers

A teatime session is from 3.30 to 7.30pm or 4pm to 8pm and will include play activities such as arts and crafts, baking, Dream Room (multi-sensory room), games, Wii, DVD, storytelling, acting, massage to hands or feet, pamper sessions (foot spa, make up and nails are optional).

A meal will be provided by the kitchens and assisted by staff to eat or given to children via their gastrostomy tube by trained staff.

A bath is optional in a specially-designed Jacuzzi or special wet room with shower. For some of the children three staff are required for moving and handling and hoists are available to ensure children are moved safely and compassionately.

Required medication will also be administered thereby allowing the parents/carers a break from their normal routine. On any shift there is always a registered nurse for every four children.

Depending on a child’s needs they may require two or three staff per shift.

David Batey, director of Coutts Isle of Man, met the team during the presentation of the gifts of care and was interested to hear of how much was involved in either a day trip or a tea time session at Rebecca House.

David said: ‘We have worked with Hospice Isle of Man and Rebecca House over a number of years and are delighted that our donation and purchase of these Gifts of Care will truly make a difference to local children and their families. We hope the children enjoy a lovely day trip or a tea time session.’

Gift cards range in price from £20 through to £450.

Mr Batey is pictured with chief executive Margaret Simpson and some of the Rebecca House team including Debbie Pitts, Chloe Marron, Wendy Cowin and Aly Moore

The Steam Packet is sponsoring the Isle of Man Four Wheel Drive Club Trial Championship for 2014.

The trials, which have been held annually since 1989, take place on private or government property, such as quarries, and are tests of skill and manoeuvring, with competitors negotiating a series of 10 gates, which become progressively more difficult due to placement and terrain.

There will be four trials during the year, with the first round held last month at Dhoon Quarry and won by Bernard Moore (short wheel base), Bob Boyde (medium wheel base) and John Kerr (long wheel base).

The Steam Packet Company is providing prizes for the class winners of each round, and prizes for the overall championship winners.

Steam Packet chief executive Mark Woodward said: ‘I went along to watch at the first event at Dhoon Quarry and found it fascinating to see the skill level of the drivers as they tackled each of the tests. We are hoping that our sponsorship will help to develop this type of sport in the island, and by working with the club we hope to attract visiting drivers over for events in the future.’

Chairman of the club Alan Morgan-Moodie said: ‘The club was formed in late 1989 by a group of like-minded individuals to ensure that four wheel drive as a sport is promoted in the best light. As a club we take the issue of conservation seriously and forbid the unauthorised use of any hill land, weight restricted Green Lanes or similar, and we also discourage the use of any Green Lanes in extreme conditions.

‘The club is working closely with conservation groups as well as government departments. We recognise the need to treat the countryside with respect and care, in order to ensure the continued availability to all and the right to utilise this natural asset that we share with walkers, motorcyclists, horse riders, mountain bikers, as well as the landowners and tenants.

‘We are very grateful to the Steam Packet for its support this year and look forward to developing the relationship in the future.’

The Manx winter has been captured by artist Catherine James for Isle of Man Stamps and Coins’ first miniature collection of 2014.

The stamps depict the flora of the winter months from rose-hips, red holly berries, fir cones, hellebores to frost-lined ivy leaves.

Catherine said she has had a love for painting from a very early age; being the seventh child in a family of eight children, she recalls finding it difficult to be heard among the constant chatter.

Instead she tended to say very little but read as many books as she could find and made drawings on any available paper and spent as much time as possible in the woods and fields of Santon.

In the text which accompanies the miniature sheet Catherine reflects on how bleak the Manx winters can be; wet and cold and how ‘Manannan’s mantle of mist’ can make it difficult to see further than the bottom of the garden.

She remembers ‘waking up on many a winter’s morning to windows lined with frost patterns (before central heating) – a magical transformation with the sight of hoar frost-edged leaves, rusty bracken, teasels and sea holly all set against a backdrop of winter lace trees with the glowing colours of rose hips in the hedges’.

Catherine said: ‘I felt very privileged to be asked to design the stamps for the miniature sheet. There is so much beautiful flora in the winter and it’s lovely to highlight this in the stamps. Yes a Manx winter can be cold and dark, but it can be incredibly beautiful. Seeing my artwork in its final form as a miniature sheet is very rewarding indeed.’

Maxine Cannon, Isle of Man Stamps and Coins’ general manager said: ‘We were thrilled Catherine agreed to design one of our first stamp issues of next year. Her artwork radiates a real wintery feel of the flora that surrounds our island at this time of year however the colours it displays adds a warm, gentle glow.’

Pictured: Artist Catherine James with the new collection

GamCare Isle of Man has seen more than 100 problem gamblers in the two years since it was launched.

And 86 per cent of clients have left the service with their situation either having improved or being resolved.

GamCare Isle of Man was launched in November 2011 by the Alcohol Advisory Service, now known as Motiv8 Addiction Services.

It is an affiliated partner of GamCare UK and was commissioned by the mental health service to provide free and confidential counselling and support to anyone affected by their own, or someone else’s gambling.

Help and support is offered over the phone, via email and with face to face appointments in a relaxed, non-judgemental and comfortable environment.

Two years on since its launch, the service is now fully established.

A spokesman said: ‘We are delighted with the progress the service has made and it continues to grow.

‘Over the past two years the service has established a well-respected and successful reputation on the island with 86 per cent of clients leaving the service with their situation having improved or being resolved.

‘We are seeing varying levels of problematic gambling with clients presenting with various types of gambling methods. Popular forms of gambling appear to be fruit machines, online gambling and bookmakers (betting and the Fixed Odds Betting Terminals). Since the service commenced, we have offered over 1,200 appointments and seen over 100 clients.’

Alongside the day to day running of the service, the past two years have also seen the completion of the island’s first Gambling Prevalence Survey, the delivery of problem gambling awareness sessions to pupils aged 15 to 17 at two high schools and to first year students at the Isle of Man College, in Douglas.

On-island training has been given for Motiv8 staff and representatives from other agencies to raise awareness of problem gambling and GamCare Isle of Man.

Following the island’s first problem gambling prevalence survey carried out on 4,000 households in 2012, it was estimated that 78 per cent of the population participated in gambling activity in the last 12 months.

Some 3.9 per cent of men and 1.9 per cent of women scored ‘at risk’ or developing a gambling problem, while 0.2 per cent of men and 0.1 per cent of women rated as pathological gamblers. Some 8 per cent of individuals advised someone in the last 12 months to gamble less.

GamCare Isle of Man plans to develop in the months and years ahead, encouraging and increasing the level of problem gambling awareness, not only for young people but for gamblers, parents, family members and anyone who would like to know more.

It wants to encourage family and friends concerned about someone else’s gambling to use the service in their own right as research shows that often when family members seek support for themselves, it can also improve the lives of the person with the addiction.

The majority of gamblers accessing the service are male but GamCare said it would like to see more female gamblers getting in contact.

For advice and support, information or to make an appointment, phone on 622011, text 498985 or email

gamcareisleofman@iom.com

Phil Craine will travel to the Israeli-occupied West Bank this month to spend three months as a human rights observer to help promote peace in the troubled region.

Mr Craine, aged 58, of Douglas, will make up an international team of people from more than 20 countries, aimed at providing impartial peace by their presence.

They will also monitor human rights abuses and support peace activists – both Israeli and Palestinian.

‘I’ve had an interest in the region ever since I worked on an Israeli kibbutz as a young man,’ Mr Craine said.

‘I’m old enough to remember the Six-Day War in 1967 when Israel captured the West Bank.

‘I couldn’t have imagined that the conflict – so central in both Middle Eastern and global terms – would simmer and fester for so many decades.

‘I hope to listen and learn from a range of voices, and in a very tiny way, stand alongside victims of injustice and help to promote a lasting peace.’

He explained that through his work with Christian Aid he had ‘vaguely’ heard of the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI).

It was set up in 2002 by the World Council of Churches in response to a call by the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem.

In the British Isles, the programme is organised by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).

‘A few months ago I was idly surfing the web and must have clicked on a link to this,’ he explained.

‘It simply jumped off the screen.

‘My heart missed a few beats and I knew I wanted to apply.

‘I waited a while to see if the feeling would die down, but it didn’t.’

Mr Craine’s work will be varied – and he hasn’t yet been told where he will be based in the West Bank.

‘On one day, we may find ourselves monitoring a checkpoint where thousands of Palestinian workers cross daily into Israel,’ he said.

‘On another, we may simply be helping Palestinian children arrive at school safely without harassment.’

When asked how he was feeling about the trip, Mr Craine said: ‘It’s exciting and a bit scary too – though in security terms the West Bank is nothing like Syria or even Gaza, and apparently the biggest risk is road accidents.

‘The training by the Quakers has been excellent – really professional and lots of role play for different scenarios which may arise.’

He added: ‘Given the occupation, I guess it may be hard to witness situations of injustice, and I’ll need to remember we aren’t there to necessarily sort out the immediate situation, but to observe, write, film, and report.

‘And that there are two sides – at least – to every story.’