An appeal before Christmas for two sailors to help crew a yacht involved in a race in the Caribbean prompted an ‘overwhelming response’ said yacht owner and skipper Neil Medley, and now he has made another appeal, for four sailors to help him sail the yacht across the Atlantic and Mediterranean to Turkey.

Mr Medley – who lives in Castletown, having moved there from Ilkley, West Yorkshire – said there was interest in the Caribbean Challenge from two sailors from Douglas Bay Yacht Club, ‘but they didn’t join us for the event as a couple from Ilkley, Yorkshire were best suited’.

On January 12, the yachts set sail from St Lucia on the inaugural Caribbean Challenge.

The event was over 14 days with timed daily stages stopping off at different bays, ports and islands.

Initially, heading north and rounding Martinique the challenge turned south taking in St Vincent’s, the Grenadines and Grenada before completing the challenge at Marigot’s Bay back on St Lucia.

Mr Medley’s yacht, a Jeanneau 57 called Sail in the Med, won the challenge by 12 hours and 36 minutes ahead of second place and over a day ahead of third.

The second leg was crucial and rested on a steward’s decision, which was upheld in Mr Medley’s favour.

He explained: ‘We had just over a 30 minute lead after the first leg where we moored at Martinique for two days.

‘The second leg left the rules open for interpretation as we were supposed to leave the next day when the route was announced. We had left at midday on the first leg, so the assumption was the same. However we left at 12.01am and a few hours later a second yacht followed our lead. The rest waited until midday.

‘Our interpretation was upheld after a steward’s enquiry, and hence that lead was maintained.’

In March, the yacht is to be sailed across the Atlantic and the Mediterranean to Gocek, Turkey, where she will be available to be hired for charter in the surrounding area.

Mr Medley is on the look out for sailors to crew the yacht on the next crossing from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean.

The leg across the Atlantic is expected to take around seven to 14 days, depending on weather, and requires sailors with experience.

The crew could be changed at Gibraltar before the onward journey to Turkey, which will also take in Southern Italy and the Greek islands and last around 10 days; for this leg less experience is necessary as Mr Medley said he has sailed the route solo on several occasions.

All on board expenses are met (those generated on shore are not); sailors must pay for their own return flights.

To enquire email Talvongar@mail.com

The Isle of Man beer and cider festival will make a welcome return to the Masonic Hall on Woodbourne Road in Douglas in April.

Dates for this year’s event, which will be the third CAMRA-run festival in the island, are April 10 to 12.

A CAMRA spokesman said: ‘This year promises to expand on the past two years, offering even more beer than ever.

‘We have listened to comments that have been fed back to the Isle of Man CAMRA committee organising the event, and we aim to make this our best festival yet.’

The Chief Ministers from the three Crown Dependencies will get together in Douglas this week when the island hosts a trilateral meeting.

Chief Minister Allan Bell will welcome his counterparts from Jersey and Guernsey, Senator Ian Gorst and Deputy Peter Harwood when they arrive on Thursday for a two-day visit.

The trilateral meetings take place on a regular basis, providing the Crown Dependencies with an extra forum for discussion in addition to the British-Irish Council.

Mr Bell said relations between the three islands are stronger than they’ve ever been. He said: ‘Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man are commercial rivals in a number of areas and each of us has our own identity and interests. However, we have many issues in common, particularly on the international front and it is always useful to share views and experiences with our colleagues.’

The retrial of the Attorney General Stephen Harding was due to get underway this week.

Last month, a jury failed to reach a verdict when Mr Harding was tried on charges of perjury and committing acts against public justice.

The 52-year-old of Glen Vine denies the charges.

Acting Deemster Peter Birkett will once again preside over the trial which is listed for 10 days in courtroom 3 at the Court of General Gaol Delivery.

The Crown allege Mr Harding misled a court at a winding-up hearing, and then lied on oath to cover his tracks at a subsequent Advocates’ Disciplinary Tribunal. Mr Harding was the government advocate representing Treasury at the winding-up hearing of Peel-based Street Heritage Limited on February 24, 2010.

He is accused of acts against public justice contrary to Section 347 of the Criminal Code 1872 (as amended) by allegedly creating and submitting false documentation to the Advocates Disciplinary Tribunal on diverse dates between April 1, 2010 and September 30, 2010.

He is also accused of an offence under Section 1(1) of the Perjury Act 1952 (as amended).

The Crown alleges that having been lawfully sworn as a witness in proceedings before the tribunal, in which he was the accused, the defendant wilfully made a statement he knew to be false about a file note of February 23, 2010, said to be a record of a 10-minute telephone conversation he had with Jeremy Carter, an advocate acting for SHL when in fact there was no such telephone call at that time.

A home in Tynwald Road, Williston, was burgled on Sunday evening.

Between 7.55pm and 8.30pm, police said, the offender(s) have entered an occupied home and taken property from the kitchen, entering via an unlocked side door.

Anyone with infromation leading to the identification of the offenders is asked to contact police.

Members of the public were also warned to be vigilant with securing their properties and to ensure that all doors, windows, outbuildings and vehicles are secure.

Today, MONDAY

SOUTHWELL JUMPERS: 12.45 The Last Bridge 1.15 Royal Riviera 1.45 Brave Vic 2.15 Vivaccio 2.50 Jaunty Journey (NB) 3.20 Cloudy Dawn 3.50 Whispering Harry (NAP)

KEMPTON POLYTRACK PICKS: 1.30 Capone 2.0 Ray Of Joy 2.30 Dr Finley 3.0 Go Amwell 3.30 Confiture 4.0 Dixie’s Dream 4.30 Mighty Mambo 5.0 Sudden Wish

WOLVERHAMPTON SELECTIONS: 2.40 Taste The Wine 3.10 Maggie Pink 3.40 Shelford 4.10 Teenage Dream 4.40 Ain’t No Surprise 5.10 Apostle 5.40 Daneglow

Representatives from the Isle of Man’s eGaming sector gather in London this week to promote the island’s capabilities at the world’s largest gaming exhibition – ICE Totally Gaming 2014.

The three-day event will see thousands of visitors and exhibitors from around the world gather at the ExCeL Centre to discuss the latest news and trends in one of the world’s most dynamic and fast moving industries.

eGaming now employs around 800 people directly in the island and it represents nine per cent of our economy, said Howard Quayle, MHK, Political member for eGaming at the Department of Economic Development (DED).

The island will be well represented with 14 companies expected to join the DED on the Isle of Man eGaming Services Stand.

Appleby partner and past chairman of the Gambling Supervision Commission Claire Milne said it is a clear example of the close working relationship between the private and public sectors when it comes to diversifying the Isle of Man offering.

She said that for Appleby the event will be a chance to meet with new and existing clients from around the world, while also gaining an insight into the future trends and development of the industry.

Claire will attend the show alongside client services director Sandra Georgeson to offer advice to eGaming clients on the legislative, regulatory

and company incorporation requirements to help set up and grow their business on the Isle of Man.

Claire added: ‘Microgaming and Playtech will be among the leading brands exhibiting at this year’s event and their strong presence makes it clear that internet gambling has become the senior element in the entire gambling offering for the international market.

‘Other areas of discussion are likely to focus on the increasing regulation of online gambling businesses in an increasingly maturing and regulated market.’

point of consumption tax

SMP group business development director David Hudson said it is hoped the conference is well attended and creates new prospects for the island.

Mr Hudson said: ‘Despite the current uncertainty created by the UK’s imminent introduction of its new gambling regulations and point of consumption tax, it is anticipated that ICE will be well attended and that the Isle of Man contingent can do good business and bring some new and exciting prospective propositions to our shores.

‘It will be a busy conference for the SMP Partners team, which now looks after almost 50 per cent of the island’s licensed gaming companies.’

He added that over the last four years SMP Partners has made a considerable contribution to the Island’s gaming community and established a dominant position in the sector. The firm’s gaming team now numbers 23 people from a range of professional backgrounds.

Mr Hudson said: ‘The market is in a constant state of change. Legislation continues to change, which certainly creates opportunities, but also represents potential longer-term challenges for all the offshore licensing jurisdictions.’

innovations

Corporate service provider Equiom will also be attending the ICE Totally Gaming Expo from tomorrow (Tuesday) to Thursday this week. (February 4 to 6.)

Exhibitors from the betting, bingo, casino, lottery, mobile, online and social gaming sectors will return to showcase their latest innovations and cutting edge solutions to a global audience.

Legal director Barry Smith will be leading the Equiom team and will be supported by Kerry Tasker, eGaming services manager and Wendy Sharkey, senior administrator.

Barry said: ‘ICE continues to be the premier event on the gaming calendar and we are delighted to be attending ICE 2014.

‘The Equiom eGaming team are looking forward to engaging with potential clients, understanding their requirements and showcasing how Equiom is a ‘‘provider of choice’’ for eGaming services.’

BIG DATA ANALYTICS

Manx Telecom will be showcasing its eGaming solutions.

Manx Telecom will have their own stand for the first time this year, and a particular focus for its presentation will be big data analytics.

Stuart Paul, Manx Telecom data centres director, said: ‘Manx Telecom is the hosting provider for some of the world’s leading brands including PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Paddy Power, and we have played a significant role in establishing the Isle of Man’s global reputation as a centre of excellence for eGaming.

‘But this is a very competitive sector, so attending events such as ICE is a vital part of our strategy to explore new opportunities and build upon our already impressive portfolio of clients.

Big data analytics is a fast growing sector of the data hosting market and allows eGaming businesses to extract commercially useful information from the huge volumes of data generated from billions of dollars of transactions every year.

Businesses using Manx Telecom’s Intelligent Analytics can improve their identification of high value players and the accuracy of targeted marketing for cross/up-selling.

Manx Telecom will also be represented at ICE by sales director Fergal McKenna and account managers John Dunne and Daniel Walker.

Isle of Man Post Office’s specialist communication division Secure Direct Mail is in London.

This is the business’s third year at ICE.

Representatives from the Secure Direct Mail business development team are attending this year’s event to network and meet with existing clients.

ICE covers eight gaming sectors – betting, bingo, casino, lottery, mobile, online, social and street – making it the only event at which the different worlds of gaming come together in one expo.

The Department of Economic Development’s eGaming Team are also attending ICE.

promoting

Peter Greenhill, chief executive officer, eGaming, Department of Economic Development, said: ‘I’m looking forward to promoting the benefits of setting up an eGaming company or e-Business in the Isle of Man.

‘Last year the local delegation made a significant number of good new contacts thanks to our status as an e-Gaming centre of excellence with an innovative and robust regulatory regime, world-class ICT infrastructure and our pro-business approach.’

ICE organisers say the 2014 event will be the most reported on gaming event on record.

The island’s Post Office has given itself a pat on the back for its work over Christmas.

A press statement says: ‘Isle of Man Post Office’s mail division experienced a sustained three-week period of high daily mail volumes over the festive season.

‘This is a challenge in itself, but two thirds of all items for delivery come via the UK and the appalling weather caused havoc with mail despatches to the island and this just added to the task. Still the business managed to pull out all the stops and got all of its parcels and cards delivered in time for Christmas.’

The gales in the Irish Sea stopped a number of Steam Packet sailings and with just days to go to Christmas mail began building up at Heysham and Birkenhead.

Air mail was coming through as normal, but the mail containers by sea, carrying the bulk of packets and parcels, were building up and by Saturday, December 21, the weekend before Christmas, there was a backlog of seven containers.

Malcolm Macpherson, managing director of mails, said: ‘Everyone in the business worked really hard over this period and a plan was put in place to get the outstanding mail from the UK.

‘We organised an extra air mail flight for Sunday, December 22, and made arrangements with Royal Mail and the Steam Packet to get the outstanding containers to the island from Heysham and Birkenhead.

‘In addition to this we brought in extra staff to shift the backlog on the Sunday.

‘With arrivals on Saturday night, Sunday morning, Sunday night and finally Monday morning the backlog in Heysham had been moved with all the outstanding mail to the island on time. Over that weekend a phenomenal 25,000 packets and parcels were sorted, some being delivered on Sunday and the remainder delivered on the Monday.’”

During December the mail division handled volumes of 4.3 million items, a little down on 2012. Fewer Christmas cards were sent but the volume of parcels and packets has continued to increase and during December, more than 300,000 packets and parcels were delivered on the island.

The next lecture at the Manx Museum held by the Isle of Man Natural History and Antiquarian Society (IoMNHAS) will focus on the mystery of why, in the late Stone Age, people living on what is today the site of the island’s airport developed a unique culture quite distinct from the traditions found in either Britain or Ireland.

It is strange to say that so unique are the Stone Age remains found on the site that the mysterious people who lived there are now referred to by experts as the ‘Ronaldsway Culture’!

But then the evidence shows that, in the Bronze Age, the people of Mannreverted to the standard patterns found in the adjacent islands.

Today Ronaldsway can be viewed as the place in the island connected most closely to the outside world, and when we consider its history while waiting for a flight we are most likely to contemplate how many airlines and their services have come and gone in recent times, or the replacement of the World War Two era control tower by the new and shiny state-of-the-art structure looming over the surrounding southern plain.

Ronaldsway has had an important place in the annals of history, however. Its name is thought to be derived from a ship porterage route over the neck of the Langness peninsula used by a Viking called Ragnald, Ronald or, in the Manx Gaelic version of the placename, Roony.

In 1275 the Battle of Ronaldsway saw King Alexander III of Scotland defeating a Manx rebellion headed by Godred Magnusson, illegitimate son of the last Norse King of Mann, and the fleeing into exile in Wales and Norway of the remaining members of the Manx-Norse royal family.

Centuries later, Ronaldsway Farm developed into the mansion of William Christian, ‘Illiam Dhone’, whose action of surrendering the island to the Parliamentarians in the English Civil War – perhaps to spare it from a massacre like that of Drogheda in Ireland – led to him being shot by firing squad at Hango Hill, within sight of his former home, in January 1663.

His crumbling mansion, surrounded by fields, was still standing in the 1920s and 30s when the first airfield was developed at Ronaldsway for passenger flights operated to the UK and Ireland by West Coast Air Services, Aer Lingus and Railway Air Services (RAS).

In a 1936 expansion of the embryonic airport led to workers discovering a mass grave believed to hold the remains of soldiers who died in that 1275 battle with the Scots.

But it was further expansion as a military airbase in the dark days of World War Two that led to both the demolition of Illiam Dhone’s old home and the discovery of the archaeological remains of a Neolithic settlement belonging to the Ronaldsway Culture, named in honour of this site.

Also sometimes also referred to as ‘Manx Ronaldsway’, these finds are believed to date from between 2,200 and 1,900 BC, in the era known as the later Neolithic period.

The culture is characterised by deep jars called Ronaldsway-style pots, stone axes with butts which have been roughened, and unusual flint tools. Where the Ronaldsway Culture does meet other cultures, there have been finds of shared monuments, including stone circles, passage and entrance graves, and henges. But it also has structures entirely of its own – in particular, the culture’s typical polished axe has been met with nowhere else, hence the belief of some experts that during at least part of the late Neolithic age the people of the Isle of Man developed independently from those in Britain and Ireland.

For the IoMNHAS event, Manx-born Rachel Crellin, who is researching the Ronaldsway Culture for her PhD project at Newcastle University, will present a lecture called ‘Changing times: Tracing Change from the Ronaldsway Late Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age on the Isle of Man.’

Rachel obtained a first class honours degree – and the highest marks in her year – in archaeology and anthropology at the University of Cambridge, and went on to obtain an MA in material and visual culture studies with the anthropology department at University College London. She was awarded a distinction for her MA thesis using ethnographic research to explore the anthropology of the seascape as experienced by small boat-users on the Isle of Man.

Her Newcastle University PhD project is entitled ‘Scales of time, scales of change: the emergence of a Bronze Age on the Isle of Man’ and she also works for the Centre of Manx Studies helping to deliver their field schools in archaeological excavation techniques on the island, as well as acting as the project administrator for the AHRC (Arts & Humanities Research Council) funded project The Tyne-Forth Prehistory Forum on prehistoric archaeology in north-east England and south-east Scotland.

For her lecture In the Manx Museum lecture theatre at 2pm on Saturday, February 8, she will discuss the changing archaeology of the Isle of Man from 3000-1500 BC and will draw together her doctoral research to present her interpretation of how life was lived in the island in the the Ronaldsway Late Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age, as well as evidence-led analysis of material culture, mortuary practices and transformation of island landscape.

She will focus on axes of both stone and bronze and use them as a way of exploring the effects of changing technology. Her analysis of the Early Bronze Age in the Isle of Man will show the impact of bronze as a new material and she will also consider burial practices supported by 12 new radiocarbon dates (work funded by the Manx Heritage Foundation).

She will then address the question of how ancient Manx people’s relationship with earth and landscape changed over time, drawing together diverse evidence including Earthfast Jar practices, the construction of burial monuments and the settlement evidence from the period.

As well as Rachel’s lecture, the society’s activities will continue with further Traditional Buildings of Mann fieldwork sessions on Saturdays, February 15 (details to be finalised) and March 16 (meet 10.30am at Round Table crossroads, destination Ballavel).

Future lectures include former society president and current senior marine biodiversity officer of the Fisheries Directorate at the Department of the Environment, Food and Agriculture Dr Fiona Gell giving her president’s lecture on ‘A Glimpse into the History of the Manx Marine Environment’ on Saturday, March 1. Also, on Saturday, April 12, expert on the social and cultural history of tourism Professor John Walton will give a lecture entitled ‘Tourism, the Isle of Man and the Irish Sea Economy in the 19th and 20th Centuries’.

For further details of the society, visit www.manxantiquarians.com and facebook.com/IsleofManNaturalHistoryandAntiquarianSociety

Sharon the swan has been safely delivered to The Swan Sanctuary in Middlesex, where she will be treated for the injury to her leg.

In answer to last week’s appeal by the MSPCA to deliver the injured swan to England, on Sunday Barbara and David Cole drove Sharon onto the boat to Birkenhead, where they met Stephen Knight From the sanctuary.

‘This is my swan,’ said Barbara. ‘I had to do it.’

During the storm surge on January 3, Barbara, whose house backs onto the Silverdale in Castletown, noticed the swan was in difficulty.

‘She was getting battered,’ said Barbara. ‘She was thrown out right onto the lane by a big wave and we think she has been smacked against something, causing the injury. She was being attacked by geese. I waded through the water and picked her up and brought her into the house, then we drove her to the vets (Milan Veterinary Practice).’

After treatment there she was sent to the MSPCA where she stayed until the appeal last week.

The sanctuary said Sharon is doing well, she is eating and standing.

The Steam Packet has warned that its sailings tomorrow (Tuesday, February 4) are subject to disruption or cancellation.

The 2.15am sailing from Heysham will not be affected.

However, the 8.45am sailing from Douglas will leave 8.15am. All passengers should check in no later than 8am.

The 2.15pm sailing from Heysham back to Douglas will leave an hour earlier than scheduled, at 1.15pm. All passengers should check in no later than 1pm.

The scheduled 7.45pm sailing from Douglas could be cancelled or disrupted.

There will be a further update will be issued by 4pm tomorrow.

In your Isle of Man Examiner tomorrow, there’s a voucher for readers to buy one bacon roll and get one free.

The Examiner has changed its day of publication.

From now on it’ll be in the shops from Tuesday.

Tuesday is News Day.

The high tide and storms have caused damage in various parts of the island.

Mike Wade’s picture (above) was taken at Mooragh Promenade in Ramsey.

There’s also been damage at the Sunken Gardens on Douglas Promenade.

Tomorrow’s Examiner has lots more details and photos.

From this week, the Examiner is published on a Tuesday.

Tuesday is News Day.

The island’s banking sector has been hit by another blow.

More than 20 jobs are to go at Santander’s banking centre in Douglas.

The company says it’s cutting staff numbers from 53 to 32 in the year ahead.

Last year the firm’s office in Prospect Hill moved from being a wholly-owned subsidiary of Santander UK to a branch in its own right - when it was rebranded to Santander.

A statement from the firm says fewer staff will be needed after the introduction of a new IT system for business customers.

Staff will be offered redeployment or relocation but redundancies are not ruled out.

Managing director of Santander Isle of Man John Pearson said: ‘Santander is committed to having a sustainable retail and wealth focussed business on the Isle of Man and is committed to having a presence here.’

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/business/plan-to-grow-manx-economy-by-3-to-4-per-cent-every-year-till-2020-1-6404692|The financial services sector is expected to shrink, the government said in its Vision 2020 launch.}

The news comes after {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/business/thirty-one-jobs-to-go-as-britannia-pulls-out-of-the-isle-of-man-1-6365532|Britannia announced it was going to leave the island} and {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/business/lloyds-to-cut-16-jobs-in-the-island-1-6408089|Lloyds announced cuts too.}

Community, Culture and Leisure Minister Graham Cregeen insists his soon to be disbanded department has been a success – but accepted it needs to go.

Tynwald this month voted unanimously to approve radical reforms to streamline government – a move that will see the dissolution of the DCCL and its services distributed to other departments.

With bus strikes, the U-turn over bendy buses and the controversy over the purchase of a new £400,000 diesel loco, the department had made the headlines for all the wrong reasons over the past 18 months.

Mr Cregeen said: ‘With the changes coming in April and the amount of media coverage of the department’s attempts to modernise public transport, it would be easy to assume that the DCCL has not been a success. Nothing could be further from the truth.

‘We have had to face some very difficult challenges to adapt to the changing economic climate and our services have perhaps been impacted more than any by government’s necessity to balance the budget. Yet we have embraced this challenge with results exceeding any other area of government in terms of improving efficiency, increasing revenues and delivering great service to the Manx public.’

But he added: ‘I think it needs to go. Things get to a critical mass – with the savings we are being asked to make it gets to a point where you ask how you can provide these services and stick within the budget.’

Mr Cregeen said the department has seen its budget reduced by 14.4 per cent (£2.2m) since its inception in 2010/11. This includes a 31.5 per cent reduction in corporate services, a 20 per cent reduction in leisure services and a 9 per cent reduction in public transport.

The Minister said this has been achieved while continuing to provide an excellent range of services and high quality infrastructure.

He pointed out that many of the service operated by the department - the Villa/Marina, the heritage railways, the Wildlife Park - are subsidised but while not profitable in their own right, they add to the quality of life of residents and attract visitors to the island.

Highlighting some of the DCCL success stories, Mr Cregeen said the Villa Marina and Gaiety Theatre has reduced its deficit by 23 per cent from £1.3m to £1m since 2010/11 (since the opening of the Villa Marina in 2004/05, the reduction is closer to 40 per cent) and visitor numbers have consistently reached in the region of 250,000 per year for the last five years.

The Curraghs Wildlife Park has enjoyed consecutive years of growth, culminating in selling almost 1,000 memberships in 2013/14 (an increase of 200 per cent since 2011) and a seven year high for visitor numbers.

Mr Cregeen also cited a new Sports Strategy that aims to improve social engagement through sport and is hoping to deliver in excess of £56m worth of savings per year by 2050 to the island’s Health Service.

But the DCCL’s biggest headache, the long-running bus drivers’ dispute, is still to be resolved. Two drivers will take their case for unfair dismissal back to the employment tribunal in a test case which resumes on February 12 to 14.

The annual Dave Karran Memorial Masters squash tournament was held at the National Sports Centre last week.

The competition consisted of three age categories: over-40s, o50s and o60s.

The former produced some excellent matches, with newcomer Dave Freer competing well against some of the stronger players in this category.

Steve Morley and Lyndon Cheetham had a very good five-set match with Morley taking the match.

Rich Corlett and Dewald Joubert also went the distance with Corlett winning the all important match point in the fifth game.

The final featured two players in the current men’s island team - Ashley Sykes and Dave Norman, the latter proving too strong to win the match and the category.

The over-50s also boasted some fine players who have in the past featured for the island.

The final rankings more or less went to current form, there was some excellent matches, most notably between Gordon Beresford and Dave Griffiths, with the latter winning the fifth set and also Stuart Highy and Vicky Watterson, with Highy being taken to five sets before overcoming his opponent.

Peter Ginty pushed Ian Kelly all the way after losing the first two games, but to lost the fifth to Kelly by the narrowest of margins.

The final featured Kevin Watterson and Steve Baker, Kevin’s consistency throughout the match giving him the overall victory in three games.

Not to be outdone, the over-60s also featured players who play squash off-island and again produced a high standard of squash.

Phil Shaw’s defeats to both Peter Sharples and Ian Sheard cost him a place in the final. The latter pair had recently competed off-island in Merseyside and their final match-up had all the makings of a close encounter.

Sharples eventually won the match to become this year’s over-60s winner.

Nearly 100 staff and students at the Isle of Man College of Further Education will face the weighing scales and tape measure next week at the end of a five week health and fitness challenge.

A total of 96 participants were weighed and had their body fat measured on January 9 at the beginning of the inaugural ‘Kick-Start Challenge’, and will face the scales again on Thursday, February 13.

Participants have been given pedometers, on loan from the Public Health Directorate, to monitor their daily steps, as well as food diaries to keep them on the right track.

The challenge is the brainchild of the college’s health and wellbeing co-ordinator, Kate Bergquist, who aims to promote a more balanced approach than the typical January detox.

‘Weight loss isn’t just about what the scales say, and healthy eating is not all about counting calories,’ she said.

‘The Kick-Start Challenge aims to encourage staff and students to adopt a more sensible and holistic approach to fitness and nutrition.’

The pedometers have been a particular success in fostering a competitive spirit.

‘It’s been great to watch people pacing up and down the corridors during their lunch break trying to increase their daily step count’, said Ms Bergquist. ‘The pedometer challenge is a fun and easy way for staff and students to improve their physical and mental well-being.”

Ian Sheard, assistant principal, said: ‘Kate’s work on the challenge has been a great way to improve everyone’s work-life balance’.

The Isle of Man government is inviting expressions of interest from parties seeking to develop offshore energy production in Manx territorial seas.

Minister for Economic Development John Shimmin said: ‘The opportunities for the Isle of Man in renewable energy are significant. For example, we estimate that leasing parts of the seabed within our waters to an offshore wind farm developer would generate several millions of pounds of income per year for the Isle of Man Government.

‘The potential return to the Isle of Man from large offshore wind farms could be worth £5m per year from leasing the seabed in our territorial sea.

‘All the infrastructure costs would be borne by the developer, not the Isle of Man Government.’

Workers in the public sector earn more money, on average, than those in the private sector.

They also work shorter hours.

The Examiner, which is in the shops now, crunches the numbers after the earnings survey released by the Treasury last week.

The front page includes a report on the rapist teacher who is due to be sentenced today (Tuesday).

Inside, there’s lots of information and photos from the flooding, including a great shot taken by John Maddrell of the sunken gardens on Douglas Promenade. The waves have really caused some damage.

The Examiner used to be in the shops on a Monday. From now on, it will be on a Tuesday.

To mark the occasion, we have got together with McDonald’s to offer a buy-one-get-one-free deal on bacon rolls. The voucher is on page 7.

We’ve also organised a great competition with Regency Travel for a £500 travel voucher.

There are some other changes.

Our sports news is now expanded, with a new pullout newspaper-within-a-newspaper format.

We’ve also expanded our business coverage. Our business news has never been just about Athol Street.

The lead business story this week is about a fish farm, which just loves the rain.

Also inside:

Allan Bell tells us raising tax would be a last resort

We see the tree mulcher that’s been brought in to deal with diseased larches

The former councillor who’s appeared in court for feeding pigeons

Roy Tilleard says he won’t be at the public meeting about Callow’s Yard

A report on an inquest of a man in Ramsey whose body wasn’t found for three weeks

Minister Graham Cregeen tells us it’s right for his government department to be abolished

Tributes to a popular retired farmer from Glen Maye

The Stone Age secrets of Ronaldsway

Terry Cringle’s nostalgia pages include a great shot of one of the old passenger boats battling the Irish Sea.

The island’s favourite paper is on sale now.

The Department of Health has published the summary of responses from the public consultation on the Health Care Professionals Bill 2014, which will receive its first reading in the House of Keys today (Tuesday).

Health chiefs say the consultation exercise, which ran from November 4 to December 2, saw generally wide backing in the comments submitted as well as helpful and constructive feedback.

Included with the submissions was an online petition signed by more than 400 people supporting the requirement that chiropractors practising in the Isle of Man must, by law, be registered with the General Chiropractic Council.

The Bill, if approved, will bring in a process of revalidation for doctors whereby their fitness to practise will have to be confirmed by the General Medical Council (GMC) once every five years. The move will bring the Island in to line with the UK, which began the revalidation process for doctors at the end of 2012.

The Bill will also confirm the requirement for various health care professionals to be registered with their professional regulatory body in the UK and will add chiropractors and osteopaths practising on the island to the list of professionals who must be registered.

Minister for Health David Anderson MHK said: ‘I would like to thank all of those who took part in the consultation exercise.

‘The feedback was extremely valuable and has resulted in some minor amendments to the Bill.

‘At its heart, this Bill is about improving patient safety and will help to further raise standards, ultimately increasing the level of confidence that the public can have in health care professionals working on the island.’

As doctors practising in the Isle of Man are registered with and regulated by the GMC, failure to bring in equivalent legislation making revalidation mandatory would ultimately result in doctors who practise in the Isle of Man losing their GMC registration.

The GMC has been consulted and is satisfied that the Bill, if approved by Tynwald, will bring the Isle of Man in to line with the revalidation process in the UK.

Member for the Department of Health, Bill Henderson MHK, who is taking the Bill through the House of Keys said: ‘This Bill is a very positive step forward for our community – almost all of us will come in to contact with a health care professional at some stage of our lives.

‘Those with specific problems may also seek treatment from professionals, such as osteopaths and chiropractors, working outside of the NHS.

‘This Bill will strengthen the regulation of health care professionals and for the first time bring those professions under Isle of Man statute and regulation, something I have been working towards for a considerable time.

‘Patients can be re-assured that, as long as the professional who is caring for them is properly registered, they will be getting the best treatment from a well regulated professional and can be more confident of their ultimate treatment outcomes as a result.’

Subject to the approval of the branches of Tynwald it is hoped that the Bill will receive Royal Assent and be enacted by July this year.