The Relay for Life organising committee is calling on cancer survivors and patients to take part in the lap of honour that marks the start of the 24-hour event.

The event in aid of Cancer Research UK takes place at the NSC, Douglas, from midday on August 23.

Debbie Pitts said the lap of honour was a crucial part of the event and a moving start to the weekend’s festivities: ‘I have taken part as a survivor for the last four years and I know how indebted I am to Cancer Research as it continues its fight against cancer.

‘Cancer survivors are the VIP guests of our Relay. There’s no fee to take part as a Relay survivor. We walk the first lap and then we are welcomed into our fabulous Survivors’ reception, and treated to light refreshments and champagne. We don’t ask anything of them, we just want as many as possible to come and be treated.’

TK Maxx in Douglas is holding a Survivors’ Day on Saturday from 10.30am to 2.30pm for people to find out more.

Survivors, or anyone who would like to have an invite sent to survivors they know, are asked to get in touch.

Email Debbie.pitts@relay.co.im or find out more at www.relay.co.im, or register as a survivor at www.cruk.org/relay

The 17th King William’s College bay swim saw 33 competitors swim half a mile in open water in impressive times.

This year, the weather was glorious, there was hardly any wind to speak of and the sea was an almost pleasant 13C, a welcome contrast to the harsh conditions of last year.

The competitors proved their mettle by completing the GT test and half-mile qualifying swim. There were 16 boys, 11 girls and six members of staff, 22 of whom were first timers.

Once on the breakwater, the swimmers were soon ‘greased up’ and ready to take the eight-foot plunge.

Fastest qualifier this year was Duncan Wilson who had been third in 2012 and was runner-up in 2013. He took an early lead and arrived at the first buoy in four mins 25 secs, 28 seconds ahead of Anna Hall, who was just one second ahead of Eoghain Sherrard.

William Groth was at this stage lying in fourth place followed by Katrin Grifka and Pippa Slater who were neck and neck.

Duncan gradually extended his lead and reached the perch in nine mins 25 secs, with the chasers maintaining the positions they held at the first buoy. Closing in on the top six swimmers were Julian vanVeen, Holly King, Patrick Cope and Aiden Hawker who were all jostling for positions as they rounded the perch.

The midfield swimmers were evenly matched and with many close battles developing on the homeward leg, there was eventually only two minutes separating fifth to 15th places. Included in this was the youngest competitor, 13-year-old Patrick Cope, who finished 7th equal. Libby Dutnall, the youngest girl, battled it out against elder brother Tom, eventually finishing just one minute behind him in 17th position.

Duncan kept his lead throughout the race. His winning time of 14 mins 30 secs was 37 seconds faster than second-place swimmer Anna, with Eoghain third. The fastest times set by Luke Guthrie (10mins 58secs, 2012), and Gabrielle Henrard (12mins 37 sec, 1994) remained intact.

The first member of staff to finish was Matt Crabtree.

Just behind him was Clare Ledger whose swimming has come a long way since she first completed the swim as a pupil in 2000, recording a time of 37mins 30 secs. This year, after completing the Great North Swim (just three days before) she achieved a personal best time of 20mins 2 secs. Zoe McAndry also secured her 13th finish.

Susie Ross, PE teacher, said: ‘We are very grateful to the many helpers, be it in large ribs, small motor or row boats and kayaks who monitored, encouraged and kept the swimmers on course, and also thank the many volunteers whose support continues to make this special and challenging event possible. Congratulations to all competitors for their courage and determination and for providing spectators with a magnificent spectacle.

‘The Derbyhaven Bay Swim embodies everything that is King William’s College. There is the tradition of the event, its utter uniqueness and its ability to stretch the pupils above and beyond their comfort zone. There is no doubt participating (and even watching it) will remain in the memories of those for many years to come.’

Pictured left to right are Anna Hall runner up, principal Martin Humphreys and winner Duncan Wilson

Manx Telecom customers will soon be getting superfast 4G mobile coverage but Sure customers are going to have to wait.

People with MT contracts will be getting the service in July. It will be November before Sure catches up.

Manx Telecom says it is on track to launch the Isle of Man’s first 4G mobile network this summer with a predicted 95 per cent population coverage. For MT customers already on pay monthly smartphone plans with a 4G ready handset, there will be no extra cost, as 4G access will automatically be included in these plans.

4G will deliver speeds up to seven times faster than those experienced with Manx Telecom’s 3G service. This makes it ideal for downloading the latest app to streaming live HD TV.

MT trials suggest its customers will be able to use the 4G service to download a song, game, or app in a few seconds compared to two or three minutes it might take on 3G.

David Smith, MT marketing director, said: ‘4G for all has always been our goal. We wanted to bring the fantastic benefits of a superfast mobile network to as many Isle of Man consumers and businesses as possible; as soon as possible, and in just a few weeks we’ll do exactly that. Achieving 95 per cent population coverage means that the Isle of Man will be way ahead of 4G availability in the UK. Our 4G licence commitment is to achieve a minimum of 33% coverage at launch and 95 per cent two years after launch – but we know how much our customers love new technology so we have been working hard to meet our two year target this summer. 4G will not be available to Pay As You Go customers initially, but all our customers will benefit from the improved 2G/3G network.

‘Customers will be amazed when they experience the incredible upload and download speeds. Many of our customers have already purchased a pay monthly smartphone plan with a 4G ready handset and will be among the first to use the island’s fastest mobile network.

‘It’s easy for anyone to check whether their current handset, tariff and SIM are 4G ready just by going to our website www.manxtelecom.com/4g. We also have a great trade-in scheme and a summer 4G smartphone sale for customers wanting to take advantage of the great deals on offer and upgrade to one of the many 4G ready devices in store.’

To see how 4G works, live demonstrations take place in MT’s Strand Street, Douglas, store which shows a real-time comparison with 3G.

Mike Philips, newly-appointed chief operating officer of Sure, said: ‘This decade will see a transition from traditional mobile voice, text and data to data only services and within three years we will be launching 5G, providing mobile data speeds around 100x faster than today’s 4G.

‘4G is primarily a data network and, rather than simply bolting the technology onto our existing network, Sure made the decision to replace the entire network allowing us to deliver the fastest data speeds possible on both 4G and 3G networks.

‘4G tips the balance in favour of wireless for data network performance and within 12 months Isle of Man consumers will be able to cut their phone lines and use a high speed, mobile data network rather than the traditional wired broadband.

‘Our network will deliver island-wide 4G by mid November 2014.’

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/business/manx-telecom-warns-customers-to-expect-reduced-mobile-coverage-as-it-installs-4g-network-1-6547415|Earlier this year Manx Telecom warned customers that speeds might be slower while the switch to 4G took place.}

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/4g-services-by-july-1-6149208|Last year’s announcement of 4G services.}

We are always giving advice about how to help domestic animals during the warm summer weather but we also need to think about wildlife.

Birds need water for drinking and bathing as they need to keep their feathers in good condition but make sure that the water source is a safe distance from marauding cats.

Hedgehogs also need water and food and in this dry weather leaving meaty pet food and water for these charming creatures can be a lifesaver.

Look out for hedgehogs when you’re driving as they can’t move quickly and it is easy to avoid them without putting yourself in danger.

We share the planet with wildlife and hedgehog numbers are decreasing as thousands are killed every year by vehicles, garden machinery, pesticides and bonfires.

The British Hedgehog Preservation Society has an impressive list of patrons including Ben Fogle, Ann Widdecombe and Twiggy and their website, www.britishhedgehogs,org,uk offers all kinds of advice about the best way to help the British hedgehog survive. If you find an injured hedgehog or you have an unexpected visit from one please do give us a call and we’ll be delighted to help and advise. People often forget that we not only care for domestic animals but we also rescue and rehabilitate wildlife, including the many baby birds who are brought to us or we collect and the staff feed them at regular intervals throughout the day and night.

Susi and Tasha are still waiting to find their forever home and, although they need a special owner, they are lovely dogs who really deserve a new life.

They are Northern Inuits, stunning dogs who just need to be trained and shown who is in charge as they can be strong-willed and need an owner who knows how to handle them.

They are a pair of beauties with lovely temperaments and they will be really rewarding companions.

Casper is another dog who needs a special owner, someone who will teach him to trust and to lose his fear of humans and other dogs.

He is improving all the time as he gets to know more people and he’s a really good-looking dog who will repay all the love and training you give him with loyalty and affection once he gets to know you and realises you are not a threat.

Ralph and Bertie are a couple of handsome lop rabbits born in May 2012 who are looking for a new home because of a change in their circumstances.

Ralph is a little unsure about the change in his life but he is gaining confidence and Bertie is a happy little black boy with a cute bobble nose which he turns up in disgust when we try to feed him healthy green vegetables while Ralph enjoys sitting in or on his cardboard box watching the world go by. They are affectionate and playful rabbits who would love to come and live with you.

Three precious gems in the cattery this week – Sapphire, Onyx and Ruby. They are so pretty, eight-month-old girls who need someone to give them lots of love and to be patient with them while they find their way around the big scary world.

Onyx is, as you would expect, shiny black, while Sapphire and Roby are tri-coloured torties.

Sometimes we have an animal at Ard Jerkyll who needs ongoing medical treatment so we look for a foster home where he can live in a family environment but we continue to pay the veterinary costs related to his condition. Roxy is a classic example as she has spondylitis, a spinal condition, but she’s a happy girl who would love to have a home of her own although she’s such a pet at Ard Jerkyll we’d be sorry to see her go.

It’s a wonderful system and we are grateful to our army of foster parents but it is also very expensive as our sponsor costs so far this year amount to just under £9,000, that’s over £400 per week and, in these difficult economic times, that’s a major drain on our finances.

We will, of course, continue to find the funds to do this for the sake of the animals but if you feel you could help please do give us a call.

Cleveland Medallist 2014 Mandy Griffin will top the bill in ‘Keep the Home Fires Burning – Songs of the Great War Era’, a concert for Ramsey National Week.

It will be held at Waterloo Road Methodist Church hall on Wednesday, July 9, at 7.30pm.

Mandy will sing songs made famous by the great music hall artiste Florrie Forde, including ‘Roses of Picardy’, ‘Flanagan’, and ‘Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?’.

The Cushag Choir will present their own selection from the era such as ‘Pack up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag’, ‘If You Were the Only Girl in the World’ and ‘It’s a Long Way to Tipperary’.

Marlene and Dilys will perform Manx melodies current 100 years ago, talented young tenor horn player, Ellen Quane will present items by Elgar, and Frank and Chloe Woolley will play piano duets.

Admission is just £5 on the door.

Mandy Griffin was ‘thrilled’ this April when she won – for the fourth time – the Manx Music Festival’s most prestigous prize, the Cleveland Medal.

Mandy sang as a contralto in this year’s festival as the set piece from Bizet’s Carmen, the Seguidilla, which is one of her favourites. Her own choice piece was Sabbath Morning at Sea from Elgar’s Sea Pictures.

Knock down the Palace Hotel, on Douglas seafront and redevelop the site, or develop the Middlemarch site.

That’s the decision facing the Sefton Group board after figures for the last financial year showed a turnaround in the company’s position, with an exceptional pre-tax profit of £10.3m recorded.

Sir Miles Walker, who stepped down as chairman after the annual general meeting on Wednesday, said: ‘The plans moving forward are to redevelop the facilities at the Palace. It’s a 1960s building, not very beautiful and fair to say, past its best. It needs to be rebuilt.

‘The debate is whether it should be on the present Palace site or whether we should move into the town centre at Middlemarch. Both have their strengths.’

He said feasibility studies needed to be carried out on both sites – and that a decision needs to be made ‘as soon as possible’: ‘Uncertainty doesn’t do anyone any good.’

The government announced in April 2013 it had signed a deal to buy the Middlemarch site in Lord Street with a view to leasing it back over five years, and a £1.3m loan.

Sir Miles said the government’s support was ‘crucial’ to the restructure and praised the government’s ‘courage’.

He said he was stepping down from the board with ‘mixed feelings’, adding: ‘The easiest thing would have been to walk away four years ago and try to let someone else sort it out.

‘I’m not made that way.’

Secondary schools in the Isle of Man are looking to make best use of resources and staff by providing more joint sixth form programmes across more than one school.

Castle Rushen High School head teacher Andrew Cole was speaking as secondary schools look to share more resources and staff from September.

He explained: ‘Some A level students wish to include particular combinations of subjects and we believe it is sensible to support a wider range of options so that more students can study exactly what they need to support their action plans. Reasons for the choice of particular subjects for collaboration include teacher specialism at certain schools, numbers requesting certain subjects and other resources available.

‘The easiest way to provide a workable solution that overcomes potential issues, such as lesson times and travelling distances, has been to plan half-day timetable blocks for these subjects. There is also the potential to use video linking software for some programmes.’

For some years, Ballakermeen and St Ninian’s high schools and Isle of Man College have run programmes with shared resources and staff, such as life drawing.

This year the two schools started teaching some minority subjects collaboratively. Ballakermeen students can study food technology, drama (A Level) and textiles at SNHS, while SNHS students can study performing arts (BTEC) and photography at BHS.

Mr Cole said: ‘St Ninian’s will be looking closely at their school timetable to see if it can be brought more into line with Ballakermeen to allow further collaboration in the future.’

CRHS and Queen Elizabeth II High School have run a joint level three performing arts programme since 2012.

They are now well advanced in planning to share staff and resources for additional programmes, including in addition some with Ramsey Grammar School, he said. Possible subjects include computing and French.

It is likely schools would provide transport between sites at lunchtime. Mr Cole said staff were supportive.

A woman had to be cut out of her car after an accident on Saturday night.

At about 8.22pm crews from Peel and Douglas fire stations were sent to a two-vehicle collision at the road junction in Patrick Village.

One woman was trapped in the rear of a vehicle by her injuries.

After liaising with paramedics at the scene, hydraulic cutting gear was used to remove a door to improve access to get the casualty out of the vehicle.

The injured woman was taken to hospital by ambulance for further treatment.

Policy and Reform Minister Chris Robertshaw MHK told Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce members that the challenge for Government is not about preparing for the next General Election, but to provide a secure future for the island’s next generation.

Mr Robertshaw, speaking at the Chamber’s AGM luncheon, said that the island was facing ‘huge challenges’ to its long-term sustainability.

‘The income we enjoy as a competitive tax jurisdiction is not in sync with our expectations,’ he said.

‘Quite rightly, we have expectations – despite our current difficulties – of good health service, good education and good social welfare.

‘But we also know that we have to remain a competitive jurisdiction for tax purposes.’

He said that great strides were already being made to improve efficiency and reduce red tape – but there are still massive challenges ahead to reduce the size and cost of Government, increase its efficiency further, make it more responsive to the individual, and modernise the welfare state.

The Isle of Man is not alone in needing to achieve these goals, he added – and while it may appear to be a daunting task, the Isle of Man also has an opportunity to pioneer innovative policies which other jurisdictions may one day follow.

The Minister then recounted a recent discussion he had with Jonathan Cruddas MP, the UK Labour Party’s Policy Review Co-ordinator, who indicated, in facing up to its challenges as a large nation state, that there was a growing understanding that smaller jurisdictions and local authorities which are required to balance their books annually against the backdrop of ever more restricted budgets, are coming up with some innovative and exciting ideas and that these developments are being monitored with considerable interest.

The Minister went on to say that the island’s small population and geographical size created opportunities to implement innovative ways to tackle social and economic problems.

‘Yes, there are massive problems and challenges ahead,’ he added, ‘but there are also massive opportunities for us to do something really special in the Isle of Man.’

Jane Dellar, chief executive of the Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce, thanked the Minister for attending the AGM luncheon and sharing his insights with members.

She welcomed his comments on the need for Government to reduce bureaucracy and improve efficiency, and added: ‘Sometimes in the private sector we like to see things happening a bit quicker, however none of us can fail to be inspired and reassured that this work is well under way, and in very capable hands.’

Before the Minister’s speech, Chamber president Michael Crowe gave a summary of developments in the organisation over the past year, and welcomed Miles Benham and John Watt to the Chamber council.

Both were appointed at the AGM at The Claremont Hotel, Douglas last Wednesday. For more information about Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce go to www.iomchamber.org.im or call 674941.

The Chamber’s office at Athol House, Athol Street, Douglas, is open 9am to 2.30pm Monday to Friday.

Rotary Club of Ramsey with the support of various sponsors will be holding a ‘Sunday Funday’ in the Mooragh Park, Ramsey, on July 13 from noon until 4pm to mark to the end of Ramsey National Week. It’s free entry and everyone is welcome.

The day involves various charities and sports clubs as well as a range of activities such as bouncy castles, go karts and many others provided by Switched on Events.

Stalls, live music, barbecue, Manx dancing, model boats, water based events and beat the goalie and many more besides.

Money raised from the event will be going towards Ramsey charities and Rotary president Paul Taylor’s chosen cause this year, the Jan McIlroy Memorial Sports Centre, which is planned for the town.

Sponsors for the day include Cowley Groves, CuPlas Callow, Haldane Fisher, Le Farge and Tower Insurance.

More information about the day can be found at www.ramseyrotary.im/funday

It has been hailed as the conference with the ‘personal touch’.

The fourth Isle of Man Aviation Conference was also judged as ‘probably our best yet’ - that was the opinion of many of the delegates’ according to Mark Byrne, director of the ICM Group.

It was Mr Byrne who had the original idea to hold such as event in the island.

As the latest event drew to a close, planning was already started for the next one. Conference delegates were asked to save the date of the 2015 event - Thursday, June 25.

This year’s conference attracted 135 delegates to the Villa Marina.

Mr Byrne said: ‘This year’s conference was probably our best yet – that was the opinion of many of the delegates.

‘While the number attending from off island was impressive , more than 60, it was their quality that stood out, with senior representatives from banks including Credit Suisse, CIT and UBS, aircraft management companies such as TAG and Jet Aviation, and lawyers from a number of jurisdictions including the US, UK, France and Switzerland.

‘Many of our delegates are loyal supporters of this conference and return year on year. One of this year's high profile speakers told me that he is invited to so many conferences that he has to be selective, but that he would certainly come back to ours.

‘We have a good reputation for staging a high quality event, with thought provoking and interesting speakers and subject matters.’

Mr Byrne said organisers were grateful for the support of the Isle of Man Aircraft Registry ‘which underpins the industry on the island’.

Treasury Minister Eddie Teare was thanked for opening the conference at short notice.

Mr Byrne said: ‘Support from the Registry, and other Government departments, ensures the island rises above the competition.’

The format of the 2014 conference included three discussion panels, bringing together experts from across the business aviation industry.

Heather Gordon, the ICM Group's legal counsel, who specialises in business aviation, was instrumental in putting the panels together.

She said: ‘Our delegate profile is very diverse so it was important that the programme reflected that. We had some very good presentations from high profile speakers but I think including panels varied the rhythm of the event.

‘The subjects covered were finance, regulation and legal. By having panel sessions, we could hear a number of opinions on specific issues such as financing old aircraft and FATCA, in quite a short time.

‘There are some quite controversial issues with regards to legislation at the moment which made for some good discussion. Definitely a format to be repeated next year.’

The ICM Aviation team hosts several networking events before and after the conference, based on delegate feedback. Martin Kennaugh, head of aviation services for ICM Aviation, said: ‘I think people like the personal touch.

‘ICM Aviation is not an events company, but a corporate services provider that focuses on ownership and VAT solutions for the business aviation industry.

‘Our motive for organising the conference is to capitalise on our large network of contacts to provide a platform for discussion, showcase the island as a business friendly jurisdiction and support the work of the Isle of Man Aircraft Registry.

‘It just so happens that we have an experienced team of organisers, the ability to attract great speakers, a fantastic venue - the Royal Hall never fails to impress - and this year fabulous weather.

‘ICM is well known for being gregarious and putting on a good party – and we like to make the whole event memorable for our guests.

‘That is why they keep coming back’.

Three lanes of the competition swimming pool at the National Sports Centre are currently closed after the moveable pool floor in the small section of the pool ‘locked’ in position, leaving the area too shallow to swim in.

Where possible, lane swimming sessions and early morning swims have been transferred to the other side of the main pool.

It is hoped that the issue will be resolved later this week.

It is recommended that swimming customers contact reception on 688588 for session details prior to arriving for their swim this week.

The Manx government today launched a consultation to gather views on the island’s current regime for identifying the beneficial ownership of companies, and whether a centralised registry of such information would improve transparency.

The consultation is in line with the commitment given by the government in its G8 Action Plan, published last year, that it would conduct an assessment of its beneficial ownership regime including consideration of a centralised registry.

As well as providing background, the consultation document poses a wide range of questions covering various aspects of the issue including availability of information held by a centralised registry if one were introduced.

Beneficial ownership is meant to reveal who really benefits from ownership of a company, to ensure that the identity of its owners is not hidden by measures such as companies owning other companies.

Further information on the consultation is available {http://www.gov.im/lib/docs/co/consultations/beneficialownershipconsultationju.pdf|here}.

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/bell-welcomes-cameron-s-letter-1-5693395|David Cameron has urged the island to ensure that the beneficial ownership of companies is made public}

Health chiefs are warning the public to beware of a bogus nutritionist.

The Department of Health and Social Care says that a local resident has been contacted by telephone by a person claiming to be a nutritionist and offering to help them with their nutrition.

A DHSC spokesman said: ‘The department wishes to reassure the public that this person is not employed as a nutritionist at Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital, neither do they work in any other position for the department.

‘The advice is that any telephone conversation with this person should not be continued. At no time should anyone disclose any personal details including their email address to the caller.’

He added that anyone who had concerns about nutrition, balanced diet or dietary requirements should seek advice from their GP or pharmacist.

The north of the island is to get 4G from Manx Telecom first.

The 4G service is meant to deliver speeds up to seven times faster than those currently experienced with the company’s 3G service.

Work on the 4G network will also bring improved 2G and 3G mobile coverage.

Manx Telecom says that creating a 4G network is a major undertaking both in terms of investment and engineering infrastructure, and has involved the installation of new equipment in every mobile base station across the island.

Now this work has been completed each base station has to be ‘migrated’ to the new network to make it ready for when 4G goes live later this summer.

This migration phase starts this week in the north of the island and will then continue in the following areas:

North Douglas – early to mid July

South Douglas – mid to late July

South and west of the island – late July

This work does mean that there may be some disruption to existing 2G and 3G mobile services during this time.

David Smith, Manx Telecom marketing director, said: ‘Before improvements can be made to 2G and 3G services, and the physical 4G switch over when the network goes live, we have the huge task of moving all of our mobile customers over to the new network.

‘While our technical teams carry out this task over the next few weeks we do expect some disruption to service, so we ask all of our customers to please bear with us during this time.

‘For the latest information on what’s happening, where and when, our customers can refer to the mobile network maintenance link on our website www.manxtelecom.com/4g – this page also enables customers to check whether their mobile handset and SIM are 4G ready, and what they need to do to be among the first to use this amazing new service.’

For Manx Telecom customers already on pay monthly smartphone plans with a 4G ready handset, there will be no extra cost to use the new network as access will automatically be included in these plans.

There’s also a trade-in scheme and a summer smartphone sale for customers wanting to take advantage of great deals on offer to upgrade their handset to one of more than 25 4G ready devices Manx Telecom has in store.

As the Courier revealed last week, Sure customers will have to wait till November to get a 4G service.

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/business/manx-telecom-gets-4g-first-sure-wait-till-november-1-6696197|Click here to read last week’s story.}

The most-read story on our site last week was another report about how the Department of Infrastructure wants to raise revenue to help offset cuts.

The issue really seems to captured our readers’ interest.

The promotions of both the Isle of Man Examiner and the Manx Independent also made the top ten.

The top ten for last week were:

1. {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/business/dismay-at-doi-plans-to-cut-costs-and-raise-revenue-1-6686372|Dismay at DoI plans to cut costs and raise revenue} 4,094

2. {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/police-appeal-after-boy-13-is-knocked-off-bike-by-car-1-6687960|Police appeal after boy, 13, is knocked off bike by car} 3,697

3. {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/isle-of-man-stands-its-ground-over-uk-map-1-6694173|Isle of Man stands its ground over UK map} 3,523

4. {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/business/sefton-group-makes-10-3m-profit-and-sir-miles-praises-the-government-s-courage-1-6694070|Sefton Group makes £10.3m profit and Sir Miles praises the government’s courage} 2,988

5. {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/sport/isle-of-man-sport/richard-gerrard-wins-2014-manx-telecom-parish-walk-1-6687879|Richard Gerrard wins 2014 Manx Telecom Parish Walk} 2,773

6. {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/disgusting-state-of-town-square-1-6694175|Disgusting state of town square} 2,605

7. {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/tuesday-is-news-day-parking-charges-proposal-to-hit-government-workers-outside-central-douglas-1-6690129|Parking charges proposal to hit government workers outside central Douglas} 2,358

8. {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/if-you-re-squeamish-avoid-page-3-of-this-week-s-manx-independent-1-6694440|If you’re squeamish, avoid page 3 of this week’s Manx Independent} 2,070

9. {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/govt-brings-in-new-builder-on-estate-following-delays-1-6694260|Govt brings in new builder on estate following delays} 2,014

10.{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/trial-for-cyclists-and-pedestrians-to-share-douglas-promenade-1-6694247|Trial for cyclists and pedestrians to share Douglas promenade} 1,818

An inquest into the death of a 10-year-old girl will be opened this morning (Tuesday).

Alexis French died and two members of her family were in a critical condition after a crash in October.

A bus travelling from Castletown towards Port Erin and a silver BMW coming in the opposite direction were involved in a collision on the main Castletown to Port Erin road near its junction with the Ballakaighen straight at about 3.40pm on October 5.

Alexis was travelling in the BMW car with her parents and younger brother.

She was pronounced dead at the hospital at 4.26pm having been rushed there by ambulance from the scene.

Alexis was a year six student at Ballaugh Primary School.

Film-makers around the island are being sought to take part in a competition.

Submissions are now open for the International Short Film Competition in the 2014 Isle of Man Film Festival.

The festival is to take place from September 10 to 14.

Confirmed events include ‘An Audience With...’ night at the Gaiety Theatre with Observer and BBC film critic Mark Kermode interviewing two guests, plus two opportunities over the festival weekend to see Mark perform with his acclaimed band ‘The Dodge Brothers’.

There will also be an exclusive preview screening of Davy Knowles’ feature documentary ‘Island Bound’, previews of films made by the MannIN Shorts scheme and the return of the extremely popular Future Shorts Fringe nights.

The festival will close with a prize-giving event, with winners from the 2014 International Short Film Competition screened and announced. Although organisers have opened this year’s competition to international entries, it remains free to enter.

The deadline for entries is July 21 and categories include:

Short Fiction (15 mins max)

Short Documentary (15mins max)

Animation (10 mins max)

The special ‘Island Life’ award (15mins max)

As with last year’s event, there will also be a prize for the best MannIN Shorts film, an award for Most Promising New Filmmaker and the ‘Best of the Fest’ Award.

The ‘Island Life’ award was created last year as a way to celebrate the unique aspects of living on an island and is also intended to inspire and encourage Isle of Man-based filmmakers to create and enter something original.

Last year’s winning entry ‘Wandering Rocks’ by Ed Crompton has been successful on the international film circuit since then, having its UK premiere at Sheffield DocFest earlier this year.

Former Young Filmmaker of Mann Rory Dorling Film’s ‘Paper Journey’, which won last year’s Best of the Fest , was chosen as an official selection of CineYouth 2014, presented by the Chicago International Film Festival.

Meanwhile, MannIN Shorts film ‘Closet’ was shortlisted for Oscar-qualifying film festival Seattle International and received its American premiere at the Boston LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual) Festival, while ‘Most Promising..’ winner Georgia Quilliam, who trained through the MannIN Shorts scheme, has been working regularly both on and off island in the camera department of a variety of film crews.

If you have a film you would like to enter visit isleofmanfilmfestival.com and complete the Submissions form

The organisers thanked Island of Culture, the Post Office, Conister, RL360° and Chrystals for their support.

This week’s Examiner reveals that a number of civil servants who don’t need their cars for work get free parking in Douglas town centre.

Last week we were told, and reported in good faith, that it was only those who needed their cars for their jobs.

The story is on page one of this week’s paper.

Also inside, we report on a select committee looking into the future of rates.

Astonishingly, the part of government that is supposed to oversee local government wasn’t consulted about Treasury’s plans for the rates.

That state of affairs became apparent as the meeting went ahead.

This week’s paper also reveals that planning permission has been granted for another 144 homes in Peel, much to at least one commissioner’s annoyance.

The paper includes a round-up of all the news, sport, readers’ letters and Terry Cringle’s nostalgia pages.

It’s in the shops now.

A group of four AXA Wealth International Isle of Man Swimming Club members competed in the British International Meet in Manchester at the weekend.

Taking part at the Manchester Aquatics Centre were Laura Kinley, Charlotte Atkinson, Niamh Robinson and Brody Hewison.

Atkinson won her first medals at national senior level taking third in the 100 and 200 metre butterfly events, and fourth in the 50m fly.

Charlotte is currently ranked number one in Britain in both the 50 and 100m disciplines in her own age group and she also broke her own senior island record in the 200m discipline.

Niamh Robinson competing in the 16 and under age group won gold in the 100m and 200m breaststroke events, taking a massive five seconds off the junior island record in the latter.

Brady Hewison was competing at his first national event and continued his impressive form to swim a new personal best time and, at the age of 16, qualifed as the youngest competitor in the 18 and under final.

He also equalled his new time in the final to finish in sixth place and the fastest 16 year old in the competition.

Laura Kinley had two swims at the meet, the first being the 100m breaststroke where she made her first senior final in the event and finished seventh.

She also competed in the 50m breaststroke where she achieved the highest Manx senior national placing in recent years as she claimed the an impressive silver medal.

Head coach Lee Holland is extremely excited about this final preparations for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and is looking forward to hopefully seeing records tumble once again in the summer.