Barring misfortune, Daniel McCanney should be crowned 2014 Maxxis FIM Enduro World Junior Champion this weekend.

The talented young Manxman, who took the equivalent indoor title last year, has led his class all season and goes into the final two events in France with a 22-point advantage.

The event is based around the historic town of Brioude, in the region of Auvergne in the Haute-Loire area, 70km south of Clermont-Ferrand.

Having switched from the Spanish Gas Gas company to Italian rival Beta this season, Danny rides for a satellite team sponsored by a pasta sauce manufacturer by the name of Boano.

Described by the international enduro media as the most complete rider of his generation, McCanney has all the cards in his hand to secure the title on Saturday if he can grab a first-day podium finish.

Current indoor junior champion and main rival Giacomo Redondi retains a very slim chance of the title, while the spanner in the works for the two Beta riders could be the home country’s Loïc Larrieu on the factory Husqvarna.

Full report next week.

Members of the police youth scheme took part in a sponsored abseil down the tower at Douglas fire station recently.

The youth cadets, who are aged between 16 and 18, were lifted 80 feet into the air using the lifting platform on one of the fire engines and had to transfer across to the tower then complete the abseil.

Constable Mike Griffiths, who leads the police youth scheme, said 14 of the 15 cadets took part on the night and all completed it.

‘Some struggled more than others,’ he said. ‘One person screamed at the top but overcame their fear very well and completed the descent. I did it too and it was a long way down. I didn’t look down a second time.’

All the scheme members work towards their Duke of Edinburgh gold award so money raised by the stunt went towards funding that.

‘The youth scheme does not cost the government anything to run – we are reliant on the generosity of various people who support it,’ Constable Griffiths explained.

The activity gave the youth members a chance to meet and work with the fire brigade and future events are in the pipeline for them to do some activities with the coastguard and customs service as well in the near future.

‘We often work closely with the fire brigade and other bodies so it gives the cadets an insight into what we do,’ Constable Griffiths said.

To find out more about the police youth scheme, contact Constable Griffiths at Lord Street police station.

Planning permission has been granted for a new motor museum at Jurby Industrial Estate which will include classic cars, buses, lorries, fire engines and other classic vehicles.

Behind the plan are, father and son, Denis and Darren Cunningham who aim to erect a building housing the motor museum as well as a workshop, coffee kiosk and gift shop to open in 2015.

Cunningham Classic Cars was set up over 30 years ago by Denis as a small collection of classic cars which now numbers over 100 vehicles.

Denis began restoring cars as a hobby and the business grew from there.

Some of the highlights of the collection are; an ex-White House 1965 Lincoln Continental limousine used by secretary of defence, Robert McNamara, a prototype right-hand-drive DeLorean, the first Monica, a 1954 GM PD4501 Scenicruiser Greyhound coach, and a coachbuilt 1954 Humber Super Snipe built for and used by Queen Elizabeth II on her coronation tour of the Commonwealth.

The museum will also be seeking out motorcycles, race vehicles and other items of interest to loan for display.

Local owners of classic vehicles will also be invited to exhibit them in the museum on a rotating basis.

The layout also includes 107 parking spaces with seven disabled spaces and four electric car charging points.

The Jurby Industrial Estate is currently the home to the Jurby Transport Museum, a go-kart track, a racetrack, and the annual VMCC Festival of Jurby.

Work must begin on the project within four years of approval.

You can view the plans under reference 14/00343/B on the Isle of Man government website.

CIRCA is celebrating after recruiting its 1,000th volunteer.

The volunteering and shopmobility charity recruits volunteers from all walks of life for over 100 local charities.

It works with – among others – the disability employment service team, job seekers, mental health occupational therapy and the drug and alcohol team as well as youth justice, the prison and probation service.

Mary Kerruish, of Ramsey, is the 1,000th volunteer since this service was relaunched in 2007. She is a retired podiatrist and part of her voluntary commitment involves offering podiatry services to Hospice residents. She also volunteers for Ramsey Anti-Cancer.

The milestone was marked at its Chester Street offices in Douglas by Chief Minister Allan Bell who presented Mrs Kerruish with flowers, champagne and a £10 (1,000p) voucher.

Mr Bell said: ‘The work you do in providing volunteers and encouraging a conduit for volunteers to come and help others is absolutely invaluable.

‘To be doing it for 20 years is quite an achievement. I would like to congratulate you for all for the work you do. It is recognised and much appreciated by Government and we hope the relationship will continue to grow.’

CIRCA places volunteers in charities where their particular skills and expertise will be of most use. Acting chairman Margaret Brown said CIRCA prided itself on offering a gold star service in recruiting volunteers and its shopmobility service, for people with a disability to hire wheelchairs, scooters and walkers.

Prospective volunteers can call 613713, email Kerry.bell@circa.org.im or go to CIRCA’s office between 10am and 4pm, Monday to Friday.

The Manx Netball Association’s 30th anniversary season gets under way on Sunday.

All eyes are on SMP Ballasalla A and Simcocks Red Eagles (previously C&S) who jointly took the Premiership title last season. Few changes have been reported but Simcocks are believed to have signed dynamic defender Vivia Styger from fellow top-flight side Missfits following the departure of Ellan Charmer.

Division One champions Paragon (formerly PokerStars) are making their debut in the Premiership, while Route 1 have made some serious changes having amalgamated with Anglo Manx.

Lower down the leagues Marbree Motors move up to Division One with Route 1 Turbos.

Fencibles A remain in Division Two and will be looking to challenge near the top. Aiming to stop them will be Team DQ but this is dependent on player availability which is currently in doubt due to the new Veterans’ League. Absolute Scaffolding are in a similar boat.

Finally, in Division Two there are three new teams this season - Thompson 5, Castletown Netball Club and SMP Ballasalla 3.

Town are a new outfit made up from some PwC Manx Gems and some new players. They may start off slowly until they find their feet but are expected to perform well in this league and should finish in the top three.

It’s shaping up to be an exciting season ahead with 32 teams in action at the NSC and St Ninian’s Lower School (Bemahague) every Sunday morning from 9am until 1pm.

Fixtures Sunday, September 14

NSC
9am Simcocks Green v Route 1 Reactor

9am The Spaniards v Marbree Motors

10am SMP Ballasalla A v Paragon

10am Simcocks Red v PwC Rubies

11am Toomraiders v Simcocks Blue

11am Fencibles A v Route 1 Turbos

12pm PwC Sapphires v Thompson 4

12pm Young Farmers v Missfits B

Bemahague

9am Route 1 Sparks v Castletown

9am Team DQ v PwC Emeralds

10am Route 1 C v SMP Ballsalla B

10am Thompson 3 v SMP Ballasalla C

11am Fencibles B v Thompson 5

11am Thompson 1 v Missfits A

12pm Thompson 2 v Manx Glass Saints

12pm Absolute Scaffolding v Simcocks White

Marie Skillicorn

A couple who got engaged at the Tower of Refuge in April married in a ceremony at Douglas Register Office on Friday.

Richard Mylchreest and Sam Lindsey-Birchall then held a blessing at St Runius church near Crosby on Saturday.

We reported in April how Richard and Sam sealed their engagement in front of crowds taking part in the annual walk to Conister Rock.

Richard, 35, surprised Sam, 38, by popping the question at the top of the tower after organising it with the help of Douglas Council as well as two of their close friends.

At the tower, Douglas Mayor at the time Carol Malarkey and Mayoress Sara Hackman and their friends held up photographs, and carried champagne and flowers.

The couple will be staying on the island for their honeymoon, travelling around having picnics in different spots.

Friend Jay Mairs said: ‘Everything went very well. They celebrated afterwards with a garden party with strawberries and champagne.’

The couple have been together since September last year and live in Greeba.

Richard is an airport security officer and Sam is a civil servant.

The Tower of Refuge was built in 1832, the idea of Sir William Hillary, founder of the RNLI.

A Douglas firefighter will be blazing a trail as he cycles 500 miles in five days.

Steve Brearley, aged 51, of Tromode, is taking part in the Ride of Britain next week, cycling from Edinburgh’s Holyrood Palace to the Tower of London.

Steve, who served in the The Queen’s Royal Husssars regiment of the British Army for 15 years, is raising money for SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen’s Families Association).

‘I am really looking forward to the challenge of cycling through cities and the various terrain en route for what is a worthy cause,’ he said.

‘I have been training for the last four months, steadily building up the mileage and I have received good advice from Rob Holden and Elliot Baxter to help with my training. Also, Bikestyle have been a great help with equipment and gear.’

Steve has been a firefighter since 2002 and is a member of White Watch, based at Douglas fire station. He will leave Holyrood Palace on Wednesday to cycle 108 miles to Newcastle. Day two is 102 miles, taking in part of the Tour de France route to Harrogate.

The next day ends in Newark on Trent after 110 miles, followed by 100 miles to Cambridge. The final day is 80 miles, 60 per cent of which is on the Tour de France route.

This year the event finishes at the Tower of London as part of its First World War commemoration, which will see 888,246 ceramic poppies being placed in the Tower’s moat – one for every death in the British forces in the war.

Steve is no stranger to challenges - he was part of the 10 man team that set the new world record for climbing a ladder for 24 hours. And he helped break the eight hour record in July 2012, raising £16,000 for local charities.

So far he has raised about £1,100 for SSAFA, which provides lifelong support to anyone who is serving or has served in the Armed Forces, and their families.

Each year staff and volunteers provide practical, emotional and financial support for more than 50,000 people, from D-Day veterans to families of soldiers wounded in Afghanistan.

To make a donation, go to uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SteveBrearley or make a pledge by calling Steve on 453072.

The island’s Beach Buddies will be rolling up their sleeves for a clean up at Fisher’s Hill tomorrow (Sunday September 14).

Anyone wanting to take part should meet up at 10am at Fisher’s Hill.

All necessary equipment will be provided by the Beach Buddies.

The aim is to be finished by 12 midday to allow time for the rubbish collected to be taken to the southern area tip before it closes for lunch.

Switching suppliers for landline calls will be made as simple as possible when competition is introduced later this year.

The Communications Commission announced this week that phone customers will soon have a choice of providers for fixed-line call services.

From October, you can choose which operators you use to make calls with, and by the end of this year you will also have a choice of who provides your fixed line.

Manx Telecom owns the island’s largest fixed-line telecoms network which can connect all houses and business premises. With competition introduced to the market, it is required to make call services on that network available to any licensed operator on a wholesale basis. This is known as carrier pre-select.

Customers who choose to switch will get a bill for calls from the new supplier and a bill from Manx Telecom for line rental.

But MT will also be obliged to offer the rental of the fixed lines themselves to licensed operators. This is known as wholesale line rental.

Consumers can get one bill for their entire fixed telecoms service including line rental, landline calls and broadband supplied by a provider other than Manx Telecom.

The same wholesale prices will be charged to all retail operators, including Manx Telecom’s own retail arm.

Currently Sure is the only operator licensed to provide the call and line services. Any other operator wishing to enter these markets would need to apply for the appropriate licence or licence modification.

Michael Begg, head of regulatory policy at the Communications Commission, explained a process for switching suppliers has also been agreed between the regulator and the licensed operators.

He said: ‘This will involve the supply, on request, of a switching code by the “losing” service provider to the registered customer, which the customer must then supply to the “gaining” service provider, who will then pass it on to MT wholesale to undertake the switch.

‘This system was developed to avoid “slamming” practices, when a “gaining” provider has a customer’s service switched to them without the customer’s consent.’

Sure welcomed the developments. Chief operating officer Mike Phillips said: ‘Once a customer makes the choice to move to Sure they will have their calls delivered and billed directly by our network. WLR is a complimentary service as it allows both the landline and customers’ calls to be combined into a single service, delivered and billed by Sure.’

Families of post office workers who fell in the first world war are being sought by authors putting together the post office year book.

Regent Street central post office in Douglas has a memorial on the wall to the six men employed by the organisation who died in the Great War between 1914 and 1918.

The plan is to include some information in the year book marking the centenary of the outbreak of the war.

The memorial, a bronze plaque designed by Archibald Knox contains the following names: William Norman Hughes, a deck hand from Peel who accidentally drowned at sea in August 1917 on HM Drifter Victorsit, William Henry Hunter, from Douglas who was killed in action in October 1914, aged 27, George Edward Kelly from Douglas, who was killed in action in March 1918 aged 22, Walter Stanley Kennaugh, from Peel, a rifleman who died in May 1918 aged 19, James Kennedy from Douglas who was killed in action in April 1918 aged 28 and John Joseph Shimmin from Douglas, killed in August 1918 aged 20.

Genealogist Priscilla Lewthwaite from Union Mills, who was researching the matter on behalf of the post office, said: ‘The men were employed in a variety of roles from post men to engineers. Most were young and unmarried so are unlikely to have children but they did have siblings so there may be surviving nieces and nephews.’ If you can help call Sarah Read on 698471 or Maxine Cannon on 698435.

Ciaran McNulty’s first-half goal gave the Isle of Man FA a 1-0 win over the Republic of Ireland UEFA Regions Cup team in Dublin on Saturday afternoon.

Playing under the English FA banner, Steve Burns’s side won their second warm-up game ahead of their trip to the Regions Cup in Slovakia later this month.

On Thursday evening the Manx lost 2-1 to the same opposition at Home Farm FC’s Whitehall Stadium.

In the Canada Life Premier League St Mary’s took advantage of St George’s and Peel lack of action to move top of the fledgling top-flight standings.

Goals from Marc Priestnal and Danny Gerrard gave the Bowl outfit a 2-1 win over Gymns at Tromode.

Old Boys and Ramsey also chalked up victories. The former beat Corinthians 2-0 at Ballafletcher thanks to goals from Callum Stewart and David Quirk.

The northerners continued their encouraging start to the new campaign with a 5-1 win at Ballacloan. On target for Kevin Holmes’s side were Mike Fernandes (2), Chris Duggan, Jamie Moffatt and Matty Skillicorn.

Full round-up in Tuesday’s Examiner.

Saturday, September 13

Friendly

Republic of Ireland Amateurs 0-1 England Amateurs (Isle of Man FA)

Canada Life Premier League

Laxey 5-2 Union Mills

Gymns 1-2 St Mary’s

Ramsey 5-1 Michael

Corinthians 0-2 DHSOB

Ayre 1-2 St John’s

JCK Division Two

Douglas & District 4-4 Onchan

Douglas Athletic 5-0 Castletown

Pulrose 7-0 Governor’s Athletic

Foxdale P-P Colby (Game postponed because of nets being vandalised)

Malew 1-5 Douglas Royal

RYCOB 2-1 Marown

Canada Life Combination One

Rushen 3-2 Peel

Union Mills 2-2 Laxey

St Mary’s 2-1 Gymns

Michael 1-3 Ramsey

DHSOB 5-0 Corinthians

St John’s 4-1 Ayre Utd

JCK Combination Two

Onchan 0-2 Douglas & District

Castletown 0-11 Douglas Athletic

Colby 2-0 Foxdale

Douglas Royal 1-4 Malew

Marown 2-6 RYCOB

Fire crews were called out to two fires in quick succession on Friday night.

The first call saw two fire engines answering a call from a neighbour who reported a smell of burning coming from a house in Willaston.

As the first fire engine arrived the householder returned home and let firemen into the property where they found a pan left on the hob in the kitchen, which had smoke logged the house,

There were no injuries but fire crews had to ventilate the house to expel the smoke.

Only one hour later at 8pm a second call out took two fire engines from Castletown and Port Erin to a property in Ballabeg after a neighbour made an emergency call reporting a smoke alarm ringing and the smell of smoke coming from inside a nearby bungalow.

Crews wearing breathing apparatus went in to the bungalow and found a small fire on the hob in the kitchen. This was extinguished and removed and the bungalow was ventilated to clear it of smoke. Paramedics checked the occupant at the scene for any signs of suffering from smoke inhalation but no further treatment was needed. Fire crews stayed at the scene for about three quarters of an hour.

A spokesman for the fire service commended the vigilance of the neighbours in both instances, who had raised the alarm, He also reminded people not to leave pots and pans on the hob, check smoke alarms regularly, and have an escape route from the house which all occupants understood.

Results

South Lancs/Cheshire Division One

Douglas 10-19 West Park (St Helens)

South Lancs/Cheshire Division Three

Congleton 13-38 Ramsey

Shimmin Wilson Manx Shield

Emerging Nomads 19-46

Western Vikings 12-47 Douglas B

Ramsey B 62-27 Castletown

Full round-up in Tuesday’s Examiner.

There is still time to be part of the first ever Vision Awareness Week, which starts on Monday.

Manx Blind Welfare Society is organising a week of events to raise public awareness of the challenges faced by blind and visually impaired people living in the Isle of Man, promote eye health and highlight the charity’s work and services.

Vision Awareness Week begins on Monday, with the official launch at the Manx Museum in Douglas. This event, supported by Specsavers, is an opportunity to find out more about the work and services of Manx Blind Welfare Society, the aims of Vision Awareness Week and what the island community can do to embrace visual impairment in society.

The launch will also be addressed by ‘the world’s fastest blind man’ Steve Cunningham. Steve lost his sight at 12 and holds three world records.

Tickets, priced £10, are available by calling 674727 or visiting Corrin Court, Onchan.

Throughout Vision Awareness Week there will be roadshows around the island giving people the opportunity to find out more about services available for visually impaired people in the Isle of Man, and information on how to look after your eyesight.

The roadshow will be from 10am to 3pm at Castletown Civic Hall on Tuesday; Corrin Hall, Peel, on Wednesday; Ramsey Town Hall on Thursday; and Promenade Church, Douglas, on Friday (September 19).

The week concludes with the island’s biggest ever guided walking event on Sunday, September 21. Sponsored by Conister Bank, Walk My Way will encourage the community to experience the challenges faced by visually impaired people and learn some skills which they can use every day.

Entrants will be paired up, with one blindfolded, to walk from the War Memorial on Harris Promenade in Douglas to opposite the Empress Hotel on Central Promenade and back.

To find out more about MBWS, visit www.facebook.com/manxblindwelfaresociety

Manx schoolchildren are to have the chance to talk via Skype to children in a remote school in Uganda.

The call is being organised by 23-year-old Joe Smith, from Standard Bank in Douglas.

Joe, a support officer, won a staff competition to visit the school, which is sponsored by the bank, and will be going there in October.

He has launched an appeal for people in the island to donate school books, shoes, second hand clothes and sports equipment to take to the underprivileged children.

He said: ‘Working for Standard Bank has meant I’ve developed an interest in Africa and made me question how we, as a bank, can best help the less fortunate with skills which will help them in their future lives.

‘Here at home I have taken part in numerous programmes with a charity based company, Junior Achievement, which has developed a programme to educate young children with basic learning skills, so volunteering and children are close to my heart.’

Last year Standard Bank sent out three staff to assess how the money that is raised by staff and through the sponsorship, can best be used.

‘I know that they were surprised by the priorities,’ said Joe.

‘Most of the children didn’t have shoes and yet they walk miles to the school each day and so as soon as they returned the bank appealed for staff to donate shoes and hundreds of pairs were sent out in time for Christmas.’

During this year staff have also been raising money to buy educational equipment through cake sales, raffles, a sponsored porridge fast, and the Football Fun Day in July.

Joe and a colleague from the Jersey Standard Bank office, will be going out to Uganda on October 1.

He is hoping that Manx companies and individuals will in the meantime donate items that can be taken out to the more than 700 children who attend Mifumi school. Shoprite have been one of the first companies to donate.

In the meantime, he is contacting schools to set up the Skype call which will give children in the island an opportunity to speak to their counterparts in Africa and see what life is like in a remote African village.

Island-based writers can indulge in a day of talks and panel discussions from authors, poets and scriptwriters at this year’s Manx Litfest Writers’ Day – with some having the opportunity to pitch to a literary agent.

The Writers’ Day, which is largely aimed at unpublished writers, takes place at King William’s College, and is being sponsored for the second year running by Pokerstars.

Literary agent Joanna Swainson is returning for this year’s festival, having attended the inaugural Manx Litfest in 2012, when she signed up two unpublished Isle of Man-based writers.

The day will involve talks by Joanna, scriptwriter Shawn Sturnick from Preposterous Theatre, and visiting authors Nicola Morgan and Samantha Shannon, whose debut novel The Bone Season has been snapped up by 20th Century Fox for a series of movies.

There will also be panel discussions on ‘routes to publication’, ‘plot, structure and character’ and ‘revising and rewriting’, with several Isle of Man-based authors taking part.

In addition, Joanna will be holding 15 one-to-one pitch slots for writers, when she will give feedback on their manuscripts.

Festival director John Quirk said: ‘The Writers’ Day continues to grow in popularity, and we’ve expanded the programme for this year, with a full day of talks and panel discussions about the craft of writing and the publishing industry. There will be a wealth of advice and information available, and we’d like to thank our sponsor for the day, Pokerstars, for helping to make this happen, and of course King William’s College for hosting the event.

‘We’re delighted to have Joanna back with us this year. Her pitch slots are going very quickly, so if anyone is interested they will need to contact us as soon as possible. After Litfest 2012, Joanna said she was impressed with the quality of writing she had seen, claiming it was of a higher standard overall than she had found at some dedicated writing festivals.’

Manx Litfest itself runs from Wednesday, September 24, until Sunday, September 28, with a range of events taking place at venues across the island. Among those visiting for the festival are award-winning authors Sally Gardner, Mark Billingham and Philip Reeve.’

Tickets for Writers’ Day are priced at £25, with a pitch slot an additional £25. To inquire about availability, please email bookings@manxlitfest.com

The programme for this year’s festival is available online {http://manxlitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Manx-Litfest-2014-Programme1.pdf|here}

Tickets for the main Litfest ticketed events can be bought from the Villa Gaiety box office: https://villagaiety.ticketsolve.com/production_companies/126497676/shows

Manx Litfest is a registered charity and is supported by Isle of Man Arts Council, Island of Culture, and Culture Vannin, along with several corporate sponsors.

St German’s Cathedral in Peel has launched a new website.

It has been fully funded by a private donor and is said to ‘make all the cathedral information available in one place.’

Judith Ley, cathedral lay canon, said: ‘As a cathedral of only 34 years, Cathedral Isle of Man has the challenge of gaining recognition – from the UK and further afield – of its status and significance.

‘The new website presents the rich heritage, community value and dedicated worship of our fine island cathedral, and will help us gain our rightful place “on the cathedral map”, alongside giants of the UK such as Ely, St Alban’s and even York Minster.’

Dean Nigel Godfrey highlighted the importance of the site to congregation, local community and island visitors.

‘The new site enables us to share key services and events with the general public more easily and effectively,’ he said.

‘We can ensure that major events are publicised with ample notice, and that news stories are communicated directly through the site.

‘Major services and events will also be advertised through the display boards at the cathedral’s entrances.’

The website also contains a specific section for the five churches that make up the parish of the west coast, each with a dedicated page where readers can keep up to date with news and events.

It was designed by Titman Firth, the same agency who previously worked on the cathedral brand and logo design in January.

Visit the new website at www.cathedral.im

For further information contact Val Garrett on 844830 or campaign@cathedral.im

Education bosses have defended collaborative teaching arrangements which have led to sixth form students beuing ferried by taxi between schools.

Three AS level students at Castle Rushen High School travel to Ramsey Grammar for lessons in French and environmental studies.

They are taken by taxi once a week to Peel where they join Queen Elizabeth II High School students for the onward journey to RGS.

CRHS head teacher Keith Winstanley said: ‘Neither of these AS options would be viable this year at CRHS if we were teaching in isolation.’

Other CRHS pupils are being taken twice a week to QEII for lessons such as music.

Mr Winstanley said: ‘We view this as a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with schools and give students AS options that allow them to remain here for their other three subjects without the need to move to a different institution.

‘They also benefit from being part of a larger A-level class with the associated opportunities for enhanced peer to peer learning and discussion.’

To minimise study time lost by travelling between schools, collaborative subjects are in aligned option blocks across the three schools.

He added: ‘We are at very early days for both courses, but the plan is to use technology wherever possible to alleviate the need for travel for every session. Teachers are refining these arrangements.’

Mr Winstanley said he was unaware of any negative feedback. The cost of the taxi to QEII came out of CRHS’s budget, and the onward transport to RGS was shared.

A DEC spokesman said: ‘Traditionally, schools have offered some subjects at AS and A-level with limited uptake. Collaborating will enable them to offer a wider range of subjects and yet make such offers more cost-effective.

‘Increasing the number of students who take some subjects can improve the educational experience for pupils.

‘Considerable planning has gone into these arrangements to minimise any potential disruption to students but schools and the DEC will continue to monitor the impact of this collaboration.

‘Early signs are there has been a significant expansion of the choices available to students and that considerably more students are choosing to take up subjects, which in the past have had classes of only two, three or four individuals.’

Walkers who work at a Douglas law firm celebrated after completing a gruelling one-day challenge that covered six peaks in the Lake District.

In an extremely challenging event which saw 25 out of 72 participants retire early, the Simcocks team beat some stiff competition, with one member, Paul Rodgers, coming first overall.

The group enjoyed some stunning views in one of England’s finest valleys as they tackled the Buttermere Horseshow that included scaling the peaks of Red Pike, High Stile, High Crag, Haystacks, Dale Head and Robinson.

Director Irini Newby, litigator Paul Rodgers, conveyancing manager Taryn Pyle and Jessica Newby climbed up to 5800ft and covered 19km during the walk.

The team took part in the one-day challenge as part of the 25th anniversary of LawNet, a leading network of independent law firms covering the UK and Ireland and which Simcocks is the sole representative of in the Isle of Man. To celebrate this milestone LawNet set itself the challenge of raising £12,000 for its three chosen charities Marie Curie, NSPCC and Air Ambulance.

Irini Newby said: ‘Starting at 7.45am the vertical climb to Red Pike was one of the more demanding parts of the challenge, not only because we had to climb up 2,500ft but we had to do it in rain and dense fog over some very rough and mobile terrain.

‘But when the rain stopped and the sun came out we could enjoy the majestic views of the peaks, rivers and lakes. The knee-jarring descent of 2,500ft from Robinson down to Buttermere was also very difficult, especially as it came at the end of the day.

‘The event organiser produced a very impressive 20-week training schedule which included three or four days of practice each week which we tried to follow.

‘One of our group practices in the Isle of Man, starting at Niarbyl and ending in Port St Mary, was particularly useful for the actual challenge, especially the ascent from White Beach to Cronk ny Arrey Laa and the descent into Fleshwick. But nothing really prepared us for the scree running or the rock climbing involved in parts of the challenge.

‘The best part of the day was that we worked really well as a team, encouraging and helping each other along the way, and we met some great people. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and we are all very proud to have completed it in good time and without injury.’

Parents and carers are being invited to take part in a conference later this month which aims to promote the emotional health and wellbeing of children and young people.

‘Raising Kids, Raising Resilience’ is a free event organised by the Department of Health and Social Care’s mental health service, with support from the educational psychology service and youth service within the Department of Education and Children.

There will be talks and a choice of workshops delivered by a variety of experienced health and education professionals, along with information on ways that parents and carers can support children and young people’s emotional health.

‘Demonstrating the commitment by government to protect the vulnerable, I thank the mental health service for organising this conference,’ said the politician responsible for the mental health service, Michael Coleman MLC.

He added: ‘The conference is all about offering practical support and advice to parents and carers, as well as raising awareness about the range of support available to both children and those who care for them. I would encourage anyone who wants to learn more to register to come along to what promises to be a very interesting event.’

The conference takes place at Keyll Darree on the Noble’s Hospital Estate on Saturday, September 27, between 10am and 4pm.

Anyone who is interested can book a place at www.gov.im/emotional-health using the online form, or can telephone 642836.

Emma McClean, manager of the child and adolescent mental health service said: ‘Resilience plays a crucial role in minimising the effects of negative events in young people’s lives, helping them to develop the ability to cope with adversity. Children and young people who are emotionally healthy achieve more, participate more fully in education and the community, engage less in risky behaviours, cope better if things go wrong and to grow into healthier adults.’