The Manx Music Speech and Dance Festival is celebrating the Year of Culture with a show in Peel.

‘The Guild Goes West’ will take place at Peel’s Centenary Centre this Friday, November 21, at 7.30pm.

The concert will feature 2014 Cleveland Medal Winner Mandy Griffin, Karen Elliott, Laurence Kermode, Christian Cooper, Paul Costain, Ian Wright, Manx Youth Band Quartet, Simon Lynch, Samantha Ash, Michelle Jamieson, Tori Wright, Lois Mooney, Robyn Lawler, Elizabeth Shooter and Mike Durber.

Tickets are still available via Celtic Gold in Peel or Zoe Cannell and cost £10, which includes a buffet.

For more details phone or text Zoe Cannell on 412712 or email zoecannell@hotmail.com

Wi-Manx have appointed Elissa Morris as a new account manager to work with their growing base of business hosting customers.

Joining a highly skilled technical team, Elissa specialises in datacentre services, network, cloud, managed hosting and security solutions.

Joe Hughes, MD of Wi-Manx said of the hire: ‘Elissa is now an integral part of our team and her extensive industry experience means she is set to excel in this role.

‘Elissa’s technical knowledge coupled with her strong client focus will enable her to deliver technical solutions that meet the needs of our customers, and their businesses.’

Since graduating from Kingston University where she studied Film, Elissa went straight into a role as a production manager in London working with clients, budgets and film crew before returning to the island and making the crossover into IT.

Offering a wealth of knowledge from two previous years at Domicilum, her appointment comes at an exciting time for Wi-Manx following news their full telecoms licence was granted.

Elissa went on to say of her new role: ‘I’m extremely excited to join Wi-Manx as I believe there are a lot of opportunities to sink our teeth into especially since the recent expansion and becoming part of the Elite Comms Group.

‘This move not only strengthened our core network reach, it expanded Wi-Manx’s specialised in-house technical team and moving forward it enhances our technical product portfolio.

‘It means we can accommodate our clients’ needs with more services and in more locations, acting as their single supplier of choice for network, voice and datacentre services.’

Wi-Manx already provide hosting and network services throughout the Isle of Man, UK and Europe. With the recent changes in regards to eGaming and UK licensing, Wi-Manx is well placed to service customers looking to host in the Isle of Man or the UK.

Elissa added: ‘The doors are open to the IOM, UK and European markets across a broad range of sectors. These are exciting times. The world is our oyster.’

Wi-Manx are currently offering local businesses the chance to receive a free security assessment of their IT networks.

Register your interest here for a free assessment and full report http://www.wimanx.com/pen-test/.

This year’s annual Billy Moughtin Darts Cup competition will be staged at the Manor Hotel in Willaston on Saturday, November 29 from 1pm.

It is open to both men and women with a prize fund of £500, while winners and runner-ups will also receive trophies and champagne.

For more information contact Bob Corrin 459118 or email robcorrin@yahoo.co.uk

An Employment and Skills day aimed at giving advice to students, jobseekers and those considering a career change was held at the Villa Marina on Thursday with almost 1,000 students from secondary schools attending.

The event gave people the opportunity to talk to employers about opportunities they have to offer, the training needed to enter their professions and the advice they’d give to potential employees.

Almost 60 stands were occupied by employers from the public, private and charity sectors, professional bodies and employment agencies.

Established exhibitors - among them representatives of the armed forces, retailing, engineering, ICT, the emergency services, utilities, hospitality, banking, accountancy and law - were joined by new exhibitors such as the Chartered Institute of Marketing, the Isle of Man Society of Architects and plan.im

Employment and Skills 2014 was organised by the Department of Education and Children (DEC) and Economic Development (DED).

Tony Wild MLC, a political member of both departments, said: ‘The Isle of Man has enjoyed continuous growth for 30 years and our economy is expected to grow further, driven by the creation of hundreds of new jobs.

‘The government’s Vision2020 strategy has identified that in order to achieve this, the Isle of Man requires a workforce with a broad range of skills.’

To download the Employment and Skills programme, visit www.gov.im/es2014

The chairman of the Post Office told Tynwald that the post offices in Douglas and Ramsey are not closing - but are being converted to sub-post offices nearby.

Graham Cregeen, replying to an urgent question tabled by Lib Van leader Kate Beecroft, said the post officers in Regent Street, Douglas and Parliament Street in Ramsey were losing £500,000 a year.

>> Island’s two biggest post offices to shut

Transferring the operation to the nearby Spar stores in a contract with Mannin Retail will save the Post Office £300,000 in the first year, rising to £350,000 in 2016.

‘We are not closing them, we are repositioning them,’ he said. He said the floor area would be virtually the same and there would be the same number of public counters.

Mr Cregeen confirmed the deal had been done with Mannin Retail.

He defended the decision to proceed with a closed tender, saying that they had wanted to give some certainty about the situation with the staff. He said: ‘We are very much aware that it’s shock to them.’

Mannin Retail have advised they will take on all 19 existing staff, he said, and the Post Office had a number of vacancies giving the opportunity for redeployment.

Nine companies had been asked if they would like to tender.

Mr Cregeen said the Post Office was operating in difficult circumstances with the core business dropping and facing increased competition from UK companies operating here. He said earlier this year, Royal Mail had increased the costs of the mail plane by £170,000.

The Post Office is also committed to giving £2m a year to Treasury whether or not it makes a profit.

Videos have been produced showing how the new sub-post offices will look, and as plans change they will be updated accordingly. Click the links below to take a look around.

Douglas: http://youtu.be/ttcg8TCO584

Ramsey: http://youtu.be/kzCF186Q4bk

Nick Crowe of NCR and long-term sponsor Dave Hudspeth Carpets have signed a two-year deal with current British F1 Sidecar Champions Sean Hegarty and James Neave.

The team will be running a 675cc Triumph in the all-new HC Race developments chassis for next year’s TT.

Not only are they bringing another manufacturer into the event’s growing sidecar paddock, but the motor will be slotted into a new brand of sidecar that is being developed by Crowe himself, built by ex-F1 guru Phil Wall who is also based in the island.

Mal Curnin of Yorkshire Engine Supplies has pledged his support to the quest, and joins the team as one of the main sponsors.

Hegarty has not competed in the Isle of Man for 19 years, so both he and passenger Neave are looking to spend as much time as their 2015 race schedule allows ahead of the June meeting doing laps of the Mountain Course under the expert guidance of lap record holder Nick Crowe.

With the deal confirmed, the team will look to be ready for testing and shaking the bike down early in the new year.

Commenting on the plans, Nick Crowe said: ‘British champions on a Manx chassis built with the input of the current TT lap record holder, then put a British engine in the mix and you get . . . . awesome - both for the TT and even more so for the sidecar class.

‘Next year will be all about stretching theirs and the bike’s legs, so the pressure is clearly off the pairing.

‘The team would be over the moon with if they can secure a top-10 finish in the first year. Sean will be more than happy with that as, in 1996, despite running in a strong sixth place as a newcomer, he is yet to see the chequered flag as mechanical failure resulted in non-finishes in both races that year.’

Police are appealing for information after a radio was stolen from a van.

The incident happened on Friday, November 14, between 11am and 2.15pm, when the white Mercedes vehicle was parked opposite the Co-Op supermarket in Ramsey, in the Albert Road public car park.

The van was entered via the rear doors, which were insecure, and the Sony radio/CD player was removed and stolen.

Anyone with information about this incident or who has been offered a Sony car stereo is urged to contact Ramsey police station on 812234 or anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

A union leader says government is breaking its promises over public sector pension reform – and questioned whether proposed changes are even legal.

Angela Moffatt, negotiations officer for the Prosect union, said the government had given an undertaking in 2012 not to increase member contributions to the unified pension scheme before 2020.

She said: ‘How can they make an agreement and then break it? What kind of message does it send out if the government can break promises within two years of making them?’

She made her comments after a government working group report, due to be debated at the December Tynwald, recommended a further 3 per cent increase in contributions by members of the government’s unified pensions scheme.

It also recommends raising the minimum retirement age for current members from 55 to 58, amending the definition of final pensionable pay and says consideration should be given to taxing lump sums above £200,000.

The group, chaired by Policy and Reform Minister Chris Robertshaw, concludes the unified scheme, introduced in 2012, has not achieved all the savings expected when it was designed six years ago.

It says the new member contribution rate of 5 per cent was ‘pitched too low’ and the funding gap between expected contributions and expenditure which is currently about £30m, will widen considerably over time.

Chief Minister Allan Bell defended the work of consultants Hymans Robertson who drew up the original proposals, saying the government workforce had contracted faster than anticipated while pay had not kept up with inflation.

But Mrs Moffatt: ‘To say by 2012 the government didn’t realise the public sector would be shrinking and that pay rises would not keep up with inflation is unbelievable.

‘They spent millions of pounds on consultants. To have that outcome is completely unacceptable to the Manx public.’

She suggested public sector workers would pay more than the 10 per cent that Tynwald members will be contributing for their pension, which ‘absolutely puts into the shade anything anyone in the government’s unified scheme gets’.

Business leaders, owners and entrepreneurs have the opportunity to learn some new ideas and tips on how to get people talking positively about their businesses.

James Gordon-MacIntosh, founder and managing partner of London-based Hope&Glory PR is presenting ‘seventeen creative ways of getting people talking positively about what you do’ at the Claremont Hotel, Douglas on Wednesday November 26.

Richard Slee, chairman of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Isle of Man said: ‘This is a free event thanks to the sponsorship of Home Strategic.

‘In his time, James has made Tom Baker the voice of BT’s text message-to-voicemail service, convinced Jersey to host the World Beach Art Championships, combined vintage shoes and old mobile phones to create Walkie Talkies to promote handset recycling for O2 and made a crowd-sourced beer using ‘‘Hops in a Box’’ given to drinkers in 12,000 bars across London.

‘Anyone with an interest in marketing and PR, whether working directly in the industry or not will be welcome to attend.

‘Hope&Glory are quickly becoming well-known in the industry for their award-winning, innovative campaigns for some of the best known brands in Britain.’

Registration is from 5pm with the event starting at 5.30pm for a 6.30pm finish. Free refreshments will be offered to those attending.

Registration for this free event can be made by going to http://www.cim.co.uk/Events/EventDetails.aspx?crid=67606 or by telephoning CIM Events on 01628 427340 .

visit

In other developments, the Minister for Economic Development, Laurence Skelly MHK and a renowned marketer, recently visited the current crop of CIM students at the CIM Isle of Man Study Centre, which is run by Heather Smallwood of the Marketing Partnership.

Mary Doyle of IOM Hospice is one of those undertaking the CIM Marketing programme.

She said: ‘I have worked in marketing and PR for over 25 years so had lots of experience but didn’t have a formal qualification.

‘When the chance came up to do a Chartered Institute of Marketing qualification in the island I leapt at the opportunity.

‘The qualifications are very thorough but the level of learning and understanding of all aspects of marketing will be a huge asset to my employer and I.’

Isle of Man police will be making their most ambitious foray yet into the world of social media in a couple of weeks’ time when they run the island’s first ever Twitter surgery.

The plan is to have a panel of experts, precisely who is still being decided, who will operate an interactive Twitter link from police headquarters with followers.

The session is being run by Sergeant Allan Thompson of the Roads Policing Unit who will be joined by specialists in fields such as forensic collision investigation and vehicle examination.

‘We’ll be sitting at police headquarters with an interactive link and the idea is to get issues brought to light and deal with them there and then.

‘It’s basically an open forum, bringing roads policing to the living room. If it’s a success then I see it flexing into other areas of policing. Long gone are the days of having a surgery in a cold church hall. Maybe down the line we can introduce video or audio feeds. There’s a great deal of peotential here. I’m simply dipping my toes.’

While it is certainly a first for the Isle of Man, Sergeant Thompson thinks it may not have been done in the UK either. The surgery is from 7pm to 9pm on December 4.

Changing terms and conditions for government new starters could lead to MHKs getting a 10 per cent pay cut too.

Tynwald members are already facing the prospect of having to pay double the amount they contribute to their pensions - that’s one of the recommendations of a government working group charged with looking at making public sector pensions more sustainable.

But the work of another working group could also having an impact on Tynwald members’ pay.

Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne announced last week that the working group he is chairing was looking at introducing new terms and conditions for new starters within the civil service and Whitley Council.

It’s a move he believes could save in the region of £1m next year and up to £10m after eight years by reducing the salary scale for new starters by about 10 per cent together with restrictions on sick pay and holiday pay.

But Mr Gawne says the measure, if brought in, could also see Tynwald members getting a pay cut.

He said: ‘Newly-elected MHKs will certainly be new starters and it could be argued that if MHKs are removed from office when the Keys is dissolved and voted back in at the election they are all new starters.’

He stressed: ‘These are proposals at this stage.’

Chief Minister Allan Bell urged caution, however. He said: ‘It’s early days yet. Mr Gawne has yet to come to Council with a set of recommendations. Clearly it raises interesting questions about whether MHKs should be treated the same way as new starters anywhere else.

‘MHKs are only on five-year contracts at any one time. They are not in long-term employment. A number of MHKs over the years have only served one term. That needs to be considered.

‘Yes, MHKs should take their share of the pain the same as the rest of the community. But you need to look at the bigger picture. The actual savings would be minimal.’

Tynwald members are currently paid a basic annual salary of £38,771. The Chief Minister gets an extra 80 per cent on top, a Minister 50 per cent, a member of Treasury 40 per cent and other department member 30 per cent.

Each Tynwald member is also entitled to be paid an annual sum for expenses of £6,575.90.

They currently pay 5 per cent towards their pensions on a voluntary basis, although that will be compulsory for newly-elected members.

The public sector pensions joint working group chaired by Minister for Policy and Reform Chris Robertshaw recommends that pension contributions rise to 10 per cent after the general election and to 15 per cent for current members who want to protect their existing benefits.

The proposals will be debated at the December Tynwald.

The Waterfall pub in Glen Maye will re-open on Friday, December 12, with a new manager and a few minor refurbishments.

Mark Williams, who is also the manager of the Central Hotel in Castle Street in Peel, has now taken over at the Glen Maye pub as well.

The pub is located at the entrance to the glen, near the waterfall itself, south of Peel on the island’s west cost.

But it has been closed since November 3.

Mark said: ‘The pub has been getting a good clean and a lick of paint but nothing major from a refurbishment point of view.

menu

‘We’ll continue doing food. We’ll have a Christmas menu up throughout December similar to what we have on in the Central.

‘We’re going to put on a carvery on a Sunday, hopefully during December, but certainly by New Year, because I don’t think there’s anywhere you can go for a decent carvery at the moment.’

Mark has taken out a 10-year lease on the Waterfall and hopes to restore the pub to its former reputation.

‘We want to get the Waterfall back to the way it was, somewhere the locals can come for good beers but also with a reputation for good food.

‘We want to try to get locals back into the pub, make it a local pub again with real ales, the top half will be for food and the bottom half for drinks.’

‘I’ve been in the pub trade for 13 years now so I have plenty of hospitality experience.

MOVED

‘I moved to the island eight and a half years ago and before that ran a couple of pubs in the UK, I originally come from Lancashire.’

The pub will be open for food from noon until 9.30pm (7pm on a Sunday) while the bar will be open from 12 noon to midnight every night.

Houses in the new Ballakilley estate, which straddles Port Erin and Rushen parish, will have different postcodes depending on which side of the boundary they lie.

The discrepancy is ‘ridiculous’ agreed Port Erin commissioners (PEC), November 4, when they considered an email from Isle of Man Post Office’s production and statistics officer Louise Kneen.

Ms Kneen wrote the estate was originally postcoded as Port Erin, as instructed by the developer Dandara, however Rushen Parish Commissioners had subsequently contacted her to say (part of) the development should be coded as Port St Mary (Rushen parish is not a postal area).

Ms Kneen asked for the authorities to decide what it should be.

As dictated by the boundary, four roads in the estate lie in Port Erin and six roads will be in Port St Mary.

She wrote: ‘The postcodes are not yet active so no residents can use them at the moment, but as people are starting to move in imminently we need to act quickly as until the postcodes are activated no one will be able to buy the likes of home insurance etc.’

Commissioner Barbara Guy said: ‘It’s ridiculous, crazy,’ and fellow commissioners agreed.
The authority in Port Erin has applied to the Department of Infrastructure to extend its boundary to take in all of the estate. Other discrepancies include the rates, which are around four times greater on the Port Erin side of the boundary.

The authority in Rushen is opposed to the application and argues boundaries clash elsewhere – particularly in the area of the Four Roads near the estate, where Rushen and Port Erin also meet Port St Mary – with no problems and it can be serviced by the two authorities. RPC are content that services such as street lighting and bin collection could be effectively provided with co-operation between the two authorities.

Rates income from the houses will help RPC finance costs incurred from providing facilities on the recreational area on two fields which are part of the development and near Ballafesson.

In a statement, Port Erin Commissioners’ chairman Ged Power said the boundary extension application, ‘is a process (that) has been guided by officers at the Local Government Unit and has involved consultation and discussion with Rushen Parish Commissioners and our three House of Keys representatives.’
He added: ‘The application process is determined by the Local Government Act and is in line with previous boundary extensions in Port Erin when new developments adjacent to the edge of the village have been incorporated. The reasons for doing this have been to offer a consistent level of service, provide the residents with a sense of place and community and in line with both the Southern Area Plan and the Isle of Man Strategic Plan, offer a soft edge to the development of Port Erin which naturally forms the green gap between Port Erin and the Parish of Rushen.

‘The Ballakilley development is a significant asset to Port Erin and the south in general. It provides much needed modern housing, including 19 social houses which will be managed by Port Erin Commissioners and also 20 first time buyers houses, I’m sure it will follow the success of the neighbourhood around Ponyfields, Erin Way and Truggan Road where families enjoy the benefits of living in our village.’

Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne is considering the application, however feedback from the department suggests authorities need to reach an agreement before such an application is likely to be approved.

Kevin Gillespie, Local Government Unit Manager emailed Port Erin in March: ‘In my opinion, the correct starting point for Port Erin Commissioners would be to engage with your counterparts at Rushen and see if there is a general agreement on their part to your proposal. Moreover, and unless there is an agreed political will firmly in place, it is very unlikely that the Department will consider favourably any such application made by Port Erin Commissioners under article 6 of the Local Government Act 1985.’

The family of a young boy from Onchan who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy are trying to raise money for a special wheelchair.

This week’s Manx Independent has more details inside.

The main story on page one is the fallout of the Council of Ministers’ decision to {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/island-s-two-biggest-post-offices-to-shut-1-6958187|close two big post offices.’}

The paper has more details inside, including complaints from the public and explanations from Post Office bosses.

There are a number of reports from Tynwald this week, including a question on payments made regarding the Pinewood Studios deal.

We were in court when former Parish Walk winner Vincent Lynch appeared on a charge of provoking behaviour and when David ‘Butch’ Buttery was sentenced for possession of cannabis.

The paper also has the story of a benefits cheat who took £34,000 from the public purse.

After we revealed {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/business/144-houses-can-be-built-in-peel-as-appeal-is-dismissed-1-6958344|that Heritage Homes’ plan for 144 homes in Peel was going ahead} we have response from the town’s commissioners. Phil Gawne isn’t very popular there.

The Independent reveals Port Erin Commissioners’ response to the news that Rowany Golf Club is planning to shut. They want to help. But will it be enough?

With 12 pages of action-packed sport, the Isle of Man’s What’s On guide, your seven-day television schedule and an interview with former island resident and Status Quo drummer John Coghlan, the Manx Independent is a great read this week.

It’s in the shops now.

The US and China have issued a joint statement announcing that they have agreed reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, in anticipation of United Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations for an international climate change agreement in Paris next year

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Sometimes, it can feel as though there’s not much good news about on the climate front.

But then again, the picture can lighten a bit.

So it was, when, on November 12, the US and China issued a joint statement announcing that they’re committed to an ‘ambitious’ international climate change agreement, as part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations which will take place in Paris next year.

The background to this stems from a meeting in 2011 involving the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol parties in Durban, South Africa.

One of the key outcomes of this conference was agreement to adopt a global climate change agreement, by 2015, to replace the Kyoto Protocol.

The new global climate change agreement would, they said, start in 2020.

In anticipation of the Paris negotiations, the European Council agreed, in October, a binding target for the EU to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 40 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030, as part of the EU Climate and Energy 2030 Framework – this, of course, affects the UK – unless the UK Government abandons its commitments to act as a good global citizen, something that’s been threatened from time to time.

So much for the ‘Greenest Government Ever’, Mr Cameron.

In the meantime, some countries have used the failure of bigger players such as the US and China to play a full part as an excuse to delay taking steps themselves.

Unbelievably, and shamingly, we in the Green Centre have actually heard from an MHK’s lips the phrase ‘there’s no point in the Isle of Man cutting its carbon emissions whilst China’s still belching them out’ – as if being able only to do little excused doing nothing.

It’s a bit like saying: ‘We’re only killing one or two people through our selfish inaction – so that makes it OK.’

However, that excuse appears to be falling away now.

Why so? Well, last week, on November12 – the US and China issued a joint statement of commitment to an ‘ambitious’ international climate change agreement in 2015.

Their statement sets out specific targets, which they hope will encourage other countries to announce their own ‘ambitious actions’.

So far, so good.

The US says that it will achieve an economy-wide target of reduced emissions by 26 per cent to 28 per cent below 2005 levels in 2025, making best efforts to achieve the top end of that target range.

And China, for its part, will:

– Achieve peak CO2 emissions around 2030, making best efforts to achieve peak emissions before 2030.

– Increase the share of non-fossil fuels in its primary energy consumption to around 20 per cent by 2030.

The two countries have also agreed to work more closely together on other climate change measures, including:

– Investing in joint clean energy research and development.

– Advancing carbon capture and storage and enhanced water recovery.

– Reducing hydrofluorocarbons.

– Reducing carbon emissions from cities.

– Promoting trade in green goods.

– Demonstrating clean energy on the ground, including energy efficiency in buildings and boilers, solar power and smart grids.

The UK government welcomed the announcement as a ‘clear sign that major economies are serious about getting a global deal in Paris’, which is a bit rich when they also keep rumbling about abandoning green aspirations themselves, but there you go.

Other companies and organisations have also welcomed the announcement, particularly as the US and China together account for 42 per cent of global emissions, and together with the 40 per cent reduction target from the EU, this accounts for more than 50 per cent of global emissions.

So what does this mean for us?

Well, the island’s government has made lots of noise about climate change commitments, but so far action has been derisory; what’s needed is practical action, and soon (and I mean this in the context of Manx energy generation and consumption, not just that which we might facilitate by leasing our seabeds for offshore wind and marine renewable developments – to help the UK Government achieve its own targets).

A good, if small, start would be the establishment of some real incentives for household, business and community renewable microgeneration, so as to give our residents choice and the prospect of price stability.

This would also help create new jobs, skills and opportunities – which are likely to be much-needed in our changing economic environment.

Let’s get on with it!

Eastern Land and Cattle Company Limited, whose registered office is at Ballakilleyclieu Farm, Barragarrow, Kirk Michael, bought Ballaquine House, Braddan, for £1,501,000.

It was bought from Dirk Heinz Hoehmann, by coroner, and, Kenneth Alan Quilleash, of 1-5 Church Street, Douglas, as coroner.

Other recent transactions lodged at the General Registry in Douglas are as follows:

David Michael William Batchelor and Jill Batchelor, of Tregea, Brookfield Avenue, Castletown, sold Springfield House, Brookfield Avenue, Castletown, for £950,000, to Werner Alberts and Yolande Hester Alberts, of South Africa.

A.E.Corkill (Removals) Limited, whose registered office is situated at Removal House, 39 Finch Road, Douglas, sold 27, 29, 31, 33, 35 and 37 Finch Road, Douglas, for £738,000, to Viking Estates (IOM) Limited, whose registered office is situated at Faaie Mooar, Port Lewaigue, Maughold.

Rozanne Violet Coward sold Lezayre View, Andreas, for £507,500, to Nicholas Paul Webb and Dawn Hazel Webb, of Dale Cottage, Orrisdale, Kirk Michael.

Scott Edward Taylor and Clare Marie Taylor, sold 11 Rheast Mooar Close, Ramsey, for £318,000, to James Peter Richmond, of 35 Greenlands Avenue, Ramsey.

James Cameron Cannon sold 14 Stonecrop Grove, Douglas, for £215,000, to Geoffrey Leonard Murphy and Kathryn Louise Murphy, of 37 Berrywoods Avenue, Governor’s Hill, Douglas.

Andrew Haydn Clucas and Sarah Elizabeth Laura Clucas, sold 7 Ballabrooie Close, Douglas, for £211,000, to Neil Christopher Orders and Carole Orders, of 7 Cronkbourne Avenue, Douglas.

Hazel Edina Crewe, of Knebworth, and Geoffrey Vernon Artes, of Hitchen, sold 42 Clifton Park, Ramsey, for £205,000, to Joseph Hugh McCartney and Linda Joan McCartney, of Riverside Villa, 5 Riverside, Ramsey.

Alistair Edwin MacLaren sold 59 Lakeside Road, Governor’s Hill, Douglas, for £192,950, to Benjamin John Ward and Kelly Taylor, of Flat 2, 12 Derby Road, Douglas.

Manx Gas Limited, whose registered office is situated at Murdoch House, South Quay, Douglas, sold a plot of land, part of The Whitehouse abutting Baltic Road, Michael, for £80,000, to Anthony John Lloyd-Davies and Pauline Lloyd-Davies, of Crossways, Grove Mount, Ramsey.

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We publish details of all sales unless we receive a written request from the police or probation service.

The late Bette Davis said: ‘Getting old ain’t no place for sissies.’

She was 81 when she died 27 years ago and things have changed a lot since then.

It’s not all that bad these days.

For me this has been getting ‘Special Assistance’ when having to go flying.

I have just had a second experience of this when going from Ronaldsway to Gatwick on easyJet.

At Ronaldsway there was just me and an elderly lady in a wheelchair to go through Gate No 1 where we were taken by lift to the departure lounge to be first on the aircraft.

Last time on easyJet, me and other ‘Special Assistance’ persons were not allowed to board first. We had to wait behind clearly able-bodied persons who had paid for what was called ‘Early Boarding.’

But not this time. It was they who had to wait for us, looking a bit miffed, I thought. Disability had prevailed over dosh.

At Gatwick, as usual, wonderfully kind and caring men and women took the wheelchair lady and me along all sorts of secret ways through the shopping arcade on electric buggies.

It was the same for the return flight from Gatwick with an easy ride through security to the holding pen where we had to wait for more nice men and women and their buggies to take us to our aircraft.

I think we all wondered fretfully whether we should tip these people. It would have been no problem if there was just one of them. But there are always quite a few.

All we could do was thank each one of them profusely and one of the men told me: ‘No need to thank me. It is I who have to thank you for keeping me in regular employment.’

I wondered if he was thinking about tipping me.

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Sean, a regular, directs attention to the Manx Independent and a story about the ice rink at what it calls the ‘Tynwald Mills Chopping Centre’ being open again from December 6 to January 5. He says: ‘They’re going to axe the place?’

Yes. The skids are under it.

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At one of my Walk and Talk sessions at the NSC, I was tipped off that one of the walkers behind me had just celebrated his 100th birthday. He is not a man for personal publicity I’m afraid but as a journalist I am content to preserve his privacy.

My only concern was that he would overtake me, like all the others do.

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The question of whether or not we live in or on the Isle of Man was raised in Times Past in the Examiner. Now I have been told by Isle of Man Newspapers that their house style is to say in the Isle of Man.

To say the other thing is just not on.

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One of my readers is Alan Franklin, librarian at Manx National Heritage, and he has told me the latest reference book relating to obscure matters is called ‘Sun Helmets of the World.’ He wonders if I wore a sun helmet when doing National Service in the Far East. I was there for nearly two years, it was five degrees above the Equator, and I did not wear a sun helmet.

Unkind people say this accounts for a lot.

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My former journalism colleague Colin Brown has been on about English usage in today’s news media, by which business enterprises ‘make a loss.’ As he says, they don’t make a loss. They make a profit and suffer a loss.

English abusage.

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Frank Bond of Doncaster contributes our latest Manx crossword clue and it’s a really nifty one. It was in the Daily Telegraph as follows: ‘Man is, whatever Donne says (6) – ISLAND.

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The last Pun for the Educated: On Mersea Island in Essex there was a zoo.

Within in it there was a compound in which koala bears played happily up and down their eucalyptus tree and people came from near and far to see them.

One night some villains got into the compound and painted the tree purple.

The koalas were visibly upset and never went near the tree again.

Everyone made a great effort to clean up the tree.

The next day the headline in the local paper was: ‘The koala tree of Mersea is not stained.’

Friday, November 21

Paddy Power Masters League

8.40pm Braddan v Michael Utd @ Bowl

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Saturday, November 22

Canada Life Premier League

2pm Ayre United v Ramsey

2pm Corinthians v St Mary’s

2pm Gymns v Rushen United

2pm Michael Utd v St George’s

2pm Peel v DHSOB

2pm St John’s v Laxey

JCK Division Two

2pm Colby v Douglas & District

2pm Governor’s Athletic v Braddan

2pm Malew v Foxdale

2pm Marown v Douglas Athletic

2pm Onchan v Castletown

2pm RYCOB v Pulrose United

Canada Life Combination One

2pm Laxey v St John’s

2pm Ramsey v Corinthians

2pm Rushen Utd v St Mary’s

2pm St George’s v Michael Utd

JCK Combination Two

2pm Castletown v Onchan

2pm Douglas & District v Colby

2pm Douglas Athletic v Marown

2pm Foxdale v Malew

2pm Pulrose Utd v RYCOB

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Sunday, November 23

Warehouse Fitness Women’s Floodlit Cup

2.10pm DHSOB v Colby @ Bowl

3.40pm Douglas Royal v Peel @ Bowl

Paddy Power Masters Football

2pm Corinthians v Union Mills

2pm Peel v Marown

2pm Douglas and District v RYCOB @ RYCOB

2pm Colby A v Laxey

Appleby 16-18 League

10.30am Braddan v Onchan

10.30am Laxey v Colby

5.15pm Corinthians v Ramsey @ Bowl

Ramsey’s ‘Save Our Post Office’ campaign gathered momentum last night (Wednesday) when close to 100 protesters gathered at the town hall to lobby commissioners as they arrived for their monthly board meeting.

The boardroom was soon packed with people and speakers were set up so those outside could hear what the commissioners had to say.

Shock waves swept through the town earlier in the week when Isle of Man Post Office announced it was closing its crown offices at Regent Street, Douglas and at the Courthouse, Ramsey, as together they were losing half a million pounds annually. Mannin Retail Limited, the company that owns Heron & Brearley, had been awarded the contract to operate both as sub post offices within its Spar shops, with effect from next April.

Commissioners’ chairman Nigel Malpass welcomed the protesters and said a public meeting would be held on Wednesday next (November 26) at 7pm in the West Wing of Ramsey Grammar School, with Post Office chairman, Graham Cregeen and his newly-appointed deputy Ramsey MHK Leonard Singer in attendance.

At last night’s meeting, commissioner Stephen Bevan said rarely had the Ramsey community been so upset by a government decision.

He felt it was ‘outrageous’ on many levels: in the way it had been presented as a ‘fait accompli’; that the commissioners had not been consulted; that the staff had not been invited to come up with their own business case; that Mannin Retail had been awarded the contract without it being put out to public tender – and that an operation which, according to Mr Cregeen had been losing hundreds of thousands of pounds a year had been allowed to carry on for so long.

‘That is mismanagement’, he said.

Read the full story in tomorrow’s Isle of Man Courier.

Confidence in the short-term economic prospects of the Isle of Man has fallen according to a survey by Island Analysis.

Results from a new survey showed that while half of respondents had the same level of confidence as last year, the number with less or much less confidence was much higher than those whose confidence had grown.

Island Analysis conducts the so-called Omnibus Survey every month, receiving the views of more than 500 Isle of Man residents on important topics.

The sample group covers a broad age profile, from 16 to over 70, with respondents from across the island, and a range of household sizes, from single occupancy to homes of seven or more, and employment types.

The survey gives public and private sector organisations insight into changing public attitudes and issues of concern through both snapshot analysis and longer-term comparative data.

The September survey showed 30 per cent of those who responded felt less or much less confident about the immediate future of the Manx economy, while just 11 per cent were more or much more confident.

The survey also showed more respondents felt not very confident or not confident at all (44 per cent) about the island’s medium-term economic prospects than felt confident or very confident (37 per cent).

Confidence in government was the top reason for improved faith in the economy, while those who expressed concern blamed a lack of confidence in government and cuts in spending and budget in ‘the wrong areas’.

Recipients were invited to highlight three personal issues of concern and areas for improvement, which provoked a diverse range of responses.

Among 16 to 29-year-olds a perceived lack of things to do, cost of off-island transport and the price of housing were all raised, as was the issue of cannabis legalisation. The cost and future of air links scored highly among older age groups, as did education and the cost of living. Benefits, immigration control, leisure facilities and the workings of government were also commented on.

The survey also asked recipients about how much leisure time they had during the week, and how they spend it. Most respondents said they enjoyed 11 to 20 free hours every week, with the majority of time spent watching television and films.

Chris Brock, chief executive officer of Guernsey-based Island Analysis said: ‘Once again the Omnibus Survey has delivered a fascinating insight into how the Isle of Man people feel about the future. While there are reasons to be more confident in the economy than a year ago, it seems more people are losing confidence than gaining it.

‘The fact cuts in spending are seen as ‘in the wrong areas’ suggests greater dialogue is needed between government and the public over how the budget is rebalanced.

‘We also asked about how people spent their leisure time, and the survey showed that, both during the week and at weekends, far less time is spent going out to enjoy local restaurants, bars, leisure facilities and live entertainment than watching TV, listening to the radio and reading. This may reflect a lack of confidence in the island’s economy, as people feel uncomfortable spending money on themselves, which, of course, has implications for this sector.

‘However, the outlook is not bleak. More than half of respondents remains as confident about the economy in the short-term as did last year and the split between confident and not confident for the medium term is almost equal, so there is still a great deal of trust and belief in the Manx economy.’

Island Analysis clients can have their own questions included in the Omnibus Survey for as little as £200 per question, making it a cost-effective method of measuring customer opinion reliably.

The Omnibus Surveys are also conducted in Jersey and Guernsey, giving access to public opinion across the Crown Dependencies.

The Omnibus Survey is used by private and public organisations as a valuable research tool.

In addition to five profiling questions created by Island Analysis, organisations can request for specific questions to be included, either for an immediate one-off answer or as part of an ongoing longer-term project requiring regular feedback from customers.

Clients can include up to 20 bespoke questions, which Island Analysis can assist to structure, and choose a target audience, including which of the Crown Dependencies, or combination of islands, they would like to survey. The survey is distributed via email and results are delivered within two weeks.

Mr Brock said: ‘Island Analysis has built up its research expertise and reputation over a period of seven years, with clients drawn from public and private sectors in the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey. We have a wealth of economic, social and environmental data and information available to us which can enhance any research data collected for a specific client.

‘Accurate sample management is crucial to the credibility of any survey and one of the major weaknesses of off-the-shelf online surveys is the lack of accurate sampling and generating the required number of respondents to have an acceptable margin of error.

‘The way the Omnibus Survey is conducted ensures that the sample achieved in each survey truly reflects the island population profile as a whole and that the required number of respondents is surveyed.’