Police are investigating more burglaries in Douglas.

There seems to have been a spate in recent weeks, with a number of domestic premises being targeted.

But the latest ones have been on commercial premises.

One occurred at Henry’s, the restauratnt in the park café in Noble’s Park.

It happened overnight on Tuesday/Wednesday.

The second was in the early hours of Wednesday at Newby’s newsagent on Glen Falcon Road.

Police say they would like to hear from any member of the public who has seen any person in the area or heard anything. Police are looking for two men one of which had a rucksack.

Detective Constable Alan Shimmin said: ‘Sometime during the early hours of Wednesday, December 31, Newby’s Newsagents on Glen Falcon Road and Henry’s Café in Noble’s Park had their front door windows smashed and entry was gained to the premises.

‘It is not believed anything was stolen from within.

‘Reports of burglaries are becoming far to frequent recently and I would like to appeal to the public to help the police with tackling these frustrating crimes.

‘It is believed these two burglaries are linked but we are remaining open-minded with regards to linking them to other recent domestic burglaries.’

He added: ‘Please make contact if you may have seen anything in the general area that you suspect may be connected to these burglaries, if you have heard anything or have some knowledge I urge you to come forwarded by calling police headquarters on 631212 or alternatively you can call crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

“With regards to the domestic burglaries, the message has gone out to ensure you keep your doors locked, please continue to do so.

‘Don’t let the first crime of 2015 be a burglary at your home address.’

Police are warning about a super-strong batch of heroin that’s being sold on the streets of the island.

Detective Sergeant Paul Holland said: ‘Community intelligence tells me that there is a really strong batch of heroin being sold on the island.

‘It’s so strong that even experienced users are getting caught out. While not condoning heroin use, please be careful and keep safe.

‘Drug users are aware of the risks involved which can include death, but sadly it is the nature of their addiction that makes them prepared to take these risks.’

Police are urging anyone that has knowledge of people supplying controlled drugs to contact them on 631212 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Businesses in the island’s vital financial services are gearing up for ‘substantial changes’ dealing with tax.

That was one of the important messages to come out of a seminar organised by KPMG in the island.

More than 200 experts attended the event which covered a series of changes in property tax, VAT, and UK and international developments.

Greg Jones, director, tax, at Athol Street based KPMG saidof the gathering at the Claremont Hotel, Douglas: ‘Many of the tax changes that were discussed will be considered as onerous and even, in cases, counterproductive by many in the audience.

‘Regardless, Manx businesses will need to keep up, particularly the many that rely on the management of wealthy individuals’ assets, which are coming under increasing scrutiny.’

Mr Jones covered the key points of the UK Autumn Statement.This included changes to Remittance Basis Charges and the introduction of capital gains tax for non-resident disposals of UK residential property.

He also expanded on the continuing efforts by HMRC to tackle alleged offshore tax evasion.

Harley Richards, a KPMG manager, discussed changes in employment taxes.

The key point of his presentation was an explanation of the Accelerated Payments Notice (APN) regime coming into effect in the New Year, which may help HMRC clamp down on perceived tax abuses related to the use of contractors.

He said: ‘These notices effectively allow HMRC to raise a payment notice when they believe they have suffered a tax loss.

‘The troubling part of this regime, however, is that there is little to no room for appealing such a bill, and they anticipate they will be issuing around 7,500 a month.’

Another manager with the company, Paul Cawley, outlined the way in which changes to VAT will affect Isle of Man businesses.

He said: ‘The VAT changes due on January 1, are the last element of the EU’s 2008 tax harmonisation package to come into effect in the UK.

‘Despite that history, many Manx businesses will be unprepared, because they change the rules regarding place of supply substantially. This will particularly affect the island’s eGaming and telecoms suppliers.’

Robert Rotherham, senior manager, outlined international progress towards implementation of the OECD’s 15 point action plan on the issue of Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS). He said: ‘The BEPS report was released in September, motivated largely by the furore over the tax bills of giants such as Google and Starbucks that dominated media headlines for many months. Isle of Man based sections of large international groups could be affected by the changes in this area, so it is important we stay on top of them.’

David Parsons, director, provided an update on developments in the automatic exchange of tax information between jurisdictions.

Focusing primarily on OECD Common Reporting Standard (CRS), but also touching on FATCA, he noted that: ‘Whilst most financial services businesses on the island are getting fully to grips with FATCA, they now need to prepare themselves for the implementation of CRS, which will be equally onerous. However, the release on December 15 of the updated Isle of Man FATCA Guidance Notes does at least provide some welcome clarification on a number of points.’

Well-known couple Fred and Pat Griffin have celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary.

The happy couple – who both served on Onchan Commissioners – married 60 years ago, on December 27 1954, at Kirk Braddan.

Fred, aged 83, and Pat, 81, celebrated the milestone with family and friends at Anfield Manor residential home, in Victoria Road, Douglas, where they moved earlier this year.

They had lived together in Onchan since 1973.

Pat said: ‘We have been very happy together.’

She said the secret to their happy marriage was the fact that they didn’t row.

‘We get on very well together,’ she said.

‘If one of us disagrees on something we walk away from it.’

Pat explained that she got to know Fred as her friends relied on him to drive them to dances.

‘He was the only one who could drive,’ she said.

‘Gradually I became the last one to be dropped off again!’

Fred was elected to Onchan Commissioners in November 1974 and served as chairman from November 1981 to April 1983. He retired in 1985.

It was during that time that his father Ernest was Mayor of Douglas.

Fred is also well-known in agricultural circles.

In 1966 he became assistant secretary of the Agricultural Marketing Society, where he worked for 21 years.

And he spent his early days in the south, where his father farmed at Balnahowe and The Sound.

When the couple moved to Onchan in 1973, Pat took over the Royal Avenue sub post office at Port Jack, where she worked for many years.

Their daughter Julie – they also have a son Martin – lives in Luxembourg and was unable to attend her parents’ anniversary celebration.

She passed on a ‘big congratulations’ on behalf of herself, husband Uli and son Charlton.

Police are appealing for witnesses to speak to them after an accident that happened in the early hours of New Year’s Day.

Just before 4am there was traffic collision at Fours Roads, Port St Mary.

Nobody one was injured but it caused disruption in the area.

Constable Louise Kennaugh, who is based at Castletown police station, is investigating.

A number of homes in the area were without power after the incident.

Payment of any outstanding amounts for 2013/14 personal tax assessments and 2014/15 payment on account notices are due on January 6.

There are several ways to pay tax bills, including an online service payment facility which allows people to avoid potentially large queues at the government’s income tax division office as the payment date approaches.

Anyone who is interested should register for Government Online Services at www.gov.im/onlineservices and then follow the links to enrol for tax services. Assistance can also be provided in completing the process either in person at the Income Tax Division or by telephoning 685400.

Representatives of two international bodies will be attending the annual Manx state of the nation conference this month.

The visiting organisations will take part in a panel session on the international view of the Isle of Man.

Berlin-based Transparency International is a non-governmental organisation that monitors and publicises corporate and political corruption in international development.

And Moneyval is the Council of Europe’s anti-money laundering committee.

The Alliance of Isle of Man Compliance Professionals (AICP) is hosting the conference at the Villa Marina, Douglas on Friday, January 30.

The conference is described as a signature event for the island’s risk and compliance professionals and 2015 is its 10th anniversary year.

The conference will be opened by Chief Minister Allan Bell and delegates will also hear from the Financial Supervision Commission (FSC) and the Insurance and Pensions Authority (IPA) on their plans for the regulatory framework in the year ahead, which will importantly include the merger of the two regulatory bodies.

Delegates will discuss the impact of Tax Information Exchange Agreements for Isle of Man financial services businesses.

The programme will include consideration of the regulatory issues surrounding cryptocurrency as well as a debate on the impact of increasing regulation with representatives from the Department of Economic Development and several of the industry bodies.

A presentation by Miles Kennedy on the future shape of banking rounds out a packed agenda for the event.

In recognition of the 10 year milestone for this important event, it has moved to the Villa Marina and will accommodate more delegates than ever before.

Chairman of the AICP, Graeme Snape said of the conference: ‘The committee has worked very hard to develop a programme which brings the issues of the day into sharp focus and sets the scene for the year ahead.

‘We look forward to our 10th anniversary conference, building on the success of previous years and to the conference continuing to grow in stature.

‘Certainly, we have seen more and more interest recently, both from a wider range of Manx professionals and from off-island contributors and sponsors, for which we are extremely grateful.’

Ian Clague, senior partner of PwC, lead sponsor of the conference for 2015, said: ‘This event is an excellent opportunity for the local compliance industry to hear from local and international experts, keeping us at the top of our game. The island’s ability to positively respond to the constantly changing international regulatory landscape is what sets us apart from the other financial centres.

‘We are very proud to be supporting an event that really lies at the heart of the island’s financial services offering.’ A link to buy tickets online can be accessed via the AICP’s website at www.aicp.im.

More than 500 have signed a petition calling for a halt to plans to end the Children’s Centre’s involvement in running children’s homes.

The Children’s Centre claims a total of 61 jobs are at risk after the charity lost, or failed to win, a series of contracts worth a total of £5.5m.

An online petition has been launched by a relative of a care home resident asking people to ‘help stop the closure of Children’s Centre care homes and save 100s of jobs’.

It had secured more than 500 signatures by the time the Manx Independent went to press on Tuesday.

The instigator of the petition claimed: ‘Just two days before Christmas children and workers of The Children’s Centre care homes have been told they will have to leave due to St Christopher’s taking over and on January 31 they have to be out.

‘Hundreds of staff are being sacked and children are being forced out of their homes. My brother has lived in one of the care homes run by The Children’s Centre for eight years! The staff are his family, the house is his home!

‘And the government is ripping it away from him just before he is due to start his exams he will be taken away from everything he has known for eight years.

‘It is disgusting and should be stopped. Children are put into the care systems for many reasons and stability and safety is one of the main reasons. How stable are they now? Being told two days before Christmas they have to leave their homes and the staff will no longer have jobs.

‘No one has thought about how this will affect all the children being forced to move. And it’s about time they did. Please help spread the word, please help this stop now!’

Douglas South MHK David Cretney has asked for the awarding of children’s care services contracts to St Christopher’s to be put on hold pending a review of the procurement process.

The Children’s Centre, founded in 1868, has provided residential care for children and young people in a contract with the Department of Health and Social Care, as well as a raft of other services.

Three out of four contracts for children’s services have been awarded to St Christopher’s Isle of Man. A fourth contract, for family support services, has not been formally awarded. The Children’s Centre said a total of 61 staff, about a third of the total, are potentially affected.

In a statement, the DHSC said that St Christopher’s Isle of Man has been registered as a charity here for a decade and won the contracts in a competitive tender process which considered both quality and cost.

It said The Children’s Centre services affected are four small children’s homes, offering just three beds each, and each currently occupied by just one child.

Uk-based St Christopher’s Fellowship’s Manx charity arm already operates children’s homes here, as well as the Secure Unit.

It won the contract for all residential services, as well as retaining its contract for leaving care services and winning a new contract for therapeutic services for looked after children.

The Children’s Centre, which had bid for all four contracts, has been asked to continue to provide family support services on an interim basis for six months.

But the charity has raised serious questions about the procurement process amid claims of a conflict of interest.

The DHSC said those allegations were unfounded and the appeal by The Children’s Centre had been professionally assessed and was not been upheld.

The Children’s Centre also operates fostering and adoption services, for which the contract is up for renewal next year. It also runs nurseries, after-school and holiday clubs.

Families and communities in 10 developing countries have received a rather unusual Christmas present thanks to people of the Isle of Man.

Nearly 70 latrines are set to be built following the response to a ‘toilet twinning’ campaign, supported by the One World Centre and Churches Together in Mann.

Pupils at Ballakermeen High School raised money to twin six toilets – in Sierra Leone, Cambodia, Uganda, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Staff at the Department of Education and Children at Hamilton House in Douglas twinned their toilet with one in India.

Meanwhile, Broadway Baptist Church has not only twinned all 11 of its own toilets, they have raised enough money to ‘guerrilla twin’ four others in the island.

Individual congregation members have also joined in by twinning their own home toilets.

The campaign aims to raise awareness of the fact that over one third of the world’s population do not have access to a safe, clean and hygienic toilet.

Twinning raises funds to enable people living in poor communities to have clean water, a decent toilet, and to learn about hygiene – a combination that prevents the spread of disease, reduces the number of deaths among children.

One World Centre director Rosemary Clarke said: ‘We often get some strange looks when we mention toilet twinning but once people understand the concept and how it can so drastically improve the lives of others, it’s something people are very happy to support.’

Police today asked for the public’s help in finding the culprit in a hit-and-run incident that happened more than three weeks ago.

The incident happened on Demesne Road, Douglas, overnight on December 9/10.

A red Alfa Romeo was struck, causing dents and scratches to the bodywork.

The offending vehicle has then left the area without notifying the owner of the car or the police.

Police are asking anybody who may have witnessed the incident or knows the identities of those involved to contact police headquarters on 631212.

This week’s Isle of Man Courier is now available to read online.

All you have to do is {http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk//launch.aspx?eid=5bf1cf3b-62fb-44e0-aaa3-2683caf6cc86|click here} and you can see the pages and turn them as if you were reading the paper itself.

A poster campaign is to be launched aimed at irresponsible dog owners who fail to pick up after their pets.

Douglas Council has teamed up with environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy to mount the ‘We’re Watching You’ campaign that uses glow-in-the-dark posters featuring a sinister pair of eyes.

Research by the charity has shown that dog walkers are more responsible when they think they are being watched.

In the UK it recently conducted a social experiment working with 20 local authorities which saw an average reduction of 46 per cent in the levels of dog fouling.

Dog fouling tends to occur at night and during winter months when dog owners feel they could not be seen failing to pick up after their dogs.

Borough warden manager Neil Cringle said: ‘It is one of the most complained-about problems we have, which is why we’ve launched this campaign.

‘We haven’t changed any penalties. There is a fixed fine of £50 which can be paid on the spot for dog fouling or dogs at large. But if you are taken to court the maximum fine is £1,000.’

However, he admitted that nobody had been taken to court over the issue in Douglas for months.

He told iomtoday.co.im: ‘There have been prosecutions in the past, none recently, the last was around May when one person was fined the £50 after going to court.’

Environmental services committee chairman Cllr Ritchie McNicholl said: ‘We recognise that the vast majority of dog owners are responsible people who pick up after their dogs but regrettably there will always be a minority who persist in flouting the borough’s byelaws.

‘In tandem with the campaign our borough wardens will remain vigilant across the borough and it is heartening that many members of the public are supportive of the wardens’ efforts and take the time to report incidences of dog fouling.

‘I am encouraged by the results achieved by local authorities in the UK trials and hope that Douglas will also see a reduction in this antisocial behaviour.’

The council has identified three hot spots affected by high incidences of dog fouling where the posters will be erected.

Ahead of the campaign launch the three hot spots will be cleaned and monitored for evidence of dog fouling.

Council leader David Christian said: ‘The council is pleased to be joining forces with Keep Britain Tidy in a bid to combat what is one of the most unacceptable types of litter.

‘Dog fouling on our streets and in our parks and open spaces is offensive to everyone. Implementing this innovative and uncompromising campaign is very much a partnership between the Council, the public and the police. This is a serious community problem that demands a community response.’

The council is urging anyone who witnesses a dog owner failing to pick up to use the “Report It” function, Reportit.im, visit the council’s website, douglas.gov.im and follow the link or call the borough warden team on 696326.

l What do you think? Should more people be convicted in court and therefore named and shamed in the local newspapers as a result?
Email opinions@newsiom.co.im or write to Opinions, Isle of Man Newspapers, Peel Road, Douglas IM1 5ED

The Isle of Man Post Office has produced a set of eight stamps in honour of Sir Winston Churchill to commemorate 50 years since his death.

The stamps depict the various stages of Churchill’s life and his many talents as a painter, writer, statesman and orator.

Winston Churchill 1874-1965 – The Death of a Hero, which also marks the 70th anniversary of his final year as wartime prime minister, and 75th anniversary of his ‘Finest Hour’ in 1940, also includes rarely-seen images of Churchill as a youngster, as a world leader and privately enjoying his favourite pastimes.

They are available in mint condition and cancelled to order sheet sets, mounted on a specially-designed First Day Cover, accompanied by an illustrated information card, and as part of a presentation pack containing a four-page mini brochure revealing more of the Churchill story and featuring additional photographs.

The Post Office worked on the stamps with the Churchill Archives Centre at Churchill College, and Chartwell, the National Trust family home, and with access to private photograph collections courtesy of the family.

The issue bears the official Churchill 2015 logo of the Churchill Alliance, which is spearheading commemorations of the 50th anniversary of his death, and text written by Allen Packwood, director of the Churchill Archives Centre in Cambridge.

Mr Packwood said: ‘It is wonderful that the Isle of Man has decided to recognise Sir Winston Churchill in this way on the 50th anniversary of his death. I love the way the stamps capture the different aspects of his amazing life and personality: from statesman and orator, to writer, painter and even would-be bricklayer.’

Maxine Cannon, general manager of Isle of Man Stamps and Coins, said: ‘Sir Winston Churchill is one of the most significant figures in 20th century history, and we are proud to be joining the commemorations on the 50th anniversary of his death by issuing this exceptional stamp issue.’

‘Thanks to the assistance and co-operation of the Churchill Archives Centre and Chartwell, we have been able to capture more of the man with access to archive photographs showing Churchill not only as the inspirational leader we all know, but other aspects of his character which helped make him the icon which continues to attract worldwide admiration to this day.’

Churchill was born into an aristocratic family in 1874 and served with the military before being first elected a Member of Parliament in 1900. He is best remembered for his leadership during the Second World War, after becoming prime minister in 1940, and his rousing speeches which galvanised British morale in the face of German aggression. Despite losing the 1945 general election, Churchill remained in politics until 1964, a year before his death at the age of 90.

Once voted ‘Greatest Briton’, he also wrote extensively on history and military campaigns, and a dedicated painter whose works are still collected and acclaimed today.

Katherine Barnett, house and collections manager of Chartwell Properties Portfolio – National Trust, said: ‘The Isle of Man Post Office’s new collection of commemorative stamps is a fitting tribute to mark the anniversary of the loss of one of our greatest statesmen.

‘Sir Winston Churchill is most commonly known for leading Britain through the Second World War but alongside this he was a gifted orator, a talented artist, a critically acclaimed writer and so much more. This stamp series is a wonderful offering for the 50th anniversary of Sir Winston’s passing and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to be involved in such a wonderful tribute to his life and legacy.’

The Winston Churchill 1874-1965 – The Death of a Hero stamp issue can be pre-ordered now from.iomstamps.com.

The Manx BirdLife organisation is asking birdwatchers to record the birds they see in their garden every week.

Participants send in a record sheet every quarter detailing the birds they have spotted.

Any recorded birds have to be spotted in participants’ gardens.

Sspecies flying over gardens cannot be included.

It is based on the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) garden birdwatch scheme and it has been running since 2000.

Chief operating officer at Manx BirdLife, Dora Querido, said: ‘We want to increase the number of participants taking part in the scheme.

‘Anyone that has a garden is eligible. At the moment, we have 70 subscribers but only 53 active participants.

‘The 2015 scheme has started from December 14 but we accept new participants at any time.’

The garden birdwatch aims to gather information about bird numbers and distribution across the Isle of Man.

The information is used to supplement official surveys and records sent in from the public for the Manx Bird Atlas.

The last collated results, in 2013, showed that the common blackbird was the most regularly spotted bird in Manx gardens, followed by the European robin and the house sparrow.

sighting

This was based on the number of people who had spotted a blackbird rather than the actual number of blackbirds seen, with 98.4 per cent of people who participated recording a sighting of a blackbird.

The least-seen species, which had been spotted only once each during the year by birdwatchers, were the tawny owl, black-headed gull and hen harrier.

The largest number of species seen was the house sparrow with 23,712 being spotted in gardens during 2013, followed by the chaffinch with 12,496, and the common starling with 8,572.

As expected, the total number of species seen was highest in spring and summer when willow warbler, swallow and chiffchaff begin to appear. However, unusual sightings in this period included kestrel, hen harrier and merlin.

Winter visitors included fieldfare, redwing and brambling with unusual sightings recorded of rock pipit and common snipe.

Read more on how to participate in the The Garden Birdwatch at www.manxbirdlife.im/our-work2/garden-birdwatch

A fundraising coffee morning has been held at Ramsey Town Hall for the Maritime Museum of San Diego, which has preserved the Ramsey built ‘Star of India’ ship since the 1920s.

She is the world’s oldest iron built sailing ship which can still put to sea, with 21 trips around the world and countless other voyages.

The event was well supported by the town and a number of seafarers, such as Captain Mike Brew, retired master of harbours, Ernie Martin, a shipbuilding apprentice in the 1950s, Chris Machin, an authority on the ship, Joe Pennington, skipper of the ‘Master Frank’ built in the 1890s and the island’s oldest working boat, and John Wormald, first Manxman to circumnavigate the world on his own yacht Vandal in 1995.

Also present were locals who have visited the ship over the years, including Paul Bolton and Margaid Bird, who represented Ramsey at the ship’s birthday in November 2013.

Organiser Keith Kerruish thanked all those who worked hard to make this first venture a success with homemade jams and baked cakes.

The event raised £478.

Films in Peel will show its latest movie on Wednesday, January 14, at the Centenary Centre at 7.45pm.

‘Good Vibrations’ tells the story of record store owner Terri Hooley, a man who lives for music in 1970s Belfast. Doors open at 7pm.

Tickets cost £5 and are available from Celtic Gold in Peel or on the door unless sold out.

Reservation tickets are available from HMV (Douglas), Shakti Man (Ramsey) and Thompson Travel (Port Erin).

A well-known charity founder has told iomtoday.co.im he is thrilled to have been named in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list.

Norman Rivers, who launched the island branch of Friends of Chernobyl’s Children in 1999, has been awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM).

He is one of four island residents to be named in the New Year’s Honours list alongside magistrate Charles Fargher, Chamber of Commerce member Stephen Bradley and Cains managing director Andrew Corlett.

Friends of Chernobyl’s Children offers recuperative care to children affected by the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe. Mr Rivers, of Birch Hill Grove, Onchan, arranges for groups of children to visit the island each year, organising host families, activities and health checks.

He said: ‘I’m absolutely thrilled to bits and delighted. I see it as an award to the charity as well as me personally.

‘I’ve got a super wife, Joan, who helps me with all the admin, and I’ve got a committee who help me.

‘It’s a great privilege and a great honour.’

He told Joan after first learning of his BEM two months ago but he had to keep the news a secret from the rest of his family.

Norman and Joan celebrate their 48th wedding anniversary this week and he said the honour made the perfect present.

Charles Fargher, Captain of the Parish of Marown, has been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to Manx charities and community.

He is the chairman of the Manx Blind Welfare Society, a former chairman of The Children’s Centre, and a founder of the Manx Agriculture Benevolent Trust.

Andrew Corlett has been awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the Manx economy.

He has advised Manx governments on international financial issues, and made Cains a flagship for the island in global markets. He said he saw the honour as recognition of his colleagues’ collective effort in helping raise the island’s profile.

Stephen Bradley, chairman of the Chamber of Commerce’s retail committee since 1993, has been awarded an MBE for services to the Manx retailing sector and the community. He is a key player in Douglas’s regeneration.

Environmentalists are urging the Manx public to make a green New Year’s resolution.

Zero Waste Mann is promoting the Rubbish Diet as part of its joint campaign with Braddan Commissioners-No Waste in Braddan.

A spokesman said that people often make New Year’s resolutions that they don’t keep. The key, psychologists say, is to make the resolutions simple, easy and bite-size.

‘Wherever you live on the island you can join in and change the way you live, make a positive difference to the world around you – with just one little resolution, and the Rubbish Diet Challenge,’ the spokesman said.

‘It’s a simple two-step process of tailored emails with top tips that can help you recycle more, shop better and save money.’

On average two thirds of the stuff that people put in our bins could have been recycled either in your kerbside boxes, bring banks or amenity sites.

That means that bins are full of valuable resources that could be turned into new products.

For example, plastic bottles that could be back on the supermarket shelves in just three weeks and aluminium cans can be reused in just six.

By learning how to recycle more, shop better and waste less, The Rubbish Diet helps you save money and the environment, Zero Waste Mann says.

The spokesman added that extra stuff that’s getting recycled helps fuel the economy too. Recycling is a more efficient use of our resources than making from new – it saves electricity, precious raw materials and water too, and allows you to support the green economy.

‘Small actions like slimming your bin add up to a real change,’ said the spokesman.

‘Using less plastic, recycling more and wasting less food all help make this world, and our island, a better place for us and our children.

‘But it also makes your kitchen more efficient, and less cluttered. It helps you to get in contact with your local community and shops, supporting them as well as yourself.

People who want to participate should sign up via an internet site.

They will receive emails with top tips and information.

The address is www.therubbishdiet.org.uk

Details of the No Waste in Braddan campaign can be found on the Braddan Commissioners’ website and Facebook page www.braddan.im

An appeal has failed against a planning officers’ decision to approve proposals to build a fishing complex at Ballagyr Lane in Peel.

The complex can now go ahead and will include lakes, a cafe, four holiday cottages, an educational facility and landscaping.

The applicant, Sunset Lakes Limited, whose office is in Castletown, has said that it aims to create ‘a tailor-made, professionally-managed angling centre’ as they say there are no coarse venues in the island.

The site will be made up of three lakes totalling around six acres in size. Each lake will have purpose built angling platforms to allow easy access to the water, a different planting scheme and stock different levels of particular fish.

The lakes will take up about 40 per cent of total area of the site.

There will also be an educational centre, containing a classroom, fish tanks and other wildlife learning aids, providing the opportunity to learn about wildlife and ecology.

An outdoor wildlife-dipping pond will also be created to be used by school fieldtrips.

Towards the back of the building will be a cafe, with panoramic windows to give views of the lakes and countryside.

Four two-bedroom holiday cabins will be built onsite, with a log cabin theme.

The whole site totals 15 acres and is currently used for occasional grazing of cattle, sheep and horses.

Planning permission as been granted with the following conditions:

l All of the buildings and structures will be removed and the land restored to its former condition in the event that they have been vacated for a period of two years and are no longer required for the use for which permission was granted

l The holiday chalets will not be used or occupied other than for short-let holiday accommodation.

l No development shall start before a phasing scheme for the construction of the fishing complex has been submitted and approved in writing by the Department of Infrastructure

l No development will start until a programme of archaeological work has been submitted and approved by the DoI.

l No development will start until a landscaping scheme and a biodiversity improvement scheme have been submitted and approved.

l The cafe operation hours will be limited to 5am to 9pm and no material shall be moved from the site until a traffic management scheme has been submitted and approved.

l Work must start within four years.

In the UK more than four million people participate in coarse angling. Full plans at www.gov.im/planningapplication/services/planning/search.iom under reference 12/01140/B

The winning entry in a children’s competition to design a Christmas card with an Archibald Knox theme has been received by Royalty.

Dhoon School pupil James Barr, 11, was the winner of the competition organised by the Isle of Man Victorian Society.

And a card printed with his design has been posted to the Victorian Society’s patron, His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester, and therefore spent Christmas at Kensington Palace.

To mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of designer Archibald Knox, the Isle of Man Victorian Society promoted a number of special events, including lectures on Celtic revival art and guided tours of the Knox-designed headstones in Douglas and Braddan cemeteries.

The year culminated with the Christmas card competition open to primary school children. Several schools entered and entries were judged by a panel of three members of the Victorian Society – Cath Galbraith, Nigel Kermode and Jenny Woodham.

A spokesman said: ‘The standard was very high, with some very detailed interlace patterns in the corners of cards.

‘The children obviously spent a lot of time in producing what are little works of art. It’s a pity they could not all win.

‘As a result, the committee decided to have a certificate of merit produced for every child who entered the competition.

‘Two special Judges’ Prizes have been created with a printed certificate and a presentation pack of the Knox stamps.’

James was presented with his prize in front of his classmates at Dhoon School on the last day of term by Ruth Kelly, secretary of the Isle of Man Victorian Society.

In addition to a winner’s certificate, James also received a presentation pack of Knox stamps and 20 professionally-produced Christmas cards of his design.

The school was awarded the Jonathon Green Trophy, which is presented to primary schools which carry out an outstanding project or study of the Victorian period.

With the trophy came £100 worth of book vouchers for use by the school to buy books of a Victorian or Manx nature.

Teacher for year 6 at Dhoon Anthony Cross said: ‘This has come at just the right time as we have recently created a new school library.’