Thursday, March 19

• Tea dance, South Douglas Old Friends’ Association, Finch Road, Douglas, 2pm.

• Dance classes for children, Centenary Centre, Peel, 4pm. Call 450688.

• Modern line dance classes for all levels at the Legion hall, Onchan. Also Monday and Wednesday. Call 670308.

• Scottish country dancing, St Olave’s Church hall in Cumberland Road, Ramsey, at 7.30pm. Call 817610, 813074 or 628521.

• Fitsteps at Onchan Community hall, 7.30pm. Booking is required via text or call 456056.

• Strictly Come Dancing for beginners, Royal British Legion hall, Port Erin, 8pm. £3.50 per person.

• Irish set dancing above Macbeth’s, Victoria Street, Douglas, 8pm. Call 457268.

Friday, March 20

• 5pm-5.45pm under 6 years ballroom; 5.45pm-6.30pm 6-9 years ballroom; 6.30pm-7.15pm 9-12 years ballroom; 7.15pm-8pm 12+ years ballroom, St Matthew’s Church hall, Douglas. Also Tuesday, 4pm-4.45pm under 8 years ballroom; 4.45pm-5.30pm Dynamites freestyle; 5.30pm-6.15pm 8-12 years ballroom; 6.15pm-7pm Energisers freestyle; 7pm-7.45pm 12+ years ballroom; 7.45pm-8.30pm Explosions freestyle. Call 474063.

• Modern Dance, The Dance Factory, Onchan Park, 5.45pm. Also Thursday at 4.30pm. Tap jnr, 6.45pm. Also tap adv at 7.30pm. Also Beginners tap, Tuesday at 4.30pm.

• Argentinian Tango beginners class, St Paul’s hall, Ramsey, 7pm. Call 880650.

• Line Dancing, Ebenezer Hall, Kirk Michael, 7pm. Beginners welcome, adults £3.50, children £1.50. Call 878687.

Saturday, March 21

• Dance time for children, Port Erin Methodist hall, from 9.30am. £2.50 per half hour. Call 835696.

• Ballroom dancing for children of all ages, Royal British Legion hall, Port Erin, 10am.

• Theatrix Theatre Company Musical Theatre, Douglas, Saturday, noon-2.30pm for ages 8-12. Also Saturday, babies Irish/mod, 9am. prep ballet/tap, 10am, babies ballet/tap, 11am. Monday, senior ballet, 4pm; senior tap, 5pm; senior jazz, 5.45pm; adult Irish, 6.30pm. Tuesday community ballet/tap, 4pm; beginners Irish, 4.45pm; junior Irish, 5.30pm; adult tap, 6.15pm. Wednesday, grade 2 ballet/tap, 4pm; novice Irish, 5.30pm; adult ballet, 6.15pm.

• Irish dance mixed, 3pm. Also prim/int on Monday at 4.30pm and Tuesday at 6.15pm. Beginners on Tuesday at 5.15pm. Stage snr 4pm. Also stage int at 5pm, The Dance Factory, Onchan Park.

• Sequence dancing, Onchan Pensioners’ hall (across from library), 8pm. Call 829669.

• Social sequence dancing, Pulrose Methodist Church hall, Douglas, 8pm. Also Monday, Wednesday and Sunday. Call 842878.

Sunday, March 22

• Perree Bane Manx folk dancing, Ballasalla village hall, 7pm.

Monday, March 23

• Ballet, Viking Works, Riverside, Peel, 5.45pm. Also Thursday at 4.30pm.

• Country dancing, Willaston hall, 7pm-9pm. Call 628521.

• Ceroc dance night, Masonic hall, Douglas, 7.30pm-10.30pm.

• Line dancing, Port Erin Methodist Church hall, 8.15pm. Call 436219.

Tuesday, March 24

• Oriental dance exercise, Gena’s Dance Academy, Peel, 10am. Also Wednesdays, The Gym, Ramsey. Call 300020.

• Line dancing for beginners, The South Douglas Old Friends’ Association, Finch Road, Douglas, 7.30pm-8.30pm, doors open 7pm.

• Linedancercise at St John’s football clubhouse, 7.30pm-9pm, call 467285.

• Sequence dancing with Port Erin Dancing Club, Port Erin Methodist Church hall, 8pm.

Wednesday, March 25

• Tea dance at St John’s Methodist hall, live music with Eric and Jimmy, 2pm. Call 842548.

• Ballroom dancing for children, Centenary Centre, Peel, 4pm. Call 450688.

• Ballet, The Dance Factory, Onchan Park, 4.30pm.

• Latin line dancing, Royal British Legion hall, Port Erin, 7.30pm. Beginners welcome. Call 835098.

• Ballroom dancing, Villa Marina, Douglas, 7.30pm. Call 623414.

• Rhythmic dance, St Ninian’s dance studio, Douglas, 8pm.

Thursday, March 19

• Karaoke, Guys and Dolls, Douglas.

• Ramsey Folk Club, Mitre Hotel, Ramsey, 8pm-11pm.

• Karaoke with Ray Sloane at the Saddle Inn, Douglas.

• Guitar lessons at the meeting room, Archibald Knox, Onchan, 5.45pm-6.45pm.

• Alternative Havana, Fiesta Havana, Douglas. Also, Friday - Full On Fridays.

Friday, March 20

• Brown Sugar at the Union, Castletown.

• 3 Million at Jaks, Douglas.

• Karaoke at the Albert, Douglas, 9pm.

• Irish traditional music session at The Mitre, Ramsey, 9pm.

• Kiaull as Gaelg at the Albert, Port St Mary, 9pm.

• Open Mic Night at Café Laare, Douglas, 7pm-9.30pm.

Saturday, March 21

• Brown Sugar at the Queen’s, Douglas.

• 9 Mile Smile at Jaks, Douglas.

• Manx music session, the Whitehouse, Peel, 10pm.

• Karaoke with Dobbo at the Decks, Liverpool Arms, Baldrine.

• Karaoke at the Central Hotel, Ramsey.

Sunday, March 22

• One Wo/Man One Guitar at The Highwayman, Peel featuring Susan Coyle and Al Lawrence.

• The Isle of Man Choral Society and Isle of Man Symphony Orchestra present, Handel’s Messiah at The Royal Hall, Villa Marina, Douglas, 2.30pm. Tickets £13, children and students £3.

• Choral Evensong, St German’s Cathedral, Peel, 3.30pm.

• Music Box with David Castro at Guys and Dolls, Douglas.

• Karaoke at the British, Douglas.

• Karaoke at The Crescent, Queen’s Promenade, Douglas, 8pm.

• Disco Fever at Macbeth’s, Second Venue, Douglas, 10pm-2am.

• Ray Sloane Karaoke at Jaks, Douglas.

Tuesday, March 24

• Erin Arts Centre Community Choir, 2pm to 3.15pm. £1 per session.

• Keyboard and electronic organ sessions, St Andrew’s Church hall, Glencrutchery Road, 7.30pm.

• Manx Youth Orchestra, St German’s Cathedral, 7.45pm–8.45pm.

• Acoustic sing-around, the Manor, Willaston, 8.30pm.

• Rock Choir, Youth Arts Centre, Kensington Road, Douglas, 6pm.

Wednesday, March 25

• Karaoke at the British, Douglas.

• Irish Music session at O’Donnell’s, Douglas, 8.30pm.

Thursday, March 19

• Noah’s Ark Tots Group, Church on The Rock, behind Ramsey bus station, 9.30am. Call 431034.

• Gym time active play for pre-school children, Manx Gymnastics Centre, Douglas, 9.30am. Call 625636. Also Friday and Wednesday.

• Happy Tots, main hall, Willaston School, 9.45am, £1 per family including refreshments. Call 621577.

• Storytime for pre-schoolers, Henry Bloom Noble Library, Douglas, 10am. Call 696461.

• Krafty Kids (pre-school age) Philip Christian Centre, Peel, 10am.

• Action Songs and Rhymes, birth-5 years, Ballasalla Primary School. Plus many other sessions across the island. Free, but donations welcome. Call 479452 for further venues and times.

• Toddler Tunes, Community Room, Michael School, 2pm. Call 878090.

• 2nd Onchan Beavers, Scout Headquarters, Onchan, 5pm.

• St John Ambulance Cadets (10+), 6.30pm-8pm, Douglas headquarters. Badgers (5+), 5.30pm-6.30pm, Age Concern in Peel. Adults meetings, Thursday, Monday and Tuesday, Douglas headquarters. Friday, Ramsey, St Olave’s Church hall. For all other times and venues call 674387.

• Santon Beavers, Kewaigue School, 5pm. Also Cubs at 6.30pm. Call 623244.

• 1st Laxey Beavers and Cubs, Laxey School during term times. Beavers meet at 6.30pm–7.30pm and Cubs meet at 6.45pm–8.15pm. 1stlaxeycubs@manx.net

• Good News Club for primary school children, Living Hope Community Church, Bayview Road, Port St Mary, 6pm. Email weirfamily55@hotmail.co.uk

• Army Cadets, Scout hall, Peel, 7pm. Also Tuesday.

• Onchan District Explorers, Scout Headquarters, Onchan, 7.30pm.

Friday, March 20

• Baby and Toddler Group, 9.30am-11.30am at Glen Maye Community Centre. Free but donations welcome. Call 845681.

• Tiddlers, parents and tots, Elim Church, Onchan, 10am. Call 434933.

• Parents and tots, Philip Christian Centre, Peel, 10am.

• Laxey Mums, Carers and Tots at Laxey Working Men’s Institute, 10am-noon, £2.50 per family inc refreshments. Call 466887.

• Parent and toddler group, Ballasalla School, 1.45pm.

• Mums and Tots, Laxey Working Men’s Institute, 10am-noon. Call 479839.

• Onchan carers and tots, parish hall, Onchan, 1.15pm. Call 625328.

• Sporty church at Trinity Church hall 6pm-7pm for years 3-6. Football, hockey, parachute games etc., 50p including refreshments. Call 628374. Also Sunday School Trinity Church hall, crèche to late teens, 10.30am-11.45am. Call 625409.

Saturday, March 21

• Young Bowlers Club. Tuition and tips (open to ages eight to twelve), Surestrike Bowling Alley, Ramsey, 11am-noon. To book call 812444.

Sunday, March 22

• Ollies - fun for children up to 11, St Olave’s Church hall, Ramsey, 9.45am -10.45am approx.

• Sunday School, Sulby Methodist Church, 10.30am.

• Rock Sunday Club for children at Colby Methodist Chapel, 10.30am - 11.30am.

• Task and DFC children’s club, Abbey Church, Ballasalla, 10.45am.

Monday, March 23

• Kittens tots and carers group, St Ninian’s Church, Douglas, 10.30am. £1 per family. Call 629683.

• Parents and tots, Dhoon Church hall, 9.30am. Call 426395.

• Story Time at Castletown Library, 1.30pm and 2.15pm.

• Tots play at Northern Lights Community Centre, Ramsey, 1.30pm-3.30pm. Also tots craft and play on Wednesday, £1.

• Breastfeeding Buddies drop-in clinic, Village Walk Health Centre, Onchan, 10.30am. Call 656030.

• Daniel’s Den, Methodist Church, Arbory Street, Castletown, 10am. Admission £1. Call 822374.

• Roll’n’Play for pre-schoolers, Philip Christian Centre, Peel, 10.30am.

• Peel Toddler Group, Corrin Hall, Peel, 1.30pm.

• Michael Miniatures’ parents and tots, Ebenezer Hall, Kirk Michael, 2pm. £1.50 per family. Call 491592.

• Onchan Rainbows, 5.30pm. Also 1st Onchan Brownies, 6.30pm.

• Brownies, Corrin Hall, Peel, 6.30pm.

• Manannan Cubs, Scout Headquarters, Onchan, 7pm.

• Do Drop Inn Drama Club, children aged 10+, St Paul’s hall, Ramsey, 7pm.

Tuesday, March 24

• Parents and tots, Auldyn Infants School community room, Ramsey, 9.15am-11.15am.

• Parents and tots group, Cronk-y-Berry School, side entrance, 9.30am. Admission £1. Call 469756. Also Thursday, 1.30pm.

• Toddle Inn, mums and tots group, Port St Mary Living Hope Community Church, 9.30am. Call 835091.

• Tiddlers Group for parents, grandparents or carers, St Olave’s Church hall, Ramsey, 9.45am-11.30am, £1.50.

• Super Saints, All Saints’ Church vestry, Douglas, 10am-11.15am. Call 427185.

• Foxdale mums and tots, community hall, Foxdale School, 2pm. Call 420234.

• Abbey Acorns, ages 4+ at the Abbey Church, Ballasalla, 3.30pm.

• Peel Footlights Youth Theatre, children aged eight-16, Philip Christian Centre, Peel, 4pm. Also Thursday. Call 843819.

• 2nd Onchan Beavers, Scout Headquarters, Onchan, 5pm.

Wednesday, March 25

• Parents and tots, Salvation Army Citadel, Lord Street, Douglas, 9.30am. Call 627742.

• Mini Club for parents or carers and their babies, toddlers and pre-school children at Anagh Coar School, Douglas, 9.30am or Braddan Church hall, 2pm. Call 675091.

• Ballabeg Busy Bugs for under fives, Arbory parish hall, Ballabeg, 10am. Call 429676.

• Mums and tots, Marown hall, Peel Road, Crosby, 10.15am. £1.50 per family.

• Busy Bees parents and tots, Beehive Kindergarten, Onchan, 1.30pm. Also Thursday. Call 674655.

• Action, Songs and Rhymes, from birth onwards. Great for everyone, 1.30pm-2.30pm, Laxey Working Men’s Institute. Call Jo, 479452.

• Ballaquayle Bears Toddler Group, Ballaquayle School hall, Douglas, 1.45pm-3pm.

• Parent and toddler group, Castletown Youth Centre, Arbory Street, 2pm.

• Mums and tots sessions for babies and pre-schoolers at Foxdale School. Dads, grandads, grandmas and carers welcome too, 2pm-3.15pm. £1.50 per family. Call Emma 801946.

• Foxdale Parent’s and Tot’s Club at Foxdale School,2pm-3.15pm. Craft fun play and refreshments. Call Ann Naisbitt 801946 or email annnaisbitt@hotmail.com

• Homework Club for year 7s (11-12 year olds), Youth Centre, Arbory Street, Castletown, 4pm. Call 822490.

• The Energy Youth Group, Colby Methodist Chapel, 7pm-8.30pm. Call Jane 492010.

• Snaefell Cubs, Scout Headquarters, Onchan, 7pm.

Thursday, March 19

• Service Players, Uncle Vanya, Erin Arts Centre, 7.30pm. Tickets £10, unders 18s £1. Also Friday and Saturday.

Saturday, March 21

• West Side Story, Gaiety Theatre, Douglas. Until March 28.

Palace Cinema

• Fifty Shades of Grey, (18). Nightly at 7.30pm.

• Run All Night, (15). Nightly at 7.45p.

• SpongeBob Movie (U), 3D, Saturday and Sunday at 1.30pm. 2D, Saturday and Sunday, 3.30pm.

• Big Hero 6, 2D, (PG). Saturday and Sunday at 2pm.

Broadway Cinema

• The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, (PG). Nightly at 7.30pm, plus Tuesday and Wednesday, 2.30pm.

• Home, 3D, (U). Daily at 5pm, plus Saturday and Sunday at 2.30pm and 5pm. 2D, Saturday and Sunday at 12.30pm.

Peel Centenary Centre

• Leviathan, (15). Wednesday at 7.45pm.

• ‘Embers’ Gary Bennett and Arabella Dorman, Sayle Gallery, Douglas. Until March 29.

• Gavin Carter, Texture and Totems at The Isle Gallery, Tynwald Mills, St John’s, 2pm-4.30pm. Until March 29.

• The Romance of Gardens, an exhibition by mixed media textile artists Maureen Kennaugh and Pat Kelly, at the Hodgson Loom Gallery, Laxey Woollen Mills , Laxey. Open Monday to Saturday, 9am-5pm. Until April 18.

Thursday, March 19

• Port Erin WI, Port Erin Methodist Church hall, 9.30am. Call 818194.

• Manx Retirement Association, stretch and flex at the NSC, Douglas at 10am. Also indoor flat green bowling at the NSC, Douglas, 2pm-3.30pm. Friday, monthly walk, meeting at Colby Clock Tower crossroads at 1.30pm. Tuesday, whist afternoon at the Cat with No Tail, 2pm. Wednesday, monthly luncheon at the King Edward Bay Golf and Country Club, 12.30pm.

• Northern Ladies Luncheon Club, Mrs Margaret Parr, ‘Evolution’, 12.15pm for 12.45pm at Ramsey Golf Club.

• Onchan Pensioners Club, Morton Hall, Castletown, coffee morning; Friday, sequence dancing, 2pm-4.30pm; Saturday, Arabian dancing, 9am-1pm; Monday, Bridge, 2pm-5pm and 7pm-11pm; Tuesday, coffee morning including raffle, 10am-noon; Wednesday, whist drive, 7pm-10pm.

• Soundcheck, Youth Arts Centre, Douglas, 6.30pm. Also Monday and Tuesday, 6pm-9pm. Monday, Castletown youth club, 6pm-9pm, and Wednesday, Ramsey youth club, 6.30pm-9.30pm.

• Ramsey WI, St Paul’s Church Lounge, Market Place, Ramsey, 7.30pm.

Sunday, March 22

• ‘Poetry and Points’ - Isle of Man Poetry Society monthly meeting, South Douglas Old Friends Association, Finch Road, Douglas, 7.30pm-9.30pm. All welcome, members and non members alike.

Monday, March 23

• Onchan Ladies’ Choir, Methodist hall, 1.30pm. Call 673453.

• Vannin Bridge, Onchan pensioners hall, 2pm. Also Thursday.

• Possan Aeglagh Manx Speaking Youth Club School Year 6 (ages 10-11) upwards at Cafe Laare, Lord Street, Douglas, 6.30pm - 8.30pm, subs £1. Call Cathy Clucas 414331 or email C.Clucas@doe.sch.im for further details.

• Onchan Silver Band practice, the band room, off Main Road, Onchan, beginners 6.30pm and seniors 7.30pm.

• Ayre WI, Grosvenor Hotel, Andreas, 7.30pm. Call 818194.

Tuesday, March 24

• St John’s Art and Craft Group, Methodist hall, 9.40am. Bring your own art and craft. Call 851364.

• The Tuesday Group, flexible learning room to try your hand at basic crafts, have a chat, coffee and fun, Peel Clothworkers’ School, 1.15pm. Pre-school children catered for. Call 614180.

• Isle of Man Chess Club, Belsfield Hotel, Church Road Marina, Douglas, 7.30pm. Call 495097.

• Castletown Metropolitan Silver Band rehearsals, Queen Street Mission hall, 7.30pm.

• Rotary Club of Rushen and Western Mann meet Falcon’s Nest Hotel, Port Erin, 7.30pm.

• Mannin Quilters, Ballabeg Methodist hall, 7.30pm-9pm. Call 628921. Also Wednesday at St Columba’s Catholic Church, Port Erin, 1.30-4pm.

• Ballacottier Senior Youth Project for school years 10+, Ballacottier School youth room, 7.30pm-9.30pm.

• The Isle of Man Amateur Radio Society (IoMARS), Sea Cadet hall, Tromode, 8.30pm-9.30pm.

Wednesday, March 25

• Laxey Sketch Club, Laxey football club house, 1.30pm. Various projects. £10 per year or £2 per session.

• Sulby Art Club, 2pm-4pm at St Stephen’s Church hall. New members welcome. Call 488014.

• The Friendship Club for the over 60s, Onchan Baptist Church. Call 674255.

• Peel Pensioners group, the Phillip Christian Centre in Peel, 7.30pm. £2 for non members. For more info, call 435873.

• Laxey Dog Training Club, Laxey Working Men’s Institute, 7pm-10pm.

• Peel Belles WI, St Patrick’s Hall, Patrick Street, Peel, 7.30pm.

Thursday, March 19

• Age IoM - free computer training sessions, Douglas iMuseum, Kingswood Grove, 10am–12.30pm.

• Art and creative writing, The Hub, (Thie Rosien, the Old Southlands) Port Erin, 10am-12.30pm (art and writing alternating weekly), £3.50 per session. No experience necessary. Also board games 2pm-3.30pm, £3.50 per session, including refreshments. Chair based exercise at the Hub, 3pm-4pm, £3.50 per session. Saturday, Social Fitness (walking/running/indoor exercises) 9.30am-noon, £2 per session. Mats etc provided. Meditation, 5.30pm-6.30pm. Led by IOM Brahma Kumaris. Free sessions, donations welcome. Tuesdays Bridge, 10am-noon. £3 per session, including refreshments. Crafts, 2pm-3.30pm, £3.50 per session. Materials provided. Wednesdays 11am-12.15pm, Yoga, £3 per session. Mats etc provided. Men in Sheds – Tues/Weds/Fri, 10am-5pm, Thie Rosien, Castletown Road, Port Erin. Hobbies and company for men. All welcome.

• Isle of Man Farmers’ Market, at Tynwald Mills, St John’s, 11am-3pm.

• IOM Council of Voluntary Organisations: Community Transport, Hon Phil Gawne MHK, Minister and Mrs Kate Beecroft MHK, with Ian Longworth and Russell Thornhill, Masham Court, Douglas at 6pm.

• Manx Gaelic class, intermediate-advanced with James Harrison, 7.30pm at Arbory Commissioners’ hall. Friday, intermediate-advanced with Adrian Cain, noon at the Manx Museum, Douglas. Saturday, intermediate 10.30am at House of Manannan in Peel; intermediate-advanced with James Harrison 10.30am at the Manx Museum, Douglas. Tuesday, intermediate with Adrian Cain, noon at St Matthew’s Church in Douglas, advanced 1pm at the Rovers pub in Douglas; beginners 7.30pm at Patchwork Cafe in Port St Mary. Call 451098. Arbory Commissioners’ hall with Cathy Clucas, 7.30pm. Call 838527. St John’s House with James O’Meara, 7.30pm. Call 843436.

• Gospel message in Ballaugh village hall at 7.30pm.

• Bingo Quiz, Manor Hotel, Willaston, 9pm.

• Quiz Night at the Railway, Douglas, 8.30pm. Call 670773.

Friday, March 20

• Motor Neurone Disease Association, Isle of Man, coffee morning at Onchan Methodist Church hall from 10am. Entrance £1.

•: Spring coffee morning, Erin Arts Centre, Port Erin, 10am-11.30am.

• Coffee and chat, Onchan Methodist Church lounge, opposite commissioners’ office, 10.30am-noon.

• Revive Fridays, 5.30pm-6.30pm. Enjoy the company and a faith tea, Trinity Church hall. Call 621004.

• Friday Lunchtime Choir, Salvation Army Citadel, Lord Street, Douglas, 1.15pm. All welcome.

• Meditation at The Refinery, Duke Street, Douglas, 7pm. Call 467818.

• Sulby and Lezayre Heritage Trust AGM followed by a talk, The life and times of the contented millar, Community hall, Clenagh Road, Sulby, 7pm. All welcome.

• IoM Family History meeting, talk by John ‘Dog’ Callister, ‘A walk in Nepal with a dog, Union Mills Methodist hall, 7.30pm.

• The Wandering Players, Them Oul Times, the Manx story through poetry, prose, song and readings at St John’s Mill Conference Centre, 7.30pm. Tickets in advance, £10, profits to the One World Centre. Call 802900 or email dutymanager@stjohnsmill.com

• Manx Wearable Art Show 2015, Youth Arts Centre, Douglas, 7.30pm. Tickets £6 from The Welcome Centre, Sea Terminal.

Saturday, March 21

• Traidcraft ‘Big Brew’ at St Andrew’s Church, Glencrutchery Road, Douglas, 10am- noon. Traidcraft stall and a raffle. Admission is £2.

• Kirk Braddan Coffee Shop, in the Church Hall, 10am – 12.30 pm. Serving morning refreshments including bacon baps and tea cakes. All Welcome.

• Inner Wheel of Rushen and Western Mann, Springtime coffee morning at St Catherine’s Church Hall, Port Erin. 10am-noon. Entrance £1.50. Proceeds to Riding for the Disabled (Isle of Man Group).

• Theatre Tours, Gaiety Theatre, Douglas, 10am. Tickets for adults £7.50, children £4, family £20. Call 600555.

• The Manx Aviation and Military Museum, Ronaldsway. Includes the Major Cain VC exhibition. Open Saturday and Sunday, 10am-4.30pm. Free admission. Donations welcome.

• Laxey Woollen Mills, Glen Road, 10am-5pm. Also open weekdays.

• Green Centre, opposite Iceland, Chester Street complex, Douglas. Information about recycling, energy, insulation and environmental matters. Zero Waste Mann, Isle of Man Friends of the Earth and Manx Energy Advice Centre. Open from 10am.

• Isle of Man Farmers’ Market at Northern Lights Community Centre, Ramsey, 10am-1pm.

• IoM Torch Fellowship Group (meeting for the visually impaired). Call 622830 for venue details.

• Coffee and chat, St Mary’s on the Harbour, Castletown, 11am.

• Ramsey Horticultural Society, annual Spring Show, Waterloo Road Methodist Church Hall, Ramsey. Doors open at 1.30pm. Call 878247.

• Manx Natural Healing Centre, relax and recharge, 1.30pm-4pm.

• Milntown House Tours every Saturday and Wednesday at 2.30pm. £7. Call 812321.

• Spuds and Herrin’ night at Ballacreggan Farm, Sound Road, Glen Maye, 7pm, tickets £10 to include supper. Call Julia on 840801. Proceeds to Glen Maye Chapel.

• Manx Folk Dance Society Ceilidh at Colby AFC Clubhouse, 8pm

Tickets £8 which includes a hot pot supper. Contact Joan on 832851 or Freda on 624858. Everyone welcome to a great evening of music and dance. Note: No bar so bring your own drinks

Sunday, March 22

• Car boot sale, Morton hall, Castletown, 2pm. Call 673320/481532.

• Castletown Metropolitan Silver Band rehearsals, Queen Street Mission hall, 7pm.

• Meditation and chat at Pure Inspiration, Ramsey, 7.15pm. Call Gary on 817735.

Monday, March 23

• Age Isle of Man - free computer sessions for people aged over 50 at House of Manannan, Peel. Lift available and coffee shop, 10am–12.30pm and 1.30pm–4.30pm.

• Lent Lunches at the Methodist Church, Ramsey from noon-1.30pm. Soup, pudding,tea/coffee £5. All proceeds to the Breast Cancer Unit.

• Afternoon tea dance, Manx Legion Club, Douglas, 2pm-4pm.

• Free life-changing stress / spine / health talks, 6.45pm, Align4Life in Lake Road near Tesco, Douglas, 629444.

• Shorties, pirate adventure. Children’s soft play centre, Alexandra Road, Castletown, also Tuesday.

Tuesday, March 24

• Computers for Beginners, Onchan Library, 10am-noon. Call 621228.

• Manx Cancer Help drop-in day, Lisa Lowe Centre, The Old Schoolhouse, Cronkbourne, 11am-4pm.

• Lunch Club, Salvation Army Citadel, Lord Street, Douglas, 11.30am. Call 627742.

• Simple Lent lunches at Cooill Chapel Hall from noon-1.30pm. Call 436182.

• Singing for the Brain, for people in the early to moderate stages of dementia and their carers. Ramsey Town Hall, Board Room, 2pm-4pm.

Wednesday, March 25

• Computer training sessions for everyone. Leonard Cheshire Disability, Main Road, Onchan, 11am-3pm. Call 679030.

• Call in for coffee at St Peter’s Church, Onchan, 11am and 1pm.

• Lent Lunch at St. Peter’s Church, Onchan, noon. Soup roll, cake and coffee or tea, £4.50.

• Bereavement support group, friendly get together for anyone feeling isolated or lonely after a bereavement, however or whenever it occurred, tea, coffee and a chat, Scholl Centre, Hospice Isle of Man, 5pm-7pm. Call 647443.

• Samba percussion workshop, no experience necessary, Onchan Silver bandroom, off Onchan Commissioners’ car park, 7pm. Cost £3, email sambamann@manx.net

• Bingo Quiz, Archibald Knox Onchan.

Laxey Pipe Factory will be the focus of a talk taking place on Saturday.

It is being staged by the Isle of Man Natural History and Antiquarian Society (IoMNHAS) at the Manx Museum lecture theatre in Douglas at 2pm.

The society will begin proceedings by holding its 135th annual general meeting and election of officers.

This will be followed bythe main event: a talk by Dr Peter Davey, Honorary Fellow of Liverpool University and the Centre of Manx Studies, entitled ‘From Turkey to Tanganyika – The Origins and floruit of the Laxey Pipe Factory’.

Dr Davey is a leading expert on the archaeology of clay pipes, which are extremely useful relics in the field as their differing sizes and styles are invaluable sources of dating evidence for dig sites. He is also a collector of these artefacts and a former president of L’Academie Internationale de la Pipe, which specialises in this area of study.

The native people of Ecuador in South America are known to have smoked clay pipes as early as 500-300BC and Christopher Columbus came across tobacco smoking when he reached the West Indies in 1492.

However, it was not until the mid to late 16th century that smoking of clay pipes was recorded in England. It was probably sailors and pirates who first picked up the tobacco smoking habit from Native Americans but in the period 1580-1600 leading courtiers, such as Devon-born Sir Walter Raleigh, helped to publicise it.

Sir Walter even offered Queen Elizabeth I a pipe and archaeological digs at the site of his failed Roanoke Island colony in North Carolina, as well as the successful 1607 settlement at Jamestown, Virginia, have unearthed clay pipes which were used by English colonists.

However, a story is told at both Greenway near Dartmouth in South Devon, and at Youghal in County Cork, Ireland – both former homes of Sir Walter Raleigh – that a servant who came across him pipe-smoking for the first time thought he was on fire and threw a bucket of water over him!

By the 1620s hundreds of people in England had taken up the pipe-smoking habit and Raleigh’s nemesis, King James I, wrote a book condemning the use of tobacco – before eventually banning the growing of it in England. This only served as a spur to tobacco growing becoming a mainstay of the economy across the Atlantic in Virginia.

The earliest European clay pipes were made in England and Holland and, at a time when tobacco was expensive, had very small bowls and long stems. As the transatlantic tobacco trade increased, however, the bowls increased in size throughout the 17th century, with clay pipe-making reaching its peak in around 1700.

The linking of Laxey with Turkey and the African region of Tanganyika in the title of Dr Davey’s talk may seem odd, but from the 1720s it became recognised across Europe that the best material for making pipes providing a cool, dry, flavoursome smoke was Meerschaum – the German name (meaning ‘foam of the sea’) for the hydrous magnesium silicate harvested in nodular form on the plain of Eskişehir between Istanbul and Ankara in Turkey. In that region there are said to be around 4,000 shafts leading down to horizontal underground galleries on which this soft white material (also known as sepiolite or écume de mer in French) is mined.

When first brought out of the ground, meerschaum is opaque and off-white, grey or cream in colour. It is also fibrous in texture and soft and patterns can be easily scratched on to it – but when placed in the heat of the sun or a warm room it hardens. Its main use, therefore, became as a premium substitute for pipes made of clay. Adding to its value was the fact that it absorbs both moisture and tar from the tobacco, gradually turning the pipe to shades of yellow, orange, red and amber but also providing a cool, dry smoke.

From the mid-19th century pipes made of briar wood became fashionable, as well as the calabash type of pipe – made from a gourd like a squash with a stem deliberately encouraged to grow in a gentle curve – often associated with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. However, meerschaum continued to be used to line the bowl of such pipes.

So what was the African connection? Well, a further source of meeschaum (albeit stained in shades of brown, black and yellow and viewed as inferior to the Turkish variety) was found in the Tanyanyika area of East Africa, with the main deposit lying around Lake Amboseli. By the time Laxey Pipes Ltd was founded in the four-storey, 19th-century warehouse on the village quay in 1965, that part of Africa had become part of Tanzania. The Manx factory manufactured its own brands of pipes called ‘Manxpipe’, ‘Manxman’ and ‘Manxland’, which had stems marked with either the ‘male’ symbol of a circle and arrow or a Manx treskilion in a circle. It also manufactured pipe bowls for other firms like Peterson, Barling, Nørding and Comoy’s.

In 1986 the BBC reported: ‘Laxey Pipe Factory is on the Quay in Laxey. They employ 25 people in the factory and 13 on the management side. Pipes have been made there since 1965 and the present company took over in 1978. The factory produces 1200-1400 Briar pipes and 500-700 Meerschaum pipes a week. They even produce a carve your own pipe kit! The pipes are made from two materials, Meershaum and Briar.

‘70-80 per cent of their pipes are exported. The prices range from £8 to between £100 and £200 or even £300 for a pipe, but the average price is about £60 to £70. They sell the pipes they don’t export in their shop, which is in the same building as the factory and offices.’

However, in the early 2000s the supply of meerschaum in Kenya and Tanzania was exhausted, while that of Somalia became inaccessible due to political instability. It was this, rather than health warnings about tobacco, which saw the closure of the Laxey factory, after an unsuccessful experiment of making pipes entirely from briar, in 2002.

All dogs could be microchipped by law if government proposals are agreed.

The Department of the Environment, Food and Agriculture says that microchipping all dogs would ensure they were returned to their owners more quickly if they strayed and instant traceability of dogs would encourage responsible ownership.

The Dogs Act 1990 requires dogs, with certain exemptions, to be licensed and wear collars and identification discs.

Subject to the outcome of the consultation, the Dogs Act would be amended to introduce compulsory micro-chipping and offences including failure to micro-chip and failure to notify change of ownership.

A microchip is a small electronic chip, around the size of a grain of rice, which is implanted under the dog’s skin and contains a unique number that can be read by a scanner.

The dog owner’s contact details relating to each number are logged on a central database, so should the dog ever go missing or be stolen it can be scanned by the authorities and returned to his owner swiftly and safely. It is vital that the owner takes responsibility for updating their details with the database should their circumstances change.

Richard Ronan MHK, Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture, said: ‘The current licensing system is old, bureaucratic and does not fully address problems associated with irresponsible owners.

‘It does not provide a failsafe way to identify and trace owners of dogs.

‘Fitting of a microchip is recognised by animal welfare agencies, including the Manx SPCA, as the most effective and secure way of permanently identifying animals.

‘Microchipping improves animal welfare by making it easier to reunite a stray dog with its owner, reducing the level of stress for the animal as well as the costs incurred in kennelling and feeding it.’

Compulsory microchipping would also:

Help establish liability in cases where ownership issues and failures have contributed to breaches of legislation

Enhance control measures in case of disease

Act as a deterrent against dog theft.

The consultation can viewed {http://www.gov.im/consultations.gov|here}

Email copies of the consultation document can be requested from John Howie, Manager of the Environmental Health Unit at the DEFA, via John.Howie@gov.im and hard copies can be collected from the DEFA, Thie Slieau Whallian, Foxdale Road, St John’s, IM4 3AS.

Responses should be sent to this address by Friday, May 1.

At present, some dogs don’t need to be licensed, including dogs under six months old that are still with a breeder; assistance dogs/guide dogs; dogs used for law enforcement, search and rescue or to herd cattle or sheep; sporting dogs; vermin control or dogs that are only in the island for a short period.

If the law is changed, it would immediately require new puppies and older dogs sold or gifted to a new home to be microchipped.

All remaining dogs would need to be micro-chipped within a year and would require a licence in the meantime.

Microchipping involves the insertion of a small chip, the size of a grain of rice and carrying a unique code, under an animal’s skin.

Microchipping will be compulsory in England from April 2016.

A major shake-up of the farming subsidies scheme has won Tynwald backing.

Agriculture Minister Richard Ronan said the changes to the Countryside Care Scheme – now rebranded the Agricultural Development Scheme – will support farmers to become more market-focused while helping them manage the Manx landscape.

But plans to introduce an ‘active farmer’ clause to target payments to those managing land and carrying out agricultural activity have been put on hold for a year to allow more engagement with the industry.

Mr Ronan said the active farmer clause would have had a significant effect on some tenancy arrangements and its introduction now could have caused problems for landlords and tenants.

Speaker Steve Rodan said the issue had been identified very late in the day. He said it had simply not recognised the problems of CCS recipients who rent out land to other active farmers.

The other changes, which include lowering the acreage needed to qualify for payment, weighting payments to smaller farms and offering additional support for young farmers, were all supported by Tynwald.

Graham Cregeen (Malew and Santon), who first raised concerns over the impact of the active farmer clause, said he would have liked to have seen a £160,000 cap on payments. He said there were only about four farmers who get more than £100,000.

Leonard Singer (Ramsey) said taxpayers’ money should not be paid out to ‘gentleman farmers’.

Concerns were also raised about lowering the acreage requirement while the active farmer clause is not yet in place.

Juan Turner MLC said he was cautious about supporting a scheme that was only about ‘85 per cent there’.

He claimed DEFA had conflicting policies with a food strategy on one hand and at the same time limiting support to some of the main producers. ‘We are penalising those who are producing and supporting those who are not,’ he said.

The Liberal Vannin Party will be holding an extraordinary general meeting next Thursday (March 26) at 7pm.

Its purpose is to unveil, and seek the approval of its membership, on its candidates for the Douglas North and Douglas South bye-elections together with its policy principles that will form its manifesto for all forthcoming elections.

The election of MHKs David Cretney and Bill Henderson to Legislative Council mean there will be at least two by-elections in the coming months.

MHKs failed to fill the remaining seats earlier this week. If more MHKs are elected to the upper house, there could be more by-elections.

Click {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/updated-story-two-by-elections-triggered-by-legco-vote-1-7158041|here} to read our story from earlier this week.

Party chairman Roy Redmayne said: ‘We have exceptional candidates and policies that are based upon our commitment to openness, fairness and responsibility.

‘It is no exaggeration to say these by-lections are the forerunner to the most important general election for generations. It is time for change in how we are governed and LibVan is the only effective means of change.

‘The recent LegCo elections show how the people’s voices have been disregarded, and we are determined they should be heard. Further announcements will be made next week, but in keeping with our pledge to our Members, their views will be sought first and we urge all members to attend.’

The EGM takes place on Thursday at 7pm at Douglas Old Friends’ Association in Finch Road. It is open to LibVan members.

The next general election, when all MHKs are up for election, will take place in September 2016.

Police have appealed for the public’s help after charging two men with aggravated burglary.

The men were local, the police say.

The incident in question took place at an address on Mooragh Promenade, Ramsey, at around 11.45pm on Monday night.

A police spokesman said: ‘Did you see anyone acting suspiciously or running in the area around that time?’

They want anyone who can help to phone Ramsey police station on 812234 or ring the Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111.

Ramsey Grammar School will be one of the items featured on the BBC television programme Countryfile this weekend.

The episode, to be broadcast on BBC1at 7pm on Sunday, sees presenter Adam Henson visit the school’s rural science department in Ramsey to see the rare breeds kept on the school farm.

Ramsey Grammar School head Annette Baker said Countryfile had filmed part of a lesson in the school’s piggery with rural sciences teacher Marion Cottier.

‘It was a great experience,’ said Mrs Baker, who wants to recruit an extra rural science teacher.

The programme will also see the Countryfile team finding out about Manx naturalist Edward Forbes, who was born 200 years ago and whose contributions to marine biology and oceanography helped develop the theories of Charles Darwin.

Adam follows in Forbes’s footsteps by investigating rock pools with a group of young marine enthusiasts, and searches for wallabies in the Ballaugh Curraghs.

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Find out more about Edward Forbes in a special feature in next week’s Isle of Man Examiner.

Long-serving advocate Walter Wannenburgh has been appointed to the new position of Her Majesty’s Solicitor General in the Isle of Man.

Mr Wannenburgh, who is currently a partner at law firm DQ, was called to the Manx Bar in 1993. He currently sits on the Isle of Man Law Society Council.

Mr Wannenburgh will act as legal adviser to the Lieutenant Governor, Council of Ministers, government departments and statutory boards.

He will support the Attorney General in providing guidance on matters of law and issues relating to the Isle of Man’s domestic and external interests. He will also assist in representing the Crown in the prosecution of offences and drafting of government legislation.

He said: ‘It is an honour to be appointed by Her Majesty The Queen to the post of Solicitor General. I will endeavour to serve the Crown and the Isle of Man to the best of my abilities. This is a challenging role and one I am very much looking forward to.’

The post of Solicitor General was one of the recommendations of a review into the Attorney General’s Chambers conducted by Stephen Wooler, a former Chief Inspector of the Crown Prosecution Inspectorate.

Mr Wooler’s report concluded that a second Crown officer should be appointed to support the full range of duties performed by the Attorney General.

The current Attorney General, Stephen Harding, is suspended from his job.

Advance entries for the popular Isle of Man Easter Festival of Running close this Saturday.

The Festival, which consists of three races in three days and attracts 100s of visiting competitors as well as locals, has enjoyed a huge resurgence in recent years.

Early indications point towards another bumper entry this time. It will still be possible to enter after the closing date (including on the days of the races), but late entries will incur a £2 per race surcharge and it will then be too late to order a t-shirt or receive a beanie hat for the Peel Hill race. The online entry system will not be available after the closing date.

The festival opens on Good Friday with a 10km road race round Port Erin and Port St Mary starting at 6.45pm on Port Erin promenade.

On Saturday, all roads lead west for the Peel Hill races. The four-mile men’s race starts at 2.15pm and is followed by the three-mile women’s race at 3.05pm. The races start from the House of Manannan.

To round off what promises to be a spectacular weekend, the final races take place on Douglas Promenade on Easter Sunday, with the 5km women’s race at 10.15am followed by the 4x5km men’s relay at 10.50am.

The festival concludes on Sunday evening with the prize presentation and beer races. Tickets must be ordered in advance. Full details including links to entry forms are at www.easterfestival.info

A new charity is aiming to improve facilities in the island for young patients with complex medical needs.

Bridge the Gap is seeking to ensure that the support of a youth worker is available for all teenage and young adult patients, and define a clear transition from paediatric to adult care.

At last week’s launch event at the Old Courthouse in Douglas, charity spokesperson Stuart Lambie MBE said: ‘Throughout the UK and on the Isle of Man it is acknowledged that the gap between paediatric and adult health care is too great a step for young people, especially those with complex and life threatening conditions.’

He continued: ‘Up to the age of 16 a young person receives care within the children’s services, well supported in the community and receiving treatment on children’s ward.

‘From 16, care is transferred to adult services and regular wards. Potentially, one day you are a child, and the next day you are an adult.’

The charity hope to establish a working partnership with the Department of Health and formulate an agreement to create the post of a hospital-based youth worker, for which Bridge the Gap will fund the salary and equipment.

The charity’s goal is the creation of a dedicated adolescent unit at Noble’s Hospital.

Fiona Barker, the charity’s chairperson, told iomtoday: ‘The aim of the charity is to improve facilities and support for these young people and to help bridge that gap.

‘Our vision is a clear transition process for young people from paediatric to adult care, with the support of a youth worker available for all teenage and young adult patients.’

Hospital representatives sister Karen Beirne and youth officer Voirrey Kennaugh spoke at the launch on the benefits of youth worker support in hospitals.

Both had attended a recent conference in Birmingham, with the support of Bridge the Gap.

The charity has already been allocated space to create a ‘chill out’ and music room for teenagers on the children’s ward at Noble’s, and wall-mounted television, electronic drum kit and keyboard have been donated by supporters to equip the new facility. They are also providing trollies that will deliver comforts to young people on adult wards.

The charity’s website - www.bridgethegap.im - is now online and provides a host of ideas of how to get involved, either as a corporate partner or a fundraising individual or group.

They are also inviting the public to contribute their own ideas via an anonymous survey on the website.

Bridge the Gap would especially like to hear from anyone who has experienced the transition to adult care, either as a patient or a family member.

For more information check the website or email contact@bridgethegap.im

The first final of the domestic rugby season takes place this weekend, but rather unusually it will be on Friday and not Saturday.

The Manx Plate final between Ramsey B and Vagabonds B will be played at Ramsey’s Mooragh Park ground under floodlights, with kick-off scheduled for 7.30pm on Friday evening.

Vagas must start as favourites to retain the Plate which they won last season by beating Western Vikings 66-5 at Ballafletcher. They have met Ramsey B twice so far this season in the Shimmin Wilson Manx Shield. Vagas won 45-19 at Ballafletcher but Ramsey turned the tables on them at the Mooragh and won 35-21.

Vagas’ skipper Johnny Beckley has been nursing a quad injury for a few weeks but is expected to be fit for the final. He has a capable pack of forwards to graft for him with Joe Louw and Pete Faragher the main workhorses and Jack Rowlands at the back to provide a little finesse when needed.

Veteran front-rower Paul Nicholson should be available to shore up the coalface. Outside the pack, Arno Cruywagen will no doubt provide some midfield punch and Cam Howard has the pace to finish off the breaks.

Ramsey supremo Gareth Hinge has been picking mainly from a blend of experience and experience. Jake Christian and Joe Flanagan provide the youth in the Ramsey team with the remainder mainly in the over-40 bracket.

Ben Harding is perhaps the exception, he is among the top points scorers at the Mooragh whether with hand or boot and he is likely to start at 10. Veteran all-rounder Tommy Callister will miss out though as he is off-island, as will the rejuvenated Darren Ideson who has a prior commitment.

Former skippers in the shape of Mickey Melvin. Alf Cannan, Mike Caine and Matty Livesey are, however, expected to make appearances.

On paper, it could be close, but having seen Vagas in impressive form against Southern Nomads only two weeks ago, I think they’ll have only a little too much for Ramsey B this time round.

Fixtures

Friday, March 20

Manx Plate Final

Ramsey B v Vagabonds B

@ Mooragh Park ko 7.30pm

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Saturday, March 21

South Lancashire/Cheshire Division One

Manchester Medics v Douglas @ Manchester

South Lancashire/Cheshire Division Two

Vagabonds v Tyldesley @ Ballafletcher ko 3pm

Shimmin Wilson Manx Trophy

PDMS Southern Nomads v Douglas B @ King William’s College ko tbc

Plans to issue permits for towed caravans and to restrict the roads that they can use were outlined in Tynwald this week.

Geoff Corkish MLC asked the Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne what progress had been made in implementing the recommendations of a select committee report on towed caravans.

The select committee found that the widely-held belief that caravans were not allowed in the island was actually a myth.

In fact, there was just a ‘gentleman’s agreement’, with no basis in law, which meant that the Steam Packet would only carry a caravan if permission was first given by the government.

The committee report concluded the towed caravan market represented an economic opportunity but it needed to be properly regulated. It recommended the introduction of a permit system and a temporary traffic restriction preventing caravans being brought to the island until that permit system was in place.

Mr Gawne explained that his department has begun the process of reviewing and defining appropriate routes from the ports to the campsites.

‘At present only HGVs are subject to such restrictions on our roads. I hope to progress legislation later in the year,’ he said. Mr Gawne said his department had advertised its intention to introduce a permanent traffic regulation order from March 30, prohibiting caravans without a permit from crossing the threshold of the two main ports.

Permits will be issued by the highways division in liaison with the Steam Packet.

PwC Men’s Division One

The destination of the men’s Division One title comes down to the final match as Celton Manx Castletown A meet Harlequins A in Saturday’s lunchtime fixture at Castle Rushen.

The two sides have been dominant this season maintaining 100 per cent records.

Paul Kelly’s free-scoring Castletown side have the division’s best defence conceding just four goals.

They will need to be on top form if they are to claim victory over Clive Rees’ Harlequins side. This promises to be a close game which could go either way.

PwC Men’s Premier

Canaccord Genuity Vikings A will attempt to return to winning ways when they meet LJ Ramsey A at the NSC on Saturday afternoon.

Neil Crowe’s Vikings were well beaten by Valkyrs A at the weekend but will be determined to secure victory here as they look to hold onto third place in the table.

Ramsey enjoyed a good win over Saracens last time out but will need to be on top form if they are to emerge victorious here.

PwC Women’s Premier

Champions Canaccord Genuity Vikings A continue their attempt to go all season unbeaten when they meet Crowe Morgan Valkyrs A in Saturdays’ lunchtime fixture at the NSC.

Kim Carney’s Vikings sealed the title with two games to spare but will be determined to keep their 100 per cent record intact.

Leanne Miller’s Valkyrs pushed Vikings hard the last time the two sides met and will be keen to become the first team to take points from them

PwC Women’s Division One

Harlequins B go in search of their first points of the season when they meet Crowe Morgan Valkyrs C at QEII on Saturday morning.

Helen Cave’s Harlequins have struggled this season but will be determined to end on a high and if they can field their strongest 11 they could cause the westerners problems.

Opponents Valkyrs have been defeated in their last two outings and captain Donna Harrison will be hoping they can return to winning ways here. PAUL HARRIS