There’s a chance later this week to see a recently-discovered promotional film of the island’s railways shot more than 50 years ago.

The film, thought to date back to 1960, will be screened as part of an evening at the Manx Museum on Good Friday evening.

During the evening, the Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters’ Association will take visitors by steam along the western coast and through the northern plains of the island, visiting places of interest en route including the stations at Kirk Michael, Ballaugh and Sulby.

A series of full colour views dating to the 1950s and 1960s will bring alive this scenic steam line, which closed in 1969.

Members of the ManxElectricRailway.co.uk team will then follow the electric tramway north from Derby Castle, through glens and along cliff tops, using rare photographs dating from the early 1900s. Archive images will be complemented by film of both the steam and electric railways, including the recently-discovered Manx Electric Railway publicity film.

Tickets are available in advance from the Douglas Railway Station booking clerk on 697457 or on the door at the Manx Museum lecture theatre. Doors open 7pm for a 7.30pm start. Admission is £7.50 or £3.75 for anyone with a valid Go Explore card.

Other highlights of the weekend include the Rush to Ramsey, starting at 9.30am on Easter Sunday (April 5).

The world’s oldest tramcar will leave Derby Castle on an express journey to Ramsey, accompanied by a selection of classic vehicles for a photocall at Ramsey Station, who can then continue to the Jurby motor museums.

Passengers can choose between riding on the tram or a Leyland PD2 bus for the standard tram fare.

Go Explore tickets will be accepted.

Several classic vehicle owners have expressed an interest in joining the event. People who have a classic vehicle and would like to join in should contact events co-ordinator Anji Street for details. Ring 697475.

There is also a chance to catch the Port Erin flyer, a non-stop steam train to Port Erin leaving Douglas at 7pm on Easter Saturday.

Recreating the Southern Belle from the 1930s, the loco will include a Bar Car and carry the Southern Belle headboard for photo opportunities.

At the end of the journey passengers can enjoy an evening at the Railway Museum with members of the steam railway’s Viking Group of volunteers on hand to provide historical information and pop-up cinema in the Royal Carriage.

Standard Douglas to Port Erin rail fares apply and Go Explore cards will be accepted. This is new event, not to be confused with the Dining Cars of the World fine dining Southern Belle train which will operate on the Dining Car on Saturday, April 11.

For the first time on the Isle of Man, there will be a limited number of postal covers bearing a Manx bus postage stamp.

The covers will be carried on the Leyland PD3 bus tour of closed lines on Easter Sunday collecting, where appropriate, the original ticket marks of all the old stations on the route. When the vintage bus calls at Ballaugh, there will be an opportunity to meet artist Michael Starkey with his Manx Northern Railway Stations artwork and entertainment and refreshments provided by Ballaugh Heritage Trust.

The packed weekend also includes workshop and signal box tours, the Travelling Post Office on the steam railway, Easter Sunday lunch and afternoon tea on the Dining Car and an intensive steam service between Douglas and Port Erin.

Contact the booking clerk 697457 for advance bookings.

HSBC is closing all Isle of Man-based accounts belonging to UK residents, according to documents seen by iomtoday.co.im.

Following a story in the Manx Independent (March 19), the Examiner has been contacted by numerous customers who have received letters threatening closure of their accounts.

One letter reads: ‘We’ve taken the difficult decision to close all Isle of Man accounts for customers who don’t live there. This is to comply with HSBC Group standards.’

Meanwhile some local customers have been required to present identity documents and utility bills at Manx branches.

HSBC declined to comment further. It read: ‘We have been reviewing the details we hold on our customers to ensure we have the information we need to protect them, together with wider society, against fraud and other financial crime.’

Ballakermeen High School’s system of coaching and mentoring its teachers has been praised in an external review.

The Douglas school’s system of ‘distributed’ leadership was described as a ‘significant strength’ by the independent validators that reviewed the school’s self-assessment.

The findings from several schools was shared with parents as part of the Department for Education and Children’s School Self Review and Evaluation programme (SSRE).

Under the system, which replaced Ofsted inspections, schools rate themselves either significant strength, good, satisfactory or action required in 10 areas. Their findings are then reviewed by an independent validator.

In the latest findings, Ballakermeen and Andreas, Arbory, Ballaugh and Bunscoill Ghaelgagh primary schools were each assessed on three criteria: ‘Achivement against prior attainment’ and ‘Teaching and Learning’ were considered in every establishment, and an additional area was considered for each school.

Ballakermeen was rated as ‘good’ in the two core aspects and were awarded the ‘significant strength’ verdict for leadership.

It was the only the only school to receive the ‘significant strength’ overall finding in any of the key areas.

According to the summary provided by head teacher Adrienne Burnett: ‘Distributed leadership was found to be one of the main reasons for the improvements in attainment and achievement across the school.’

Andreas Primary School was rated ‘satisfactory’, the second lowest ranking, in both the learning and tTeaching and achivement categories. Head teacher Rachel Ashley acknowledged: ‘

There are inconsistencies in the progress that is being made in different classes and by different groups.’

But the school’s leadership was considered to be ‘good’, and Mrs Ashley added: ‘The impact of leadership in the school is that both attainment and achivement are improving.’

Arbory Primary School was rated as ‘good’ in each of the three criteria, including additional category guidance and support.

Ballaugh Primary School was considered to be ‘good’ in the two core areas and in the additional category of ‘partnerships’, in which the reviewers noted that the school is held in high esteem by parents and is very communicative.

Reviewers agreed with St John’s-based Manx language primary school Bunscoill Ghaelgagh’s assessment that its curriculum was ‘satisfactory’ overall, but described its Manx language curriculum to be a ‘significant strength’.

It was also rated higher than its own self-assessment in achievement, where the school thought themselves ‘satisfactory’ but were awarded a ‘good’ rating. Learning and teaching was also judged to be ‘good’.

Director of education Geoff Moorcroft said: ‘The process of SSRE is continuous and requires schools to review all aspects of their work and make judgments about what they are doing well and where they need to take action to secure improvement.

‘This process supports schools by making clear to them what high quality provision looks like and requiring them to offer the best possible learning opportunities for pupils.

He added: ‘The Department of Education and Children believes the process has proved very effective in helping schools to improve their practice.’

Schools’ reports are published in batches. The five schools mentioned here are the latest to report.

A collaboration between the House of Mannanan and Ballymoney museum will celebrate the achievements of some of Ireland’s best road racers.

The exhibition, which runs until September 6 will encompass this year’s TT, Southern 100, Classic TT and Manx Grand Prix races and features racing bikes along with a host of other memorabilia from the past three decades.

Foremost in the collection is the Joey Dunlop material including two Honda RS 250 motorcycles, a practice bike from the Manx National Heritage’s own collection along with its partner, Joey’s race bike from the same event, which has been loaned by a private collector in the UK.

Joey’s 1988 Arai helmet has also been loaned for the display by Arai who agreed to release it from their company archive.

Radio commentary from Phil McCallen’s record breaking 1996 TT campaign in which he won four races is being played in the background to the exhibition. McCallen’s feat was not topped until Ian Hutchinson’s unprecedented five wins in 2010 when he achieved the top step of the podium in every race of the week.

The shredded Honda Britain leathers worn by Phil McCallen when he crashed at Quarry Bends in the 1997 Lightweight TT are also on display.

Some of the material has been supplied for the exhibition by Ballymoney museum and its director Keith Beattie made the trip from Ireland for the opening.

Opening the exhibition, Douglas South MHK David Cretney said it was appropriate for the Dunlop family, Joey in particular, to dominate the display: ‘He made a huge impact on the island from the moment he stepped off the boat in 1976 and in all my time associated with the event in various roles I cannot recall more popular wins than his triple in 2000, shortly before we lost him.

‘Not only was Joey a fantastic sportsman, he is remembered for his incredible humanitarian efforts to help children in Eastern Europe.’

Other bikes on display include Norman Brown’s RG500 from 1982 on which he won the Senior race on his debut that year. Norman Brown died in a racing accident at Silverstone just months later but Steve Hislop later said of him: ‘I believe that if he hadn’t been killed, Norman Brown would have blown Joey Dunlop and the rest in to the weeds.’

Among the other attractions is never before seen paperwork from Joey’s team manager David Wood which relates to managing and promoting the team.

Mr Cretney said: ‘I hope you get as much enjoyment from reliving some of the greatest moments in TT history as I did from spectating at the races when they actually took place.’

The exhibition is open daily to September 6.

It’s beginning to get real as the Manx Biomed sector starts to make inroads into the island’s economy.

That’s the message today from the island entrepreneur appointed to consult the island’s government on this growing ‘cluster’.

Courtenay Heading told Business News of his growing excitement for the future of biomed in the island.

He said one big positive factor will be more jobs being created as companies decide to settle here over the coming months and years.

He told Business News wealthy investors have already backed new biomed projects here and are actively considering investing millions of pounds into further projects. Of particular interest is remote and other data rich projects.

Mr Heading pointed to two specific projects which he said could be based here soon.

One is something called the Digital Classroom for Suicide Prevention which is the brainchild of a world expert on suicide prevention, based at Manchester University. He said there are technical minded people who could help the academic behind the project get it up and running based from here.

It would be used by businesses for example to raise workforce awareness and become alert to colleagues who might be a suicide risk.

Mr Heading said: ‘She is seriously looking to see if she can be based here.’

Another scheme being looked at is something called the ‘eBottle’ which also has links with Manchester University.

It’s described as a ‘facial recognition time locked wi-fi enabled pill adherence bottle which Mr Heading could be big for the island’s economy if the business is headquartered here.

He added: ‘We also have an artificial intelligence company looking at us as a place to set up. They need some funding. They are using computers to learn patterns faster and to take out the need for what are called ‘‘wet lab’’ testing, which was historically used for drug screening.’

Over 100 delegates from around the world have already attended each of the two ManxBioMed business conferences and a third is hoped to be held later this year, said Mr Heading.

He said these events have already raised the island’s profile within this potentially lucrative industry for the island.

Already home to a dozen expanding biomed companies selling products and services around the world, the Isle of Man is targeting this sector as part of its ongoing 20/20 strategy to diversify its economy.

Dubbed by the UK media as Britain’s answer to Warren Buffett, investor Jim Mellon is backing biotech - particularly telemedicine and medical devices - as the next major growth area.

He has already laid out his views in the book Cracking the Code, and more recently in Fast Forward, the technologies and companies shaping our future. Mr Heading said the message he wants to get across about biomed in the island is: ‘It’s beginning to get real and we’re processing start-ups, relocations and focused demonstrations.’

Mr Heading said there are ‘hidden victories’ going on all the time. For instance the Food and Drug Administration in the USA has recently given approval to established island company Nasaleze.

He said: ‘There’s a big list of projects we’d like to attract, but we need to focus on those most business ready.

‘We are also progressing well with our links with Manchester University. On May 7 we are having a Manx Biomed Cluster meeting and three professors are coming from Manchester for that.

‘What we are looking at is can we help Manchester?’

Mr Heading said it was significant that Greater Manchester will begin taking control of its health budget from April after a devolution agreement was signed by the UK Chancellor George Osborne.

The region’s 10 councils and health groups will take over £6bn allocated for health and social care, with full powers being devolved a year later.

Mr Heading said Manchester was an appropriate place to join forces with business wise. ‘It will be useful to work with some of the best of Manchester’s academic excellence [in the biomed world] . There are also hundreds of people in the island who attended Manxchester University.’

He said Manchester could be like a ‘big brother’ in league with the island.

Mr Heading said there is a ‘heck of a lot’ going on behind the scenes, particularly in attracting funding here.

He is also preparing to make an update presentation to the Department of Economiuc Development next month. He said: ‘Team IoM is very busy in all this and working increasingly cross-department to make these start-ups real.’

Asked how many companies were thinking of setting up here he said there are half a dozen ‘very active’ inquiries and there are well over 3o projects he is currently involved in at various stages of readiness.

Donna Quirk’s fundraising campaign began when she secured a place in the 2015 London Marathon, which happens on Sunday, April 26.

Donna has never walked or run a marathon before, but with determination on her side, she plans to complete the race to raise money for Hospice Isle of Man and Cancer Research UK.

Donna has organised a number of events locally. She recently planned a charity cake sale at MGS House, her place of work,

With the help of her colleagues, cakes, cupcakes and savory delights were baked, and a total of £482 was raised.

Next on Donna’s list is a sold-out charity bingo night at Peel Football Club on Saturday, April 18.

There will also be a raffle with prizes which have been donated by friends, colleagues and local businesses.

Donna said: ‘I have a list of things to do before I’m 40 and one of them is to take part in the London Marathon.

‘You can only imagine my delight when I managed to secure a place in the public ballot.

‘I had no hesitation in deciding who I would raise sponsorship for. Hospice Isle of Man is a wonderful place which takes such great care of its patients and their families.

‘I’ve witnessed first-hand the amazing support and services the Hospice provides, having lost a loved-one to cancer in 2013.

‘By taking part in the marathon and raising funds for Hospice is my way of saying thank you to the wonderful staff who not only took such great care of Jade, they also really looked after us.’

Mary Doyle, Head of Income Generation, Hospice Isle of Man, said: ‘We are thankful to Donna for her great endeavours ts to raise money for Hospice Isle of Man. Best of luck to Donna in the London Marathon; we will certainly be cheering her on!’

Pictured here are some of the runners who are going to take part in the London Marathon on April 26 to raise money for the island’s hospice.

Left to right are: Donna Quirk, Beckie O’Brien, brothers Phil and Nick Grounds, along with Dave Horisk and Dr William Van Der Merwe.

Also pictured from Hospice Isle of Man are Margaret Simpson, chief executive, Mary Doyle, head of income generation and Terri Cook, events coordinator.

Missing from the photograph but also running is Stacey Newson.

Some of the runners have also set up Just Giving pages which can be reached by clicking the links below:

To sponsor William {https://www.justgiving.com/William-van-der-merwe/|click here.}

To donate to Donna Quirk {https://www.justgiving.com/donnaquirk/|click here.}

Or Dave Horisk {https://www.justgiving.com/superlondonmarathon/|click here.}

Education Minister Tim Crookall insists he remains committed to his Peel constituency and cabinet role - despite standing for the Legislative Council.

He denied his electoral prospects in next year’s general election was the reason for his LegCo nomination.

But he admitted that if he failed to win a place in the upper house it may have an impact on his chances of retaining his Peel seat.

Mr Crookall, first voted into the House of Keys in 2006, said: ‘It’s something I’ve thought about for the last six months, knowing the election was coming up.

‘I’ve been an MHK for eight and a half years now, served in two thirds of the departments and done a lot of committee work. I think I’ve got a lot to offer.’

He accepted some people may think he’s looking to ‘dodge’ a keenly fought general election campaign.

‘That’s not the reason I’ve done it. It’s nothing at all about the election campaign. I’m looking forward to canvassing around Glenfaba and Peel in the new two-seat constituency. I remain committed to Peel, the Isle of Man and my role as Education Minister.’

But he admitted that losing votes in Peel as a result of his LegCo ambitions was ‘a consideration’.

Only two of the four vacancies in the upper house were filled during nine rounds of voting on March 16.

Mr Crookall’s name was proposed for the fourth ballot. He picked up 12 votes in most of the successive rounds - one short of the 13 needed.

Speaker Steve Rodan has called for fresh nominations by 5pm on April 16 with the next election to take place on May 6. Mr Crookall said he had erred on the side of caution before being nominated in the fourth round. He said he was disappointed the Keys had not continued with further ballots.

Bakers battled it out at the weekend in the annual World Bonnag Championships.

There was a record entry of 41 bonnags of all shapes and sizes in the competition held at St James Schoolrooms in Dalby.

Taking the title of overall world champion, and claiming the Buttermilk Trophy, was women’s winner Colleen Cowin.

Her bonnag caught the eye of judge Paul Kelly, a retired baker from Peel, who praised the standard of entries.

Bryce Clague again took the Children’s Trophy, while the men’s trophy was awarded to his dad, Gordon.

Last year’s event was the first time that cafes, pubs, caterers and restaurants were invited to enter and compete for the Commercial Shoprite Shield.

Greens Tea Rooms at St John’s again took the prize.

Entertainment for the evening was provided by The Wandering Players (Yn Cloiederyn Wandereilys), who performed Them Oul’ Times, the Manx story through poetry, prose, song and readings.

Proceeds from the evening will be split between the Dalby Church Restoration Fund as well as Women’s Aid Isle of Man and the Manx Overseas charity, Mannin Africa Sponsors International.

• See more pictures in Thursday’s Manx Independent.

Members of the Isle of Man Sub Aqua Club will be swapping dry suits for waterproofs next month when they take part in a charity cycle ride from John O’ Groats to Land’s End.

Paul Leneghan from Laxey, who has previously cycled the canals through France will be donning his cycle clips to complete the full distance of 998 miles.

Joining him for the middle section of around 250 miles between the Lake District and Gloucester will be club chairman Clive Bush and secretary John Turner.

‘I like to set myself a challenge each year and I thought this would be a good one to do,’ Paul said.

The team is supporting two charities: CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) and Finley’s Tracks. Clive chose to support CRY in memory of his nephew Matthew Harris who died aged 23 as a result of an undiagnosed heart defect and Paul was touched by Finley’s charity: ‘It’s a lesser known charity. Lots of others seem to get money thrown at them so we thought it would be nice to support this one.’

Clive’s employer B and B Furniture has sponsored the trip by offering a van for the team to use and fellow club members Clive’s wife Jackie, Marion Boyde, along with Paul’s partner Rowenna Tucker, and Paul’s colleague Paul Whelan will offer support by driving the van.

Anyone wanting to support the team’s effort can contact Paul on 495931 or Clive 464218

Giving the travelling public a proper bus interchange in Douglas should be an election issue.

That’s the view of TravelWatch Isle of Man chairman Brendan O’Friel who has set out the passenger watchdog’s priorities for the years ahead.

Speaking at TravelWatch’s latest public meeting, Mr O’Friel said the bus interchange was a key issue that the group has campaigned for.

He said: ‘We need to redouble our efforts to persuade the government to give the public a proper bus interchange in Douglas. That should be a subject on the agenda of candidates for the next general election.’

Mr O’Friel told the audience at the Villa Marina: ‘I am ashamed at the lack of facilities.

‘Stand on Lord Street on a cold, wet and windy day and see for yourselves. It is the vulnerable who suffer the worst – the old, those with disabilities, those with young children.

‘And the shame of this situation is made worse by the fact that we had a reasonable bus interchange at Lord Street decades ago – it was demolished and not replaced. And there is no political campaign, no urgency to resolve the issue.’

Mr O’Friel pointed out there was not even an information kiosk on Lord Street, no signs for the nearest toilets and no signage for the nearest café.

‘And yet Jersey has got an excellent modern bus interchange much better than our old Lord Street Bus facility. Jersey has progressed – we have gone a long way backwards.’

It is two years since much criticised plans to relocate Douglas bus station to Victoria Street were abandoned.

Plans for improved bus interchange facilities are included in the Central Douglas Masterplan. It identifies the potential to integrate an upgraded facility within a proposed quayside Winter Gardens, providing attractive, all weather shelter and a waiting area for services with real‐time service information.

The Masterplan, which won Tynwald approval last month, cites Liberation Station in St Helier, Jersey, as a good precedent.

One of the world’s leading scientists in the field of biorhythms and biological clocks has given a talk at King William’s College.

The programme invites speakers - specialists in a wide range of fields - to address the sixth form students, and offer them the opportunity to extend their knowledge, and broaden their academic interests.

Dr Michael Hastings, joint Head of the Division of Neurobiology at the UK’s Medical Research Council’s Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, delivered the final sixth form lecture for this academic year.

The Laboratory of Molecular Biology is one of the world’s leading institutions in medical research, and has produced 10 Nobel Prize winners since its establishment in 1947.

It is one of the birthplaces of modern molecular biology, having pioneered many important techniques in the fields of DNA sequencing and three-dimensional protein structure.

The laboratory’s aim is to understand important biological processes at molecular level with the goal of using this knowledge to tackle major problems in human health and disease.

Dr Hastings is at the forefront of developments in our understanding of circadian rhythms; those important daily cycles of physiology and behaviour than underpin much of our daily activity patterns.

Dr Hastings joined the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in 2001 having spent the previous 20 years at the University of Cambridge.

He was a Fellow and college lecturer at Queen’s College, Cambridge, having established his own laboratory in the Department of Anatomy and subsequently been appointed as Reader in Neuroscience.

He regularly lectures at international neurological conferences and has appeared on the BBC’s Horizon programme investigating circadian ‘body clocks’.

In addition to the lecture, Dr Hastings ran a workshop during the afternoon for a group of enthusiastic fifth form biologists from King William’s College and Ramsey Grammar School.

The workshop aimed to introduce students to some of the fundamental aspects of biological research.

After the workshop, Dr Hastings said: ‘I was very impressed by the students from King William’s College and Ramsey Grammar. They got stuck in and engaged with the science and came up with really good ideas for how to design experiments.

‘They are bright, hard-working and thoughtful and should do well in their future science careers if that is what they decide to do.’

Dr Hastings is no stranger to the Isle of Man having completed his PhD at Liverpool University’s former marine biological station in Port Erin in the late 1970s, during which time he also played football for Colby United.

This was the final lecture in the series for this academic year, but from September the King William’s College sixth form lecture series will resume.

The defendant in a murder trial has been telling the court he learned karate for a couple of years in his late teens.

In cross-examination with Linda Watts, Ian Anderson, who has denied murdering 60-year-old Ballabeg gardener Neil Roberts, told the court he learned defensive moves as well as punches and kicks but said it was 30 years ago and he could remember little now.

He said he had achieved the level of Yellow Belt, the second stage up from a beginner’s White Belt.

Referring to the occasion Mr Anderson returned home early to the Isle of Man after work, Mrs Watts said: ‘Were you hoping to catch her (Mrs Anderson) and Neil out?’

‘I phoned to tell her I was coming but I could not get hold of her,’ he replied.

Challenged again by Mrs Watts, he added: ‘I had an underlying feeling something was going on so the answer is ‘‘yes’’: it was affecting my work, my concentration and making me anxious.’

Pressing the point further, Mrs Watts suggested the plan was to catch his wife out and ‘deal with Mr Roberts once and for all’. Why, she added, did the CCTV at the airport show him running through the airport?

‘I wanted to get home quickly. To get off the plane first. That’s the sort of person I am,’ he said.

‘I wanted to know if something was going on and Alison was not answering her phone. I only wanted the truth from Alison.’

Mrs Watts asked: ‘Did you plan to get rid of Neil Roberts once and for all?’

‘No,’ Mr Anderson replied.

On the night before Mr Roberts was found dead, when he was at the Andersons’ house, Mrs Watts asked why Mr Anderson did not call the police when matters got out of hand.

‘I thought he would go. I didn’t expect him to get angry or confrontational. I threatened to call the police because I had asked him twice to go,’ Mr Anderson said.

The case continues.

Plans to dump potentially-contaminated silt dredged from Peel marina in a pit excavated near Poortown quarry have created a bit of a stink.

The works were carried out over the weekend without planning consent. Emergency powers under the Public Health Act are being sought for the scheme which the Department of Infrastructure described as a ‘temporary’ storage facility.

Vice chairman of the German Parish Commissioners John Kennaugh said the situation had ‘severely damaged’ the trust built up with the DoI over agreements to transfer services to local authorities.

A public meeting has been called by the board whose chairman Matthew Wadsworth said there was a need for ‘open and clear dialogue’ with residents.

He said the transfer of services should have taken effect on April 1 but the board had yet to sign the agreement and had only just received the final paperwork which it was due to review at its meeting last night. He said: ‘We will be scrutinising it in a lot more detail in the light of events over the weekend. It’s a very delicate situation.’

The DoI confirmed that dredging will get under way next week to remove up to 18,000 tonnes of silt from Peel marina.

It said excavated material will be transported to the site near to Poortown quarry, where engineering measures are being put in place to prevent the surrounding environment being contaminated.

The DoI, working in partnership with the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture, says disposing of the silt on land provided a safer and more controlled solution to dumping it at sea.

It said a planning application for the temporary storage facility is being prepared and it is seeking emergency powers under the Public Health Act 1990 as there is currently no landfill site licensed to take the silt on a permanent basis.

Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne MHK said: ‘This work is urgently needed.

‘Commercial, environmental and reputational concerns over the disposal of silt at sea have resulted in us looking at land-based options.

‘I must stress this is only a temporary measure and we will continue to press for a permanent solution.’

He said a special membrane would be installed at the Poortown site, while a layer of sand and clay would provide an additional barrier to any leaching of the deposited material.

Pipework would take any run-off to settlement tanks.

Professionals have advised the ‘vast majority’ of heavy metal contaminants would remain bound with the silt, he added.

Mr Gawne said a meeting had taken place to discuss concerns raised by German Commissioners.

The Isle of Man secured the Badminton England North Five League title at the weekend with an efficient win over Shropshire seconds.

The island team travelled to the UK knowing that two out of six points would be enough to land the crown, but secured all the available points with 10-5 and 11-4 wins over the Midlands-based team.

This meant the Manx finished the league season with 21 points out of a possible 24.

Full story in Thursday’s Manx Independent.

The penultimate match of the 2015 AXA Wealth International series took place at the NSC recently.

With a number of the seniors competing away, it was a chance for some of the younger swimmers to shine.

Steph Brew had remained in the island to represent Ramseian and produced a great 50m breaststroke, adding to the Island Games consideration times that she has already achieved. Brew was also the winner in the 200m individual medley while Ciara Cassidy took victory in both the 200m butterfly and 100m freestyle.

Peter Allen (Douglas) won the open 200m butterfly while the ever-improving Joel Watterson from Southern took the 200m IM and the 100m freestyle. Ramseian’s Josh Corteen swam a good 50m breaststroke to win.

In the eight to nine years’ age group Keira Heaton showed great potential, winning the 25m backstroke.

Erin Corkill was involved in a close race with team-mate Martha Broderick in the 50m butterfly, with Erin just getting the touch. In the boys’ events Oisin Lynch was the clear winner in both - he’s certainly one to watch.

Aimee Myers and Magnus Kelly both continued their great from with wins in the 10 year olds 100m IM.

Southern won both of the 11 year olds’ girls’ events with Blae Richardson the victor in the 50m butterfly while Lauren Batty won the 100m backstroke. Ramseian’s Archie Callaghan scooped both of the boys’ events. Millie Kinnin won the 12 year olds’ 100m breaststroke while Izabella Needham took the 50 backstroke. Oliver Williams once again showed his dominance in the boys’ events, winning both.

Southern made a clean sweep of the 13-year-olds events with Matthew Humphrey and Isle of Man Sport Aid recipient Emma Hodgson winning both the 50m freestyle and 100m butterfly.

The 14-year-olds 100m freestyle was won by Kazia Whittaker while Anna Marcantoni swam a great race to win the 50m breaststroke. Harrison Katz continues to work hard in training and was rewarded with two wins .

The evening finished with the mixed 200m freestyle relay. Ramseian won the race ahead of the Douglas B team in second and Peel third in their first entry in the event.

Douglas once again took the overall win ahead of Ramseian, Southern and Peel.The final league match takes place on April 18.

l Brody Hewison, Alex Bregazzi, Guy Davies and Mark Copparelli travelled to Edinburgh in pursuit of a top-20 GB ranking which is the qualification requirement of British Swimming’s new national championship invitational criteria.

Hewison lowered his lifetime best in the 50m butterfly to 26 seconds in a CYG consideration time. Bregazzi and Davies went head-to-head in the 200m individual medley, Alex taking a commanding lead to the halfway point, before breaststroke specialist Davies produced a sublime third 50m to take the win in a new senior island record of 2m 16.34s beating Jonathan Price’s 2005 time.

The air link between the Isle of Man and Blackpool was restored today.

The first of Citywing’s flights landed at the Lancashire resort at 9.42am.

The route was lost following the sudden closure of Blackpool Airport last October,

The managing director of Citywing, David Buck, said: ‘We have worked tirelessly alongside the owners of Blackpool Airport owners to ensure that this commercial route returned, and we are delighted to mark the first day of this reinstated service today.

‘We are so pleased to once again be able to offer this vital route to our customers and, with 14 return journeys each week to choose from, our passengers can enjoy a cheap and frequent service between the Isle of Man and North West England.’

Citywing is operating from the airport’s former administration offices where a new passenger lounge has been installed.

The former international arrivals and departures lounge is currently disused and much of its equipment has been put up for auction by the airport’s owners Balfour Beatty.

{http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/business/local-business/citywing-touches-down-at-squires-gate-1-7187465|Click here to read the Blackpool Gazette’s story about this.}

Taekwondo ace Aaron Cook has confirmed he will represent Moldova in future competitions.

The European champion switched allegiances to the Isle of Man in late 2012 after being surprisingly omitted from the Great Britain team that fought at the London Olympics.

Representing the island gave Dorset-born Cook the option to retain his British nationality and fight for team GB at next year’s Games in Rio, but it has now emerged that Cook has been granted Moldovan nationality with Cook concerned GB selectors would overlook him again.

A post on Cook’s official Facebook page confirmed his nationality change on Wednesday: ‘I will soon begin a new journey representing the Republic of Moldova (MDA) at all international competitions and hopefully the Rio Olympic games and beyond, should I qualify.

‘I would like to thank the Isle of Man Taekwondo Association and in particular its president Richard Halsall for his tireless efforts in supporting me and the rest of Team Cook, during my time representing the Isle of Man.

‘It has been an amazing couple of years full of memories, and I would have loved to continue competing under the Isle of Man banner.

‘Unfortunately that was never going to be possible as it was made clear to me in May of last year after winning the European Championships for the third consecutive time that it would not be possible for me to be selected for Team GB, regardless of my world ranking or performances.

‘Having received no funding or support from the GB System and financing myself since June 2011, this was not a situation that was acceptable to me and I did not want to put myself, family, friends, supporters or sport through the same situation we were forced to endure at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

‘Although I am upset and disappointed I will not represent my country of birth at another major championships, I felt I had no other option.

‘I am a fighter at heart and I am not going to throw away 20 years of dedication because of bureaucracy.

‘I am extremely happy and honored to announce that the Republic of Moldova have faith in me and presented me with that opportunity. I would like to thank everyone involved in the process of making this happen and hope that all that hard work is rewarded with me being cleared to compete for MDA at the forthcoming European Olympic Games in Azerbaijan and the Rio Olympic Games, should I qualify.’

Cynthia Lennon, the first wife of John Lennon in the 1960s, has died at the age of 75 from cancer.

She lived in the Isle of Man for a number of years and ran her own bistro in Castletown.

A statement was issued: ‘Cynthia Lennon passed away today at her home in Mallorca, Spain following a short but brave battle with cancer. Her son Julian Lennon was at her bedside throughout. The family are thankful for your prayers. Please respect their privacy at this difficult time.’

The ex-wife of the Beatle legend moved to the island in the early 1980s with her then husband Jim Christie. And it is understood she lived in the island for several years.

She was married four times, and lived with husband Noel Charles in Majorca until his death in 2013.

Born in Blackpool, she moved with her family to Hoylake and married John in 1962 at Mount Pleasant register office in Liverpool in a ceremony attended by Paul McCartney and George Harrison.

The Lady Farmers’ 50th anniversary dinner took place on Tuesday, March 17, when a large turnout of members, both current and also including some founder members enjoyed a lovely meal at the Swiss House Restaurant, Glen Helen.

Following the dinner Mary Cringle, the person responsible for the club’s foundation half a century ago, gave a very interesting talk.

Finally everyone present swapped gifts and a cash collection was taken with the proceeds being given to the Manx Farming Benevolent Fund.

The next Lady Farmers’ meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 14, and is the last one until we start the new calendar next October. A tour of DEFA and Recycling is planned and will be followed by a stroll through Thie Slieu Whallain. Members may bring along three unwanted gifts and hopefully recycle them and take home three items they want. “

Hilary Kermode