Administrator Katie Lean of Castletown based firm Optimus Fiduciaries Limited has been awarded the IQE award for corporate governance.

Katie scored the top mark throughout the Isle of Man for her recent Corporate Governance module for the Chartered Secretaries Qualifying Scheme in association with ICSA.

‘I was nervous about the exam and was looking forward to moving on to the next module’ said Katie, ‘But was pleasantly surprised to find out that I had achieved the highest score and was really pleased to accept the award.

Katie was presented with the award at the recent Annual ICSA dinner.

‘This is a great achievement for Katie and we are pleased to be able to recognise her hard work’ said Adrian Tinkler, ICSA Isle of Man chairman.

‘It is encouraging to see students’ progress through the programme year on year and Optimus must be proud to have Katie as part of the team.’

Optimus, who offer personalised offshore fiduciary services which include a range of corporate, trust and pension solutions from their office in Castletown have a good history in staff development with a number of staff undertaking various professional qualifications.

‘We are proud of Katie for what she has achieved in obtaining this award’ said Maureen Quayle, director in Optimus and ICSA qualified.

‘We take great pride in our staff’s continued development and Katie is just one of many staff within Optimus who are continuing to develop which ultimately is beneficial to the clients we serve.’

Simon Osborne, chief executive of the ICSA the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators,recently visited the island and told Business News he was pleased with the work of the local branch. He has launched a campaign to promote the work of administrators and company secretaries.

A young man from Onchan has been jailed for 14 months in total after admitting possessing cannabis, and possessing cannabis with intent to supply.

Deemster Alastair Montgomerie told 26-year-old David William Jenkinson, of Birch Hill Grove, he could find no grounds to suspend the sentence therefore only immediate custody was appropriate.

Jenkinson had more than 3.5 kilogrammes of cannabis with a total value of just over £25,000. The court accepted Jenkinson had not imported the drug but his role was to store it and pass it to two others.

He also had three grammes of cannabis worth £21 for his own use, taken in payment for storing the larger quantity of drugs. All the offences took place on May 28.

‘I hope you think it was worth it,’ Deemster Montgomerie told him. Full story in Tuesday’s Examiner

The public is urged to shop poachers to the authorities to protect salmon and sea trout stocks

With river fisheries closed until March, and with adult fish heading upstream to spawn, the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture is appealing for help from the public.

Richard Ronan MHK, Minister for the Environment, Food and Agriculture, said: ‘People who hunt salmon and sea trout illegally care little about the devastating impact their behaviour has on fish populations.

‘Poachers face heavy fines and/or imprisonment, as do those who handle, sell or buy illegally caught fish. I am determined that anyone engaged in this unlawful activity will face prosecution.’

Warranted fisheries officers from DEFA conduct anti-poaching patrols at this time of year, liaising closely with the police.

Constable Mark Kerruish, police wildlife crime officer, said: ‘Poaching offences are taken very seriously and I would appeal to anyone witnessing any suspicious activity to report matters to the police as soon as possible.

‘Two experienced officers, constables John Hills and Chloe Keegan, have received training and are now accredited wildlife crime investigators. This will give the constabulary greater ability to be more pro-active in its approach to all wildlife-related crimes.’

The Minister added that hoteliers, restaurateurs and publicans can assist in eliminating poaching by informing DEFA if offered Manx salmon or sea trout.

Buying or selling Manx salmon or sea trout at any time of the year is illegal – even fish caught in season by anglers with a licence.

Guild Goes South at the Erin Arts Centre last Friday was a wonderful evening of music, speech and dance.

Its intention was trifold: to celebrate some of the winning performers of the 2015 Manx Music Festival (popularly known as the Guild); to officially launch the syllabus for next year; and to premiere the four entries in this year’s composition class.

Following Guild Goes West in Peel in 2014, this was the second concert organised by the Guild Promotional Committee, in particular Zoë Cannell and Graham Crowe, who tentatively confirmed a northern Guild-themed show will take place next year.

The evening kicked off with a brass ensemble from Rushen Silver Band and an arrangement of Eleanor Rigby.

Pianoforte classes were represented by 11-year-old Annabel King and multitalented siblings Amelia and Toby Crossley, who performed a lively duet.

Amelia also presented an unaccompanied solo for flute by Debussy, while Rebekah Traynor raised laughter among the audience with her recitation of a humorous Manx dialect poem.

I especially enjoyed two charming vocal pieces, one sung by ladies’ voice duet Cathy Quayle and Judy Cross, the second by soprano Jane Corkill.

Long-established choir Musicale, conducted by John Riley, brought some pizzazz to the proceedings with a jazz number.

The evening included performances from the winners of the two most prestigious vocal classes at the Manx Music Festival.

Sheffield Plate recipient, nine-year-old William Shooter, was endearingly scared while singing his spooky song.

Finally, a Puccini aria was sung by Karen Elliott, six-times winner of the Cleveland Medal, most recently this year.

Changes to the festival syllabus were outlined, namely the introduction of a rock/pop band evening encompassing covers and own compositions, as well as classes for three genres of dance (ballet solo, group modern dance and character dance duet).

Short performances by ballerina Kirsty Richardson-Hall and street dancers Rio and Kenzie offered a foretaste of what Guild audiences stand to enjoy next year on the dance front.

For me, the highlight of the evening was the premiere of the submissions to this year’s composition class.

It was lovely to hear four entirely new works, each of which was set to words by T. E. Brown.

The 2015 competition was won by Frank Woolley, whose Victorian-style song with a contemporary feel was performed by Musicale, accompanied by Jennifer Bird at the piano.

Guild Goes South reflected the warmth and camaraderie of the festival proper and, with the syllabus for next year’s competitions now available, performers and audience members alike will be keenly anticipating the breadth of music, speech and dance in store at the Manx Music Festival from April 22 to 30, 2016.

Things are cheaper on average than they were this time last year, according to one economic measure.

The Isle of Man’s October inflation figures were released this morning.

Under the Consumer Prices Index measure, the island is still undergoing deflation and the cost of living is 0.8 per cent less than it was at the end of October 2014.

But inflation measured by the Retail Prices Index, which uses different weightings and includes mortgage interest payments and household expenditure such as buildings insurance, suggests that it is 2.9 per cent more expensive.

Under the RPI measure, food has got 6 per cent more expensive, while CPI says food and alcohol have fallen by 0.9 per cent.

Fares have risen 19.1 per cent under RPI. However, the CPI says sea travel has dropped 1.1 per cent while air travel has gone up by 1.1 per cent and bus fares haven’t changed at all.

RPI shows that fuel and light has fallen by 7.8 per cent, with CPI showing oil and other fuels down by 28.5 per cent.

KPMG Isle of Man has announced the speaker line-up for its sixth annual eGaming Summit, which includes major international industry experts as well as key representatives of the local eGaming cluster.

This year’s summit will take a closer look at industry developments over the last 12 months and explore other elements that make the sector tick.

There will once again be a series of Master Classes run by the International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL) that will include international panellists such as IMGL president Joerg Hofmann, Stephen Ketteley from DLA Piper, Bob Stocker from Dickinson Wright in the US, Wulf Hambach from Hambach & Hambach, Germany, Quirino Mancini from Tonucci & Partners, Italy and Justin Franssen from Kalff Katz and Franssen, Amsterdam.

Susan Breen of Mishcon de Reya will moderate a masterclass called ‘Financing the Consolidation Boom’ featuring a mix of corporate financiers, analysts and transaction specialists.

The Summit programme, which takes place next Tuesday (November 10) at the Villa Marina will include an opening address from the Isle of Man Government, this time provided by Minister for the Department of Economic Development, Laurence Skelly MHK.

Mr. Skelly will provide an overview of the Isle of Man Government’s progress since the last summit, and the plans they have for the next 12 months with regards to supporting and growing the Island’s globally renowned sector.

Mark Robson, newhead of eGaming at the Isle of Man Government and Mark Rutherford of the Gambling Supervision Commission will then give a sector update for the Isle of Man.

This will be followed by a panel session moderated by Archie Watt, head of eGaming at KPMG, with industry experts discussing technology developments within the sector.

Dr Jonathan Parke, a former Director of the Responsible Gambling Trust, will take a look at the psychological factors that make gambling such a successful industry, and explain how these patterns and behaviors can be understood and utilised by the industry.

After lunch, Jennifer Houghton of Annexio will discuss the UK licensing process from the view of an Isle of Man and UK licence holder.

A panel moderated by Micky Swindale of KPMG will then debate the increasingly popular topic of social responsibility in gaming, with panellists Dr. Jonathan Parke, Janine Woodford-Dale of Microgaming, Mark Reynolds of Newfield, Sue Hammett of PokerStars and David Schollenberger of Healys.

Bernard Marantelli of Colossus Bets will discuss the trends of innovation and incubation before the event concludes with a panel on the outlook for eGaming in 2016.

The panel will be moderated by Russell Kelly of KPMG who will be joined by Hilary Stewart-Jones of DLA Piper, Bill Mummery of SBOBet, James Agnew of KPMG and Paul Novellie of Novellie, Veradi & Mitchell.

Commenting on this year’s exciting Summit programme, Russell Kelly, director responsible for eGaming at KPMG said: ‘Each year I am amazed at how much has changed in the eGaming sector. As a company we pride ourselves on sharing knowledge, strategies, and insight into the complex environment that we operate in. Regulation is an important aspect of any sector, to protect consumers, but also to offer security and stability.

As the KPMG eGaming series grows in scope and renown with each passing year, our job of creating an engaging and outstanding line-up of speakers gets easier and easier. We want to make sure every attendee leaves with an understanding of the challenges to come, and equipped with an idea of how to deal with them.“

Attendance for the KPMG eGaming Summit is by invitation only. For more information, or if you would like to request an invitation, visit https://events.bizzabo.com/KPMGeGamingSummit. For those unable to attend, a full report of the day’s events will be published due, once again, to the support of Continent 8 Technologies.

Children are being asked to help to spread the word about the dangers of smoking.

A government-organised competition is encouraging primary school pupils to draw a picture to be used as a sign to promote smoke-free areas.

The competition has been launched by the Department of Health and Social Care’s public health directorate.

The winning entries will be used as part of the directorate’s forthcoming ‘smoke free cars campaign’. The picture may contain words (10 or fewer) and can include the phrase ‘Please Keep Me Smoke Free’. It can also include information about why the child feels secondhand smoke is harmful, or why they don’t want people to smoke around them.

Secondhand smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, more than 50 of which cause cancer. Secondhand smoke is particularly harmful to children as they breathe more rapidly and have less developed airways, lungs and immune systems. In addition to coughs and colds, breathing in secondhand smoke puts children at risk of bronchitis, asthma, ear infections and cancer.

Lauren Howard, specialist stop smoking advisor said: ‘We are particularly keen to see drawings by children that could be used as a sign or a sticker on a car, requesting that it is kept smoke free. We plan to use these images in future smoke free campaigns.

‘More than 80 per cent of cigarette smoke is invisible and doesn’t smell. When people smoke in the car or the home, the poisons settle on all the surfaces. These linger long after the smoke has disappeared, and opening windows doesn’t remove the harmful effects. Levels are extremely high when people smoke in cars, because of the small space.”

The top three winning pictures will receive book tokens.

Entry forms and details about the competition are available from libraries, book shops and online at www.Quit4You.gov.im

For further information about the competition, or for help to quit smoking, contact Quit4You on 642404, or email tobacco@gov.im

Peel’s new MHK Ray Harmer will be available to talk to constituents on Saturday, November 14.

The surgery will take place from 11am to midday.

Mr Harmer and one of the town’s commissioners will listen to views and answer questions at the Town Hall in Derby Road.

Douglas Town Band will be hosting its gala concert at 2.30pm on Sunday, December 6 at St Ninian’s Church.

The special guest for the event will be world-renowned conductor and soloist Russell Gray.

Douglas Town Band was established in 1887, making it the longest running brass band in the Isle of Man.

The band perform in various venues around the island and can often be seen participating at many civic events in Douglas.

The band took part in a series of summer season concerts at the Villa Marina arcade and also at the recently revived Douglas Carnival.

Douglas Town Band also represents the island at the North West Regional Championships that take place annually in Blackpool.

Russell Gray is currently the president of the National Association of Brass Band Conductors, professional conductor with the Reg Vardy Brass Band, principal conductor of the Cambrian Philharmonic Orchestra and musical director of the National Youth Brass band of Scotland.

He is also one of the most sought after brass soloists and clinicians in the world today.

Douglas Town Band musical director and conductor Robert Mitchell said: ‘Douglas Town band is delighted to be able to welcome a performer and musical director of Russell’s calibre to take part in a weekend course and concert.

‘Since the success of last year’s gala concert where we welcomed Black Dyke Band’s principle euphonium player Gary Curtin to perform with us we have been working hard to prepare an exciting programme for this year’s event.

‘Russell will bring with him a wealth of knowledge and experience during his time working with many musical ensembles over the years and I am sure that the gala concert will be a fantastic occasion for both performers and audience alike.’

Tickets are priced £10, or £7.50 concession rate, and are currently on sale at Peter Norris Music in Douglas, Shakti Man in Ramsey and Celtic Gold in Peel.

For more information or advance bookings please contact 07624 469076.

The Isle of Man Arts Council has launched a website to promote the island’s cultural wealth to a wide audience.

The site – www.iomarts.com – is designed to draw together all that’s happening locally and is a hub of information while reaching further afield and promoting the Isle of Man

Information on eligibility for funding and how to apply is featured, along with information on the creative industries and available business support.

As well as catching up with the latest news, visitors can contribute events to a What’s On Where page and seek out hobbies and activities through the Get Involved section.

Artists who wish to be included should submit information, contact details and a photo using the contacts button on the website, via the Arts Council Isle of Man Facebook, page or by email to iomartscouncil@gov.im

Event information can be submitted the same way.

Visitors to the website can view every picture in the Arts Council’s Contemporary Art Loan Collection, which is hung in schools and public buildings.

Comprising more than 300 originals and prints, the collection was founded by David Fletcher when he was an Arts Council member with the purpose of giving the public access to contemporary art.

The website has links to all the island’s major arts venues.

The Isle of Man will remember those who have fought for their country at services across the island this Remembrance Sunday.

In Douglas, the occasion will be marked with a parade through the town beginning in Market Hill at 9.30am and ending at St Thomas’ Church on Finch Road.

A remembrance church service will commence at 10am conducted by the Archdeacon of the island, Andrew Brown, and Vicar of St Thomas’, Reverend Ian Brady.

Across the island a two-minute silence will be observed at 11am in memory of those who have died serving their country and at the Douglas war memorial wreaths will be laid. A final parade will then begin from the memorial on Harris Promenade back to Market Hill, after a salute from Mayor of Douglas Sara Hackman.

Between 9am and midday parking will be suspended on Harris Promenade, and the seafront roadway will be closed between Broadway and the northern end of the Marine Gardens.

Additionally, road closures will be in operation at varying times between 9.30am and midday, affecting the lower end of Finch Road, Church Road Marina, Market Street and Harris Promenade.

In the event of bad weather the parades may be cancelled, however the two minutes’ silence will still be held at the memorial.

Elsewhere in the island, other Remembrance Day services will take place. In Onchan a parade will begin at the Co-Op at 9.30am, which will lead to a service at St Peter’s Church, and then on to the Onchan war memorial for the two-minutes’ silence.

The services of remembrance in Ramsey will be held at the war memorial in the Courthouse Grounds at 11am. Anyone who wishes to take part in the services must meet at the grounds at 10.30am. The Ramsey branch of the Royal British Legion will also hold a service at Trinity Church in Waterloo Road beginning a 6.30pm.

In Peel a parade will take place at 2.30pm from Market Square, ending at St German’s Cathedral.

For more details about Douglas road closures call 696300 or email pcowin@douglas.gov.im

More details for road closures across the island can be found on the towns’ commissioners websites.

The Battle of the Bands competition kicks off at Amber this weekend.

The annual event, hosted at the Douglas venue, will be fought out over three heats to be held on Saturday, November 7, 14 and 21.

The format of the event will see a winner from each heat going through to the final, to be held on Saturday, November 28.

I’ll be previewing and reviewing the entire event here as it unfolds over the next few weeks!

Saturday night sees Han FX, Ironclad and Matt Kelly taking to the boards to kick off proceedings.

Hip-Hop, MC and live looping specialist Han FX is the creation of Keiran Hannifan, who in more recent times you may have seen in a different guise as part of the line-up for the very popular local reggae-tinged outfit Rusty Jam Revolution.

Ironclad have been doing the rounds for a good while now! The band is made up by Owain Brimfield on vocals and guitar, Jason Cain on guitar, Ivan Jackson on bass and Keith Harris on drums.

The band specialises in covers from the heavier end of the music spectrum from the likes of Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer.

Finally, we have Matt Kelly to complete the heat one line-up.

Matt is known through his involvement with local bands King Chiaullee, Strengyn, Hoodoo Nation and The Ballaghs, and he is traditionally known for his influences rooted mainly in more Celtic leanings.

Matt started writing and performing his own songs just over a year ago though, and will be showcasing these new pieces to the Amber audience on the night.

Elsewhere, the ever busy and popular Manx singer-songwriter Chris Gray continues his run of open mic nights every Tuesday night at the Bath and Bottle in Douglas.

Jam-tini, as these nights are called, is open to anyone who fancies having a go trying out their musical material in a relaxed and low key setting.

For more information, visit Chris’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/chris.j.gray) where you can drop him a message!

Whilst we’re on the subject of all things acoustic, Bird and The Beards, the acoustic three-piece that’s completed by vocalist Stephanie Tomlinson along with Nell Kneale and Adam Swales on guitars, continue their schedule of gigs with an appearance at The Creek in Peel tomorrow night (Friday).

The Bird and The Beards formed three years ago when Stephanie and Nell met at an open mic night. And the line-up with Adam on second guitar was completed soon after.

Their mission statement is simple – in that nothing is off the table and nothing is out of bounds as far as songs that could end up in their set-list goes.

Their current repertoire ranges from Marvin Gaye to System Of A Down through Enrique Iglesias and just about anything else in between.

Burglars have stolen a copper water tank, a carpet and a sofa from a farmhouse in Jurby.

The crime, at Ballateare farmhouse on the Jurby coast road, was discovered on Tuesday.

The culprits broke in through a main entrance door and removed the water tank from an upstairs room.

They then left the water running, causing severe damage to floors and ceilings.

A cream/light coloured carpet and a sofa were also stolen.

Police are appealing for any witnesses or anyone that has any knowledge of the damage and theft to contact them.

Constable Adam Hawkes said: ‘The theft and damage in this instance is mindless and upsetting to the people who own the property.

‘This crime serves as a timely reminder to the general public to watch out for vehicles and people acting suspiciously.

‘The police urge anyone with information to contact Ramsey police station on 812234.’

Burglars struck at a house in Ballure Park, Ramsey on Wednesday.

Some time between 7.30am and noon they entered the property through an unlocked an insecure front door and took a quantity of cash, along with a Playstation 4 and games.

People with any information about the crime are being urged to contact Constable Sally Hardy at Ramsey police station on 812234.

First meets second in the Shimmin Wilson Manx Shield at King William’s College this Saturday in a game that is likely to give a pretty close result.

Douglas B visit PDMS Southern Nomads with the latter licking their wounds after their loss to Dukinfield in the Cheshire Bowl semi-finals last weekend.

Nomads will want to bounce back, but will be missing Ste McHugh and Josh Bowman who are suspended following their red cards last week.

Former Rushen footballer Sean Harrison looked sharp, however, and he is likely to be included from the start this week if available with the absence of McHugh likely to herald another second-row start for natural lock Chris Beaumont.

Douglas B have ran in some big scores this season including 126 points against Noa Nomads just two weeks ago, a fact which will not be lost on the Nomads first string.

Leading the way on the scoresheet has been Charlie Henthorn who must be close to a first team berth at Port-e-Chee.

I suspect Nomads will bounce back from the Dukinfield game and ease past Douglas this week.

Just across the road at Poulsom Park, Matt Quine’s Castletown side take on Vagabonds B.

Vagas have a new skipper in the shape of youngster Paul Howard and have thus far only played two fixtures. They are, however, unbeaten and will want to press their claim for a shot at the Shield.

Town, despite struggling for players, have managed to get all bar one of their fixtures played as scheduled and their commitment is top notch, if not quite matched by their results.

I suspect that Vagas will take this one, but keep an eye out for improving results from Town as they build for the second half of the season.

In the final game of the day Noa Nomads visit Western Vikings at QEII School.

The two sides sit next to each other in the standings and the result could be quite close.

Scotty Williams’s Nomads are scoring an average of 16 points a game while Ed Alderson and his Vikings are closer to 20.

This suggests a very tight game which could easily go either way.

l Full round-up of all the weekend’s rugby in Tuesday’s Isle of Man Examiner.

Runaway leaders Douglas Athletic face a potential banana skin in JCK Division Two this Saturday when they travel to Braddan.

Athletic remain well on course to live up to their pre-season tag as title favourites having won all 11 of their games so far this season.

The Springfield Road side go into this weekend’s contest on the back of a resounding 19-3 demolition of Governor’s Athletic, during which leading goalscorer Mark Wolfenden helped himself to no fewer than eight goals.

Braddan warmed up for this match with a hard-fought 2-2 draw away at Colby last time out, a result which leaves them lying in sixth place in the table but well positioned to challenge for at least a place in the top four.

With the weather forecast not looking hopeful, it remains to be seen whether this game will go ahead but, if it does, a tight contest could be in store at Victoria Road.

Close games are potentially the order of the day in the second division with two other matches expected to well-ballanced - Pulrose United v Colby and Castletown v Douglas Royal.

On paper Town will be expected to get the better of Royal, given that they currently lie two places and three points above the Whites in the table. The southerners’ form is slightly better with five wins and a draw in their last six outings, but Royal’s 7-1 win over Douglas and District last Saturday means they should be in a confident mood as well so this one could go either way.

Pulrose and Colby lie level on points in seventh and fourth respectively - along with Royal and Braddan - and, while Pulrose have home advantage, the Moonlighters’ better form may just see them edge this one.

Second-placed Gymns will be favourites to get the better of Douglas and District at Noble’s Park and possibly close the gap on Douglas Athletic, while a win for D&D could move them clear of the bottom of the table.

Malew will be hoping to end a run of four successive defeats when they travel to bottom-of-the-table Governor’s Athletic but the league’s newcomers aren’t shy in front of goal so the southerners will need to be wary of complacency.

The final game sees Onchan travel to Billy Goat Park to take on Foxdale.

The Isle of Man FA’s involvement in the second round of the Inter-League Cup means there is a reduced top-flight programme this weekend.

The four games that do go ahead in the Canada Life Premier League on Saturday are nevertheless intriguing ones especially with the fourth Railway Cup spot still up for grabs.

Douglas High School Old Boys currently sit fourth poised to join the already qualified St George’s, Peel and Rushen in the semi-final draw. The Blackberry Lane outfit host Ramsey at the weekend knowing that they need three points to keep their noses ahead of Corinthians and Laxey in the race for the final cup berth.

Old Boys hit nine last time out against Ayre and will feel confident of claiming the three points from a Ramsey side that has lost five of its last six games.

Corinthians, who are level on points with Old Boys, host St John’s at Ballafletcher on Saturday. The Whites have won their last three and should edge past a Johnners side who may be without defender Nick Leung who aggravated a ankle injury during Friday’s win over St Mary’s.

Laxey could yet leapfrog the pair with a game in hand on them both. They travel to out of sorts St Mary’s on Saturday before taking on RYCOB in the following week. Victory in both would see them snatch fourth place at the league’s halfway point.

Bottom side RYCOB’s search for a for a first win of the season continues with visit of the league’s most porous defence, Union Mills. This could go either way.

A revolutionary biological analyser bought by the League of Friends of Noble’s Hospital should improve diagnosis and treatment times for patients with serious bacterial and viral infections.

The equipment will allow the biomedical scientists in pathology laboratory to identify germs that cause infection, such as meningitis, encephalitis and some respiratory diseases, at a much earlier stage.

The pathology manager at Noble’s Hospital, Stephen Doyle, said: ‘When a patient is suspected of having a serious infection, a sample of blood or bodily fluid is taken by the nurse or doctor, and sent to the microbiology lab for testing.

‘At the moment, this testing involves a number of different scientific processes so results can take between two and ten days to be available.

‘This can mean that doctors cannot be sure that the treatment given to the patient is best suited to their infection.’

Rebbeca Shields, chief biomedical scientist, said: ‘This new equipment, BioFire FilmArray PCR, analyses for infections at a genetic level. A sample does not need to contain many bacteria or viruses. The analysis is rapid, meaning that a result can be made available to the doctor in an hour so that appropriate targeted treatment can be given.

‘We are so grateful for the support a from the League of Friends of Noble’s Hospital that we have named the equipment in honour of their donation – League Of Friends Thank You’ – LOFTY.’

Chris Kelly from the League of Friends of Noble’s Hospital said: ‘We are touched that the team has named the piece of equipment in recognition.’

Minister for Health and Social Care, Howard Quayle MHK said:’“The department is sincerely grateful for the continuous support from the League of Friends of Noble’s Hospital in providing innovative technology, such as this, to improve services for people who really do need care in hospital.’

People who receive state pensions and benefits for others – known as ‘appointees’ – should keep proper account of the benefits they receive and spend on their behalf.

This week the Treasury’s social security division issued a reminder about the issue.

Treasury Minister Eddie Teare MHK said: ‘Unfortunately some people do not have the capacity to act for themselves in claiming pensions and benefits and in meeting their expenses. Therefore, there is a process within the social security system which allows other people – usually family members or close friends – to do so. It is vital that there is someone they can trust who can act for them.’

He added: ‘We need to be sure that our procedures for appointing people to act for others are robust and that we are confident that appointees use the pensions and benefits they receive for others solely for the benefit of the person they act for. This might include, for example, paying their residential home fees, or their rent or utility bills or paying for their groceries. Once a person has been appointed to act for someone else in relation to their benefit affairs, it is important that they fully understand their responsibilities.

‘We have recently changed the letters we send when we appoint someone to make it clearer what their responsibilities are. These letters explain that appointees should keep a proper record of what pensions or benefits they have received on behalf of the person they are acting for and how they have spent that money. Ideally, they should keep a separate bank account for that person. We shall be conducting audits to ensure that appointees are using the pensions and benefits they receive for the purpose for which they are intended.’

Mr Teare continued: ‘I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank the relatives, friends and carers who agree to act on behalf of another person in dealing with their social security benefit affairs. In many cases they can make the difference to a person being able to live in their home, rather than having to move in to residential care.’

The multi-million pound plan for a new car showroom employing up to 100 people is a completely private venture, a major figure in the project has told Business News.

Jacksons chief executive officer Paul Collier said: ‘Most importantly, we would like to stress this venture is 100 per cent private.’

He said the plan was first explored late last year, with substantial manufacturer negotiations and a detailed planning application seven months in the making.

Channel Islands based Jacksons are keen to scotch speculation on social media that the announcement was made days after Tynwald backed a £50m Enterprise Development Scheme, a government initiative to grow the Manx economy and create jobs.

Mr Collier said it was ‘purely coincidental’ that news of the Cooil Road, Douglas , plan was released days after the vote inTynwald.

News of the plan was broken by our sister paper the Courier last week and on ourwebsite IoM Today.

Mr Collier has now revealed more details of the breakdown of the new jobs he envisages being created.

More than 60 full time jobs will be created immediately with all being full time skilled and unskilled positions – 18 sales related, 12 vehicle technicians and 14 aftersales, four parts, eight valet and seven general and accounts.

‘With anticipated growth this will rise to 100, but that is of course dependent on trading conditions – however, based on the track record from a group that already employs over 220 in the Channel Islands, 30 in the Isle of Wight and 50 overseas you would expect their expertise and resource to deliver their vision.’

Mr Collier said that if the planning application is succesful, Jacksons are planning to bring their two brands – Jacksons (luxury cars) and Motor Mall (affordable motoring) – all at competitive prices.

The Jacksons boss is no stranger to the island having spent part of his childhood here and a period of employment in later years.

He is a big believer in the island as a place to do business and says he has been keen to open a Manx company and trade here for some time. ‘It has a great infrastructure and I was delighted when the Board of Jacksons agreed to come here,’ said Mr Collier.

He says the island has lost a number of car dealerships and brand associated servicing. TheDOI licensing division, he says, confirms that of every one new car sold in the island, 2.2 are bought from across.

‘This investment would help reduce that figure and keep more money on the island – and Jacksons will be operating as an Isle of Man registered company, subject to approval.’ Planners have been sent details from Eden Park Developments to develop a 10-acre site on Cooil Road, Douglas.

Several leading global manufacturers are said to have committed to the project including Porsche, Audi, Volvo, Skoda and Ssang Yong.

Mr Collier said: ‘Over 10 years ago, the new car market in the Channel Islands was in decline, much like it is in the Isle of Man now, with brands leaving the islands altogether and dealerships closing.

‘Jacksons not only turned that around, but now has a turnover of around £100m annually across the islands.

‘By introducing a number of car brands not currently represented in the Isle of Man, we would look to win back this business, keeping money local to benefit the community, as happened in the Channel Islands.’

James Greenhalgh, director of Eden Park Developments, said : ‘Any business that creates 100 new jobs has to be welcomed but it goes even deeper than that. Jacksons is a big name and could help attract other new business to our shores, something that is very much in keeping with our government’s Vision 20/20 with its focus on inward investment.

‘This landmark development for Jacksons would be sited on 10 acres of private land which is ready for immediate development if planning persmission is granted.

‘At the same time this would enable us to offer majo0r infrastructure benefits to the Cooil Road area with no cost to government.

‘We plan to improve the road and access including building a new roundabout which could ultimately provide access to government land and improve the area’s drainage system by taking pressure off Douglas and and in turn saving millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money.’