Boal & Co has appointed Danny Winrow as director as the company continues to build on the legacy of chairman and founder Gary Boal.

A chartered accountant and qualified actuary, Danny has been instrumental in the company’s actuarial consultancy team since August 2014 having taken the lead with a number of clients.

His new role will see him working alongside chief executive Mark Kiernan and the other members of the management team to drive the company forward at Marquis House, Isle of Man Business Park.

‘Danny’s appointment is the natural step for the company, coming as it does just three months after Gary’s death,’ Mark explained. ‘It is testament to our forethought and planning that the company founded two decades ago continues to flourish and grow under the existing management team, a team that is unrivalled both in quality and size locally.

‘Danny’s promotion will play a major part in helping us continue this growth, and I’m pleased that Danny has accepted this role and so will play a bigger part in the group as we further expand the Boal brand.

‘In this respect we have a number of domestic and international projects on the go at the moment which will further cement our position as the island’s largest pension provider. Danny has proved a great asset since joining Boal & Co and he will bring all his expertise to the Board.

‘He is taking the lead role within the actuarial side of the business, developing relationships with existing clients and bringing in new business.’

Having qualified as an accountant with Deloitte Isle of Man in 2008, Danny spent three years with a life insurer in the UK before returning to the island to join Boal & Co.

Educated at Onchan Primary School and St. Ninian’s High School, Danny graduated with first class honours in Mathematics and Computer Science from Liverpool University, and has post-graduate qualifications from Wolfson College and Kellogg College (both Oxford).

Danny said: ‘These are exciting times for Boal & Co, following our acquisition of Zurich Trust in September last year and the plans we have in the pipeline.

‘I’m proud to be appointed director and to be given the responsibility of helping Mark and the team ensure that the company goes from strength to strength.’ Members of the island’s business communitywere shocked by the death of Gary Boal at 52 last October. He was the founder and chairman of Boal & Co and was a well known business figure.

When the company announced Mr Boal’s death they described him as an entrepreneur and visionary.

Things have got cheaper, on average, over the last 12 months, according to one key government measure.

The annual rate of inflation, as measured by the Consumer Prices Index, is running at minus 1.2 per cent.

It fell from -1.6 per cent the month before, so the island has been undergoing deflation for some time.

But measured by the Retail Prices Index, which has different weightings and includes mortgage interest payments, showed that most things have actually gone up in price.

It stands at 2.6 per cent, up from 2.3 per cent the month before.

Items to see falls in prices include petrol and oil, which is down 8.6 per cent; heating oil, down 22.7 per cent; air travel down 10.8 per cent; sea travel down 7.8 per cent; sugar and preserves down 23.8 per cent.

But other prices rose. Notably, pork is 10.3 per cent more expensive; coffee is up 8.3 per cent; men’s outerwear is up 5.7 per cent (although women’s is 4 per cent cheaper); electricity is up 3,2 per cent; painkillers up 15.2 per cent; postage is 4.8 per cent up.

Deflation can damage an economy because it encourages people to delay buying things in the hope that they will get cheaper and economic activity as a whole thus falls.

However, oil and petrol, where some of the big drops have been seen, are not the sort of items that are easily deferred.

The Isle of Man Chinese Association would like to wish a happy new year to all island residents in the run-up to Chinese New Year on Monday (February 8).

Chairman of the association Jenny Zhou said: ‘Welcome and best wishes to the 2016 Lunar New Year and the Year of the Monkey celebration from the Isle of Man Chinese Association!

‘The Chinese New Year celebrations are centuries old and are the most important of traditional Chinese holidays.

‘It is seen as a time for bringing families together for feasting and much celebration, and it is so important that many of our Chinese community have returned to China to join family and friends.’

Jenny said that, as many of the Isle of Man Chinese community are with family, traditional celebrations for the New Year of the Monkey will take place at a later date.

The association has been invited to attend the four-day Chinese New Year celebrations in Manchester, which include traditional Chinese street food markets, a lantern and dragon parade, lion dancers and live music, starting from today (Thursday).

Jenny said it was a ‘great honour’ to attend the event and she will be representing the island with her partner Stu Allen and Mayor of Douglas Sara Hackman, Mayoress Carol Malarkey and patron of the association Geoff Corkish MLC and his wife.

Mr Corkish has also been invited to speak at the main banquet of the celebrations which will be attended by the chairman of the UK Chinese Association Stewart Yip.

The association was formed in 2013 and last month it started new mandarin lessons at Ramsey Grammar School.

A dedicated unit for stroke patients, combining acute services and rehabilitation, is to be opened at Noble’s Hospital in the spring.

Health Minister Howard Quayle revealed details of the move in the House of Keys as he defended the decision to close ward 20.

He said that achieving best practice in stroke services was the ‘key driver’ for the ward’s closure.

The Minister explained that a review of stroke services was conducted by Professor Tony Rudd from the Royal College of Physicians in May last year who recommended that stroke patients should be cared for in their early acute and then their rehabilitation phase in a single 14-bed stroke unit.

To implement this recommendation as soon as possible, the combined unit has been located on a temporary basis in ward 7, which was the previously designated acute care stroke ward.

He told MHKs: ‘Once you had had your stroke and you were starting to recover, you were then transferred outside to ward 20 and that procedure was deemed as unsafe. That is why we brought everyone that was recovering in ward 20 back into the main wing of the hospital.’

Mr Quayle said this had resulted in a short-term problem of cramming services into a smaller space. But he said the plan was to relocate the combined stroke unit on a permanent basis to a dedicated area on the ground floor of the main building at Noble’s.

Stroke patients will be able to enjoy garden facilities, and eventually a bespoke new gym and occupational health facility. The move will take place in the spring of this year, MHKs were told.

The Manx Society of New Zealand Auckland is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

Patron of the society Ella Slack, of Queen’s Promenade, Ramsey, is flying out to be guest speaker at the celebration on March 5.

The society’s secretary, Robyn Bryant, said: ‘The aim of our group is to foster friendship between the Manx people, descendants and persons who have an interest in the Isle of Man.

‘The society promotes this by having luncheons, picnics, celebrating of Tynwald Day in July and other functions that we hold from time to time through the year.

‘Usually there is about four main gatherings of the Society in any one year.’

The Manx Society of New Zealand Auckland was re-established in 1990 with an inaugural meeting of interested people following the attendance of the Manx Commonwealth athletes who attended the Commonwealth Games in Auckland that year.

Tom Gray, who had been asked to look after the Manx team while they were there, and other past members held a meeting which was so well attended that the small room they had booked was overflowing and connecting rooms had to be opened up.

That meeting reformed the Auckland Society and was later combined with the Waikato Manx Society.

There are about 70 members, and Robyn said advertising of the jubilee had attracted a lot of new interest.

Ella said: ‘I am looking forward to my visit and the jubilee function. I really enjoy being the patron and always send greetings at Christmas and for Tynwald Day.’

The former BBC producer will be talking about her Manx family connections, how she heard about the society and her experiences working for the BBC as a stand-in for the Queen during rehearsals.

She will be taking her Queen outfit and hat to wear.

Ella explained that she spent six weeks in New Zealand after retiring from the BBC in 1997. It was while she was at Waukworth that she saw a notice for the society.

She said: ‘I visited the local museum and saw a notice saying there was going to be a picnic in the afternoon for members of the New Zealand Manx Society.

‘I met Loraine Lapish and she invited me to meet up with her during the rest of my stay in Auckland, this was the beginning of a real friendship.

‘I have been about six times since including to set up the homestay for the global challenge when the Isle of Man was docked at Wellington and then on my way to the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000. Loraine and Ernest would meet up and she would arrange a barbecue so that I could come to a Manx Society meeting.

‘In 2013 Loraine asked me if I would be their patron and she gave me a badge to wear.’

An independent inquiry has been launched into how a bus driver was unfairly sacked.

Darren James Scarffe won his claim for unfair dismissal after an employment tribunal ruled the actions of Bus Vannin management had been ‘wholly disproportionate’.

He took his case to tribunal after being sacked from his job after 12 years following an altercation with another bus driver outside Bank’s Circus depot in January last year. The tribunal said that with the ‘one-sided’ approach shown by management to the ‘contradictory and inconclusive’ evidence, it was unfair to blame Mr Scarffe on his own.

It concluded that even if the finding of gross misconduct had been warranted, it was ‘wholly disproportionate’ and ‘not even close to the band of reasonable responses’ for the claimant to lose his job after 12 years for a first offence of this nature – and a written warning would have been more appropriate.

The tribunal was raised in the House of Keys this week by new MHK for Douglas East Jon Joughin.

Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne said it would be fair to comment that the matter ‘does not reflect well upon any of the parties’ – and he was sufficiently concerned to immediately ask for a review Bus Vannin’s disciplinary procedures. He told MHKs he had instructed his chief officer to arrange an independent investigation.

The review was being carried out by the executive director of the Office of Human Resources and he expected an initial report within a month.

Mr Joughin said he was delighted the matter was being investigated. He said the driver was a married man with children and mortgage or rent to pay and this was a ‘blatant case of bullying and harassment by a major employer’.

But his suggestion that the same conditions should be put on Bus Vannin management was rejected by Mr Gawne who said that would impose the same level of unfairness.

Did you know that undertakers and pall bearers have their own patron saint, St Joseph of Arimathea.

I was thinking about this as the battle raged backwards and forwards between the Bell and Beecroft ‘we love the finance industry’ duo on one side and Turner and Jessopp saying ‘we are sort of a tax haven’ in the opposite corner

Actually I got pretty confused because every time I was trying to work out what Cat and Andrew said, Allan would start shouting ‘we are not a tax haven’ and distract me.

Just when I was totally confused, the Bell-Beecroft duo imploded as Allan stuck a metaphorical dagger right between the shoulder blades of Liberal Vannin.

That pact didn’t last long!

Anyway, I thought it would be nice if there was a patron saint of tax havens and I also thought a good candidate would be David Cameron, the British PM.

David Cameron has said that all the Dependencies and British Overseas Territories that used to be tax havens are not tax havens now.

Other countries have tax havens, but not the British.

Allan Bell was so pleased with what David Cameron said he even quoted him as a reference to back up his argument that we are not a tax haven but ‘a low tax jurisdiction’.

You can’t really get better than that.

I mean, who doesn’t believe a British Prime Minister? They always tell the truth.

Mind you, Cameron may have to eat his words yet following the ‘ownership register’ spat between London and Douglas.

Anyway, as the Chief Minister said all this, calling the island a tax haven when it’s not on prime time television is very damaging to our economy. However, I can’t help thinking that a fairly boring meander by a few Welsh villages through TV tax fantasy land would have died the death anyway if Allan hadn’t started shouting!

Without the offshore finance industry we would not have the quality of life we have today said Allan. Except a lot of people are up to their eyes in debt unless they are the ones that I negotiated ‘eye-watering salaries’ and ‘gold-plated pensions’ for when I was a union official.

I suppose I was able to perform this ‘King Midas’ trick because of the finance industry.

However, hang on, there’s another problem now because the pundits, particularly the ons who berate me in comments and other internet forums, say that I was able to do this because we were getting £200 million extra VAT. Now – their ‘reasoned argument’ goes – the VAT has gone and I have gone (from the union) you’re all left to pay these wages and pensions without the £200 million VAT.

So who got and is getting the benefit from the finance industry? Allan said we have had this ‘industry’ for over 50 years so you would think by now we would all be wearing rolexes and driving ‘Rollers’.

I don’t mean the Highway Board type.

Actually, when I started in the union 30 years ago public sector workers were being paid ‘buttons’.

We were 20 years into the offshore finance industry during the ‘suitcases of money’ period and yet the hoi-polloi were not benefiting.

Perhaps that’s why I got stuck into that extra £200 million VAT, saying to my troops: ‘Boys and girls you live in a tax haven I’m going to give you some of the benefits.’

In hindsight, I’m glad I did. I’m pleased I ratcheted up pay, reduced hours and got those great pensions because all that time and apparently for the 30 years since someone was getting ‘the cream’ from all that offshore business and it wasn’t public sector workers.

So to recap, we are ‘not a tax haven’, we are doing well and have had sustained growth for decades, so why all the doom and gloom on Manx Radio from ‘The Daily Bell’ every day?

Even I’ll stop calling the island a tax haven if Allan will lighten up a bit!

The Isle of Man Riding for the Disabled group is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

As part of the celebrations, the group planted a tree beside a commemorative plaque in Noble’s Park, Douglas.

In the 40 years that the Isle of Man Riding for the Disabled group has been in existence, it has enabled more than 500 children and adults in the island enjoy the joys of riding a horse, as well as the physical and emotional benefits this brings.

One of the first children the group taught, back in 1976, was Anne Simpson and she stepped up to do the honours and plant the red horse chestnut tree which commemorates the group’s founding. Anne’s late father, Michael, was chairman of the group for many years.

Anne was assisted by another former rider, Rebecca Collins, who rode with the group from 1982 to 1993, and met the charity’s president, Princess Anne, when she visited the island in 1987.

Rebecca, who has a form of muscular dystrophy, now combines a job in government technology services with bringing up her five children.

She recalled: ‘When I was young lots of sports were restricted for me but lots of my friends went riding and it was something I could do, too. It challenged me and I gained a lot of confidence from learning to ride and that confidence is still embedded in me.’

Brenda Charlton was one of the original Isle of Man RDA group founders and won the award for Volunteer of the Year at Isle of Man Newspapers’ Awards for Excellence in 2014 for her many years of service to the charity.

She said: ‘It has been fantastic to be involved with RDA and to see all the people the group has been able to help in the island over the years.

‘Planting a tree seemed an appropriate way of commemorating our 40 years and also looking forward to the future and to helping many more people to learn to ride.

‘I would like to thank particularly the team at Douglas Corporation parks department and Watson’s Nursery for their help and support.

‘Our anniversary is also being celebrated on the side of all Isle of Man Creamery’s one pint green milk cartons and I would especially like to thank Colette Gambell for the lovely graphic design she has done for us.’

You can find out more about the group on its Facebook page.

Police have issued an appeal for witnesses after an assault in the Courthouse bar on January 31.

The following police statement was issued: ‘We are currently investigating an assault which took place between 1.30am and 2.30am on Sunday, January 31 in the downstairs club area of The Courthouse, Athol Street, Douglas.

‘As a result of the incident, a 27-year-old female sustained minor facial injuries. At the time of the assault a large number of people were present in the area and may have been witness to what took place.

‘We believe a female, who was wearing black knee high boots, black leggings and a black top with a purple jacket has been responsible for the assault.

‘This female is believed to be local and in her early twenties.

‘We are appealing for anyone who has witnessed the incident or has any other information to contact PC 340 Leece at Lord Street Police Station or alternatively the Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111.’

The Isle of Man badminton team travelled to York at the weekend in an attempt to complete successive promotions in the Badminton England County Championship.

Things started well against top-of-the-table Nottingham 2, with singles wins for Adam Colley, Baillie Watterson and Jess Li.

However, against a strong county side losses in both men’s and women’s doubles meant that the promotion opportunity was gone by the mixed games, despite the best efforts of Neil Harding/Laura Beggs in their tie. This left the final scoreline 7-4.

The Manx used their next match against Durham 1 to change their pairings and allow some of the younger squad members match time.

The singles games saw Colley and Jessica Li continue their good form, both winning in two impressive ends, but defeats in the other games, meant Durham took an early 3-2 lead.

Colley/Matt Nicholson won 23-21 in the third end, with Beggs/Jessica Li also winning in two, but Jonny Callow/Watterson and Abi Li/Philippa Li couldn’t edge strong opponents, meaning the game went down to the mixed with Durham ahead 5-4.

Callow/Jessica Li eased past their opponents in impressive fashion, but Harding/Beggs went down in two sets, meaning the Manx side lost out 6-5.

Against Cumbria 1, Colley and Jessica Li again showed their class beating their opponents in two comfortable ends. Jonny Callow was able to grind out a victory in three sets, winning 22-20 in the third.

Watterson and Kayleigh Callow just lost out to make the score 3-2 after the singles.

Colley completed an unbeaten weekend and season, winning with Nicholson in the doubles, with equal success for J. Li /K. Callow.

A clearly fatigued J. Callow/Harding were unable to match their opponents, while A. Li / P. Li also lost making the score 5-4 to the IoM side going into the final mixed games.

Watterson/A. Li were unable to finish their season on a high, losing in two tight games, meaning it was left to Nicholson/P. Li to win the tie for the Manx side, as they won in two comfortable ends to leave the final score 6-5.

While disappointed not to gain the promotion that early season had promised, a final position of third in a strong league is certainly considered a success, especially given that the team had been promoted last season.

With the Island Games in Gotland next year, the team will try to continue their form and aim for a higher finish next season, with promotion a real possibility.

The squad would like to thank the Isle of Man Badminton Association for its continued support.

Pregnant women should think twice about travelling to areas where the zika virus is active, according to the island’s Public Health Directorate.

The advice comes following fears the virus could be linked to the microcephaly birth defect.

Health and Social Care Minister Howard Quayle said seeking early medical advice, at least six weeks in advance, was the key to safe travel.

‘Whilst the health service can assist with specific advice as well as guidance on risk reduction and insect bite avoidance, medications and vaccinations, the responsibility to seek this, and to do so early enough for vaccinations to be effective, rests with individuals and families,’ he said.

The virus, which is spread by mosquito bites, is present in 21 countries in the Caribbean, as well as North and South America, but not as yet in Canada or Chile.

There have been 3,500 babies born with microcephaly, symptomised by an abnormally small head and under-developed brain, in Brazil alone since October.

In 80 per cent of cases, the virus produces no symptoms but, when present, they include fever, a rash and joint pain lasting two to seven days. There is some evidence it can also be transmitted by sexual contact.

A statement from the island’s Public Health Directorate said: ‘The risk to unborn babies and a lack of a vaccine means that travel advice has been updated to state that women who are pregnant or trying to conceive should consider avoiding travel to areas reporting active zika virus transmission.

‘Island residents can arrange a travel health consultation with a practice nurse through their GP or can opt to visit a pharmacy that offers a travel health clinic.’

However, health officials have counselled people not to be alarmed, pointing out there have been only six zika cases diagnosed in travellers returning to the UK since 2014.

A travel health consultation can include up-to-date advice about each country to be visited, taking into account the planned activities from sunbathing on the beach to trekking in the mountains. Advice can be given on any recommended vaccinations and on malaria, where relevant, and on the zika virus. Advice is available on other matters such as avoiding deep vein thrombosis when flying, precautions against sun burn and any pre-existing medical conditions.

The Public Health directorate also offers general advice to travellers, including a recommendation to take out adequate travel insurance and a reminder that accidents are the biggest holiday health risk.

A Manx runner and British Olympian are challenging Isle of Man workers to move away from their desks and get running.

A new eight-week running initiative named the ‘Desk to 5K Challenge’ has been created by Manx runner Natalie Jackson and British Olympic runner Emily Freeman.

The plan aims to encourage workers in the island to run two or three times a week starting off slow and building up to run five kilometres in an effort to get more people moving.

Natalie and Emily co-founded company Totally Runable last year, which is based in Wakefield in Yorkshire, to get others into fitness and improve self-esteem.

Natalie grew up in the island but is now based in Wakefield. She started running five years ago and used a running plan to train for her first race in 2011.

She is now encouraging more women to get out and give running a go. She said: ‘Running is something that a lot of people, especially women, want to have a go at, but when they do they find it a lot more difficult than they remember as a child!

‘It really isn’t as hard as it might seem to get into running, you just need to go about it the right way, and that was exactly what we wanted to show people with Desk to 5K. For most people it’s totally doable.’

The training plan starts with a slow run with walking breaks to allow the body to get used to moving more, and builds up to a faster run.

Co-founder Emily Freeman said: ‘Desk to 5K is designed with the mental focus element in mind and doing all the hard work of planning ahead to make getting from your desk to running a 5K as simple, if not easy, as it can be.

‘It is a challenge staff can take on together, maybe find a local 5K race and even think about raising some sponsor money to support a local charity.’

To download the plan or for more information and advice visit www.totallyrunable.com/courses/desk-to-5k

Are you tough enough to take on the gladiator EliMannator race?

Teams of five can now enter the competitive obstacle relay race inspired by the hit 90’s TV show Gladiators.

The race will test the fitness, strength and willpower of all contestants, and teams will battle against each other in a series of heats to be crowned The EliMannator champion.

Participants will have to leap, crawl and jump through obstacles in order to pass their baton to their next team-mate, all whilst trying to avoid the gladiators blocking their path.

The winning team will be awarded the EliMannator cup and £100 to donate to a charity of their choice.

Hayden Amour, from event organisers Pentagon Events, said: ‘This is the first year that we have run The EliMannator and we are really excited about it.

‘Ten teams have already signed up to take part, from various corporate companies in the island as well as a few sports clubs, so it is set to be a really fun day.’

The race will take place on Sunday, March 13, at Onchan Raceway from 11.30am to 5pm and the closing date for entries is next Wednesday (February 10).

All of the proceeds from the event will be donated to Craig’s Heartstrong Foundation, which raises funds to enable heart screenings of people aged 14 to 35 in the island as well as donate defibrillator equipment to businesses, schools and sports clubs.

Founder of the charity Paula Lunt, said: ‘I feel honoured that Craig’s Heartstrong Foundation has been chosen to receive the funds raised by The EliMannator. The money raised on the day will help our charity to fund more heart screenings on island.’

There will be entertainment at half time and food will be available.

Hayden said Pentagon Events, which is made up of a group of five students studying for an Event Management and Marketing degree in the island, is still looking for local companies to sponsor the event, along with Douglas company Moore Stephens.

He said: ‘We would love to see as many people come along to support and cheer teams for such a great cause.’

There are limited places left in the race and the cost to enter a team is £50.

To enter a team in The EliMannator or if you are interested in sponsoring the event email Hayden on haydenwa@live.com.

Tickets for spectators are also available, costing £5 for adults and £3 for children.

Tickets can be bought by emailing kate.skillicorn@manx.net

For more information about the race go to www.pentagonevents.wordpress.com or visit ‘Pentagon Events’ on Facebook.

Island children have been presented with prizes for their entries into an ‘Into the Woods’ inspired poetry competition.

The Harvey Briggs Cup for Writing competition, organised by Onchan Library, saw a variety of entries ranging from evocative and haunting pieces and poems with an adventure and spy theme.

Island-based writers Elizabeth Adams and Vikki Orwin judged the contest open to youngsters up to the age of 14.

Overall winner was Zachary Elliott, aged 14, from Castle Rushen High School. Runners-up were Maisie Halsall, Charlotte Derbyshire and Rosa D’Amore, all aged 10.

An entry from Luke Corkish, aged 11, inspired the introduction of a ‘Young Correspondent’ category after he dedicated his poem to Harvey Briggs.

Laser-Mayhem is the first company in the Isle of Man to sign up to the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant.

Carl Underwood, managing director of the South Barrule-based company, said: ‘All of Britain has a “duty of care” to its armed forces.

‘This began as an unspoken pact between society and the military, possibly originating as far back as Henry VIII’s reign. The pact was formally codified as a “covenant” in 2000.

‘It is not a law but is reinforced by custom and convention.

‘As a local businessman I fully support the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant and look forward to giving and showing that support to any of my present and future employees that join us with previous military service and I would ask that other Isle of Man based companies consider pledging their support by also signing up to this very important voluntary agreement.’

The Isle of Man Government in partnership with the Ministry of Defence is committed to ensuring the island offers the best possible support to the armed forces. It recognises that the nation has a ‘moral obligation’ to members of the Armed Forces establishes how they should be treated. Organisations and companies signing up to the Covenant provide a voluntary pledge of mutual support,

Interested companies should contact Major Roland Sutton by email on : rsutton61@aol.com

Cultural champions Bernard Caine and John Kennaugh have been honoured posthumously with the Reih Bleeaney Vanannan - Manannan’s Choice of the Year - cultural award for 2016.

The RBV selection panel, made up of representatives of cultural organisations, made this decision in recognition of two exceptional champions of culture and community.

Close family and friends gathered in the Methodist Chapel in St John’s on Friday to receive the honours.

Bernard Caine’s interests and legacy are both wide and far-reaching.

He became actively involved in Manx culture from his early years and this continued throughout his life. He served as a Trustee of the Manx Museum and National Trust for many years, being appointed its chairman in 1985.

A fluent Manx speaker, Bernard was president of Yn Cheshaght Ghailckagh, the Manx Language Society, and represented the island at international meetings of the Celtic Congress.

A superb entertainer and singer, he was in demand within concert parties and as a solo performer - his lively sketches, songs in Manx accompanied by autoharp, or tunes on the whistle were well loved, with his hymn raising, solos and humorous stories a keystone of local eisteddfods.

Bernard’s deep love of the island and his great enthusiasm for all things Manx was matched by an ability to convey this enthusiasm to others, quietly sharing his vast store of knowledge of the history, customs, music and language of the Isle of Man. He wore his scholarship lightly and shared it willingly.

A love of the island, of singing and of the importance of community link these two remarkable men.

Bernard was a member of church choirs for more than 60 years and John Kennaugh was one of the Manx Music Festival’s best known faces and voices and a cornerstone of the Farmers’ Quartet.

Commissioner and Captain of the Parish of German, John Kennaugh was a farmer, family man and a true Manx gentleman.

A Methodist lay preacher, magistrate and radio broadcaster, his voice was at the heart of the community and of a sense of Manxness. His lifelong knowledge and love of Manx farming and the Manx country way of life was shared with all, in later years through his ‘Countryside’ programme for Manx Radio. A former president of the Manx National Farmers’ Union, he often expressed thankfulness that he was able to follow a farming life, spending time on the hills that he loved so much.

This sense of place was key to his love of the works of Manx national poet, T E Brown. John was well-known for recitations which featured on recordings such as The Promised Land CD, Emily Cook’s visual poems for Island of Culture and on the 2014 BBC Songs of Praise programme where he spoke about Brown’s poetry expressing the ‘soul of the island’.

The Manx Music festival was blessed by his involvement, with John participating and being placed in many classes over the years, including the Victorian and Edwardian Ballads, Spoken Word, Folk Song and Bible Reading, as well as competing with the Glenfaba Chorale.

On his passing, the festival paid tribute to what they described as a ‘carrey jeh scansh’ - an important friend.

Chairman of Culture Vannin, Phil Gawne MHK, said: ‘Bernard and John were frequently to be seen working side by side at the very heart of our community. With their breadth of knowledge and deep love of the island, its history, landscape and culture, we rightly recognise them now as Manninee Dooie, as true Manxmen, as shining inspiration to future generations.’

The two families were each asked to nominate a charity for a donation of £500. His widow Joan Caine chose to donate money to the Manx Branch of the Celtic Congress, with which her husband was long involved and which, this Easter, will host the international gathering in Douglas. Mrs Kennaugh asked for £500 to be donated to the Manx Music Festival, an event and organisation which her husband loved dearly.

‘Manannan’s Choice of the Year’ or the ‘Reih Bleeaney Vanannan’ is an annual cultural award from Culture Vannin made to an individual or group who has made the greatest contribution to the island’s cultural heritage. The nominees come from a wide variety of backgrounds, working to promote and support language, literature, art, music, dance, history, education and the environment, and many more.

I was on a mission in the supermarket the other day. I’ve discovered a way to get my own back.

We all have the same problem.

You track down whatever it is that you’ve been searching for, and guess what, a shelf stacker is in your way.

And now, the more senior shelf stackers have taken obstruction to a new level.

I once saw a young man bringing almost half the length of a full aisle to a standstill.

He had not one but two stock trolleys and mobile platform to stand on to fill the top shelves. He was a genius.

The trolleys were parked on one side of the aisle, and he was stacking on the other side.

Not only had he blocked off two sets of shelves, he had created a funnel that left only enough space for one-way through traffic.

Anyway, this plan. You can play the game solo but for greater effect you need two friends, each with a trolley.

What you do is to casually walk up and down the aisles, until you find a shelf stacker with a mixed cargo.

Now with some practice, you can work out where his next stop will be.

Then you phone your two friends, and arrange to meet as if by chance at that spot, and when the shelf stacker arrives, he finds three old codgers with trolleys where he wants to be. Brilliant.

Anyway, I was in the supermarket the other day, ready to cause a bit of confusion in the frozen foods department.

I don’t mean the upright cabinets, I mean the ones that they call chest freezers.

So as not to raise any suspicion, I was pretending to study the goods on display when a label on a packet of meat caught my eye: ‘Crocodile burgers’.

Now I am a meat eater. I enjoy meat, but I could no more eat a crocodile burger than I could a dried locust.

I like my food and will try almost everything.

I would draw the line at insects, snails and oysters but I am prepared to taste and try almost anything else. But not crocodile burgers.

I gave this particular cabinet a closer inspection. As well as the croc, there was ostrich, kangaroo, buffalo, wild boar and venison.

It made me ask myself: who eats all this exotic produce, and whatever will be next? Snake sausages, ferret fritters pony patties. Who thinks it all up? How do they kill a crocodile? How do they decide which parts to eat? Where does it all come from?

I wandered off and looked around the cabinets and shelves.

We get so used to things that were once considered to be exotic and now we take them for granted.

Just take a look at the tea and coffee shelves. The variety and choice is huge.

Further down the row, there must be 20 sorts of olives. And olive oil.

There must be dozens. If we were frying food, we used dripping or lard.

Even plain old bread and milk, two things that we definitely take for granted. We had the choice of brown or white; large or small.

And when the day came that you could buy a loaf of bread that was sliced, well, things were never the same again.

And good old milk. This was delivered every day by a man and a horse and cart.

Milk was white, creamy, delicious and un­complicated. Now to buy a pint of milk you have to make a decision.

Food labelling brings a new set of challenges. Contents, ingredients, country of origin, sell by, best before, allergies, etc.

At one time we never had to worry about food labelling. The majority of our shopping was unwrapped and put in a paper bag at the time of purchase.

Life has become too complicated.

But think about this. If these young men have to use a special platform to stand on to fill the top shelves, how are old codgers such as me, expected to empty them?

The Isle of Man’s under-11s rugby team recorded a 15-5 win in their first game together on Sunday at King William’s College.

Juniors from all the Manx clubs, plus Buchan School, got together to play a match against visiting side Kirkham Grammar School.

The recent poor weather meant that the island team had only one training session prior to the match, and this showed in the first quarter, as Kirkham scored the first try of the game.

However, the Manx team did not lose heart, and some great tackles, particularly from Western Vikings’ James Mitchell, prevented the visitors from extending their lead.

The hosts equalised before half-time thanks to a bursting run from Luke Parry.

As Kirkham tired, the pace and power of the island side were causing problems for their defence, and Southern Nomads’ Alex Lemoal dived over the line in the corner to put the hosts 10-5 ahead.

The Manx sensed the win in their sights and Parry broke the defensive line to score his second try at the death.

Thanks go to all those who gave up their time to support, to coach Dion Spice, Cliff Dunn from Buchan and Manx Rugby’s development committee’s Chris Horton for organising the fixture.

The story of the bludgeoning to death of a woman who was brought up in the island moved the Duchess of Cornwall to tears.

Joanna Simpson was brutally killed on the doorstep of her home in Ascot, Berkshire, by her estranged husband in 2010. She was 46.

Having experienced the deficiencies in the legal and care system surrounding such tragic cases, her mother Diana Parkes, who lives in Sulby, set up a foundation to help others in a similar situation.

Diana and Jo’s best friend Hetti Barkworth-Nanton – with others who had also experienced domestic violence – were invited by domestic abuse charity SafeLives to tell their stories to the duchess at a presentation in London.

‘We made quite an impact on Her Royal Highness recounting our appalling stories,’ said Diana.

‘She is a most delightful lady and has pledged to help.’

Robert Brown, a British Airways pilot, bludgeoned Joanna, his wife, to death with a claw hammer while the children were just metres away inside the house. He then drove Jo’s body in the boot of his car to a park where he buried her in a pre-prepared grave. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was jailed for 26 years.

Diana and Hetti set up the Joanna Simpson Foundation to improve the care, support and protection of children affected by domestic abuse and homicide.

Diana also experienced deficiencies in the legal system and here the foundation has already made a significant change. As a result of their work, a new set of guidelines has been issued to prosecutors to challenge attempts by defence lawyers in court to distort the character of the victim, as happened to Jo.

Last September, a lunch in Douglas raised £20,000 for the foundation.

Since then, JSF has donated to the Anna Freud Centre to train specialists who will counsel children affected by domestic homicide.

The foundation also made donations to women’s refuges.

The duchess revealed she is a keen fan of the BBC Radio 4 programme The Archers.

She applauded the inclusion of a storyline about coercive control.

Diana said: ‘Domestic abuse is an issue that the public at large just don’t want to hear about and the duchess’s presence and interest was an enormous boost to us as victims and active campaigners.

‘We simply must work harder to educate children who have been affected by domestic abuse not to repeat what they have experienced as they mature.

‘We must work with government and policy makers to place this nationally critical issue higher up the political agenda.’

The duchess said: ‘It’s so important that people like yourselves speak up otherwise we gloss over it. And this is too important an issue to ignore.’

Manx singer Nigel Walton has released a new album that shows off his smooth, mellow tones.

Night and Day, recorded at the Gighouse recording studio in Leamington Spa, features covers of a range of songs in his favourite musical styles of light jazz and blues as well as some pop classics.

The track list includes everything from For Once In My Life, written by Ron Miller and Orlando Murden, and covered by the likes of Stevie Wonder, to Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Some Enchanted Evening.

Nigel started singing as a pupil at Ballasalla School as Prince Birdsong performing Greensleeves. He later took to the Gaiety stage in a production of ‘The Man Who Came to Dinner’.

Nigel later moved to the Netherlands, where he was discovered singing in a Haarlem jazz bar by Jose Koning, a professional Latin American singer who invited him to a private audition. She encouraged him to pursue his love of singing which led him to train and work with the Amsterdam Podium Kunst in 2000 with Dutch singing giants Annelisa Post and Alexandra Van Marken.

He later secured his first professional engagement with the Glenn Miller Tribute Orchestra at the Amsterdam Hilton, later appearing in the Elvis Presley Exhibition at the Rai, Amsterdam, followed by an appearance in the Dutch news media singing in Memories from Elvis.

Nigel has also had two candlelight concerts in his then home town of Hillegom accompanied by Christan Grotenbreg, the celebrated Dutch pianist.

Christan is writing Nigel a new song to be performed and recorded in Amsterdam with Christan and his band by one of the Netherlands’ top producers.

Christan and his band are also keen to play for Nigel in the island this year and they are looking for sponsors.

‘I would love to perform at the Gaiety Theatre or other large venue with Christan and his band,’ Nigel said.

Nigel is now back in the UK, based in the Midlands, and being professionally tutored by Chloe Jean Bishop, at the Digbeth Music Academy in Birmingham. He is also studying in London with TV and voice coach and West End musical producer Robert Bicknell.

The track list for Night and Day: For Once In My Life, Blue Moon, It Had To Be You, I Get A Kick Out Of You, Night And Day, I’ve Got You Under My Skin, Some Enchanted Evening, The Summer Wind, Let There Be Love, Summertime and Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.

Listen to Nigel’s work on Manx Radio’s Sundown on Sunday from 10.45pm.