Royal Wedding Street Parties on the Isle of Man

For lot's more pictures taken at all seven street parties on the Isle of Man please visit my facebook page...

http://www.facebook.com/#!/rich.ashcroft

Thanks,

Rich

SUCCESS IS MANIFEST FOR MANX WHIZ KID

A STUDENT who’s A-level project has been shortlisted for international innovation challenge has received commercial interest in his prototype whilst he prepares for the finals in Silicon Valley.

St Ninians year 13 pupil, Liam Carter-Hawkins, who has developed a completely bio-degradable portable eco-toilet has so impressed Barry Fearon, Production Director from Mannifest, that the festival impresario has placed an advance order for the imaginatively named ‘Pe-U’.

Design and technology student Liam, developed the idea whilst researching the philanthropic work of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where he discovered that two out of five people in the world lack proper sanitation.

The 18-year-old from Dukes Road in Douglas described his concept saying: ‘Form and functionality was critical, as was biodegradability, however, to meet the needs of humanitarian organisations, it also needed to be highly portable, easy to assemble and cheap to make.

‘Having put the prototype out for speculative feedback, I am delighted that we have already received an order, which is an unexpected and exciting development. ’

The prototype can be assembled from flatpack without glue in a matter of seconds and, once up, the rugged cardboard construction can withstand over 100 kilograms. The interior is lined with a biodegradable plastic and contains an absorbent sawdust briquette.

Barry Fearon explained why he was placing an order, saying: ‘Congratulations to Liam on a fantastic concept with truly global potential. When we first heard about it we immediately thought it would be perfect for festival goers. Since then, we have been in touch with Liam with a commercial proposition for this years Mannifest event.

Liam was one of two island students who made the trip to NASA space school in Houston, Texas, last summer thanks to an annual sponsorship scheme from ManSat.

The Spirit of Innovation finals at the NASA Ames Research Facility in Silicon Valley, includes keynote speaker Tim Berners-Lee - the British inventor of the internet.

The former pupil of Murray’s Road Primary School is busy preparing to pitch his ‘Pe-U’ for the finals at the innovation summit which runs from April 28 until May 1.

With global entries and run by the Conrad Foundation, the challenge for students is to create commercially viable solutions to real world, 21st century problems. They will compete for a grant of $5,000 (£3000) and be recognized as Pete Conrad Scholars.

One of Liam's hero's, legendary industrial designer Yves Behar, will be attending the event and he is looking forward to a scheduled ‘fireside chat’, with the tech-guru.

Liam said: ‘It’s amazing to have got so far in this competition. I kept backing myself and I did a huge amount of work, so I am absolutely delighted. If I get through I will be able to put my prototype into production’

Team ‘Pe U’ are one of three manx teams who will compete at the Awards which have, for the first time, been extended to the island thanks to a link-up with Isle of Man-based space company ManSat Ltd.

(Image with thanks to Marianne McCourt)

Hey everyone we're doing a charity ride out for Age Concern Isle of Man on Sunday, June 26 at 1pm.
Meet at the Grandstand for a lap of the TT course
Entry just £5 per person.
See you there : )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgfHIVvHH0A

The Pope's Toilet (El Bagno Del Papa) Film Review

El Bagno Del Papa

"The Pope's Toilet"

Reviewed by Rich Ashcroft

There's the palpable crackle of nervous expectation in the air for those downtrodden inhabitants in the rural Uruguayan hamlet of Melo, as they fervourishly prepare for the imminent arrival of Pope John Paul II and his many thousands of hungry and thirsty followers. This is a bitter sweet drama co-directed by City of God (2002) cinematographer Cesar Charlone, and factually based upon the tour of South America by the man himself in '88.

Lead character Beto (a kind of Uruguayan Les Battersby) has been using his "thinking cap", and as locals prepare to profit by retailing mountains of fritters, chorizo and patties, Beto plans to cater for the other side of the business - by building a public toilet and charging for the pleasure. Dependent on a fraction of the throng using either the half or full service he estimates to earn enough pesos to send his daughter to college, settle a long overdue electricity bill for his wife, and finally afford a long dreamed of new motorbike for himself.

What happens next is a comedy of errors, anything that could possibly go wrong does, in a frenetic rush to finish preparing papa's pissoir in time for his holiness' arrival. As the on screen hysteria mounts, so do our hopes that his hair-brained scheme will come to fruition

Charlone and his co-director Enrique Fernandes collaborated closely in their endeavor, more evidence of the burgeoning nature of independent South American film. Simplicity and emphasis on film being a thing of beauty rather than a 'cash cow' pays rich dividends for the viewer. Though it would be fair to say the budget wouldn't compare with the likes of Hollywood, it matters not, because the cinematography and setting for this film is so perfectly judged (Charlone spent much of his youth in Melo). A convincing blend of trained actors and ordinary local Uruguayans, pumps up the credibility and provides pitch perfect performances. Notably, El Bagno del Papa has 'swept the boards' at numerous South American film festivals in 2007, ample evidence that it could be worth spending a penny (or two) on this fab foreign flick.

Hasta la Vista follicles

New Recruit at Douglas Super Clinic says it’s hasta la vista follicles!


After 25 years in the business, what Adrienne Ashcroft doesn't know about hair removal could be etched on a hair tip.

Richmond Hill resident Adrienne, recently arrived from Dublin, commented upon her experience, saying: ‘My background in waxing hails back to 1992 when I opened Sohomen, London - the first male grooming salon in the UK. At the time it was a very new phenomenon and so I regularly appeared on national TV demonstrating waxing for men - bringing male grooming out of the barber shop - much to the amusement of most women!

‘Moving back home to Dublin in 1998 I opened my own salon - Top to Toe - where I perfected bikini waxing, brazilian and hollywood and so on.’

‘Looking back over nearly 20 years of waxing I have come across numerous very common issues such as ingrowing hairs, strong growth and the dreaded folliculitus (AKA waxing or shaving rash) on an almost daily basis. The scarring and appearance of these conditions is a major psychological issue for clients, so whilst in Dublin I decided to train on a diode laser - when I saw the results the progression was logical.’

‘Hair really doesn't stand a chance in the face of a laser,’ she said, ‘I spent twenty years as a waxing specialist, but when I bought my first laser machine, it quickly earned me the nickname of the ‘hair annihilator’ from my Irish clients.’

Mother of two Adrienne now joins the team at the Kensington Road Super Clinic where she offers both permanent hair removal and specialist waxing.

But diode lasers aren’t cheap, according to a UK distributer, the ‘average’ laser costs more than £65,000 and stringent safety procedures, servicing and training come on top of this.

However, such is the intensity of the light pulse that it zaps both hair and follicle. You can even hear a slight pop as they are ‘annihilated’.

‘Nine out of 10 women are fearful at first, but the treatment is incredible efficient and not nearly as painful as they imagine.’ Adrienne explained.

‘The machine I use at the super clinic is exactly the same as the one I have used for many years in Dublin. It’s powerful and permanent - so it’s hasta-la-vista to unsightly body hair!’

Christmas is over for unwanted pets

To the Sanctuary, With Love?

by Rich Ashcroft

When the home life is back to normal after Christmas and the novelty has begun to wear off is when things start to get messy. Just like it did last January and the year before that.

Jennie Cryer, reception manager, picks up the phone to distressed mums, girlfriends or friends pleading for help with a seasonal gift that’s turning into a bit of a nightmare.

Coco, a lively Labrador cross puppy, which a local man surprised his girlfriend with, is now too boisterous to cope with, one woman told Lyn Renshaw, sanctuary manager at the Manx Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals.

Another call came last year. Turns out, after just half an hour, the concerned owner had enough and wanted to drop the dog back to Ard Jekyll.

A third handed in a dog claiming to be moving abroad only to be seen walking a new pooch on the promenade some weeks later.

‘Nothing shocks me any more,’ says Renshaw.

‘People expect pets that are ready made and a perfect fit. When they get them home and issues begin to arise, they are not prepared to try.’ Renshaw said of families returning puppies and kittens to her centre. ‘You have to let a pet unpack its bags and integrate into the family just like a new baby. You wouldn’t give baby back for being too noisy or sick on the carpet.’

Because the MSPCA operates a policy of no re-homing between December 20 and January 3, most of the animals given as Christmas gifts are bought and sold privately or through online trading sites.

Cryer sees the internet as a double edged sword. ‘Our own website (www.mspca.im) is a great tool for advertising animals that need new homes however, we know of certain breeders who use online classified sites to sell young animals, particularly puppies.’

It’s easy money.‘ She adds.

This gives her two problems; firstly, it puts more potentially unwanted or unsuitable animals back into the system and conversely, lot’s of older, often more socialised animals, locked up in the pound.

With a full house of animals spread about the kennels, cattery and small pet units, she says she can only take in so many. The Ard Jekyll sanctuary has 20 dog pens, space for 55 cats and 36 small animals yet, at high peak times of the year the isolation units, normally reserved for sick or stray animals, have become a necessary overflow.

‘We have just had a load through,‘ says animal care officer Hayley Stephenson who works in the cattery. ‘I just wish people could be more honest with us when they hand in cats, it would save us time, money and unnecessary distress.’

Stephenson is talking about the mandatory two-week isolation for cats declared as stray. ‘You cant prove anything, but many are so friendly and socialised, it does make you wonder.‘ She says.

She said she expects more calls after the New Year, when for many, the honeymoon period is over.

Speaking about anyone who’s thinking about giving a pet as a present sanctuary manager Renshaw ‘They should talk first yeh, do you know their lifestyle yeh, is it really what they want, why not talk to the neighbours?’ Said Cryer. ‘A new puppy and old dog and a 3-year-old is not a good match.’

‘They could always sponsor an animal, become a member, or buy a soft toy instead.’

‘Having said that, we would much rather commend people who are sensible enough to bring back an unwanted pet rather than dumping them.’

The Ard Jekyll animal sanctuary costs £1200 each day to run. They receive no monies from gov- ernment and are therefore entirely reliant on the generosity of pubic donations, bequests and fund-raising.

Port Erin Dip 2011

HUNDREDS of milky skinned souls braved the chilly Irish Sea on New Years Day with one thing in mind - to raise as much cash as possible for local charities.
Scores of people opted for fancy dress and so from midday on Saturday, Deemsters, pirates, chickens and postmen were visible clattering down the island’s beaches in a hail of sea-spray and good cheer.
Cited as one of the best Manx hangover cures, the New Years day dips have been growing in popularity since 1983 when the first arranged dip took place in Peel.
Since that date £135,891.84 has been raised by Peel swimmers.
Jackie Green from Green’s Jewellers said: ‘This year in Peel we had 203 people take part. So far this year we have made over £1500 from bucket collections and sponsorship and, as usual, the money will be divided between three island based charities - Multiple Sclerosis, Peel lifeboat and Sailing for the Disabled.’
The best dressed team in the west were The Pirates and the best dressed man was Chris Daine. In a double triumph Marie Andrea, 61 ,was the oldest and best dressed woman and one-year-old M’Kyla Quinn was the youngest. The oldest man was David Maddison.
Jackie Green asked that all sponsorship should be dropped into Green’s, 37 Michael Street in Peel.
The Great Southern Dip comprises of four swims (Chapel Beach, Port St Mary Inner Harbour, Gansey and Port Erin) and enjoyed a record attendance this year with 138 swimmers in the grand finale at Port Erin Beach.
This year charity was Craig’s Heartstrong Foundation, in memory of postman Ben Bowman who tragically died in September. The Foundation raises cash for heart screening of men and women between the ages of 14 and 35 here in the Isle of Man.
Lenny Conroy, from Triskel Promotions, who arranges the mass swim, said: ‘This is our tenth anniversary, so with the generosity of our sponsors Pokerstars and the Manx public we are hoping to beat last years total of £4386.88. I am particularly pleased to be keeping the money local and for such a worthy cause.’
The fancy dress, judged by Ben’s widow Lesley and children Tom, 9 and Charlie, 7, saw first place awarded to a postbox worn by Rich Ashcroft. Second went to the best dressed postman - Josh Smith. Jennie Costain took home a bottle of moonshine being the booby prize for ‘changing her mind two days prior and deciding to swim’.
Lenny asked that all monies be made payable to Craig’s Heartstrong Foundation and should be dropped into The Bay, Port Erin or Primrose House, St Mary’s Rd, Port Erin, IM9 6JJ. Anyone with pictures or video of the day is asked to email copies to 2011dips@triskelpromo.com
Now it it’s 17th year, the Laxey Dip has been renamed The Deemster’s Dip in honour of Deemster JM Kerruish who sadly passed away in July this year.
From 2003 until his death, he served as First Deemster and Clerk of the Rolls, presiding as Chief Judge of the Island’s High Court of Justice.
Speaker of the House of Keys, Steve Rodan piped 60 swimmers into the sea on Laxey Beach, before they returned to the Shore Hotel for soup and a pint.
Paul Phillips from The Shore Hotel said: ‘So far we have managed to raise £800 for Manx Muscular Dystrophy and we are hoping for £2000 once all the sponsorship has been handed-in. It was a great event and several dippers dressed up in Deemster’s robes for their swim.’
He asked that all outstanding sponsorship be dropped into the Shore Hotel in Laxey.