Manx Radio's Island Life Series - Specials Manx Radio

Howard takes a trip to the tip of the Island and has a behind the scenes look around the developing Point of Ayre Nature Reserve. We're grateful to Allison Leonard, Neil Morris and David Andrews for showing us around this incredible new space, which will be open to the public in stages this year.


In the meantime, you can watch a video of Howard and Christy's visit to the space last year here: 


https://youtu.be/jv3W24SufUU?si=5EA3HgU5KwV1SIha

If you went to school here on the glorious Isle of Man, you might remember taking part in the annual Public Speaking competition. This popular event is just one of many that is organised by the youth committee of the Douglas Rotary Club. Christy - one of those that does remember taking part in the competition - wanted to find out more about the work of the Committee, so caught up with Chairwoman MaryJane Falconer. 


We also hear from the award winning pupils from St Ninian's and St Johns' Public Speaking teams, who took home the trophies this year for the Senior and Junior category respectively. 


Pictured below: Charlie Watterson, Maximus James and Daisy-Mae Moore from St Johns, who spoke on the subject "A Perfect Day" 





Pictured below: St Ninian’s pupils Catrina McMurtrey and Grace Cilliers who spoke on the subject "The Digital World: To Byte or not to Byte"

Christy DeHaven speaks to space entrepreneur Chris Stott, whose recent endeavours have taken Manx tech to the Moon and back. This is just the latest in many 'out of this world' achievements for Chris, who is a founding member of the British Space Education Council and remains active in supporting space education initiatives. He is also the Honorary Representative of the Isle of Man Government to the Space Community.


Chris has also been instrumental in getting the music of Manx artists Truman Falls and Back Door Slam on the International Space Station and in 2009, he organised for Davy Knowles to play a song live to the ISS from Mission Control - you can watch the video of that extraordinary experience below. 


https://youtu.be/kyRiSeg7SH4?si=tM1YjodMR-8p1HcW

During the 2021 election campaign, housing was one of the most important topics for people on the doorstep amid rental shortages, soaring house prices and little to no support for first time buyers.


So, at the halfway mark for the administration that promised housing would be one of its main priorities, what is actually being done to help? Amy Griffiths is finding out.


Including interviews with David Ashford in his role as Chair of the Housing and Communities Board, Infrastructure Minister Tim Crookall, Alex Cowley who is Chair of the Youth Tynwald Select Housing Committee and Chief Minister Alfred Cannan.


 

To mark the day that The Royal National Lifeboat Institution celebrates 200 years since it was founded here on the Isle of Man, Lewis Foster heads to Port Erin Lifeboat Station to meet some of the volunteers and join the crew out on exercise around the Calf of Man.

Not every career path is straightforward. You can take any number of different roads, with twists and turns along with the way – squiggly, see?  When Howard Caine and Christy DeHaven attended the Employment and Skills fair at the Villa Marina at the end of last year, that’s exactly what they discovered.


With grateful thanks to all the employers and workers that spoke with us.