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Community Ardwhallan Outdoor Pursuits Centre gets a Britannia International staff make-over. Over a single weekend, the Britannia International team swapped shirts and ties for boiler suits and work boots as they transformed the main reception, TV room and one of the dormitories at the Ardwhallan Outdoor Pursuit HQ in Baldwin. With donations and support from other local businesses, the team introduced a vibrant new
blue and white palette to replace the reception room’s dated two-tone peach and yellow décor (once reminiscent of many a pair of Y-fronts) whilst the dorm room was given a more respectable white finish with feature black wooden beams. Paul Melling, Head of Outdoor Centres, said, “On behalf of all of us at Ardwhallan I’d like to pass on our greatest of thanks. It looks great and the team worked extremely hard.” Mark Beresford, Managing Director of Britannia International, added, “One of our primary community goals is to help inspire young people and there aren’t many better places on the Island for this than Ardwhallan Outdoor Pursuits Centre.”
RBS International joins forces with Manx National Heritage to restore Rushen Abbey landscape. Manx National Heritage’s ongoing conservation work at Rushen Abbey received a welcome boost recently when volunteers from RBS International joined forces with the property’s team at Manx National Heritage to clean up an important area in the Abbey Gardens. Six members of staff spent two days clearing an overgrown area of the gardens and refreshing the front gates to the site with a lick of paint. Shaun Murphy, Properties Manager for Manx National Heritage, said, "During two afternoons, the RBS International team cleared undergrowth and smaller scrub trees in Rushen Abbey gardens, effectively giving the gardens a facelift and paving the way for further tree management in the Abbey Gardens. We are delighted with the work completed and as an added bonus, the RBS International team also took the opportunity to paint and spruce up the main entrance gates to the Abbey site." "The conservation of Rushen Abbey is a huge success story and we are grateful to the bank for its work in contributing to the ongoing conservation of the site." John Hunter, Head of Financial Institutions at RBS International, explained the Bank’s rationale for involvement in the project. “It is important for leading businesses in the Isle of Man to contribute to the community in a variety of ways, and we were delighted to have the opportunity to work as a team in helping Manx National Heritage with valuable conservation work.”
Blake boys boost Junior Achievement’s funds
A concert by operatic boyband Blake has struck a chord with the people of the Isle of Man and helped raise funds for Junior Achievement. The audience in the Villa Marina’s Royal Hall took the classical boyband – Ollie Baines, Humphrey Berney, Stephen Bowman and Jules Knight – to their hearts, enjoying the potent mix of a good-looking quartet of young men performing choral versions of pop and rock numbers in a show that succeeded in raising £6,500 for the charity. The boys said they want to come back - probably as part of their “Love Lifts Us Up” tour – and, unsurprisingly, we’d love to have them back.
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Basilisks in Ballasalla? Junior Achievement on track for fantastical ‘wizard’ event.
In its most audacious fundraising event yet, Junior Achievement Isle of Man is to hold a Harry Potter*themed event. It’s full steam ahead on the Wizard’s Express, (courtesy of Isle of Man Bus and Rail) on Saturday March 31 and Sunday April 1 when trains from Douglas and Port Erin will whisk wannabe wizards, witches and Weasleys to ‘Hogwarts’, better known as King William’s College, for a day-long spell of magical activities. A whole cauldron of sessions are planned, including face painting, sorting hat, potions classes, care of magical creatures, decorating your own wizard’s hat and much more. It’s also an opportunity for Potter fans to release their inner Dumbledore, Voldemort, Hagrid or Hermione, and come dressed as their favourite Harry Potter character. Junior Achievement’s chief executive Sue Cook said, ‘This is an opportunity for fans to immerse themselves in the fantasy world of Harry Potter and for the “Muggles” of the Isle of Man to enjoy a taste of magic. And for this we’re looking for volunteers - people with all Continued Isle of Man style magazine