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Commissioners Picture Gallery 2007

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ONCHAN'S COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS 4th December 2007

There was a departure from the usual torchlight parade this year due to problems with finding enough volunteers to man the barriers with the various road junctions en route. It was decided therefore to hold "Onchan's Community Christmas" outside the Onchan Youth and Community Centre in School Road.

On the night there were strong guests of wind so the wax torches were not lit but those present made good use of the glow sticks which were available. When the event was over Father Christmas was in his grotto at the 2nd Onchan Scout Headquarters thanks to The Rotary Club of Onchan. The scouts provided hot soup, tea, coffee and orange squash and Hospice Care had a stall selling Christmas cards.

Looking out towards the crowd, girls from the Onchan Entertainers were good to join in the carols, particularly those played by the St Peter's Music Group.

Pictured from left to right is Canon Malcolm Convery of St Peter's, Reverend Christopher Belfield from the Onchan Methodist Church and Captain of the Parish of Onchan, Harvey Briggs. In the background are members of Onchan Silver Band.

St Peter's Music Group came along to play and made good use of the commissioners' new general purpose vehicle which made a very good sheltered stage complete with hydraulic lift. The group played some of the more modern carols and upbeat music.

TREE PLANTING IN ONCHAN PARK NOVEMBER 2007

Earlier in the year nine trees in Onchan Park were condemned by the Forestry Section of DAFF due to rot in the 50 year old trunks. After they were cut down arrangements were made for replacement trees of Silver Birch, Mountain Ash, White Beam and Cherry to be planted just prior to the winter.

By coincidence this summer's reading promotion at Onchan Library was related to wildlife. Sponsors for the "Big Wild Read" were Royal Skandia whose offices are in Onchan on the site of the former Douglas Bay Hotel. They made an offer that for every 1,000 books read by the children they would donate a tree to be planted in Onchan. There were over 200 children in the scheme and they clocked up a little over 5,000 books between them so five of the nine replacement trees were provided by Royal Skandia.

The planting took place on Thursday 15th November in the area of the putting green by pupils from Year 3 of Ashley Hill School who were assisted by Parks Foreman Colin Pennock and his team.

Andy Page of Royal Skandia chats to children after the tree planting. Chairman of Onchan District Commissioners, Tim Norton, looks on in the background.

Children from Year 3 at Ashley Hill School pose for the camera after planting one of the five replacement trees in Onchan Park.

ARBOR WEEK 2007

It was wild Monday afternoon on 5 th March when this year’s Arbor Week tree planting took place. Onchan’s three WI groups, Onchan Ladies Club (formerly the Onchan Townswomen’s Guild) and the Friends of Onchan’s Heritage all sent representatives. Pupils from Ashley Hill School were also meant to plant five trees but teacher illness on Monday morning meant they were unable to come. They did however plant their trees on Thursday 8 th so now Sunnybank Avenue in the Birch Hill Park Estate is a true avenue with trees in the grass verges either side of the road and on the two link roads to Highfield Crescent. Next year a new site will have to be found.

Each group was photographed planting their tree but unfortunately Daphne Barwell from Avondale WI managed to plant her tree and head off to the warm and dry before our photographer could capture the action.

Members of Onchan Jubilee WI are captured in jovial mood in this photograph .

Left to right: Doris Lawson, Cath Bell, Brenda Yewdall with spade, Margaret Kinley with her dog and Alma Hogg the President captures the planting on her camera.

Onchan and District WI, the longest established WI group in Onchan were represented by (left to right) Hazel Collister, Ella Kaighen (President) and Nora Watterson.

The Friends of Onchan's Heritage tree was planted by Secretary, Eve Park and Chairman Keith Watterson. Commissioner Terry Black looks on in the background.

The newly formed Onchan Ladies Club planted a tree as their first event. Chairman Ann-Marie Wade holds the spade as Secretary Clarice Gray looks on.

DOUBLE CENTURY

The final tree planting in Onchan for Arbor Week took place on Thursday 15 th March when Beavers from the 2 nd Onchan Scout Troop made their way to Centenary Park at the top end of the Birch Hill Park Estate for tree planting of a very special tree. The year 2007 sees the celebration of the centenary of the scout movement and throughout the island each scout troop has planted a tree to commemorate the occasion. In each case a plaque has also been placed with the tree to record the event and the plaques have been provided by the Scout Association – Isle of Man.

Group Scout Leader Julian Ashcroft explained to the boys that it was appropriate that Onchan District Commissioners had provided a site for the Centenary Tree to be planted in Centenary Park which should be at its best in about 40 years time when the land reclamation and tree planting will have matured. He also said it was a coincidence that the tree provided by DAFF was a mountain ash tree as the name he was known by in scouting was “Ash”.

Centenary Park is the site of the former Onchan Tip and in 1994, the centenary of the commissioners, it was decided to embark on a long term project to reclaim the area at little cost so that eventually it could be used for public ramblage rather than as a park on the lines of Onchan Park. Provision for this work in 2007 – 2008 is just fractionally over £100.

EASTERN NEIGHBOURHOOD PARTNERSHIP TEAM (ENPT)

Sometime ago the ENPT was formed with the aim of providing the people in the eastern part of the island with a better service when it comes to issues of local concern by being dealt with at local level by a local team.

This is achieved by fortnightly meetings of the partners to share information and assist each other in the formulation and development of policies for reducing any crime and disorder in the district.

Membership of the ENPT comprises officers from the Youth Justice Team, Drug and Alcohol Team, Community Safety Unit, Force Intelligence Bureau, Fire and Rescue Service, Braddan Parish Commissioners, Douglas Corporation, Laxey Commissioners, Lonan Parish Commissioners, Department of Local Government and the Environment, Department of Transport and Department of Education.

On Monday 26 th March Onchan District Commissioners formally signed their names to the partnership. Photographed at the signing are (standing left to right) Commissioners Brian Stowell, Gordon Astill, June Kelly and Terry Black. Signing the document is Commissioners’ Chairman Derek Crellin JP and alongside him is Malcolm Hulme the Clerk to the Commissioners.

BEATING THE BOUNDS

On occasions over the past 21 years the commissioners have toured the district in an effort to show new members of the board the boundaries of the district. Following the merging of the Village and Parish Authorities this was initially undertaken in a small coach as there were a greater number of commissioners and several of the former Village Commissioners' staff also attended to familiarise themselves with their new charge. As time progressed the trip has been carried out by mini bus and the principal object was to give members an insight into where things were happening or proposed in the Rural Ward as well as noting anything that was out of order.

On Wednesday 11th July s "Beating of the Bounds" (as these tours had been called) took place in the evening. The new Clerk to the Commissioners, Malcolm Hulme, drove the mini bus and followed the boundaries of the district as far as was practical. The tour started at Windy Corner and then went by road to Sir George's Bridge as opposed to walking down the river in East Baldwin and onto the former Clucas Laundry. The trip was limited to viewing the boundaries and the Clerk introduced the ancient practice of literally beating the bounds by providing willow sticks for the commissioners to use in the beating.

In the first picture Commissioner Brian Stowell reads out the wording provided by the Clerk, "We declare that this is the boundary of the District of Onchan. Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour's landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen". The latter part being from Deuteronomy 27, 17.

Commissioners Chairman Tim Norton and the newest Commissioner June Kelly joined in beating the boundary. The exercise was repeated at Sir George's Bridge but not at other points on the route