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by Department of Economic Development

ONE of the smaller branches of CAMRA is staging its inaugural Real Ale Festival next month and is promising a unique experience for visitors coming to the Isle of Man from the UK. The Isle of Man Branch, with just over 200 members, is hosting the event from April 12th to 14th when over 60 real ales will be on offer as well as ciders, perries and fruit wines. The theme of the Festival is Beers from the Seven Kingdoms the Kingdoms in question being England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man which can all be seen from the top of the Islands only mountain, Snaefell, plus the kingdoms of Neptune and Heaven. Alan Cooper, one of the Isle of Man Branchs organising committee agreed it had been a challenge to find beers to be representative of the kingdoms of Neptune and Heaven. However, this had been achieved with the aid of varieties such as Stairway of Heaven, Fallen Angel and Apollo. The Titanic Brewery from the Midlands is contributing Iceberg and 1912. Alan Cooper said: We are hoping our festival will be unique as we are providing more than sixty real ales from many different countries. Most festivals concentrate on beers from their own particular area with maybe a few brought in from outside, but we are being far more ambitious. In addition, two local beers are being produced which will make their debut during the weekend. The Islands own Bushys Brewery will be launching a new ale to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Isle of Man TT Marshals Association. Lieutenant Governor Adam Wood is to pull the first pint of what is described as a 4% Golden Ale. Also premiering at the Festival is a special best bitter from Isle of Mans Okells brewery, but its exact description is being kept a secret at this stage. There are a group of ultra enthusiast members of CAMRA known as the Tickers whose mission is to drink every beer brewed in the British Isles. With news of the two new beers spreading through the CAMRA ranks, it is anticipated that these will attract members to sample them at the Islands event. Alan Cooper added: We hope to welcome between 1,000 and 1,200 people to the Festival during the three days, with around 10% from the UK. There has already been a lot of interest from CAMRA members in the North West. We have tried to cater for all tastes with six different styles of beer and with the gravities spread from 3.5% to 10%. This is not just a one-off and the intention is that the Festival will become an annual event. The project is being supported by the Isle of Man Department of Economic Development. Political member with responsibility for Tourism, Geoff Corkish MBE MHK, said the organisers had worked hard to ensure the Festivals success and he was certain it would go down well with locals and visitors alike. Mr Corkish commented: Yet another boost to our visitor economy is the CAMRA Festival to be held here this year. This follows their highly successful annual conference held on the Island in 2010, when local pubs played host to over 700 members and saw a brisk trade in real ale. We can look forward to welcoming many new friends and I hope they will enjoy experiencing our unique heritage attractions and wonderful landscape. I would also like to express my thanks to Alan Cooper and the members of the local branch of CAMRA, who have worked tirelessly to ensure that the first Festival will be a great success. Further information can be obtained from the Festival website on http://www.iombeerfestival.com -Ends-

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Manx Telecom Ltd 2012

Manx Telecom Ltd, Isle of Man Business Park, Cooil Road, Braddan, Isle of Man IM99 1HX Registered in the Isle of Man Reg no.5629V Vat Reg no GB 003-2919-12

More:
Small CAMRA Branch Aims To Stage a Big Beer Festival

by John Wannenburgh

People in the Isle of Man will have a chance to hear first hand from three of British rugbys biggest personalities this summer.

The black tie dinner event, Lions and Dragons: dinner with the Invincibles, has been organised by the Isle of Man Sporting and Dining Club, is sponsored by HSBC and will take place on Thursday 28th June. At the dinner, guest speakers Willie John McBride MBE, Gareth Edwards and JPR Williams will reveal in their own words the story behind the controversial and historic 1974 British Lions tour of South Africa.

Willie John McBride, from County Antrim, didnt start playing until he was 17 but went on to become captain of Ireland and the British Lions for this unbeaten tour against South Africa. Capped 63 times, 12 as captain, Willie was named in Rugby World magazine as Heineken Rugby Personality of the Century in 2004.

Cardiff, Wales and British Lions scrum half Gareth Edwards established an outstanding reputation during his playing career, and was recently voted the greatest rugby player of all time. With a warm, passionate, revealing and entertaining story to tell, his views come with the authority of one who has achieved all there is to accomplish in the game.

JPR Williams is remembered as being the most famous Welsh and British Lions full back of all-time, helping Wales to six Triple Crowns and three Grand Slams, and was known as Englands worst nightmare, scoring five tries against them in ten Tests. An orthopedic surgeon by profession, JPR was noted for his aggressive attacking style, and was an enthusiastic exponent of the tours famous 99 call.

A charity raffle will yet again be held during the dinner, with all funds raised being donated to a local charity to be selected by sponsors HSBC.

The event will take place at the Mount Murray Hotel & Country Club in Santon, with dinner tickets costing 65 for members and 80 for non-members, available by contacting the Club on 07624 495749 or at john@sportinganddiningclub.com.

Kevin Cartledge, Senior Manager at HSBC in the Isle of Man, said:

The calibre and the range of speakers at this years Sporting and Dining Clubs dinners is fantastic, with people in the Isle of Man already having the opportunity to hear from a leading business woman and a renowned author and politician. This dinner will offer something very different. It should be a hugely entertaining evening, and one at which I hope we can continue to raise a significant sum for local charities.

Read the original post:
IoM Set for Dinner Date With the Invincibles

AFC Wimbledon are off to the Isle of Man

7:10am Thursday 15th March 2012 in Sport By James Haggis

Top trio: Les Carter, Ben Wylie and Billy Smith with their AFC Motorsport bike

Leslie Carter and his wife Tina are the driving forces behind a new Isle of Man based motor racing team called AFC Motorsport, and the name is no coincidence.

Carter is a long-term AFC Wimbledon supporter and his racing team is sponsored by the vice president of the football club, Mike Richardson.

The sponsorship started in 2007 out of a friendship between Carter and Richardson and, after years of gaining the right licenses, the official AFC Motorsport launch took place at Kingsmeadow on Saturday.

I try to go to Wimbledon a few times every year and get to the bigger games, said Carter.

Everybody loves Wimbledon because their story is just a fairy tale.

There are quite a few supporters over in the Isle of Man from when they came over a few years ago and ran some coaching sessions with the kids.

Carters JHS Racing Suzuki SV650 Super Twin TT spec bikes are painted in AFC Wimbledon colours and have the clubs logo on the side, having received permission from the clubs chief executive Erik Samuelson.

Continue reading here:
AFC Wimbledon are off to the Isle of Man

by Department of Economic Development

ENTRIES have now opened for one of the great atmospheric endurance sporting events in the British Isles. Its the Isle of Man Ramsey Bakery End to End Race Walk which covers a distance of 39.22 miles and hugs the west coast of the Island from the Point of Ayre in the North to the Sound in the South. The event takes place on September 23rd with entries closing two weeks in advance. Last year saw around 400 starters with 184 finishers and this time the organisers are hoping the entry list may get nearer the 500 mark. A number of competitors travel from the UK every year to take part and the event committee is encouraging more to make the journey. Said race record holder Jock Waddington, also a four-time Parish Walk winner: It really is a scenic race which passes through some of the Islands well-known beauty spots and narrow country lanes. This is one of the Islands two big race walks the Parish Walk being the other but the End to End has a charm all of its own. There is no night walking involved as the race starts and finishes in daylight, and the first half is relatively flat. Event Secretary Angela Southern, a race finisher herself, takes up the story: The race is just under 40 miles which is an achievable distance. A lot of people enter the Parish Walk with no great hopes of finishing the 85 miles but simply to see how far they can get. Many stop at Peel, which is 32 miles from the start, whereas if they keep going for another eight miles in the End to End they will have achieved a finish. Serious race walkers can test themselves against Jocks record of 6 hours 37 minutes 29 seconds, set in 2010, but for many competitors the joy is simply to take part and see some of the Islands beautiful west coast with stunning views out to sea. Buses are arranged from all parts of the Island for those with no transport of their own and we look forward to welcoming many visiting competitors. This years race represents the 11th anniversary of the new course although the event itself dates back to 1961 when, appropriately enough, there were just 61 starters. The event continued on the much busier and more built-up East Coast course for around 40 years but as traffic increased safety considerations forced the organisers to switch to the quieter West Coast route. Sponsorship from Ramsey Bakery, with further support from Royal London 360 and the Tourism Division of the Islands Department of Economic Development, enables trophies to be available in many categories. Political member for Tourism, Geoff Corkish MBE, MHK said he felt the End to End had potential for further development. He added: The Isle of Man is an island of sport and in particular the Parish and End to End Walks are bringing an increasing number of visiting competitors to our shores. The entry numbers are an indication of how popular endurance race walks are and the level of participation and enthusiasm that they generate each year is a wonderful example of the Islands community spirit. I would like to thank everyone involved who put a lot of their time and effort into the event. Whether you are going for a top finishing position or just aiming to complete the distance, it is a perfect way of spending a Sunday and experiencing the beautiful scenery the Island has to offer. Entry is on-line at http://www.endtoendwalk.org where further information is available, and the entry fee is 20 if paid before September 1st - 25 after that date. -Ends-

It really is a scenic race which passes through some of the Islands well-known beauty spots and narrow country lanes

Jock Waddington, Four-time Parish Walk winner

If you'd like to send any information or news releases to us then please feel free to do so and we would be more than happy to consider sharing your news with the Isle of Man!

Send your Isle of Man news to:webmaster@manx.net

Manx Telecom Ltd 2012

Manx Telecom Ltd, Isle of Man Business Park, Cooil Road, Braddan, Isle of Man IM99 1HX Registered in the Isle of Man Reg no.5629V Vat Reg no GB 003-2919-12

Link:
Entries Open for Isle of Man’s ‘Atmospheric’ End to End Race Walk

by Tina Carter

Challenging the big teams in their first year at the Isle of Man TT

AFC Motorsport is a new Isle of Man based road racing team which has been set up by Leslie and Tina Carter. The story actually began four years ago when Leslie was able to begin racing following a generous offer of sponsorship from The Premier Group (Isle of Man) Limited, the Chairman of which is also Vice President of League 2 football team AFC Wimbledon.

Leslie and Tina came up with the idea of starting their own team last September after

Leslie finally fulfilled his ambition of racing around the famous TT course in the Manx

Grand Prix. Leslie, having experienced all the difficulties of getting a competitive bike

and learning the skills needed to tackle the most challenging road race in the world,

realised that many talented riders struggle to get very far in the turbulent world of

motor racing. He believed that bringing together the support of a team for such riders

would be of huge benefit to them.

See the rest here:
AFC Motorsport – New Isle of Man Based Road Race Team