Jeffrey Archer will be the guest speaker at a black-tie dinner to be held on Thursday 26^th April, entitled “Up close and personal with Jeffrey Archer: a private encounter with the man, his books and his life”, organised by the IoM Sporting and Dining Club and sponsored by HSBC.

Jeffrey Archer has sold over 270 million copies of his books in 97 countries and is the only author ever to have been a number one bestseller in fiction, short stories and non-fiction. His next novel, ‘The Sins of the Father’, is volume two of a five book saga called ‘The Clifton Chronicles’ and is due to be published in March this year.

Having gained a Blue in Athletics at Oxford, Jeffrey served five years in the House of Commons and nineteen in the House of Lords. He acted as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party from September 1985 until November 1986 and was made a Life Peer in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List of 1992. In 1999, he was charged with perjury and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment, being released in July 2003, having served two years. An avid art collector and amateur auctioneer, Jeffrey has been married for 46 years to Dr Mary Archer, who is chairman of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

A charity raffle will yet again be held during the dinner, with all funds raised being donated to a local charity selected by HSBC. At the last dinner of 2011, at which the guest speaker was Michelle Mone, £920 was raised for the Friends of Chernobyl’s Children (IOM).

The event will take place at the Mount Murray Hotel & Country Club in Santon, with dinner tickets costing £65 for members and £75 for non-members, available by contacting the Club on 07624 495749 or email john@sportinganddiningclub.com.

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

 The calibre of speakers at the Sporting and Dining Club’s dinners continues to get stronger and stronger and I am sure that many people will be keen to come and hear from Jeffrey Archer, one of the most recognisable political characters and prolific story tellers of our day. Having recently announced that over £30,000 has been raised for local charities through these dinners since they began in 2006, I’m looking forward to seeing that total increase significantly this year.

John Wannenburgh of the Sporting and Dining Club added:

 There’s no doubt that Jeffrey Archer will attract huge interest from islanders and that this will prove to be a popular event, so I would encourage people to book their seats early. Jeffrey can draw on an extraordinarily broad range of experiences, achievements and interests for what promises to be a fascinating, enlightening and highly entertaining dinner.

Isleofdeals.com is a deal-a-day website that features one deal at a time offering a minimum of 50% off on every deal it features all thanks to the power of group buying. Excellent deals are offered on a wide variety of services & products the Isle of Man has to offer including restaurants, salons, spa’s, golf, gyms, karting, horse riding etc.

Isleofdeals.com is a brand new marketing concept for local businesses. Previously, a local business has advertised in the local paper or radio station with a large up front investment required and often they see little gain in the numbers of customers that walk through the door. IsleofDeals is a 100% performance based marketing concept with NO up front costs and no long term commitment. Isleofdeals guarantees to put large numbers of new customers through the door of a business, if not, the business receives free marketing.

Consumers simply receive a great deal on every offer featured – at least 50% off or more and there are no catches. The consumer has the option to register their email address with Isleofdeals in order to be the first to find out the new unbeatable deal. IsleofDeals has a huge consumer base of contacts throughout the Island with new subscribers every day.

How does it work?

Right from the very outset, Isleofdeals works closely with a business to formulate a successful deal. The business is in total control of the promotion such as the minimum and maximum number of new customers it wants through the door, how long the promotion is valid for etc. The deal is then featured on Isleofdeals.com and consumers complete the entire process through the website.

If IsleofDeals meets the minimum number of sales set by the business, it takes a portion of each voucher sold and sends a redeemable voucher to the consumer, if it doesn’t, consumers are given a refund and business receives free advertising for the day on the website and the free mailshot out on the morning of the deal to all of Isleofdeals subscribers. At the end of a successful deal IsleofDeals sends a cheque to the business for every voucher it sells.

It’s a win win for consumers as they always receive an excellent deal and it’s a win win for businesses as they receive a cheque for each new customer that actually walks through the door. It is 100% performance based marketing and businesses are actually taking money for each new customer that walks through the door instead of paying out to traditional advertising.

Further Development

IsleofDeals is currently featuring deals over a few days, this will reduce to a deal a day very shortly.

IsleofDeals has already featured deals with high profile local business including:-

• Duke karting
• Palace Health Club (the Sefton Group)

Several other local businesses have already signed up to feature a deal on the website.

The Manx Executive Challenge is held every two years and is widely regarded as the premier development opportunity for the future leaders of the Isle of Man. It offers the opportunity to demonstrate senior management potential by working in a team to address an issue which is topical, relevant and of strategic importance to the Isle of Man. In November last year the Manx Executive Challenge was awarded the Isle of Man Award for Excellence for People Management and Development.

Participants are drawn from a cross-section of the Island’s private and public sector and formed into teams. Each team is allocated a project related to the economy or social infrastructure of the Isle of Man and has 8 months in which to research the issue and present solutions which are realistic and capable of implementation.

Teams are tasked with compiling a report summarising their findings and the competition culminates with the Final where the teams present their recommendations to a panel of judges and an audience which includes Government Ministers and business leaders.

Chair of CMI Isle of Man branch, Craig Allen, commented:

The Manx Executive Challenge represents a unique personal development opportunity and many past participants have felt that completing the Challenge has given them an advantage in their career. I would urge those people who feel that they have the potential to become a senior manager to apply. Similarly I would ask Isle of Man employers to encourage their senior managers of the future to look at what the Challenge can off them.

The Manx Executive Challenge sounds like a fascinating opportunity for anyone who is working in management or intends to in the future. It’s a great way to meet others in the same profession, to share ideas and experiences and gain valuable insight from a mentor with lots of experience in the field. So, if you think this might be right up your alley, or even if you’re curious if it can help advance your career, get in touch with the Manx Executive Challenge.

I am sure by now the author of this wonderfully simple cookbook  needs no introducing, when looking through this book and at some of the recipes it was a little bit overwhelming and my first impressions were that the recipes and techniques had been over simplified.  However once again the old cliche ‘don’t judge a book by it’s cover’ was definitely appropriate.

I attempted something quick and simple for the first recipe as I was going on holiday and madeclassic shortbread and the results were positively astounding! it was without doubt the nicest shortbread I have ever tasted, and 10 days later the uneaten shortbread was still crunchy and melted in the mouth.

Once back off holiday I attempted something more elaborate and a friends birthday was coming up so I attempted the Chocolate Spiral on P144, and whilst not looking as well finished as the one in the book it was deceptively easier than ‘first impressions’ and created that wow factor at the party.  Will post photo’s in seperate post.

Amongst a saturated market of baking books this one stands out and has definitely earned it’s place on my bookshelf.  It also highlights why Fiona Cairns was chosen to bake the royal wedding cake.

The RRP for Bake & Decorate is £12.99, but you can get it cheaper online using the Amazon link show on the right.

17:00 Doors open – Drinks, complimentary snacks, and networking opportunity

18:00 “Enterprise and eBusiness Search Technology”

Connie Chen, Transparensee, New York City (speaker kindly supplied by US Department of Commerce)

18:30 Q & A

18:45 “Security Loopholes and Hacking Updates”

Mark Mann, Webtech Software, Ballasalla, Isle of Man

19:15 Q & A

19:45 Optional meal with the speakers and BCS Isle of Man committee

(£15 for 2 courses in Coast restaurant)

It sounds like a fascinating event for ICT professionals and also others interested in the sphere of technology. Entrance is free, but please email events@bcs.org.im to ensure a place is reserved for you.

More information on their website

This screening is part of a nationwide Ambassadors event, showing the film in small communities around the British Isles before it goes on general release in cinemas.

Tickets are available online at http://goodwithfilm.com/screenings, and cost £5 with all proceeds going towards Friends of Pestalozzi Isle of Man.

Doors will open at 6:45 and the film will start at 7pm, for further information please contact Katie@owciom.org or call 800464.

How many times have you handed spare change to a total stranger? Or donated something toward a cause thousands of miles away? We never know which of our small actions make an impact. But what if one small act can change a life? What if that person goes on to change another life?

Notes: Pestalozzi is an educational charity which takes students aged 16 to 19 from developing countries that are disadvantaged economically and politically to study the International Baccalaureate (IB) course at Hastings College for two years. The emphasis is on recruiting more girls who would otherwise be denied an education. With an IB students can apply for full scholarship at any university worldwide to do a degree relevant to the needs of their country including medicine, engineering and economics giving them the skills they need to return home and make a difference.

Having seen an early cut of the film Jared Leto said, “I’m proud to be a part of this groundbreaking film that celebrates this famous event and the legendary spirit of the men and women who push themselves beyond the limit to places few could even imagine.”

TT3D: Closer to the Edge is a film about the TT, the world-famous motorcycle race that takes place on the Isle of Man every year. Racing along public roads on bikes just inches apart – with speeds hitting 200mph – drama, tension and tragedy all combine to thrill the audience and tell a very moving human story.

Every rider knows that each race might be his or her last. Riders pit their skills against each other with a determination to win and push themselves beyond their limits in their bid to become “King of the Mountain”.

The film follows the leading riders in the 2010 race – modern day gladiators who live and breathe road racing – and meet some of its biggest stars: in particular Guy Martin and Ian Hutchinson. Martin is a lovable rogue with a unique point of view on life who doesn’t play by the rules. A true maverick, he’s regarded as the “People’s Champion” and his off -road antics continually exasperate his sponsor and race officials. His determination to win his first race pushes him to the limit. Hutchinson, on the other hand is dedicated, focused and works hard to stay at the top.

A story about freedom of choice and the strength of human spirit; it’s also an examination of what motivates those rare few, this elite band of brothers who risk everything to win. Filmed in stunning 3D, Closer to the Edge is a story of about what it means to be truly alive.

The film also features music from Thirty Seconds To Mars, including hit song Closer To The Edge. TT3D: Closer to the Edge is directed by Richard de Aragues, produced by Steve Christian and Marc Samuelson and was shot and will be released in 3D.

Here at ManxVoice we wish TT3D the best of luck and look forward to popping down to the cinema to try and spot as many familiar places as possible on the movie.

One of my favourite things about the Isle of Man is how, as a general rule, safe it is. I like that my children are growing in a place where they can be children and where you can actually let them play outside without any fear. On the other hand, the weather is not always great, so it is a must to find things to do especially with pre-school children. And although we tend to complain that there are not many places to go to on our little Isle, there are quite a few MUMS & TOTS around. One of my son’s favourite Mums & Tots is in Onchan. Jill Dugdale runs a “Carers and Tots” play session on a Friday from 1.15pm until 3.15pm at the Onchan Parish Hall in Royal Avenue, Onchan. This is run during term time.

Jill heads the group

There is plenty to do from baby to pre-schooler. They have a large play mat area for babies to crawl around on. There are also lots of toys suitable for infants, as well as baby bouncers and walkers. For the slightly older child there are puzzles, play dough and cutters, colouring activities, a toy garage and cars, a fully equipped dolls house and loads more. However, what I really think seems to make the place a winner with the kids are the trikes and ride on toys. But the place is not just a winner with the children, but with the adults too and it is not just the tea and biscuits that makes it a winner. It is the friendliness and the knowledge that your child is safe and having great fun.

The Team

But personally, I think it is all the love that Jill and her volunteers put in. They go out of their way to make you feel welcome and always have a moment to have a chat. They even organise Christmas Parties and give the children presents for Easter and Christmas, as well as outings such as a trip to Ramsey and even a lunch out. It only costs a pound per child but then it does cover the cost for teas, coffees, biscuits and the occasional outing. So if you have a pre-schooler, you must pop over for a visit.

If you need to contact Jill directly to find out any more information, you can call her on 625328. Otherwise, I am sure we will meet next Friday!

“Twestival encourages people to ‘tweet, meet and give,” explains organiser Sherrilynne Starkie. “It’s a fun event where people who chat together online can get together face to face, have a good time and raise money for a great local cause.”

Twestival (or Twitter Festival) uses social media for social good by connecting communities offline on a single day to highlight a great cause and have a fun event. Twestival is the largest global grassroots social media fundraising initative and this year more than 200 cities worldwide will take part.

Last year’s Isle of Man Twestival Global raised more than £2,300 for Concern Worldwide in one day. This year organisers hope to beat that target to help sick childen in the Isle of Man. Here’s where the money went:

“Twitter has gotten a lot more popular on the Island since last year’s campaign with hundreds, if not thousands, more residents now tweeting regularly,” says Sherrilynne. “We are holding this big Twitter celebration to bring this community together offline.”

Wish Upon a Dream is an independent charity that grants wishes for sick children in the Isle of Man, and it depends entirely on donations. A hundred per cent of the funds raised by Isle of Man Twestival will be donated to this worthy cause.

Here at ManxVoice we’re planning to support Twestival Isle of Man in any way we can. We’ll be giving you updates as the day approaches and plan to support  the initiative both online and offline. So, watch this space and look out for a special Twestival page we’ll be putting up to help raise as much money as possible for Wish Upon a Dream.

In the meantime, here are 5 ways you can help support Twestival. The main thing is to spread the word as widely as possible. Tell all  your friends, tell  your colleagues, tell everyone who follows you on Twitter all about it. March is Twestival month and it all comes to a head on the 24th March.