Tynwald ceremony offers people 'a chance to be Manx for a day'
Her father Adrian Bashforth agreed that it was a special occasion each year as it was "one big occasion every year, in some respects like the opening of parliament, it is our way of doing things.""It is the Manx way and we are very proud to be Manx," he said.
Marian Ashcroft from Ramsey said one of her favourite parts of the day was watching the military parade following by the ceremony on the hill itself.She said it was someone close to people's hearts because it was "our day where we see our parliament in action which is just part of our community and culture".
Vicki Gillings, who lives in nearby Peel, said the right to hand over a petition during the ceremony was "just so empowering"."You know that someone somewhere will listen to what you have to say," she said, adding: "I love the feeling that it is all tangible".
Geoff Robinson, from Onchan, said for many years he had taken part in the traditional dancing displays at the event with the Manx Folk Group Society for many years, which helped to keep the "tradition going".
The ancient outdoor ceremony, which has its roots in the island's Viking links, saw politicians, dignitaries, the judiciary and the clergy assemble on Tynwald Hill in St John's.For many of the island's politicians, taking part in the ceremony is a source of national pride.Speaker of the House of Keys Juan Watterson Tynwald Day was the "epitome of Manxness"."You don't get anything close to this anywhere else in the world, it is a peculiarly Manx institution and long may it continue," he said.Watterson said the "heart of the ceremony" was the proclamation of the acts, which meant it remained the "same as when the Vikings were running it".
Daphne Caine MHK said the ceremony was "for the people" and being part of the proceedings was "a real pinch me moment".It was a "wonderful time to come together and catch up with people", she continued.MHK David Ashford said it was "remarkable" to think back at the long history of the ceremony "and what it means for our island and our community"."As a small island nation, community is at our core", he said, adding: "I love seeing how happy people are."
Newly elected MLC Kirsty Morphet, who was taking part in the ceremony for the first time said it was "awe-inspiring to be part of something that has been going since the 10th Century".It was "amazing" to see the laws of the island "come to fruition" and "hopefully in the future be part of really meaningful legislation", she added.
Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
North East shellfish die-off 'catastrophic' for fishing community
The mass-deaths of shellfish off the Teesside and North Yorkshire coast in 2021 has had a "catastrophic" impact on the mental health of the fishing community, a report has found. Thousands of crustaceans washed up dead along the area's beaches and a working group made up of councillors from across the region said the incident had affected fishers' livelihoods, as well as local tourism. No definitive cause for the die-off has been found but the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it was likely to be due to naturally occurring harmful situation had an "extremely negative" impact on communities, a meeting on Friday heard. The aftermath of the event was a "fight for survival" for the districts' ecosystem and communities, said the report by a working group made up of councillors from Redcar and Cleveland, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton councils."Clearly, the impact on fishing communities has been catastrophic in certain areas," it said."Most areas along the coast in both directions from the Tees Mouth have experienced a fall-off in catch, the marine environment has been adversely affected in certain areas, and the number of vessels involved in inshore fishing has significantly diminished."Meanwhile, a senior environmental officer said the lobster population was recovering, though it was "not back to where it was".The crab population is "still a long way from that," the officer told a council suggested the creation of a hatchery to restore crab populations in the area should be explored. In 2023, North Yorkshire Council supported calls for a public inquiry into the crustacean die-offs and a public inquiry was formally requested by the working group in July Defra advised that an inquiry was unlikely to provide substantial new insights due to the length of time since the initial the meeting, a council environmental officer said there had been "clearly no appetite" in Government for a public working group called for financial support for the affected fishers and a reduction of red tape to help improve responses to future events, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. North Yorkshire councillor Phil Trumper said: "Other areas, such as farming, get financial support and we should be pushing the Government on that."One of the recommendations of the final report, which was also put forward to North Yorkshire Council's executive committee, proposed "financial support for ventures that might aid the recovery of marine ecosystems". Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
'My mentor at uni is amazing - others may not get the same help'
Wider eligibility for free school meals could lead to stretched support for children who need help after leaving school, a leading charity has said. The Social Mobility Foundation said the expanded support for children in school was welcome, but warned that availability for their mentoring scheme was already "limited" due to comes after the government announced 500,000 more children would be eligible for free school meals from September next government said it did not fund the charity's mentoring scheme directly, but was committed to supporting more people from disadvantaged backgrounds in work and higher education. Ministers have also said the changes to free school meal eligibility will "help families who need it most".The Social Mobility Foundation provides a university and careers mentoring scheme to help young people who have been on free school meals or are the first in their families to go into higher charity said more government funding should be directed towards work experience and careers advice for those from lower-income households, to support people going to university who may not have the personal connections others might have which could help them find work in their chosen field Atkinson, the charity's chief executive, said more students becoming eligible for the scheme after receiving free school meals would mean "these places would be in even greater demand"."The most incredible gift we can give people is our time and attention, and this scheme allows you to do that," she said."Mentoring is really precious because mentors don't want anything from these young people, except to help them achieve their ambitions." Nimra Ahmeed, from Dewsbury in West Yorkshire, said she would have been "lost" without the mentor who has helped guide her through her time at university so in her penultimate year studying law at the University of Manchester, 20-year-old Nimra said she hoped more awareness of schemes like the one she has benefited from would help take away the stigma around it."Some people might not want to reach out as they may feel it's something to be embarrassed about, but for me it's been so helpful," she said her mentor, 54-year-old solicitor Natalie Maloney, "took away how daunting it is going into [university] without knowing anything about it". 'We don't employ people like you' Natalie, who qualified as a solicitor in the 1990s and volunteers her time as a mentor, said the scheme was an important tool in maintaining a "level playing field" between students. She said it was crucial to give "real talent" a chance within competitive working involvement in the scheme was borne out of her own experience of trying to break into the industry, as she was also the first in her family to go to claimed she was told by one firm that "we don't employ people like you", after a string of failed applications."That's why I am so passionate to help others - I know what it's like," she said. The most recent government data suggests there has been a wider gap than ever before between the number of students who were eligible for free school meals at school, and the number of those who weren't, going on to study at university in recent of longer-term data by the Office for National Statistics in 2022 also suggests those on free school meals traditionally go on to earn significantly less than their peers from higher-income households. Social Mobility Foundation boss Sarah said that data was why she believes schemes like mentoring, which the charity has been running for two decades, were so said the scheme started when those in various corporate sectors realised they were missing out on "talented people" who simply didn't have connections to the industry. And with more people receiving free school meals in the coming years, more are going to be eligible for the scheme's support as they leave school and enter the world of work, she said."The charity is doing a great job, but we need more help," she said."Talent is everywhere, but opportunity isn't."
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Britons say ‘sorry' in 15 different ways – but which one really means genuine regret?
We all say it - and most of the time, let's face it, we don't even mean it. Well, now researchers have backed up the theory, after finding Britons say 'sorry' in as many as 15 different ways, with only one actually expressing true regret. After examining different scenarios we use the apologetic term, they say the multitude of meanings even creates confusion for foreigners, who assume a literal apology is being made, rather than accounting for the other uses of the word. And they say only one of them means true regret - when someone is genuinely sorry to hear someone else's bad news. Karen Grainger, a lecturer in linguistics at Sheffield Hallam University commissioned by Babbel to analyse apologies, explained that 'sorry' is frequently used in attempts to be polite, and to take the edge of disagreements or awkwardness as well as to work around social norms. Britons say 'sorry' as many as nine times a day on average, a previous survey suggested, according to The Times. Mattias Pettersson, who is from Sweden but lives in the UK, told the newspaper: 'When I first started spending time with my British partner, I was struck by how often she said 'sorry'. At first, I thought I'd done something wrong. She'd say sorry when we passed each other in the hallway, when she handed me something, even mid-sneeze. 'Now, even with our two-year-old daughter and other Brits I met, I realised 'sorry' can mean anything from 'excuse me' to 'after you' to 'I exist, and I hope that's OK.' 'At first, I didn't know how to respond — should I apologise back? Say thank you? It was confusing but also fascinating: a tiny word carrying a thousand meanings. It felt like there were secret rules I hadn't learnt yet. Over time, I've learnt to love it. It feels less like an odd habit and more like a quiet sign of thoughtfulness and consideration.' Sofia Zambelli, who is a cultural and language expert at Babbel, added: 'In British English, 'sorry' is as much a social lubricant, an exclamation or a response to mild discomfort as it is a genuine apology. This unique multifunctionality makes it one of the most fascinating and simultaneously misunderstood words in the English language.' Here are the 15 ways Britons use the word 'sorry': A genuine apology is used when someone wants to show that they care about what another person is going through when they share bad news. Then there is the passive aggressive use, such as 'I'm sorry if I offended you.' If two people bump into each other, it is expected that both apologise, regardless of whose fault it is. When someone is blocking your way, often 'sorry' is used to politely ask them to move. 'Sorry' can be used before a polite challenge, such as: 'Sorry, but I disagree.' To enforce rules, 'sorry' is frequently used before the rule is stated, for example, 'Sorry but you can't sit there.' Then there are the times 'sorry' takes the place of 'pardon?' in conversations when someone misses what another person says. An apology can be used to express outrage, such as: 'I'm sorry but they were totally out of line.' People often apologise when turning down offers or plans. A 'sorry' can come before someone interrupts another. Before asking, someone to do something, a 'sorry' is often said. If you want to turn down someone who is trying to engage with you, if you are busy, for example, then usually you would apologise first. 'Sorry' is often said before speaking in an unfiltered manner. Minor rule-breaking might be prefaced with an apology, such as: 'Sorry, I just couldn't resist.' If suggesting a correction, but attempting to be polite about it, someone might say 'sorry'.
