Latest news with #ManxLanguage
BBC News
28-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Manx Gaelic Girlguiding badge to 'bring love for language'
A new badge for girl guides and scouts will be introduced later this year, to "bring joy, and a love for Manx". Organised by Culture Vannin, the badge's launch coincides with the 2026 Year of the Manx Language, a year-long celebration of the island's native Aboo - which translates as Hooray for the Manx language - launches in September, and will see girl guides aged four to 18 complete three sessions over the course of a year to earn the Keggin Gell, who has organised the project, said the sessions would provide "lots of wonderful social time through the medium of the Manx language". 'Unique Manx identity' "There aren't very many Guiding or Scouts badges exploring languages, and so it's wonderful to create one that helps spread the importance of minority languages," said Ms Keggin badge will be available to 1,200 children who are part of the 70 local Girlguiding and scouts units. Over the three sessions, using games and activities run by visiting instructors, participants will study greetings, numbers, telling the time, likes and dislikes, as well as basic food and drink Keggin Gell has herself designed the badge - an embroidered circular, blue purple and green emblem, with a speech bubble saying Gaelg Aboo!She said the activities were intended to "reinforce" the Manx some children will be learning at school, as well as introducing it to those who have not yet started their studies. "The hope is that it will leave them with some pride that they have learnt some Manx, and they have fun while learning it," she Simpson, from Girlguiding Isle of Man, said the team wanted to include the badge into its programme to "help members connect with their cultural heritage, and to take pride in the unique identity of the Isle of Man". 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.
BBC News
07-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Tynwald petition calls for review of 20mph speed limit rollout
A pause in the rollout of lower speed limits in some residential areas to allow for a review of the scheme is among the petitions handed over at this year's Tynwald Day 20mph (32km/h) zones have already been put in place in Port St Mary, with Douglas and Onchan next in line for the his petition during the proceedings in St John's, Chris Pay said he believed the project's £400,000 budget "could be better spent on many other island projects".Other petitions included calls for a dementia village, a law change to allow Manx language films to be put forward for an Oscar, and greater education on breathing techniques for children. As part of the the annual open-air sitting of the parliament, members of the community can hand over of petitions for redress of is an opportunity for residents to highlight an issue that members of Tynwald could "pick up" and put forward for debate. Mr Pay said he felt the "blanket implementation" of 20mph limits in his home town of Port St Mary had been "completely inappropriate" and he had been "horrified" at the plans for Onchan and said while he could not stop the rollout, which was again backed by Tynwald in May, his petition asked for an "independent assessment" to consider the "significant impacts on business, commuters and essential services".In June, the House of Keys voted down a bid to suspend the rollout of the scheme altogether. There was also a call for the government to build a dementia village by Millie Blenkinsop-French, an idea that was previously thrown out by the a feasibility study in 2018, the then Health and Social Care minister David Ashford said it would not be "affordable or sustainable".Calling for the move to be reconsidered, Ms Blenkinsop-French said villages opened in the UK meant residents could live in a "safe community continuing many of their normal daily activities prior to moving in, like walking to the shops"."In 2025 there is a definite need for something like this. I have three friends living with dementia and most people you talk to now know someone who is living with the condition."According to the Alzheimer's Society, there are around 900,000 people in the UK with dementia. George Hargreaves from the Isle of Man International Film Festival presented a petition for the body to become the "requisite organisation" to submit movies featuring the Manx language for consideration for an Academy said: "We've got the talent, got the language, we just need Tynwald's support to get that glory for the Isle of Man and give filmmakers a shot at the biggest prize in movies."He said he had the support of backers who were keen to consider "Manx versions" of English movies, if the petition were to lead to the change. Michael Quine from Castletown called for politicians to consider introducing education on breathing techniques into nurseries and said he was living with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) and had realised that "quite a lot of people at a young age are falling into unhealthy breathing habits"."I've noticed an improvement in my health by making changes and I think the earlier people can learn the better," he petitions included calls for mandatory training for educational staff working with neurodivergent children, and the introduction of an independent police complaints body.A bid for greater transparency surrounding the accounts of the Manx Development Company, which was formed to develop government-owned brownfield sites, was also handed documents will now be assessed by the Clerk of Tynwald and if deemed to be in order will be available for politicians take up and progress. 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.
BBC News
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Creative project grants aim to 'widen audience' for Manx language
People have been encouraged to put forward ideas for projects that would "widen the audience" for the Manx Vannin is providing 30 grants of £500 under its Treisht scheme, which aims to spark creativity around the ties in with the Year of the Manx Language in 2026, a year-long celebration of the island's native of Culture Vannin Breesha Maddrell said the organisation hoped to "inspire people to connect" with the language in "simple ways". Project ideas for the grant included creating new artwork, arranging songs for schools, organising concerts or workshops, taking Manx lessons to new audiences, or using recorded samples of Manx speech in new electronic music year-long celebration of Manx also coincides with a number of anniversaries, including 10 years of Biosphere Isle of Man and 35 years of Manx being taught in all celebration is set to be co-ordinated by Jeebin, the Manx Language Network, which works to increase accessibility of the native which means trust, confidence or hope in Manx, ran once before in 2020 to encourage creativity around the language during lockdown. 'New connections' "Language is all around us", Ms Maddrell said. "It is in our place names, in our patterns of speech in English, in our history and heritage but also in culture today.""We are encouraging people to play with those ideas of language."It is about widening the audience, involvement and the connection with the Isle of Man," she funding is a result of long-term planning to support creative and language-based projects for the 2026 Year of the Manx Language. Applications for the grants run until 25 July, and are themed around young people and families, identity and sense of place, community and creativity, research and resources and lifelong Maddrell said the Manx language was a "vibrant" part of the island "We are looking forward to seeing people enjoying making new connections, playing with the language creatively, or taking it to new audiences," 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.
