CASTLETOWN Golf Links golf course at Derbyhaven in Castletown was sold, together with the golf lodge and adjoining land, in three separate deals totalling £3.1 million.

The golf course’s sale and other recent property sales recorded at the general registry in Douglas are as follows: Castletown Golf Links Ltd, registered office The Fairway Suite, Derbyhaven, Castletown, sold The Golf Course, Langness, Castletown, for £2,100,000 to Langness Golf Course Ltd, 33-35 Victoria Street, Douglas.

Fort Island Golf Lodge Ltd, registered office The Fairway Suite, Derbyhaven, Castletown, sold The Golf Lodge, Langness, Castletown, for £525,000 to Langness Properties Ltd, 33-35 Victoria Street, Douglas.

Redford Ltd, The Fairway Suite, Derbyhaven, Castletown, sold a plot of land part of Langness Estate, Derbyhaven, for £475,000 to Langness Properties Ltd, 33-35 Victoria Street, Douglas.

Masmio Ltd, St Peter Port, Guernsey, sold 12 High Street, Port St Mary, for £400,000 to PSM Properties Ltd, 9 Hope Street, Douglas.

Marion Marsh sold 7 Laureston Close, Douglas, for £330,000 to Ronald Leslie Bannan and his wife, of Little Acre, Quarterbridge Road, Douglas.

Adrian Gordon Forbes and Amy Cryan sold 92 Royal Avenue, Onchan, for £270,000 to Steven Selwyn Taggart and Heather Anne Cannell, of 36 Royal Court, Onchan.

Clive Chapman and Julia Chapman sold 12 and 14 Michael Street, Peel, for £250,000 to CJM Properties Ltd, 34 Michael Street, Peel.

Sandra Mary Campanelle sold 15 Cronk-y-Berry, Douglas, for £220,000 to Leslie Rankin Millar, of Summer Cottage, Oak Hill, Port Soderick, Braddan.

The Executors of the Estate of William Robert James Stephens sold 1 Marine View Close, Onchan, for £205,000 to Lisa Deborah Smith, of 3 Strand Hall Farm, Castletown.

Keith Johnston and Samrong Johnston sold 97 Anagh Coar Road, Douglas, for £190,000 to Thomas Joseph Pamplin and Belinda Ann Pamplin, of 14 Orchard View, Saddlestone, Douglas.

James William Albert Paradise and Irene Audrey Dorothy Paradise sold 26 Bridge Street, Peel, for £72,500 to Richard Stuart Bulford Cooper, of Clay Head Farm, Clay Head, Baldrine, Lonan.

Please note: We publish details of all house sales unless we receive a written request from the police or probation service.

Get the latest property news from Cowley Groves on {http://twitter.com/#!/CowleyGrovesiom|Twitter} and {http://www.facebook.com/CowleyGrovesiom|Facebook}.

Friday, January 6

• Peel Youth Club, girls club, Shore Road, Peel, 4-6pm. Also school years 9 upwards, 7-10pm; Saturday, Drop In, 7-10pm; Monday, Manx speakers, 7-9pm; Tuesday, school years 7-9, 6.30-8.30pm; Soundcheck, 6.30-9.30pm; Thursday, Homework Club, 4-6pm; Monday and Wednesday, school years 4-6, Peel Clothworkers School, 6.30-8pm.

• Youth Club, school years 9 and upwards, Cafe Laare, Lord Street, Douglas, 4-11pm. Also, Saturday, 1-11pm; Sunday, 2-5pm; Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 3.30-5.30pm.

• Castletown Youth Club, school years 4-6, Youth Centre, Arbory Street, Castletown, 6-7.15pm. Also school years 7-9, Friday, 7.30-9.30pm; Wednesday, 6.45-8.45pm; school years 9 and upwards, Saturday and Tuesday, 7.30-10pm; soundcheck, Monday, 6-9pm; girls club, school years 9 and upwards, 7-9.30pm.

• Ramsey Youth Club, school years 4-6, Auldyn School, Ramsey, 6.30-8pm. Also Monday and Thursday, schools years 7-9, 7-9pm; school years 9 upwards at Ramsey Youth Centre, Waterloo Road, Monday, 7-9pm; Tuesday and Thursday, 7-9.30pm; Wednesday, 4-6pm.

• Willaston Youth Club, school years 4-6, Willaston School, 6.30-8pm. Also Thursday, school years 7-9, 7-9pm.

• Onchan Youth Club, school years 4-6, Onchan Community Centre, 6.30-8pm. Also years 9 upwards, Kenyon’s Cafe, 7-9.30pm; Tuesday, years 9 upwards, Kenyon’s Cafe, 7-9pm; Wednesday, years 7-9, Onchan Community Centre, 7-9pm.

• Youth Club, school years 4-6, Ballacottier School, Douglas, 7-8.30pm. Also Tuesday, years 9 and upwards, 7.30-9.30pm; Wednesday, school years 7-9, 7-9pm.

• St John’s Youth Club, school years 9 upwards, St John’s School, 7-9pm. Also Monday, school years 7-9, 6.30-8.30pm; school years 4-6, 6.30-8pm.

• Rushen Youth Club drop in, Rushen Youth Centre, Bay View Road, Port Erin, 7-9.30pm. Also school years 7-9, Monday and Thursday, 7-9pm; Tuesday, school years 4-6 art club, 4.30-6pm; Wednesday, school years 9 upwards, 7-9.30pm.

• Pulrose Youth Club, school years 7-9, Pulrose Youth Centre, Heather Crescent, Douglas, 7-9pm. Also Monday, T-Time Club, 3.30-8pm; Monday and Wednesday, years 4-6, 6.30-8pm; Tuesday, years 9 upwards, 8-10pm; Thursday, T-Time Club, 3.30-5pm; years 9 upwards, 7-9pm.

• Youth Club, school years 7-9, Douglas Youth Centre, Kensington Road, 7-10pm. Also Saturday, school years 9 and up.

• Laxey Youth Club, school years 4-6, Laxey School, 7.30-9pm. Also years 9 upwards, Laxey Youth Centre, New Road, 7-10pm; years 7 and 8, Wednesday and Thursday, Laxey Youth Centre, New Road, 7-9pm.

• Youth Club, school years 9 and upwards, Cronk-y-Berry School, Douglas, 7.30-9.30pm. Also, Wednesday, years 4-6, 7-8.30pm; Thursday, years 7-9, 7-9pm.

Sunday, January 8

• Task and DFC children’s club, Abbey Church, Ballasalla, 10.45am.

• Isle of Man Poetry Society, Archibald Knox meeting room, Onchan, 8pm.

Monday, January 9

• Onchan Jubilee WI, The Methodist Church Hall, 10am. Contact 818194

• Onchan & District WI, Onchan Church Hall, 2pm

• Mannin Art Group, St Paul’s Hall, Ramsey, 10am.

• Onchan Ladies’ Choir, Methodist Hall, 1.30pm. Contact 673453.

• Onchan Pensioners Club, bridge, 2pm; bingo 7pm, Morton Hall, Onchan. Also Tuesday, coffee morning, 10.30am-midday; Wednesday, Onchan Ladies Club, 2pm, whist, 7pm; Thursday, coffee morning, 10.30am-midday; bingo, 7pm; Friday, sequence dancing, 2pm.

• Sulby Youth Club, school years 4-9, Sulby School, 6-8pm.

• Onchan Rotary Club, The Max Restaurant, Groudle Road, Onchan, 6.30pm.

• Onchan Silver Band practice, The Band Room, off Main Road, Onchan, beginners 6.30pm and Seniors 7.30pm.

• Youth Club, school years 4-9, Jurby School, 6.30-9pm.

• Do Drop Inn Drama Club, children aged 10 and up, St Paul’s Hall, Ramsey, 7pm.

• Andreas Youth Club, school years 7-9, Andreas Parish Hall, 7-9pm. Also Thursday, school years 4-6, 6.30-8pm.

• Youth Club, school years 7-9, Michael School, 7-9pm. Also Tuesday, years 9 upwards; Thursday, years 4-6, 6.30-8pm.

• Cornaa WI, Maughold Parish Hall, 7.30pm. Contact 818194

• Sulby WI, St. Stephen’s Church Hall 7.30pm.

• Laxey Minorca WI, Laxey Football Club, 7.45pm. Contact 818194

Tuesday, January 10

• Peel City WI, Guild Room, Athol Street, Peel, 10.30am. Contact 818194

• Baldrine WI, Methodist Sunday School, Baldrine, 2pm. Contact: 818194.

• ‘Post Boat to the North Cape’ – talk by Michael J. Hoy, MBE, for Southern Ladies Luncheon Club, Cherry Orchard Hotel, Port Erin, midday for 12.30pm. Call 836996.

• Youth Club, school years 4-6, Ballaugh Village Hall, 6-7.30pm. Also, years 7-9, 7.30-9pm.

• Youth Club, school years 9 and upwards, Memorial Hall, Union Mills, 7-9pm. Also, Wednesday, school years 4-9, Braddan School, 6-45-8.45pm.

• Youth Club, school years 9 and upwards, Foxdale School, 7-9.30pm. Also Thursday, school years 7-9, 7-9pm.

• PHAB youth Club, years seven, eight and nine, Masham Court, Victoria Avenue, Douglas, 7.30pm.

• Craft Club for adults, Onchan Library, 5-7pm. Contact 621228.

• Michael WI, St Michael’s Hall, Kirk Michael, 7.30pm. Contact 818194.

• Mannin Quilters, Ballabeg Methodist Hall, 7.30pm. Contact 628921.

• Ballacottier Senior Youth Project for school years 10+, Ballacottier School Youth Room, 7.30-9.30pm.

Wednesday, January 11

• Talk by Charles Wilson on WW2 Escape Routes at Ramsey Probus Lunch, Ramsey Golf Club, 12.30pm. Call 816404

• Homework Club for year 7s, Youth Centre, Arbory Street, Castletown, 4pm.

• ‘Great Expectations’ by Charles Dickens with EAC Book Circle, Erin Arts Centre, Port Erin, 1.30pm.

• Youth Computer Club, Commissioners Office, Close Corran, Braddan, 7pm.

• Youth Club, school years 4-9, Ballasalla Community House, 7-9pm.

• Isle of Man Photographic Society, A4 Prints Competition, Thie Ellyn, off Withington Road, Douglas. 7.30pm.

• Ballabeg WI, Methodist Sunday School, Ballabeg 7.30pm. Contact 818194

• Castletown WI, Methodist Hall, Arbory Street, Castletown, 7.20pm.

• Peel Pensioners Club, Philip Christian Centre, Peel, 7.30pm.

Thursday, January 12

• Port Erin WI, Port Erin Methodist Church Hall, 9.30am. Contact 818194

• Harbourside WI, St. Paul’s Church Hall, Ramsey, 10am Contact 818194

• The Dalby Art Group, St James’ schoolrooms, Dalby, 2pm. Bring your own equipment. Contact Cheryl 843471.

• Avondale WI, Onchan Community Centre, 2.15pm. Contact 818194.

• Kirk Bride WI, Bride Church Hall, 7pm.

• Arbory Youth Club, school years 7-9, Ballabeg Village Hall, 7-9pm.

• Arbory WI, Colby Methodist Hall, 7.15pm.

• Port Soderick WI, Port Soderick Recreation Hall, 7.30pm. Contact 818194

• Parkfield WI, St Andrew’s Church Hall, Douglas, 7.45pm. Contact 818194.

Friday, January 6

• Parents and Tots including craft activities, upper room, Sulby Methodist Church, 9.10am. Contact 426219

• Community coffee morning, Willaston Methodist Church, Barrule Road, 10am-midday.

• Drop in for coffee and a chat, Sulby Methodist Church, 10am-midday.

• Mums and Tots, Laxey Working Men’s Institute, 10am-midday. Contact 479839.

• Tiddlers, parents and tots, Elim Church, Second Avenue, Onchan, 10am. Contact 434933.

• Prayers with Bears Tots group, All Saints Church Vestry, Alexandra Drive, Douglas, 10am. Contact 483248.

• Parents and tots, Philip Christian Centre, Peel, 10am.

• Storybox, Family Library, Westmoreland Road, Douglas, 10.30am. Also Saturday, Sticky Finger Craft for 6 years and over, 10.30am; Wednesday, Busy Bee Time for Pre-Schoolers, 1.45pm. Contact 673123.

• Coffee and chat, Onchan Methodist Church lounge, opposite Commissioners’ office, 10.30am-midday.

• Learn Manx with Adrian Cain, beginners midday-1pm, intermediates 1pm-2pm, Manx Museum, Douglas. Admission free, contact greinneyder@mhf.org.im 838527 or 451098. - 14/10/11

• Friday Lunchtime Choir, Salvation Army Citadel, Lord Street, Douglas. 1.15pm.

• Onchan carers and tots, Parish Hall, Onchan, 1.15pm. Contact 625328.

• Tiny Tunes, music time for 0-3s, Family Library, Westmoreland Road, Douglas, 1.30pm. Cost £2.50. Contact 673123.

• Meditation at The Refinery, Duke Street, Douglas, 7pm. Contact 467818. - 14/10/11

• Epiphany Torchlight Procession, St John’s Methodist Church Hall, 6.30pm.

Saturday, January 7

• The Art Market, Strand Shopping Centre, Douglas, 9am-5pm.

• Theatre Tours, Gaiety Theatre, Douglas, 10am. Tickets for adults £7.50, children £4, family £20. Contact 600555.

• The Manx Aviation and Military Museum, 10am-4.30pm. Also Sunday. Free admission. Donations welcome.

• Laxey Woollen Mills, Glen Road Laxey, 10am-5pm. Also open weekdays.

• Coffee and chat, St Mary’s on the Harbour, Castletown, 11am.

• Isle of Man Farmers Market, at Northern Lights Community Centre, Ramsey, 10am-1pm

• Isle of Man Farmers Market, at Villa Marina, Douglas 10am-2pm

• Oie’ll Verree, evening of traditional Manx entertainment, Arbory Parish Hall, 7.30pm.

Sunday, January 8

• Sunday School, Sulby Methodist Church, 10am. Also youth group for school years 7 and up at 7pm. Contact 450104.

• Fishing workshops for beginners, includes both river and sea, bait, spinning and fly fishing, at Adventurous Experiences lecture room, Patrick Road, St John’s, by Kelvin Tastagh, owner of Kelvin’s Tackle, 2pm. Entry £3 donation to RNLI. To book contact Kelvin, 478224.

• Family Walk, around Langness, 2pm. No charge, but donations to the Manx Wildlife Trust are welcomed.

• Castletown Metropolitan Silver Band rehearsals, Queen Street Mission Hall, 7pm.

• Car Boot Sale at the Onchan Community Centre, 12-3pm. Contact 623704.

Monday, January 9

• Kittens tots and carers group, St Ninian’s Church, Douglas, 10.30am. £1 per family. Contact 629683.

• Parents and tots, Dhoon Church Hall, 9.30am. Contact 426395.

• Noah’s Ark Tots Group, Church on the Rock, behond Ramsey Bus Station, 9.30am. Contact 459890.

• Breastfeeding Buddies, The Salvation Army Critedal, Ridgeway Street, Douglas. 10.30am. Contact 656030

• Roll’n’Play for preschoolers, Philip Christian Centre, Peel, 10.30am. • Parents and tots, St Olave’s Church, Ramsey, 1pm.

• Peel Toddler Group, Corrin Hall, Peel, 1.30pm.

• Action Songs and Rhymes, from birth upwards, The Children’s Centre, Woodbourne Road, Douglas, 1.30pm. Also Tuesday, Sulby School, 9.30am; Philip Christian Centre, Peel, 2pm; Wednesday, Auldyn School Community Room, 9.15am and 10.30am.

• Michael Minatures’ parents and tots, Ebenezer Hall, Kirk Michael, 2pm. £1.50 per family, contact 491592.

• Vannin Bridge, Onchan Pensioners Hall, 2pm. Also Thursday. - 14/10/11

• Onchan Silver Band practice, The Band Room, off Main Road, Onchan, beginners, 6.30pm and seniors 7.30pm.

Tuesday, January 10

• Manx Cancer Help drop-in day, Lisa Lowe Centre, Woodbourne Road, Douglas, 11am-4pm.

• Parents and tots group, Cronk-y-Berry School side entrance, 9.30am. Admission £1, contact Helen 469756. Also Thursday, 1.30pm.

• Toddle Inn, mums and tots group, Port St Mary Baptist Church, 9.30am. Also Wednesday, Living Hope Community Church, Lancashire House, Santon, 9.30am. Contact 835091.

• Autumn Break, lunch, tea and cakes, St Mary’s on the Harbour, Castletown, midday-1pm. Free admission but donations welcome.

• Laxey mums and tots, Laxey Pavilion, 1pm. Contact 438408.

• Manx Gaelic conversational class with Adrian Cain, The Rovers, Douglas, 1pm. Also Manx Gaelic class with Brian Stowell at Isle of Man College, Douglas, 7pm. Contact 623821.

• Whist for Hospice, Michael Methodist Church, 7.30pm. £2.

• Foxdale mums and tots, community hall, Foxdale School, 2pm. Contact 420234.

• Abbey Acorns, ages four and above, the Abbey Church, Ballasalla, 3.30pm.

• Peel Footlights Youth Theatre, children age eight-16, Philip Christian Centre, Peel, 4pm. Also Thursday. Contact 843819.

• EFT group for therapists, looking after the healers by Bill Tucker, Healing of Mann, Ramsey, 7.30pm. Contact www.healingofmann.com £6 per session.

• Olive Lamming Literary Competition awards presentation and readings, first floor, Jabberwocky, Duke Street, Douglas, 7.30pm. Hosted by Isle of Man Literary Society.

Wednesday, January 11

• Parents and tots, Salvation Army Citadel, Lord Street, Douglas, 9.30am. Contact 627742.

• Age Concern free computer lessons for over 50s, iMuseum, Douglas, 10am. Also Thursday.

• Mini Club for parents and tots, Anagh Coar School, Douglas, 10am. Also 2pm at Kirk Braddan Church. Contact 675523.

• Ballabeg Busy Bugs for under fives, Arbory Parish Hall, Ballabeg, 10am. Contact 429676 or BusyBugs2009@manx.net

• Mums and tots, Marown Hall, Peel Road, Crosby, 10.15am. £1.50 per family.

• Textile workshop with Lorraine Cleasby, Erin Arts Centre, Port Erin, 10.30am. EAC members £5, visitors £8.

• MS Society coffee morning, Harbour Lights, St Paul’s Square, Ramsey, 10.30am-midday.

• Busy Bees parents and tots, Beehive Kindergarten, Onchan, 1.30pm. Also Thursday. Contact 674655.

Parent and toddler group, Castletown Youth Centre, Arbory Street, Castletown, 2pm.

• Bereavement support group, friendly get together for anybody feeling isolated or lonely after a bereavement, however or whenever it occurred, tea, coffee and a chat, Scholl Centre, Hospice Isle of Man, 5pm-7pm. Contact 647443, 668192 or 647449.

• Samba percussion workshop, no previous musical experience necessary, Onchan Silver Bandroom, off Onchan Commissioners car park, 7pm. Cost £3, contact sambamann@manx.net

• Manx Gaelic class with James O’Meara, St John’s House, 7.30pm. Contact 843436.

• Bingo, South Douglas Old Friends Association, Finch Road, Douglas, 8pm.

• Bingo Quiz, Archibald Knox, Onchan, 9pm

Thursday, January 12

• Quiz Night at The Railway, Douglas from 8.30pm. Call 670773

• Happy Tots, Main Hall, Willaston School, 9.45am £1 per family including refreshments. Contact 621577.

• Storytime for pre-schoolers, Henry Bloom Noble Library, Victoria Street, Douglas, 10am. Contact 696461.

• Step-In for tea, coffee, chat and music, Onchan Baptist Church, 10.30am.

• Isle of Man Farmers Market, at Tynwald Mills, St Johns, 11am-3pm

• Parents and tots, Auldyn Infants School Community Room, Ramsey, 1.30pm.

• Arbory Tots, from birth upwards, Parish Hall, Ballabeg, 2pm. Cost £1 per family, contact 832394.

• Toddler Tunes, Community Room, Michael School, 2pm. Contact 878090.

• The Children’s Centre Parent Support Group, informal chat with family support workers, at Douglas Family Centre, Woodbourne Road, 7-9pm.

• ‘An Introduction to Marine Conservation – Isle of Man and International’ with Dr Fiona Gell, Centre for Manx Studies, Stable Building Teaching Room, Douglas, 7.15pm. Start of 10 week course. Accredited version CRN 16794, 10 credits. Fee £80 (accredited £95), concessions £40 (accredited £55). Adult education class run in conjunction with the University of Liverpool. Contact Hazel Marshall 695777.

• Manx Gaelic class with Cathy Clucas, Arbory Commissioner’s Hall, 7.30pm. Contact 838527.

• Bingo Quiz, Manor Hotel, Willaston, 9pm

Friday, January 6

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Palace Cinema

• Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol (12A) Nightly 7.30pm.

• Puss in Boots 3D (U) Saturday and Sunday 2pm

• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Saturday and Sunday 1.30pm

• Mission Impossible 4 (12A) 4pm

Broadway Cinema

• The Iron Lady (12) Nightly 7.30pm Also Wednesday 2.30pm

• Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (U) Saturday and Sunday 2.30pm.

• The Secret of NIMH (U) Saturday and Sunday 1pm

• Northern Lights cafe and community centre, Ramsey, Taking Root’, Transition North film night, 7.30pm.

Friday, January 6

• Soul Suspects at Jaks, Douglas.

• Thai Night, authentic food and music, The Railway, Douglas, 6pm. Also Wednesday.

• Manx Music session, Tynwald Inn, St John’s, 8.30pm.

• Irish Traditional Music session, The Mitre, Ramsey, 9pm.

• Kiaull as Gaelg, The Albert, Port St Mary, 9pm.

• Full On Fridays, Fiesta Havana, Douglas. Also ‘Alternative Havana’ on Thursday.

• Dickie Kelly at The Whitehouse, Peel. 9pm.

Saturday, January 7

• Dickie Kelly at The Manor, Willaston. 9pm

• Psychoholic at Jaks, Douglas.

• Brown Sugar at The Manx Legion, Douglas.

• Manx Music session, The White House, Peel, 10pm.

• Karaoke with Dobbo at the Decks Liverpool Arms, Baldrine.

• Karaoke at the Central Hotel, Ramsey.

Sunday, January 8

• One Wo/Man One Guitar features Dessie Kelly & Susan Coyle at The Mitre, Kirk Michael. 8pm.

• Ray Sloan Karaoke at Jaks, Douglas.

• Karaoke at the British, Douglas.

• DJ Karaoke & Disco at Jaks, Douglas.

Tuesday, January 10

• Accoustic Sing -a- Round, The Manor, Willaston.

• Soundcheck, live bands, Basement Youth Arts Centre, Kensington Road, Douglas, 6.30pm. Also Rock Choir. Singing 6pm-7pm. Also Thursday and Saturday.

• The What You Want Acoustic Music Club, The Manor, Willaston, 8.30pm.

Wednesday, January 11

• Karaoke at The British, Douglas.

Thursday, January 12

• Accoustic Open Mic, The Rosemount, Douglas, 8pm.

• Open Mic night, The Mines, Laxey, 8.30pm.

• Ramsey Folk Club at The Britannia, Ramsey, 9pm

• Karaoke with Ray Sloane at The Saddle Inn, Douglas.

• 1hr session of Guitar Practise on thursdays 5.45-6.45. Held in the Archibald Knox Meeting Rooms. Free for all levels.

Friday, January 6

• Step in Time, Ballroom Dance, Youth Art Centre, Douglas, 4-6pm; Also Saturday 10am-1pm, Tuesday 4-6pm, Wednesday 4-6pm, Thursday 4-6pm. Also Dynamix 7-9pm; Also Dance Exchange 4-6pm.

• Sequence dancing, Onchan Pensioner’s Social Club, Morton Hall, Onchan, 2pm.

• Acrobatics, Dance Factory, Onchan Park, 4.30pm.

• Modern Dance, Dance Factory, Onchan Park, 5.45pm. Also Thursday at 4.30pm.

• Tap Jnr, Dance Factory, Onchan Park, 6.45pm. Also Tap Adv at 7.30pm. Also Beginners Tap, Tuesday at 4.30pm.

• Argentinian Tango beginners class, St Paul’s Hall, Ramsey, 7pm. Call 880650 or 324110.

• Line Dancing, Ebenezer Hall, Kirk Michael, 7pm. Beginners welcome, adults £3.50, children £1.50 including tea and biscuits. Call 878687.

Saturday, January 7

• Dance Time for children, Port Erin Methodist Hall, sessions from 9.30am. £2.50 per half hour session. Call 835696.

• Ballroom dancing for children of all ages, Royal British Legion Hall, Port Erin, sessions from 10am.

• Irish Dance Mixed, Dance Factory, Onchan Park, 3pm. Also Prim/Int on Monday at 4.30pm and Tuesday at 6.15pm. Beginners on Tuesday at 5.15.

• Stage Snr, Dance Factory, Onchan Park, 4pm. Also Stange Int at 5pm.

• Social sequence dancing, Onchan Methodist Church hall, Onchan, 8pm-10.30pm. Call 829669.

• Social sequence dancing, Pulrose Methodist Church hall, Douglas, 8pm. Also Monday; Sunday, sequence dancing with latest dances only; Wednesday, sequence dancing. Call 842878.

Sunday, January 8

• Perree Bane Manx folk dancing, Ballasalla village hall, 7pm.

Monday, January 9

• Ballet, Viking Works, Riverside, Peel, 5.45pm. Also Thursday at 4.30pm.

• Irish Dance Prim/Int, Viking Works, Riverside, Peel, 6.30pm. Also Wednesday at 5.45pm. Beginners, Wednesday at 5pm.

• Modern stage dance for children and adults, Centenary Centre, Peel, sessions from 6pm. Call 320677.

• Country dancing, Willaston Hall, 7pm-9pm. Call 628521.

• Ceroc Dance night, Masonic Hall, Woodbourne Road, Douglas, 7.30pm until 10.30pm.

• Line dancing, Port Erin Methodist Church hall, 8.15pm. Call 436219.

• Modern line dancing, Legion Hall, Onchan. Also Wednesday and Thursday. Call 670308.

Tuesday, January 10

• Adrenalyn, Yourth Arts Centre, Kensington Road, Douglas 6-8pm Also MNYT Junior, 6-7.30pm ; Young Magicians 7.30-9pm, Johnny & the Dead 7.30-9.

• Sequence dancing and social, South Douglas Old Friends Assoc, 7.30pm. Admission £1.50.

• Beginners Line Dance, St John’s Football Club, 7.30pm-9pm. Call 462104.

• Sequence dancing with Port Erin Dancing Club, Port Erin Methodist Church hall, 8pm. Admission £1.

Wednesday, January 11

• Sequence dancing, Morton Hall, Castletown, 2pm. Admission £1.

• Ballroom dancing for children, Centenary Centre, Peel, 4pm. Call 450688.

• Ballet, Dance Factory, Onchan Park, 4.30pm.

• Modern Line Dance-ercise class for beginner, Legion Hall, Onchan, 7.15pm. £3.50 Ballroom dancing, Villa marina, Douglas, 8pm. Call Ellis Killey 623414

• Rhythmic dance, St Ninians Dance Studio, Douglas, 8pm.

Thursday, January 12

• Tea dance, South Douglas Old Friends Association, Finch Road, Douglas, 2pm.

• Dance classes for children, Centenary Hall, Peel, 4pm. Call 450688.

• Shake It classes, combines Latin moves with karate, Tango and hip hop moves 7pm to 8.15pm.

• Strictly Come Dancing for beginners, Royal British Legion, Port Erin, 8pm. £3.50 per person.

• Irish set dancing Douglas Old Friends’ Club, Douglas, 8pm. Call David 457268.

Friday, January 6

• Pilates, St John’s Methodist Church Hall, 9.30am. Contact Liz 427401. Also Wednesday 6.15pm,Thursday, 6.15pm and Friday 9.30am.

• Walk and talk, NSC, Douglas, 10am. Also Monday, Pulsom Park, Castletown, 10.30am and Noble’s Park, Douglas, 5.30pm; Tuesday, NSC, Douglas, 10am; Wednesday, Ramsey Rugby Club, 10am; Thursday, Harbour Lights Cafe, Peel, 10am. Call 688592.

Walk and talk, Earroo Nane House, 1 Snaefell View, Threshold Estate, Jurby, 10am.

• Chair based exercise sessions, Port Erin Methodist Church hall, 2pm; Monday, Ramsey Town Hall, 10.30am; Tuesday, Castletown Sandfield residents lounge, 2pm; Wednesday, Westland’s Residents Lounge, Peel, 10.30am; Thursday, Onchan Youth and Community Centre, 1.30pm. Call 642668.

Manx ABC Boxing, Palace Terrace, Douglas. Juniors, 6pm. Seniors (age 16+), 7pm. Beginners welcome. Also Monday and Wednesday.

• Tai chi chuan, Murrays Road School, 7.30pm. Call 612305.

Indoor bowls, Legion Hall, Port St Mary, 7.30pm. No experience necessary.

Saturday, January 7

• Pregnancy yoga, All Saints Hall, Douglas, 10am. Call 461461.

• Yoga, Laxey Working Men’s Institute, 10.15am. Also Monday.

• St Mary’s AFC mixed under 11s training, Pulrose Football Fields, 10.30am. Call 405859.

• Tae Kwondo beginners, Pinewood Complex, Pulrose, 10.45am. Also 6-7yrs, Wednesdays at 5.30pm and Monday and Wednesday, 8-13yrs at 6pm, all ages at 7.15pm. Text 432152.

• Gentle Circuits, NSC, Douglas, 11am. Also Thursday. Call 688588.

• Gymnastics and dance, St Ninians School, Douglas, 2pm. Also Wednesday. Call 254499.

Monday, January 9

• Ladies’ activity morning, NSC, Douglas, 9.30am. Call 688556.

• Pilates, St. Johns Methodist Church Hall, 9.30am. Call 427401.

• Aquafit, NSC, Douglas, midday. Also Tuesday ay midday and Wednesday at 6pm. Call 688556.

• Arthritis exercise, NSC, Douglas, 1pm. Call 688588.

• Fencing for ages 7 and up, Andreas Parish Hall, 4.30pm. Also Tuesday, Arbory Parish Hall, 4pm and Ebenezer Hall, Kirk Michael, 6.30pm; Wednesdays, Scoill Ree Gorree Sports Hall, Ramsey, 5pm; Thursdays, Onchan Community Hall, 7.30pm. Call 880863.

• Circuit Training, NSC, Douglas, 6pm. Also Wednesday at 7pm. Call 688588.

• Beginners Pilates, Rushen Primary School, Port Erin, 6.15pm. Also Improvers at 7.30pm; Beginners also Wednesday at Victoria Road Primary School, Castletown, 7.30pm. Call 491963.

• Zumba, NSC, Douglas, 6pm. Call 688588.

• Exercise Boot Camp, Corrin Hall, Peel, 6.15pm. Also Wednesday, Philip Christian Centre, Peel, 6pm; Thursday, Glen Vine Church Hall, 9.15am.

• Zumba Fitness, Morton Hall, Castletown, 3.30pm. Also Tuesday, Glen Helen Inn, 7pm; Wednesday, Corrin Hall, Peel, 6.30pm; Thursday, Jurby Parish Hall, 6.30pm. Call 230369.

• Cardiotone, Laxey Working Men’s Institute, 7pm. Also Thursday. Call 452729.

• Aerobics and body toning, bring your own mat, Park View Hall, Kirk Michael, 7pm. Also Thursday, Philip Christian Centre, Peel, 7pm. Contact 455924.

• Deep Water Aquafit, NSC, Douglas, 7.15pm. Call 688588.

• Women’s self-defence classes, British Legion Hall, Port Erin, 7.30pm.

• Zumba Toning, Morton Hall, Castletown, 7.40pm. Also Wednesday, Corrin Hall, Peel; Thursday, Jurby Parish Hall. Call 230369.

• Kirk Michael Badminton Club, Park View Hall, Kirk Michael, 8pm. Call 878536.

• Zumba, Carrefour Health Club, Douglas, 8pm. Aso Wednesday at 9.45am; Thursday at 6.30pm.

Tuesday, January 10

• Fit2Go walking sessions, car park, Station Road, St John’s, 9am. For women. Cost £3 per session.

• Thighs, Bums and Tums, Laxey Working Men’s Institute, 9.30am. Also Thursday. Call 335635.

• Aquafit, Western Swimming Pool, Peel, 1.15pm. Also Thursday, 7pm.

• Southern Gymnastics Club, Castle Rushen High School, from 5pm. Also Thursday, Ballasalla School, from 4pm. Call 473741.

• Pilates for Horse Riders, Ballaugh, 5.15pm and 6.30pm. Call 465115.

• Pilates, St Paul’s Hall, Ramsey, 6.15pm. Call 491449.

• Zumba, Fiesta Havana, Douglas, 7pm. Email sjh@manx.net

• Tai Chi Chuan, Lezayre Parish Community Hall, 7pm.

• Badminton club, Arbory School, Ballabeg, 8pm. Contact Liz, 832904.

• Zumba, The Dance Factory, Onchan Park, 7.30pm. Contact 425270. Also Thursday.

• Qi Gong, Community Hall, Clenagh Road, Sulby, 7pm. £5 Call 878607.

• Body Toning, NSC, Douglas, 7pm. Also Wednesday at 11am. Call 688588.

• IOM Karate Federation, Murrays Road School, Juniors 7pm, Seniors, 7.30pm. Contact 612305.

• Arbory Badminton Club, Arbory School Hall, 8pm. Call 832094.

Wednesday, January 11

• Gentle yoga, ladies class, Gena’s Dance Academy, Peel, 9.30am. Contact 456782.

• Pilates, NSC, Douglas, 12.10pm. Call 688588.

• Pilates, Braddan Church Hall, 5.30pm and 6.45pm. Call Suzanne 465115.

• Thompson Travel Netball Club junior training, Braddan School, 6pm. For ages 10-14.

• Valkyrs Hockey Club training, QEII Astro pitch, Peel. Juniors (8 and up), 6pm; Seniors (13 and up), 7.30pm. Call 801802 or cathkilley@manx.net

• Bowling club night, Port Erin Bowling Club, Breagle Glen, 6.30pm.

• Beginners yoga, St Ninians Dance Studio, Douglas, 6.30pm.

Thursday, January 12

• Fitness league exercise class, Ballafesson Church hall, Port Erin, 10.30am.

• Tai Chi Chuan, Lezayre Parish Hall, 2pm. Call 813222.

• Northern Gymnastics Club, Ramsey Grammar School, 5pm.

• Braaid Fencing Club, Foxdale School, 5.45pm. Call 801832.

• Aqua Zumba, NSC, Douglas, 6pm. Call 688588.

• Western Athletics Club, QEII High School, 6.30pm.

• Peel Badminton Club, Corrin Hall, Peel, 7pm.

• Yoga, Cooil Methodist Hall, 7.15pm. Call 494489.

Friday, January 6

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• Sayle Gallery Christmas Show, Villa Marina Promenade, Douglas. Until January 8.

• Local artists exhibition, Isle Gallery, Tynwald Mills, St John’s, Wednesday-Saturday, 11am-5pm and Sunday 2-5pm. Until January 31.

• Our Sporting Life exhibition, Manx Museum, Monday-Saturday, 10am-5pm. Until September 1.

• Mountain Milestones, House of Mannan, Peel, 1-5pm. Free entry.

• Art exhibition by the Erin Arts Club art group and textile workshop, Erin Arts Centre, Port Erin. Until February 2.

As a new school term gets underway, the youngest members of the family are heading off to the library to find the pick of the new crop of books.

And Macmillan Children’s Books have some new and exciting titles for pre-school children who want to discover the fun of reading.

There are plenty of giggles to be found in Rebecca Patterson’s fresh, funny and entertaining book Not on a School Night! (hardback, £10.99) which features bedtime high jinks with a pair of boisterous brothers.

It’s a perfect read-aloud story for little ones aged two and over who will enjoy the antics of the boys who should be brushing their teeth, snuggling down in bed, turning out the lights and going to sleep.

But when sheets can transform the boys into superheroes, crazy slippers can turn them into dinosaurs and becoming a duvet slug is only a wriggle away, there are far too many adventures to share to even think about sleeping.

There’s just one problem . . . it’s a school night and Mum’s not happy!

Rebecca Patterson’s big, bold, colourful illustrations are outstanding, capturing all the chaos of toddlers’ bedtime, and mum and dad coping with the mayhem. With endearing characters, a text full of charm and humour and a lovely sting in the tail, this is a joy for all generations.

Meanwhile, father and daughter double act Chloë and Mick Inkpen go from strength to strength with their adorable Zoe and Beans picture books which combine heart-warming stories with eye-catching illustrations.

In Zoe and Beans: The Magic Hoop! (paperback, £5.99), the latest in this unique and exciting series, Zoe has found a fun new game to play. When Beans jumps through her hoop, he magically transforms into ... Beans the rabbit with floppy ears, or Beans the crocodile with snappy jaws!

But could Beans the elephant be a jump too far? The hoop may be magic but it’s only small and a great big elephant could easily get stuck...

Little Zoe’s magically mobile face and the weird and wonderful collection of assorted animals she meets on her adventure are sure to delight children aged two plus. Picture books don’t come better than this...

And if man’s best friend floats the boat of your little ones, pick up a copy of Emily Gravett’s fantastic new picture book Dogs (board book, £5.99) which introduces us to big dogs, small dogs, stroppy dogs and soppy dogs!

Gorgeous canines of every shape, size and colour bound through this visually irresistible book of opposites. You can help your little dog lover to choose which one they want to love best of all.

With playful and appealing pencil and watercolour illustrations to enchant children and adults alike, everyone will long to bark along with the Chihuahua and tickle the Dalmatian’s tummy.

A classic and witty tale with lively and expressive drawings, this is guaranteed to be a nursery favourite...

And if you think that aliens would make great pets, take a leaf out of Jonathan Emmett and Mark Oliver’s brilliantly entertaining Aliens: An Owner’s Guide (paperback, £5.99) and make sure you pick the right one…

If you do make the brave decision to own your very own alien, then brace yourself for an experience that is out of this world! This extra-terrestrial guide contains all you need to know about caring for your energetic, alien life form.

It is packed with helpful hints and tips on how to pick the perfect egg and cope with cocoons and hazardous toilet habits (alien pee is acidic!). But watch out! Aliens are intelligent, they develop fast and may wish to return home.

If you’re not very careful, they may take you with them...

Featuring creative images that use every colour of the rainbow and conjure up the strangest aliens you are ever likely to meet, this devilishly funny spoof user guide, with a special intergalactic twist, is perfect for sharing with grown-ups.

Just the job for little boys eager for fun and adventure...

Since she lost her stillborn daughter ten years ago, Rachel Morgan has felt herself to be outside life, looking in.

Her marriage to dependable Andrew is disintegrating, held together only by their beloved son Jonathan who is turning into a resentful, difficult and rebellious teenager.

They are a family but each of them is an island, each of them alone and, slowly and inexorably, all three are moving towards crisis point...

The Child Inside is Suzanne Bugler’s second very modern, very astute and psychologically gripping family drama. Her first adult novel, This Perfect World, was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick and here she returns to the same dark and destructive forces which can shadow even the most ordinary family.

Bugler’s novels are as searingly honest as they are unsettling and compelling. She spares us none of the hurt, the guilt, the heartache and the thousand natural shocks that all humans must face on life’s journey.

Winners, losers, battlers and defeatists ... all come within her sights as she sets out to unravel the motivations behind a group of dysfunctional people.

And when you lose your child, she asks, can you ever find your life again?

As a teenager, Rachel lived through the death from a brain tumour of her well-heeled friend Vanessa Reiber, and learned the hard lesson that even the most enchanted of lives can be easily shattered.

When tragedy strikes her own life as an adult, and she loses her unborn child, Rachel should have turned to her husband for support.

But in trying to protect one another, she and Andrew have ended up further apart. They moved around each other carefully, too carefully, until one tentative month moved into another and suddenly ten years has passed and the ghost of that dead baby is still haunting them both.

Andrew’s constant apology for what happened tortures her and the lines of their marriage are etched heavily into his face.

To help assuage their feelings of loss, Rachel and Andrew ‘feast upon’ their only surviving child, stifling his childhood and making him a hostage to their own loss of confidence. ‘We drink him in, his every move,’ says Rachel. ‘He is the essence of our lives, our morning, noon and night.’

Obsessed by events of the past, Rachel contacts her dead friend’s brother who willingly steps into the maelstrom of her failing marriage.

They are soon drawn into a dangerous and disastrous affair but betrayal comes at a high price and, having lost one child, how can she bear to face losing another?

Bugler’s writing is deeply introspective and what she sees inside the human psyche is often cruel and bleak but her novels are utterly compelling, carrying her readers though dramas and crises to a point of resolution where happiness cannot always be guaranteed.

A clever and addictive story...

(Pan, paperback, £7.99)

The shadowy streets and alleyways of Spitalfields in early Victorian London are dens of vice, filth and poverty.

Disease and death stalk its despairing inhabitants and murder is rife... but equally dark and disturbing is the tortured mind of lonely teenager Catherine Sorgeiul who lives with her uncle in a rambling house in London’s unfashionable East End.

She has little to occupy her except her own vivid imagination and memories of another, and what seems now distant, life in upmarket Richmond.

So when stories begin circulating of a murderer called the Man of Crows who kills and mutilates young women, it sends her thoughts into overdrive and before long, she can hear not just the voices of the victims but the killer himself.

Kate Williams is a now familiar TV historian, her books include England’s Mistress: The Infamous Life of Emma Hamilton and Becoming Queen, a portrait of young Queen Victoria, and she was a consultant on the hit film Young Victoria.

The Pleasures of Men, her first foray into novel writing, takes us deep into the unedifying underbelly of 1840s London... and it’s a weaving, winding and occasionally unfathomable journey full of corruption, death, forbidden love and hidden family secrets.

There are horribly graphic and grisly murders, moments of pure Victorian melodrama, a weird cast of assorted characters and, coursing through the pulsating heart of the story, a tense and unsettling mystery.

Catherine’s past hangs over her like a black cloud – she is haunted by tragedy, feelings of guilt and a spell in an asylum which has estranged her from her family and left her in the care of her pedantic uncle.

When she hears in her head the voice of milliner Abigail Greengrass, first victim of the serial killer, she feels freed at last from her ‘dreadful thoughts’ and determines to ‘throw myself into the Man of Crows, be bound up in him and his atrocity, and find release.’

Catherine decides that the best way to track down the killer ‘and set everybody free’ is to steal out of the house at night, wander the streets of Spitalfields and lure him out from his lair.

Certain that he will not attack her because she can ‘see evil, recognise terror, and that would stay his hand,’ she sets out in the dark on her dangerous and deadly quest.

But Catherine gradually realises she is snared in a deadly trap, where nothing is as it first appears, and lurking behind the lies she has been told are secrets more deadly and devastating than anything her imagination can conjure...

Despite a disjointed narrative style which slows the pace and teeters dangerously on confusion at times, The Pleasures of Men is a chilling and atmospheric mystery which has an authentically detailed and gritty backdrop.

A stirring debut from the Queen of Victoriana...

(Michael Joseph, paperback, £12.99)

As war approaches, the toughest battles ahead are often those fought in the mind...

And so it is for 14-year-old orphan boy and Crusader spy Benedict who has already witnessed the wounded, the slain, the shrieking and the despair at the destruction of the city of Tripoli in 1289.

Ahead lies a new battle for the royal port city of Acre, the last Christian enclave in the Holy Land ... for Benedict, it will involve hard choices between boyhood and manhood, Crusader and Arab, remaining and departure, light and darkness, life and death.

Perdition is Jackson’s second novel set in the killing grounds of the Holy Land but moves forward to the decisive year of 1290 when the Saracen forces, under the leadership of the resplendent Sultan Qalawun, are determined to finally ‘swallow up’ the Christian invaders.

Jackson’s epic story is not so much a blood-and-guts adventure as a stirring and yet thoughtful recreation of the conflicting ideals, motives and cultures that underpinned the Crusader missions, so dominant in the Middle Ages.

His characters, drawn from all walks of life and from opposing camps, reveal the complexities at the heart of the warring factions as well as the sense of history that drives them all forward.

There is so much to lose and so much to gain as the siege of Acre ... the Saracens seek revenge for the 200 years that have elapsed since the Crusader armies took Jerusalem and the European Templar Knights are aware that too much blood has been shed and too many brethren sacrificed to contemplate the ignominy of failure.

Acre is a jewelled prize, a city that moves in a frenetic flow and where goods are traded and bartered, vessels are unloaded and a tumult of different tongues are heard.

Looming above is the moated Lion Fortress where William of Beaujeu, Grand Master of the Templars, will stop at little to secure the city and keep alive the scared flame and mystery of his legendary military order. He knows that final judgement is approaching and that time is running out.

He has allies at the garrison – the Italian adventurer Roger de Flor, as brave as he is reckless, Theobald, the young Hospitaller Knight Theobald of Alzey who sets bones and binds wounds, the court dwarf and jester Amethyst and the fierce and flinty camel master Selim – but there are also hidden enemies.

And in their midst, ducking and diving between the lines, is young Benedict who must stay alive in the chaos to be unleashed and learn who is friend and who is foe.

And so the defenders await their fate. All will be tested and all may perish for this is the endgame. No quarter will be given and no mercy shown. Deserted by the pope and the princes of Europe, it seems as if Acre faces annihilation, but perhaps something can still be salvaged from perdition...

Brimming with action, conspiracy and burning ambitions, Perdition brings history to life in all its bloody technicolour.

(John Murray, hardback, £12.99)

What is the famous riddle of the enigmatic Sphinx and why did the powerhouse known as Hercules have to perform those twelve superhuman labours?

The answers, and much more, lie within the pages of a magnificent new book which explains and retells some of the most thrilling, romantic and unforgettable stories in human history.

From Achilles rampant on the fields of Troy to the gods at sport on Mount Olympus and from Icarus flying too close to the sun to Theseus and the wily Odysseus, these timeless Greek myths exert a fascination that has endured for 3,000 years and influenced cultures far and wide.

Beginning at the dawn of human civilization, when the Titan Prometheus stole fire from Zeus and offered mankind hope, The Greek Myths transports readers to the majestic, magical and mythical world of gods and heroes.

Renowned classicist Robin Waterfield and his wife, writer Kathryn Waterfield, use some of the world’s greatest paintings, sculpture and literature to create a sweeping panorama of the romance, intrigues, heroism, humour, sensuality and brutality of ancient myths and legends.

Art, books, poetry, plays and films have all been influenced and inspired by these epic tales of war and adventure, love, jealousy, murder, rape and revenge. It’s as if the legends have the ability to tap into some deep layer of the human mind.

The ancient Greeks illustrated their walls, tableware, armour and even their furniture with artwork that told stories and within these tales were lessons for their children about how to behave, religious rituals, the origins of the universe and the power of emotions.

Many were breathtakingly brutal ... Cronus, leader of the first generation of Titans, devoured his own children to prevent them usurping him, Thyestes, son of the King of Olympia, was served up his dead sons to eat and Acrisius, King of Argos, locked up his daughter and grandson in a wooden chest and threw them into the sea.

Sacrifice and superstition were at the heart of everyday life for the ancient Greeks; animals would be slaughtered on a domestic altar to please the gods and grain tossed onto the household hearth with a prayer for the coming day.

Oracles, the mouthpiece of the gods, were consulted by both individuals and states. At Delphi, the diviner was a woman who sat in the temple of Apollo, entered a trance and relayed messages from the god.

The Greek mythological heroes emphasised to the populace the need ‘to strive always to be the best,’ as Homer put it. This meant not just defeating opponents but giving advice in council and shining in every field of endeavour.

Ancient Greek dramatists drew on the myths and legends for the plots of their plays which were performed in theatres that could accommodate thousands of spectators and featured actors who wore masks and trained as athletes.

There they would act out stories like the terrible curse that plagued the royal houses of Mycenae and Thebes, Jason and the Golden Fleece, Perseus and the terrifying Gorgon, the wooden horse and the sacking of Troy.

The Greek Myths is not just a treasure trove of amazing tales but a catalogue of Greek myth in art through the ages. Packed with 120 vivid illustrations of remarkable variety and beauty, and brimming with fascinating facts, this is a book to read and treasure.

(Quercus, hardback, £20)

General Charles Gordon, better known as the legendary Gordon of Khartoum, is the unlikely hero of a powerful and emotive new novel from a writer noted for her socialist feminist crime stories.

Ice Road, her new slant on Stalin’s terrors and the horror of the siege of Leningrad, was shortlisted for the Orange Prize and Red Dust, a thriller set in her native South Africa, was turned into a film starring Hilary Swank.

In An Honourable Man, Slovo uses her impressive intellect and writing skills to paint a vivid picture of the last days of the eccentric British commander who was besieged and then killed by a rebel force in Khartoum, Sudan, in January 1885.

Two parallel stories feature a young English doctor, who has volunteered to join a camel corps of relief troops sent to rescue Gordon, and the misadventures of his abandoned London-based wife who finds consolation in the opium-based drug laudanum.

While the once ebullient Gordon starts to sink under the weight of his doomed mission, Dr John Clarke and his lonely wife Mary gain strength from adversity and a new understanding of themselves and their relationship.

Political and social issues, the barrenness of Victorian women’s lives, the folly of Empire and the bravado and brutal realities of militarism and heroism jostle with a compelling tale of three people and their different destinies.

In late 1884, General Gordon stands on the roof of his fortress in Khartoum as the city is besieged by the forces of self-proclaimed Mahdi, Mohammed Ahmed.

Gordon, who was dispatched to the Sudan by the British Government to oversee the evacuation of Egyptian soldiers and civilians stranded by the revolt, has vowed to fight the Mahdi to the death despite disquiet in political circles at home over his actions.

Side by side with the increasingly listless general is Will, the despairing and desperate boy he rescued on a whim from the dockyard slums at Gravesend and who is now acting as his unofficial batman and reluctant last ally.

Approaching with the camel corps is Dr Clarke who has joined the expedition to rescue Gordon after an overwhelming and what he comes to see as a selfish compulsion to follow his own desires.

Troubled by feelings of guilt over leaving his wife and coping with heat so intense that it leaves the insides of mouths ‘desiccated,’ Clarke struggles to be the hero of his imagining as the men make agonising progress across the desert.

Back in London, as controversy rages over Gordon’s sanity and the rights and wrongs of the rescue expedition, Mary finds herself adrift and reliant on laudanum, an addiction that will take her into Victorian London’s darkest corners.

Threaded throughout the action is the zealous campaign of support for the Gordon rescue mission orchestrated by the uncompromising figure of W T Stead, editor of the Pall Mall Gazette and father of tabloid journalism, and the mixed fortunes of Rebecca Jarrett, a ‘fallen woman’ rescued by the Salvationists and with whom Mary shares a strange sense of familiarity.

Slovo writes with a disarming straightforwardness which allows us to make our own judgements as events and characters slowly unfold. Unfettered by hyperbole or over-egged action, the story’s dominance and beauty lies in its raw truths, studied psychology and evocative landscapes.

From the epic last stand and conscience struggle of a national hero to the harsh learning curve of an ambitious doctor and the domestic battles of a lonely and desperate woman, Slovo’s book is a masterpiece of mental and geographical exploration.

(Virago, hardback, £14.99)

A MANX-funded film has been nominated for an Oscar.

Chico and Rita has nominated for the Best Animated Film Award at the 84th Academy Awards.

CinemaNX co-financed Chico & Rita and distributed the film in the UK in November 2010 to outstanding critical acclaim.

The nomination marks the culmination of the film’s award success, following a number of accolades including the Best Animated Film at the 2011 European Film Awards and a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the 2011 Annie Awards (ASIFA – Hollywood).

Chico & Rita is directed by Oscar®-winning director Fernando Trueba (La Belle Epoque) and world famous designer Javier Mariscal, alongside Tono Errando.

Steve Christian, Chairman of CinemaNX said: ‘We’re absolutely thrilled that this labour of love has been recognised and congratulate the directors Fernando Trueba, Javier Mariscal and Tono Errando as well as the producers Martin Pope and Michael Rose.’

Economic Devlopment Minister John Shimmin MHK said: ‘This project has been a labour of love for Isle of Man Film and CinemaNX for some considerable time. Over a period of 16 months, 10 young Manx artists were fully trained in the art of colouring the feature so the Isle of Man contribution to the overall project is considerable.

‘It has certainly enhanced the Island’s position in the overall global film industry.”

The Oscars ceremony is on February 26.

Mystery, history, war and mysticism are always a potent mix but place them in the capable hands of thriller writer T.S.Learner and they become a work of pure alchemy.

Her debut, Sphinx, was a best-seller and now The Map charts the same adventurous course with an intriguing and time-hopping tale of secret scrolls, spies, supernatural sorcery and sabotage.

Add to this a dangerous post-World War Two landscape ravaged by the fall-out from six years of bitter conflict and Cold War skulduggery, and the stage is set for escapist reading heaven.

And always expect the unexpected from this classy author whose talent for crisp prose and clever characterisation is matched only by her sixth sense for sensational plotlines.

In 1613, Shimon Luiz de Luna, a young Spanish Jewish physic fleeing the Inquisition, is found guilty of witchcraft, despite a direct plea to King James I, and is sentenced to burn at the stake at Tyburn gallows in London.

Before he finally surrenders to the flames and the pain, a young pregnant woman holds up a pendant assuring him that his secret discovery and his treasure remain safe.

At Oxford in 1953, classicist August Winthrop, an American who fought with the International Brigade in the Spanish Civil War, is asked by his dying best friend and former brigade comrade Jimmy van Peters to return an ancient chronicle to a Basque family in Franco’s Spain.

Intrigued but alarmed by the knowledge that returning to Spain will risk both his life and possible arrest, August begins investigating the scrolls and discovers they are linked to the mysterious murder of a famous Basque woman freedom fighter known as ‘La Leona’ in 1945.

Soon he is drawn into a web of complicated politics, loyalties and betrayals in dangerous Spanish territory, and embarks on a quest for Shimon’s hidden treasure.

Following the clues in the chronicle, which include archaic cabbalistic symbols and the hidden, magical meanings of certain plants, August is led on a journey through war-torn Europe and a series of ancient mazes with the power to change the world.

Pursued by a rogue CIA agent who has killed in the past in his desperate hunt for the chronicle, and helped by a beautiful but troubled Basque woman, August must also outwit a ruthless band of occultists, and MI5 operatives who have become convinced that he is a Soviet agent out to sabotage a military pact between Spain and the USA.

And if that wasn’t enough, there’s there the task of translating ancient codes, deciphering deadly riddles, unlocking age-old secrets and unearthing the truth behind a much more recent atrocity before time runs out...

Fast-moving and exciting, The Map will take you on a rollicking, rollercoaster journey.

(Sphere, paperback, £6.99)

Friday, January 27

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• For One Night Only: Peel Centenary Centre is featuring the work of Artist Charlotte Jane Henry. Her exhibition is open this Saturday evening, from 6.30pm to 9pm.

• ‘Drawings’. Group display of drawings and sketches by 17 artists, Sayle Gallery, Douglas. Until February 5. • Local artists exhibition, Isle Gallery, Tynwald Mills, St John’s, Wednesday-Saturday, 11am-5pm and Sunday 2-5pm. Until January 31.

• Our Sporting Life exhibition, Manx Museum, Monday-Saturday, 10am-5pm. Until September 1.

• Art exhibition by the Erin Arts Club art group and textile workshop, Erin Arts Centre, Port Erin. Until February 2.

• Friends Exhibition, Garretts Gallery, Unit 11, Kirby Farm Industrial Estate, Vicarage Road, Braddan, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, 10am-6pm. Until February 29.

Friday, January 27

• Parents and tots including craft activities, upper room, Sulby Methodist Church, 9.10am. Call 426219.

• Peel lifeboat station will be running several events to fundraise for the RNLI’s SOS Day – this Friday (January 27).

The fundraising arm – the Ladies Guild – is holding a coffee morning in St Patrick’s Church hall, Patrick Street, Peel, 10am-noon.

In the evening the Guild will be hosting a quiz evening in Peel Legion, Douglas Street, Peel.

• Age Concern Isle of Man free computer sessions, Ramsey Town Hall, down stairs, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3.30pm, also Tuesday 10am-12.30pm, Also Wednesday and Thursday Southlands Port St Mary, 2pm-4.30pm, Also Monday 10am-12.30pm, Wednesday and Thursday new iMuseum, Douglas, 10am-12.30pm.

• Laxey and Lonan Branch of IOM Anti-Cancer charity shop, opp. Total Filling Station, Laxey, 10am-4pm. Also Saturday.

• Storybox, Family Library, Westmoreland Road, Douglas, 10.30am. Also Saturday, Sticky Finger Craft for 6 years and over, 10.30am; Wednesday, Busy Bee Time for pre-schoolers, 1.45pm. Call 673123.

• ‘Soup or Spud’ event in aid of RNLI SOS Day, St Catherine’s Hall, Church Road, Port Erin, 9am-3pm. Baked potatoes and soups available between 11am and 2.30pm.

• Coffee and chat, Onchan Methodist Church lounge, opposite commissioners’ office, 10.30am-midday.

• Learn Manx with Adrian Cain, beginners midday-1pm, intermediates 1pm-2pm, Manx Museum, Douglas. Admission free, Email greinneyder@mhf.org.im 838527 or 451098.

• Friday Lunchtime Choir, Salvation Army Citadel, Lord Street, Douglas. 1.15pm.

• Onchan carers and tots, Parish Hall, Onchan, 1.15pm. Call 625328.

• Tiny Tunes, music time for 0-3s, Family Library, Westmoreland Road, Douglas, 1.30pm. Cost £2.50. Call 673123.

• Meditation at The Refinery, Duke Street, Douglas, 7pm. Call 467818.

• ‘The Strange Manor Murders’ by Rushen Players, murder mystery dinner, Ballasalla Village Hall, 7.30pm. Booking essential, 833372.

Saturday, January 28

• The Art Market, Strand Shopping Centre, Douglas, 9am-5pm.

• ‘The Largest Drawing Room in Europe: Venice in the XVIII century’ with Olga Eggert, Centre for Manx Studies, Stable Building Teaching Room, Douglas, 10am-5pm. Fee £25, concessions £15. Adult education class run in conjunction with the University of Liverpool. Contact Hazel Marshall 695777.

• Theatre Tours, Gaiety Theatre, Douglas, 10am. Tickets for adults £7.50, children £4, family £20. Call 600555.

• Marriage By Design, pre-marriage relationship time for engaged couple planning to marry this year, Ramsey Town Hall, 10am-4pm. Call 491043.

• Drawing for pleasure. Learn to sketch before summer. The Centenary Centre, Peel 10am. Call 843480.

• Sporty Saturday Bike Race Challenge, Manx Museum, Douglas, 11am-1pm and 2-4pm. Free admission.

• Coffee and chat, St Mary’s on the Harbour, Castletown, 11am.

• Isle of Man Farmers Market, at Northern Lights Community Centre, Ramsey, 10am-1pm

• Family Line Dancing, Corrin Hall, Peel, 7pm. Call 428483. Bring a plate of food to share.

• Burns Night, Palace Hotel, Douglas, 7.30pm. Contact 676033.

• ‘A Night To Remember’, IOM Yacht Club, Port St Mary, 8pm. Tickets £8 in aid of RNLI SOS Day. Titanic themed charity event, period dress optional.

Sunday, January 29

• ‘Soap Our Saloons’, car wash in aid of RNLI SOS Day, Port Erin Lifeboat Station, 10am-2pm.

• Sunday School, Sulby Methodist Church, 10am. Also youth group for school years 7 and up at 7pm. Call 450104.

• Table-top sale in aid of the Manx Youth Band, in the Jim Crosbie Memorial Bandroom, in the former Red Cross Building, in Park Road, Douglas, from midday. To make a donation contact Angie on 498864.

• Baby and child boot sale, All Saints Church Hall, Alexander Drive, Douglas, 2-4pm. No admission but there will be a donations bucket for SANDS Stillbirth charity.

• Fishing workshops for beginners, includes both river and sea, bait, spinning and fly fishing, at Adventurous Experiences lecture room, Patrick Road, St John’s, by Kelvin Tastagh, owner of Kelvin’s Tackle, 2pm. Entry £3 donation to RNLI. Call Kelvin, 478224.

• Charity Table Top Sale, Manx Youth Band Hall, Park Road, Douglas 12 noon. Call 498864.

• Ramsey car boot, St. Paul’s Hall, Ramsey. Sunday 29th, January. 1.00pm-3.30pm. To book call or text Phillippa 338636.

• Laxey School is holding a table top sale at the school. From 1pm – 3pm, admission 50p. Call on 861373.

• Castletown Metropolitan Silver Band rehearsals, Queen Street Mission Hall, 7pm. - 14/10/11

Monday, January 30

• Breastfeeding Buddies, The Salvation Army Citadel, Ridgeway Street, Douglas. 10.30am. Call 656030

• Roll’n’Play for preschoolers, Philip Christian Centre, Peel, 10.30am.

• Parents and tots, St Olave’s Church, Ramsey, 1pm.

• Peel Toddler Group, Corrin Hall, Peel, 1.30pm.

• Action Songs and Rhymes, from birth upwards, The Children’s Centre, Woodbourne Road, Douglas, 1.30pm. Also Tuesday, Sulby School, 9.30am; Philip Christian Centre, Peel, 2pm; Wednesday, Auldyn School Community Room, 9.15am and 10.30am.

• Michael Miniatures’ parents and tots, Ebenezer Hall, Kirk Michael, 2pm. £1.50 per family, Call 491592.

• Vannin Bridge, Onchan Pensioners Hall, 2pm. Also Thursday.

• Onchan Silver Band practice, The Band Room, off Main Road, Onchan, beginners, 6.30pm and seniors 7.30pm.

• MS Society coffee morning, Cherry Orchard, Port Erin, 1.30pm.

Tuesday, January 31

• Manx Cancer Help drop-in day, Lisa Lowe Centre, Woodbourne Road, Douglas, 11am-4pm.

• Parents and tots group, Cronk-y-Berry School side entrance, 9.30am. Admission £1, Call 469756. Also Thursday, 1.30pm.

• Toddle Inn, mums and tots group, Port St Mary Baptist Church, 9.30am. Also Wednesday, Living Hope Community Church, Lancashire House, Santon, 9.30am. Call 835091.

• Autumn Break, lunch, tea and cakes, St Mary’s on the Harbour, Castletown, midday-1pm. Free admission but donations welcome.

• Laxey mums and tots, Laxey Pavilion, 1pm. Call 438408.

• Manx Gaelic conversational class with Adrian Cain, The Rovers, Douglas, 1pm. Also Manx Gaelic class with Brian Stowell at Isle of Man College, Douglas, 7pm. Call 623821.

• Whist for Hospice, Michael Methodist Church, 7.30pm. £2.

• Foxdale mums and tots, community hall, Foxdale School, 2pm. Call 420234.

• Abbey Acorns, ages four and above, the Abbey Church, Ballasalla, 3.30pm.

• Peel Footlights Youth Theatre, children aged eight-16, Philip Christian Centre, Peel, 4pm. Also Thursday. Call 843819.

• EFT group for therapists, looking after the healers by Bill Tucker, Healing of Mann, Ramsey, 7.30pm. Email www.healingofmann.com £6 per session.

Wednesday, February 1

• Parents and tots, Salvation Army Citadel, Lord Street, Douglas, 9.30am. Call 627742.

• Mini Club for parents and tots, Anagh Coar School, Douglas, 10am. Also 2pm at Kirk Braddan Church. Call 675523.

• Textile workshop with Lorraine Cleasby, Erin Arts Centre, Port Erin, 10.30am. EAC members £5, visitors £8.

• Carers and tots, St James’ Schoolrooms, Dalby, 10.30am-noon. Call 843471 or cherylcousins@manx.net

• Busy Bees parents and tots, Beehive Kindergarten, Onchan, 1.30pm. Also Thursday. Call 674655.

• Parent and toddler group, Castletown Youth Centre, Arbory Street, Castletown, 2pm.

• Bereavement support group, friendly get together for anybody feeling isolated or lonely after a bereavement, however or whenever it occurred, tea, coffee and a chat, Scholl Centre, Hospice Isle of Man, 5pm-7pm. Call 647443, 668192 or 647449.

• Samba percussion workshop, no previous musical experience necessary, Onchan Silver Bandroom, off Onchan Commissioners car park, 7pm. Cost £3, contact sambamann@manx.net

• Manx Gaelic class with James O’Meara, St John’s House, 7.30pm. Call 843436.

• Bingo, South Douglas Old Friends Association, Finch Road, Douglas, 8pm.

• Bingo Quiz, Archibald Knox, Onchan, 9pm.

Thursday, February 2

• Quiz Night at The Railway, Douglas from 8.30pm. Call 670773.

• Happy Tots, Main Hall, Willaston School, 9.45am £1 per family including refreshments. Call 621577.

• Storytime for pre-schoolers, Henry Bloom Noble Library, Victoria Street, Douglas, 10am. Call 696461.

• Step-In for tea, coffee, chat and music, Onchan Baptist Church, 10.30am.

• Isle of Man Farmers Market, at Tynwald Mills, St John’s, 11am-3pm.

• Parents and tots, Auldyn Infants School Community Room, Ramsey, 1.30pm.

• Arbory Tots, from birth upwards, Parish Hall, Ballabeg, 2pm. Cost £1 per family. Call Emma 420477.

• Toddler Tunes, Community Room, Michael School, 2pm. Contact 878090.

• The Children’s Centre Parent Support Group, informal chat with family support workers, at Douglas Family Centre, Woodbourne Road, 7-9pm.

• Candlelit Centenary Celebration at Dhoon Church and Hall, Glen Mona. Acoustic music in the church followed by refreshments in the hall. 7.30pm.

• Manx Gaelic class with Cathy Clucas, Arbory Commissioners’ Hall, 7.30pm. Call 838527.

• Bingo Quiz, Manor Hotel, Willaston, 9pm.

Friday, January 27

• Pilates, St John’s Methodist Church Hall, 9.30am. Contact Liz 427401. Also Wednesday 6.15pm,Thursday, 6.15pm and Friday 9.30am.

• Walk and talk, NSC, Douglas, 10am. Also Monday, Pulsom Park, Castletown, 10.30am and Noble’s Park, Douglas, 5.30pm; Tuesday, NSC, Douglas, 10am; Wednesday, Ramsey Rugby Club, 10am; Thursday, Harbour Lights Cafe, Peel, 10am. Call 688592.

Walk and talk, Earroo Nane House, 1 Snaefell View, Threshold Estate, Jurby, 10am.

• Chair-based exercise sessions, Port Erin Methodist Church hall, 2pm; Monday, Ramsey Town Hall, 10.30am; Tuesday, Castletown Sandfield residents lounge, 2pm; Wednesday, Westland’s Residents Lounge, Peel, 10.30am; Thursday, Onchan Youth and Community Centre, 1.30pm. Call 642668.

Manx ABC Boxing, Palace Terrace, Douglas. Juniors, 6pm. Seniors (age 16+), 7pm. Beginners welcome. Also Monday and Wednesday.- 14/10/11

• Tai chi chuan, Murrays Road School, 7.30pm. Call 612305.

Indoor bowls, Legion Hall, Port St Mary, 7.30pm. No experience necessary.

• Yoga, Morton Hall, Onchan, 6.30pm. Call 494489.

Saturday, January 28

• Pregnancy yoga, All Saints Hall, Douglas, 10am. Call 461461.

• Yoga, Laxey Working Men’s Institute, 10.15am. Also Monday.

• Yoga, Arbory Parish Hall, 10.30am. Call 494489.

• St Mary’s AFC mixed under 11s training, Pulrose Football Fields, 10.30am. Call 405859.

• Tae Kwondo beginners, Pinewood Complex, Pulrose, 10.45am. Also 6-7yrs, Wednesdays at 5.30pm and Monday and Wednesday, 8-13yrs at 6pm, all ages at 7.15pm. Text 432152.

• Gentle Circuits, NSC, Douglas, 11am. Also Thursday. Call 688588.

• Gymnastics and dance, St Ninians School, Douglas, 2pm. Also Wednesday, Call 254499.

Monday, January 30

• Ladies’ activity morning, NSC, Douglas, 9.30am. Call 688556.

• Pilates, St John’s Methodist Church Hall, 9.30am Call 427401.

• Aquafit, NSC, Douglas, midday. Also Tuesday ay midday and Wednesday at 6pm. Call 688556.

• Arthritis exercise, NSC, Douglas, 1pm. Call 688588.

• Fencing for ages 7 and up, Andreas Parish Hall, 4.30pm. Also Tuesday, Arbory Parish Hall, 4pm and Ebenezer Hall, Kirk Michael, 6.30pm; Wednesdays, Scoill Ree Gorree Sports Hall, Ramsey, 5pm; Thursdays, Onchan Community Hall, 7.30pm. Call 880863.

• Circuit Training, NSC, Douglas, 6pm. Also Wednesday at 7pm. Call 688588.

• Beginners Pilates, Rushen Primary School, Port Erin, 6.15pm. Also Improvers at 7.30pm; Beginners also Wednesday at Victoria Road Primary School, Castletown, 7.30pm. Call 491963.

• Zumba, NSC, Douglas, 6pm. Call 688588.

• Exercise Boot Camp, Corrin Hall, Peel, 6.15pm. Also Wednesday, Philip Christian Centre, Peel, 6pm; Thursday, Glen Vine Church Hall, 9.15am.

• Zumba Fitness, Morton Hall, Castletown, 3.30pm. Also Tuesday, Glen Helen Inn, 7pm; Wednesday, Corrin Hall, Peel, 6.30pm; Thursday, Jurby Parish Hall, 6.30pm. Call 230369.

• Cardiotone, Laxey Working Men’s Institute, 7pm. Also Thursday. Call 452729.

• Aerobics and body toning, bring your own mat, Park View Hall, Kirk Michael, 7pm. Also Thursday, Philip Christian Centre, Peel, 7pm. Call 455924.

• Deep Water Aquafit, NSC, Douglas, 7.15pm. Call 688588.

• Women’s self-defence classes, British Legion Hall, Port Erin, 7.30pm.

• Zumba Toning, Morton Hall, Castletown, 7.40pm. Also Wednesday, Corrin Hall, Peel; Thursday, Jurby Parish Hall. Call 230369.

• Kirk Michael Badminton Club, Park View Hall, Kirk Michael, 8pm. Call 878536.

• Zumba, Carrefour Health Club, Douglas, 8pm. Aso Wednesday at 9.45am; Thursday at 6.30pm.

Tuesday, January 31

• Fit2Go walking sessions, Car Park, Station Road, St John’s, 9am. For ladies looking to improve their fitness. Cost £3 per session.

• Thighs, Bums and Tums, Laxey Working Men’s Institute, 9.30am. Also Thursday. Call 335635.

• Aquafit, Western Swimming Pool, Peel, 1.15pm. Also Thursday, 7pm.

• Southern Gymnastics Club, Castle Rushen High School, from 5pm. Also Thursday, Ballasalla School, from 4pm. Call 473741.

• Pilates for Horse Riders, Ballaugh, 5.15pm and 6.30pm, Call 465115.

• Pilates, St Paul’s Hall, Ramsey, 6.15pm. Call 491449.

• Zumba, Fiesta Havana, Douglas, 7pm. Email sjh@manx.net

• Tai Chi Chuan, Lezayre Parish Community Hall, 7pm.

• Badminton club, Arbory School, Ballabeg, 8pm. Call Liz on 832904.

• Zumba, The Dance Factory, Onchan Park, 7.30pm. Call 425270. Also Thursday.

• Qigong, Community Hall, Clenagh Road, Sulby, 7pm. £5 per session, Call 878607.

• Body Toning, NSC, Douglas, 7pm. Also Wednesday at 11am. Call 688588.

• IOM Karate Federation, Murrays Road School, Juniors 7pm, Seniors, 7.30pm. Call 612305.

• Arbory Badminton Club, Arbory School Hall, 8pm. Call 832094.

Wednesday, February 1

• Gentle yoga, ladies class, Gena’s Dance Academy, Peel, 9.30am. Call 456782.

• Pilates, NSC, Douglas, 12.10pm. Call 688588.

• Pilates, Braddan Church Hall, 5.30pm and 6.45pm. Call Suzanne 465115.

• Thompson Travel Netball Club junior training, Braddan School, 6pm. For ages 10-14.

• Yoga (Iyengar inspired) Every Wednesday 6 pm to 7.30 pm At Studio 2, The Gym, Mooragh Promenade, Ramsey. All abilities welcome Please call 452015.

• Valkyrs Hockey Club training, QEII Astro pitch, Peel. Juniors (8 and up), 6pm; Seniors (13 and up), 7.30pm. Call 801802 or cathkilley@manx.net

• Bowling club night, Port Erin Bowling Club, Breagle Glen, 6.30pm.

• Beginners yoga, St Ninian’s Dance Studio, Douglas, 6.30pm.

Thursday, February 2

• Fitness league exercise class, Ballafesson Church hall, Port Erin, 10.30am. Call 832759.

• Tai Chi Chuan, Lezayre Parish Hall, 2pm. Call 813222.

• Northern Gymnastics Club, Ramsey Grammar School, 5pm.

• Braaid Fencing Club, Foxdale School, 5.45pm. Call 801832.

• Aqua Zumba, NSC, Douglas, 6pm. Call 688588.

• Western Athletics Club, QEII High School, 6.30pm.

• Peel Badminton Club, Corrin Hall, Peel, 7pm.

• Yoga, Cooil Methodist Hall, 7.15pm. Call 494489.

Friday, January 27

• Step in Time, Ballroom Dance, Youth Art Centre, Kensington Road, Douglas, 4-6pm; Also Saturday 10am-1pm, Tuesday 4-6pm, Wednesday 4-6pm, Thursday 4-6pm. Also Dynamix 7-9pm; Also Dance Exchange 4-6pm.

• Sequence dancing, Onchan Pensioners’ Social Club, Morton Hall, Onchan, 2pm.

• Acrobatics, Dance Factory, Onchan Park, 4.30pm.

• Modern Dance, Dance Factory, Onchan Park, 5.45pm. Also Thursday at 4.30pm.

• Tap Jnr, Dance Factory, Onchan Park, 6.45pm. Also Tap Adv at 7.30pm. Also Beginners Tap, Tuesday at 4.30pm.

• Argentinian Tango beginners class, St Paul’s Hall, Ramsey, 7pm. Call 880650 or 324110.

• Line Dancing, Ebenezer Hall, Kirk Michael, 7pm. Beginners welcome, adults £3.50, children £1.50 including tea and biscuits. Call 878687.

Saturday, January 28

• Dance Time for children, Port Erin Methodist Hall, sessions from 9.30am. £2.50 per half hour session. Call 835696.

• Ballroom dancing for children of all ages, Royal British Legion Hall, Port Erin, sessions from 10am.

• Irish Dance Mixed, Dance Factory, Onchan Park, 3pm. Also Prim/Int on Monday at 4.30pm and Tuesday at 6.15pm. Beginners on Tuesday at 5.15.

• Stage Snr, Dance Factory, Onchan Park, 4pm. Also Stage Int at 5pm,

• Social sequence dancing, Onchan Methodist Church hall, Onchan, 8pm-10.30pm. Call 829669.

• Social sequence dancing, Pulrose Methodist Church hall, Douglas, 8pm. Also Monday; Sunday, sequence dancing with latest dances only; Wednesday, sequence dancing. Call 842878.

Sunday, January 29

• Perree Bane Manx folk dancing, Ballasalla village hall, 7pm.

Monday, January 30

• Ballet, Viking Works, Riverside, Peel, 5.45pm. Also Thursday at 4.30pm.

• Irish Dance Prim/Int, Viking Works, Riverside, Peel, 6.30pm. Also Wednesday at 5.45pm. Beginners, Wednesday at 5pm.

• Country dancing, Willaston Hall, 7pm-9pm. Contact 628521.

• Ceroc Dance night, Masonic Hall, Woodbourne Road, Douglas, 7.30pm until 10.30pm.

• Line dancing, Port Erin Methodist Church hall, 8.15pm. Call 436219.

• Modern line dancing, Legion Hall, Onchan. Also Wednesday and Thursday, Call 670308.

Tuesday, January 31

• Adrenalyn, Youth Arts Centre, Kensington Road, Douglas 6-8pm. Also MNYT Junior, 6-7.30pm; Young Magicians 7.30-9pm, Johnny & the Dead 7.30-9.

• Sequence dancing and social, South Douglas Old Friends Assoc, 7.30pm. Admission £1.50.

• Beginners Line Dance, St John’s Football Club, 7.30pm-9pm. Call 462104.

• Sequence dancing with Port Erin Dancing Club, Port Erin Methodist Church hall, 8pm. Admission £1.50.

Wednesday, February 1

• Sequence dancing, Morton Hall, Castletown, 2pm. Admission £1.

• Ballroom dancing for children, Centenary Centre, Peel, 4pm. Call 450688.

• Ballet, Dance Factory, Onchan Park, 4.30pm.

• Modern Line Dance-ercise class for beginner, Legion Hall, Onchan, 7.15pm. £3.50 Ballroom dancing, Villa marina, Douglas, 8pm. Call Ellis Killey 623414

• Rhythmic dance, St Ninian’s Dance Studio, Douglas, 8pm.

Thursday, February 2

• Tea dance, Old Friends Association, Finch Road, Douglas, 2pm.

• Dance classes for children, Centenary Hall, Peel, 4pm. Call 450688.

• Shake It classes, combines Latin moves with karate, Tango and hip hop moves 7pm to 8.15pm.

• Strictly Come Dancing for beginners, Royal British Legion, Port Erin, 8pm. £3.50 per person.

• Irish set dancing Douglas Old Friends’ Club, Douglas, 8pm. Call David on 457268.