Volunteers and supporters of the Rushen Heritage Trust came together for the charity’s first annual presentation dinner to celebrate its achievements.

More than 50 people attended the occasion at the Bradda Glen restaurant where directors Professor Hugh Davidson and Juan Watterson MHK introduced talks from members of each of the four Heritage Action Teams.

Awards were also presented to 13 of the key volunteers and supporters and a special silver medal was awarded to John W Qualtrough to recognise his collection of 160,000 historical artefacts.

Welcoming guests, chairman Mr Watterson said: ’The trust has been in existence for three years now and it seems like forever. It has been an exciting project with so much achieved. The key aim was for it to be enjoyable and also educational.’

Professor Davidson said one of the results of their work had been to bring together the Rushen community by preserving and promoting its heritage.

’One of the aims is to pool people’s stories and collective memories because if we don’t do it now, it will be gone,’ he said.

Volunteer Laura King praised the achievements of the trust since its inception in 2014, with 70 volunteers independently running seven successful exhibitions as well as producing two heritage books and creating the outdoor heritage walk using i-Beacon technology to provide a guided walk round the south coast.

In addition, four of the heritage teams are currently working on the story of World War Two internment, the story of the land, the story of the sea, and tourism in the island.

In fact, the 2016 exhibition The Happy Days of Southern Tourism attracted more than 1,000 visitors in just 19 days. It explored the memories and stories of tourism in Rushen, from swimming at the Traie Meanagh Baths to golf at the Rowany and dancing at Bradda Glen.

This year, preparations are afoot to bring back the traditional pierrot shows in Rushen, with two evenings planned in September in Port Erin and Port St Mary.

The success of Stan Clucas’s book A Year in the Life of Ballachurry Farm 1943-44 was celebrated and a book is also being put together by the internment team.

The trust is currently putting together a 2018 calendar in conjunction with its Isle of Man Walks Calendar competition, voting on the best entries opens soon.