Each month, Breesha Maddrell, director of Culture Vannin, looks at the journey of Manx culture and its importance to our sense of identity and belonging.

In recent months, there have been various meetings, conferences and strategies which look at the future direction of the Isle of Man.

Knowing where we are going as an island very much depends on understanding where we have come from, and how people have adapted over centuries to make this their very special home.

What opportunities lie within these shores, and how do we embrace them sustainably – for our communities and for the planet?

At the end of the 19th century, people again started to think about who the Isle of Man is in terms of culture, heritage, archaeology, art, literature, etc.

They wanted to strengthen a sense of Manxness, to celebrate what was good about the island, and to make it stand out from the islands around 
it.

In many ways, this is the very thing that we are trying to do nowadays in terms of business and international relations, as well as community well-being.

Over 120 years ago, they didn’t want the island to be seen as ‘a bit of Lancashire gone adrift’ – our history, culture and political make-up show us as something very different to that.

I can’t help but wonder, though, if we sometimes lose sight of the fact that we are dealing with a very particular set of circumstances here?

That is one of the reasons that the Manx Heritage Foundation was set up 40 years ago, to help celebrate that sense of identity.

A solution that would suit a small city or region with 85,000 inhabitants doesn’t automatically work for the Isle of Man.

We can’t rely on hopping over a border to access a service because we are an island, with our own systems and approaches.

We can use that sense of knowing who we are to help us to stand out internationally.

Provenance is a word that is used a lot in relation to artisan foods or products – how can we celebrate that more effectively?

Some businesses do it brilliantly and are sought out by locals and visitors alike.

I will just mention three:

• ElementIsle connect us with the natural beauty of the island with its stunning jewellery

• Fynoderee Distillery weaves folklore through its wonderful tipples

• Noa Bakehouse use the Manx language and Laxey flour to give a sense of place and exceptional quality.

Articulating the identity of the Isle of Man can be expressed through stories that connect others with the places, products, and communities here that are so special.

After all, stories are the essence of culture; how we express ourselves, how we adapt, how we thrive, and how we have done so for generations.

Cultures meet, cultures dance together, and are never shy of taking on new influences whilst always knowing their very core.

When we think about what we want our future to look like, we must bring the Isle of Man into focus and embrace our particular set of opportunities.

We can safeguard the future of these shores if we know our history, our culture, our sense of place, if we tell our stories and enable people to connect with them.

Manx culture, history and heritage all show us that innovation does, in fact, go hand in hand with carrying forward all that is special about the Isle of Man.

Culture helps make this a somewhere place rather than an anywhere place.