The London Manx Society (LMS) has held its first ’Cooish’ (Manx for chat, meeting or get-together) in two years, having been kept apart by the pandemic.

Secretary Douglas Barr-Hamilton said that the Queensland Manx Society had also planned their mid-winter Cooish to be held on the same day, but this was cancelled following the outbreak of two covid cases in the Australian state.

Twenty-two members attended the event in Cambridge, hosted by committee member Sally and her husband Peter Miller, which included a meal under a gazebo with traditional kippers (sent from Peel by Moore’s), and a ’vigorous’ singing of Ellan Vannin.

Mr Barr-Hamilton said: ’Reminiscing, exchanging island news and convivial discussion stretched the afternoon which ended with members wishing it could go on longer.’

The society, which was founded in 1895 and celebrated its 125th anniversary in November, said that all being well, the next event will be the mhelliah (a traditional Celtic harvest festival) in early October, to be held in London.

Despite being unable to meet up until now, the society had remained active during the pandemic by publishing its newsletters, organising committee members to make phone calls to each of its 100 members, and keeping in touch with other Manx societies worldwide.

The society’s next newsletter will go out in early August.