First and most importantly, I hope you are managing to adapt to this new situation and keeping safe.

As someone who was a boy on the island during the Second World War, it’s one of the most disruptive environments I can recall.

People will remember their experiences in this period in 20 years’ and 50 years’ time, and their successors will want to hear about them. We are creating tomorrow’s heritage and memories today.

At Rushen Heritage Trust, we are adapting quickly.

In summary, we will do all the things we had previously planned, but use a wider range of online communication, keep in touch with our more elderly supporters by phone or surface mail, and in a few cases, postpone activities.

For 2020, our coordinator John Quirk has already established the successful new series of winter talks, with audiences of more than 100 people, and regular volunteer meetings.

He has also booked exciting speakers for the 2020/21 series, and we expect the first talk to be in early November at the Erin Arts Centre.

Major activity in 2020 would have been the opening in mid-summer of the new Tree Archyn Heritage Centre, converting the former bus shelter building opposite the Cherry Orchard.

Our buildings team, led outstandingly well by Robert and Ali Graham, both qualified quantity surveyors, is ready to move fast once it is possible to start building work.

We already have approvals from the planning committee and Department of Infrastructure, have signed a 99-year lease at £1 per year with supportive Port Erin Commissioners, developed detailed specifications and bills of materials, and shortlisted possible suppliers.

Juan Watterson SHK has been really helpful in this approval process, as has clerk to Port Erin Commissioners, Jason Roberts.

Thanks to funders and proceeds from Port Erin Secret Gardens, organised by Pam Crowe in summer 2019, we have almost reached our funding target, and are ready to start. The stop press news is that, through Eddie Lowey, the Cockburn Trust has donated £6,500 to the project.

Pam, who, together with Pamela Tomlinson, heads our Friends of RHT, has also given talks on Second World War Women’s Internment to large international audiences on cruise ships, and has many future talks on the topic booked in the Isle of Man and Florida.

Much of our time in 2020 will be spent preparing for a big year in 2021, since some projects have quite long lead times. Major activities in 2021, in addition to opening Tree Archyn Centre, will be:

â?¢Events to mark the 150th anniversary of the building of Milner Tower.

They will cover the life of William Milner, Port Erin’s biggest benefactor, the building itself and Bradda Head as a notable place.

â?¢Activities to celebrate 90th anniversary of the World’s Best Photograph, a competition run by Kodak in 1931.

The value of first prize, a picture of the photographer’s girlfriend on Bradda Head, was worth more than £300,000 in today’s money.

We are planning a photographic competition, hopefully in partnership with Southern Photographic Society.

It will be open to people all over the world, must be a photograph of the south of the island, and will be linked to Visit Isle of Man to attract more tourists.

â?¢Knockaloe First World War Internment exhibition in Port St Mary, set up by our partners in Patrick, who have done world-class work on internment.

We expect the heritage centre to be open by early 2021 and are delighted to have at least 25 volunteers who have kindly offered their time to help operate it.

Doreen Moule will be continuing to lead the highly knowledgeable Second World War Women’s Internment Team, and, with Ali Graham, our schools programme.

Another director, Staffan Overgaard, will be spearheading the exciting new heritage street signs project with Port St Mary Commissioners, as well as the relaunch of our I-Beacon Walk project.

All four of our books have sold well, with Living with the Sea one of the bestselling Manx books last Christmas season. Friend or Foe has already been reprinted.

Hugh Davidson MBE

Chair, Rushen Heritage Trust