Douglas City Council held its annual Civic Sunday commemoration on September 28, bringing together representatives from across the community for a morning of ceremony and reflection.

The event was led by the Mayor of Douglas, Councillor Steven Crellin, JP, who was joined by members of local authorities, government departments, ex-service groups and charitable organisations.

At 10am, a parade formed outside the City Hall on Ridgeway Street, headed by the Douglas Town Band.

The procession travelled through Victoria Street, Duke Street and Market Hill, attracting crowds of onlookers as it made its way to St Matthew’s Church.

Before the service, a short ‘Blessing of the Sea’ was held on North Quay.

The Civic Service itself began at 10.30am and was conducted by the Mayor’s Chaplain, the Reverend Dr Michael Brydon.

During the service, Councillor Crellin confirmed the three charities he has chosen to support through his 2025-26 mayoral appeal: Hospice Isle of Man, Riding for the Disabled, and Dot’s Dream Foundation.

The Mayor of Douglas Steven Crellin was sworn in back in May this year.

A councillor for Douglas South, he was first elected to the local authority in 2021 before being re-elected last month.

Councillor Peter Washington was elected to serve as Douglas’ deputy mayor, a role which Mr Crellin has also undertaken in the past.

The event on Sunday was well attended, with many praising both the ceremonial aspects of the day and the sense of community.

Former MHK David Cretney, who was among those present, said: ‘A nice morning for the parade to St Matthew’s Church for the ‘Blessing of the Sea’ on North Quay and then the Mayor’s Civic Service.

‘St Matthew’s is adjacent to the shop which was RW Cretney and Sons Grocers which my Dad operated, which had real connections with the sea serving trawlers and Steam Packet boats…’