A popular island museum has seen record visitor numbers in the year when it launched two major new exhibitions.

The Manx Aviation and Military Museum saw its August visitor numbers rise by 40 per cent on 2017, and there has been a 17 per cent increase during the year overall so far.

Museum director, Ivor Ramsden, was delighted with the news.

He said: ’We try very hard to give our visitors an enjoyable time. Our volunteers always give a friendly welcome, making every visitor feel special, and this is reflected in the many appreciative comments in our visitors’ book and on internet review websites.

’Once visitors are inside the museum, in many ways the exhibits speak for themselves, being relics and memorabilia from the wartime years but we put a special, personal slant on them by telling the stories of the people who were involved.’

This year, the museum opened an exhibition commemorating 100 years of the RAF, as well as another telling the story of the Manx people in the First World War.

’Putting it all together was at times a very emotional experience.

’The exhibition tells the stories of Manx people in the First World War, not the story of the war itself, and you get so involved with the people that you almost get to know them.

’There were so many sad and tragic events, many of which have never come to light until now, and it has been incredibly moving to be able to tell the stories of some of the men who, until now, were just names on war memorials,’ Mr Ramsden said.

The RAF exhibition covers the Manx people who served, as well as the two airfields at Jurby and Andreas.

The museum always welcomes more volunteer helpers.