A trip to the Tower of Refuge was a Christmas wish come true for veteran journalist Terry Cringle.

Douglas Council and Douglas Coastguard teamed up to make the visit to the landmark possible.

It came following a call from Richard Hulme of Tower Insurance, which sponsors the annual walk out across the bay to Conister Rock, who had heard it was what Terry really wanted for Christmas last year.

Terry had written in a column: ’I have decided that this year it is time for me to put people’s Christmas spirit to the test and make it something really difficult to achieve.’

He added: ’My problem is that I am too old and decrepit to make it on foot alone these days, even at the lowest of low tides.’

On Friday evening, Terry was driven in a Douglas Coastguard 4x4 vehicle to collect Terry from his home as far as the causeway leading up to the tower.

Then he was transferred to a six-wheel works vehicle from Douglas Council’s parks department for the journey to the tower.

He spent an hour there, enjoying the view and getting a close up look of the landmark before making the return trip.

The 2018 Tower of Refuge walk will take place on Sunday, August 12. Subject to weather and tidal conditions, it will start at about 6pm.