Zoe Cannell is the current Manx Bard, and the sixth local poet to hold the title.

Each month she shares a poem with us, and tells us a little of what inspired her to write it.

It is with great sorrow that ’Flybe’ has gone into administration, as I think it provided us with an excellent service and a much-needed lifeline.

To learn of redundancies and disrupted travel plans is an extremely sad situation; not only for the island, but the UK as a whole.

It has been common, over this last week, to read and hear calls for us to once again have a local airline provider dedicated to serving the Isle of Man.

So this month’s simple poem is actually one that I wrote in 2017, and before the current situation with Flybe had unfurled.

I have slightly re-jigged it with last week’s news in mind.

It is a nostalgic look back at the heady days of Manx Airlines.

As I read my poem through, it really made me realise how well-off we had been having our own national airline.

Manx Airlines was truly something to be proud of.

I took my first ever flight with them to Jersey in September 1987 and I remained a regular customer with them until it was handed over to British Airways in 2002.

Most people will fondly remember the wonderful red and green livery and the Three Legs of Man proudly emblazoned on the tails of the aeroplanes, not to mention the famous Three Legs chocolate treats given on each flight.

At a christening many years ago, one of the guests was due to fly back home to Liverpool the following day.

He was asked: ’Are you on the Shorts?’

He looked down at his pint and said ’Not yet. Maybe later.’

By crikey yessir, we laaaaaughed!

by Zoe Cannell

www.manxbard.im