Gef’s Daily Roundup

Health and Wellbeing 

To help shape and develop the best policies for health and wellbeing on the island, a programme has begun collecting data and opinions from the public and the third sector. 

Public Health Isle of Man will be leading on a national Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) Programme. The JSNA is split in to chapters and for 2022-23 the programme will focus on two of these, ‘Starting well/Developing well’ and ‘Ageing well’.

This is a ‘health in all policies’ approach – and will mean that the data collected locally will be used to make recommendations for improvements to ensure our services address local needs.

Head of Health Intelligence at Public Health Isle of Man, Madeleine Sayle said: ‘It has long been a goal of ours to launch a solid Joint Strategic Needs Assessment Programme in the Isle of Man. Although we have been collecting data and using that to help inform new policies for a number of years, the JSNA will give us the foundation to address the core health and wellbeing needs of the population and provide the evidence-base for decision makers.’

For more information on the JSNA Programme, visit www.gov.im/jsna or email publichealth@gov.im 

Results Day

University College Isle of Man (UCM) is reassuring students that there are plenty of options and pathways available for those who either exceed or fall short of predicted grades.

This year, students from across the Island will be collecting assessment results through the summer with A-Level results on August 18 and GCSE results on August 25.

UCM is encouraging applicants who have applied to a course at UCM to upload their results to their learner portal as soon as possible, regardless of whether they have achieved better or worse than expected.

Those who haven’t met the requirement of their chosen programme are encouraged to email applications@ucm.ac.im when uploading, so the admissions team can support and guide them appropriately. UCM’s Student Services team is also at hand to provide additional support for students at this stressful time.

Gail Corrin, Higher Education Manager at UCM, said: ‘We understand that lots of people on the island are worried about money, and for many families it might be a challenging time to send their young people to the UK to Uni. Studying a degree on-Island is a fantastic was to get a high-level of education without the associated costs of studying away from home.’

For those who are unsure about the future of their studies, UCM offers flexible learning, meaning it is possible to start a degree at UCM, and transfer elsewhere at a later date or begin at another university and transfer to UCM.

UCM is not part of UCAS clearing, but does accept late direct applications. If you apply for a degree at UCM but don’t do as well as you expected, upload your results to your learner portal and email he@ucm.ac.im

Three Peaks

A team of 27 people from across HSBC’s operations in Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man have raised over £30,000 by climbing the three highest mountains in the UK within 24 hours in aid of local charities.

The ‘National Three Peaks Challenge’ covers a distance of 23 miles with an ascent of over 10,000 ft, climbing Snowdon in Wales, Scafell Pike in England, and Ben Nevis in Scotland in just one day.

Overall, the team raised over £35,000, which will be shared between the islands, with Manx charities, The Manx Society, The Manx Breast Cancer Support Group and Isle Listen.

The fundraising effort was the idea of Daniel Dowdall, Chief Compliance Officer for HSBC in the Channel Islands and Isle of Man: ‘The Three Peaks Challenge is as much a mental test as it is physical, but the opportunity to raise funds for local charities and give something back to our communities motivated the team in both their training and during the climbs. I’m very proud of everyone who took part and pushed themselves in order to support such good causes, and I am extremely grateful to everyone who donated and helped us to raise such a significant amount.’