It?s raining on the day of the Tresco Marathon. Good luck to the runners.

Chris McQuillen-Wright of St Column Minor won the men?s race in three hours four minutes and fifty-seven seconds.

Ian Howard of Long Sutton won the men?s veteran race in a time of 3:17:43.

Ruth Bevan of Chepstow won the women?s veteran race (3:37:47); Ali Hirst of Newton Abbott won the women?s race (3:39:34).

Ros Hicks of St Mary?s was the first Islander to finish (fourth in the ladies? veteran race, eighteenth overall. Louise Tobin-Dougan second Islander home, Toby Tobin-Dougan third. Only nine Islanders competed in this year?s event.

As normal, funds raised in the ?2003 Southern Finance Tresco Marathon? are going to the CF Trust (Cystic Fibrosis).

The Tresco marathon did not make it to the Isles of Scilly pages of the following week?s Cornishman, but had it?s own page.

Official link:
http://www.tresco.co.uk/about_tresco/2003_marathon_results.asp

On 13 February 2003, the Equal Opportunities Commission released a news article indicating that the ?Census reveals impact of sex on life at work?.

They mention the Islands three times, each time pointing out the apparent equality on the Islands:

“Women in the Isles of Scilly are most likely to be managers and senior officials (25%) and least likely to be in administrative and secretarial jobs (13%).”

“Women in Hackney and men in Tower Hamlets are most likely to be unemployed. Those in the Isles of Scilly are most likely to be self-employed.”

“Eighteen per cent of women in Tower Hamlets compared with 5% of women in the Isles of Scilly are looking after the home or family full-time.”

Good news for equality.

?British Sea Power? are to start their UK tour in Scilly.

A spokesperson for the band said: “British Sea Power feel that The Scilly Isles have simply not had a Fair Deal. Since the pioneering initiatives of Jethro Tull, Echo And The Bunnymen and The Krankies, every makeweight has popped up to the Scottish Isles to play and perform. In stark contrast The Scillies has been starved of inspirational rock music.”

It?s good to get some recognition — at last!

The alternative/indie band will be playing at the Scillonian Club on Friday 9 May.

Coincidentally, this is the same day that the Duke of Kent makes a visit to the Islands? lifeboat station.

Thanks to Toby, posting the message in our Guest Book.

Official link:
a href=”/out.php?url=http://www.britishseapower.co.uk/newsbody.htm” target=”_blank”British Sea Power/a: ?British Sea Power sail to The Scillies?
a href=”/out.php?url=http://www.nme.com/news/104868.htm” target=”_blank”NME/a: ?Scilly Goings On!?

The gigs started arriving on Monday for the gig championships, which will happen over the May Day bank holiday weekend.

Three new clubs will compete: Bude, Clovelly and Swanage. Nine new gigs to the championships: Amelia Lee (Caradon), Leah ?C? (Clovelly), Dell Lewyer (CRAB), Waterwitch (Charlestown), Lantic (Fowey), Kensa (Mount?s Bay), Penlee Point (Rame), Cadmus (Salcombe) and Old Harry (Swanage).

RNAS Culdrose will not be attending this year because they are activly involved with the effort over in Iraq.

This year there are more ladies crews registered to take part than men?s crews - which is a turn-around.

The veterans? event at the beginning of the championships seems more popular this year, with 35 crews entering.

The season in the Islands begins on Friday with the first domestic race of the season.

82 gigs are registered to join the championships: with 74 mens crews and 78 ladies crews.

Gig shirts will start being sold next week (after the Easter weekend), sweatshirts will be sold from Monday 29 April.

The USA have not informed the gig committee that they are coming this year.

Link:
a href=”/2003/indepth/gigs/statusgigs.php”Scilly News/a: List of gigs entered into these championships.

White Ribbons are being sold or handed out around the country as a symbol of peace.

The Campaign of Nuclear Disarmament explains: “CND, Greenpeace, the Green Party, Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases (CAAB), Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) and Mark Thomas are distributing or selling ribbons to raise money for the legal fund to take members of the government to the International Criminal Court for War Crimes.”

They continue: “If any war against Iraq is conducted in a manner contrary to International Humanitarian Law. If we manage to avert the war, the proceeds will be used for humanitarian relief.”

Would you wear one of these? Has the beginning and near-conclusion of the war changed your mind? Has the “removal of power” from Saddam made a difference? Is it any better? Tell us what you think.

Official link:
http://www.cnduk.org/pages/campaign/ribbons.htm
CND: “White Ribbons for Peace”

On 14 February, at 17:12, St Mary?s lifeboat was called out to a small boat earlier in the week. The boat was a fishing vessel, the “Britannia”, whose nets fouled it?s propellor.

The lifeboat attended the vessel 14 miles SSE of the isles and towed it into St Mary?s Quay.

Golden Eagle have finised top of the mens? domestic race table; Bonnet top of the womens?.

Gig racing on the Islands is still gaining momentum, with more interest and enthusiasm than ever before. More training is going on now than in any previous season, because there is an international increase in standard of competition, that to win anything, you do need to train.

The Falmouth crew (plus Nathan Woodcock, Scillonian) that won the World Championships gave up alcohol months before the championships in order to give Caradon more of a fight. It is great that there is such a passion for the sport that nobody needs more encouragement to train harder than the knowledge that they are more likely to beat a rival crew!

Golden Eagle?s mens? crew lead the field by a fair margin, 24 points clear of their nearest rival, Bonnet. Shah came an overall third in the season.

In the ladies? races, the Bonnet and Men-a-Vaur crews lead the field by a great margin, with 118 points and 101 points respectively. Their nearest rivals were the Golden Eagle crew with 74 points.

Here?s to a good winter of rest and training in preparation for the World Championships on the May Day Bank Holiday of 2003!

Scilly News and 400 of it?s readers spent two months developing a flag for the Isles of Scilly community. The result was the Scillonian Cross. Now a leading flag producer is selling the flag.

The Islands? now have their own flag to fly on their boats and properites.

The Beginnings

In January and February 2002, Scilly News launched a major campaign to make a flag for the Isles of Scilly so that the Islands had a symbol of their unique identity.

Initially a few suggestions were posted on Scilly News and readers offered their opinions on whether or not they thought the differing designs were appropriate for the Islands. Not much came from this initial vote.

The Development

After a further vote on which components should be included on the flag, it was decided that five-five pointed stars (indicating the Islands? size and position) was the best symbol for the flag.

Further flags were drawn up incorperating these five stars and a third vote was launched. The Scillonian Cross got around 50% of the votes, the other eight designs shared the other 50%. After 400 votes, it was declared that the Scillonian Cross was the favourite flag for the Islands.

The Council?s Flag: A symbol of the Council

In March/April, the Council told us that they too had plans for a flag. Their final design was launched on 6 August 2002. The Council?s flag will mainly be for official Council use, flown at the Town Hall, the Airport and other Council properties.

Mr Mumford, Chairman of the Council, said of the Council flag that it was to “place the Council on a par with other local authorities.” He said that their flag will portray the Council?s commitment to ?the social as well as the economic well-being of the Islands.? Clive Mumford explained in iThe Cornishman/i that ?flags are very much a part of civic pride in local government around Europe.?

The Scillonian Cross: A symbol of the community

We persued with the Scillonian Cross to make it recognised in the Islands as a symbol for the community - unlike the Council, who made their flag a symbol for their civic organisation. The Scillonian Cross was to be the Islands? flag for the entire community. Advertising it on Scilly News made it recognisable to many SN readers. It also became recognised by vexillologist web site ?Flags of the World? as one of the two flags for the Islands.

MrFlag.com has now taken the design and made it into professionally made polyester flag at an affordable price. If you think you would like a Scillonian Cross.
http://www.mrflag.com/display_product.asp%3Fid=1131 MrFlag.com: “Scillonian Cross”.

Links:
http://www.mrflag.com/display_product.asp%3Fid=1131
MrFlag.com: “Scillonian Cross”

http://www.fotw.net/flags/gb-co-is.html
FOTW.net: “Isles of Scilly”

So, how do you get a Scillonian Cross?
…ring the last orders bell.

On the Good Friday spring tides local tradition dictates Scillonians go and harvest molluscs and fish from below the neap-low tide mark. They harvest winkles from St Mary?s, cockels from St Marin?s and whistlers from St Agnes.

The weather has been fantastic, with not much sign of ?April Showers?, with the odd exception - and today it has turned out to be a great day for enjoying the bank holiday.

The only problem is the tides are preventing the Scillonian carrying on it?s normal operations. Yesterday, when approaching the harbour it announced to it?s passengers that it is a low tide, and they would not be able to get in for a while, so they were going to go ?very slowly?. After a quick circle around St Mary?s Roads, it found it?s way into harbour. Yesterday and today, it set off late to try to avoid the difficulties at low tide.

The non-so-popular decision by the Isles of Scilly Council to raise Council Tax by 25% has been met by locals with a petition.

The petition is for a public meeting, examination of Authority expenditure and government representatives to come to Scilly.

In Council publication ?The Lighthouse?, they responded to the petition writing: “It may be put to you that 300 signatures is not a complete picture of public opinion.” — Arguing the difference between a vote or petition and a census: the vote or petition being optional, and you will only get people responding who are (at least reasonably) passionate about what they are signing; the latter being compulsory and iis/i the consensus of opinion.