Summer beach activity day given green light

Douglas beach is one of the largest open spaces maintained by the council

A beach activity day in the Isle of Man's capital has been given the go-ahead by the area's local authority.

The one-day summer event is due to take place on 1 July and is the first of its kind for Douglas.

Douglas Councillors voted to spend £10,000 on the event at their April sitting.

Deputy Mayor Natalie Byron said the beach was "one of the largest open spaces" that the council maintained but was being "underutilised".

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, she said the event would be a good "replacement for the carnival".

Councillors voted to scrap that annual event in October last year as it had failed to draw large crowds.

Ms Byron said the new event was still at the planning stage but all the activities would be based around encouraging people to use the beach more.

A number of ideas are being considered, such as sand castle competitions, dog agility sessions and sea swimming, she added.

'Waste of money'

Funding for the beach day is expected to be drawn from income received from events held at Noble's Park this year.

Any additional funds required will need to be raised through sponsorship agreements.

However, not all councillors supported the new venture and expressed concerns over the level of expenditure for a one-off event.

Councillor Stephen Pitts said it a "waste of money", which would be better spent on a disabled swing at Noble's Park.

Ms Byron said: "This is about promoting the use of Douglas beach.

"We should be making the most of this open space we have right in the centre of the city."

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