The municipal links between the Isle of Man and Liverpool have been strengthened with a civic visit, hosted by Douglas City Council.

Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Richard Kemp CBE, and Lord-Lieutenant, Mark Blundell - His Majesty's representative for Merseyside – recently made a three-day trip to the island.

Amidst a busy itinerary, they were official guests at the annual Douglas Civic Sunday.

Accompanied by the Mayor of Douglas, Councillor Natalie Byron-Teare, the delegation also met Lieutenant Governor Sir John and Lady Lorimer and Douglas Councillors, while the Lord Mayor visited Noble’s Hospital, met representatives of ‘Visit Isle of Man’ and had a tour of the Isle of Man Post Office headquarters.

There he received a presentation sheet of stamps to commemorate his visit, the ‘Our Gateway to the World’ collection which showcases Manx Links with Liverpool.

Mayor Byron-Teare, says retaining close links with our UK counterparts can be hugely beneficial. She said: ‘It was a pleasure to welcome our guests from Merseyside and show them different aspects of our community, including a number of those which make Douglas such a vibrant and attractive place to live, work and visit.

‘While different in size, the challenges and opportunities local authorities face are often comparable so to have the opportunity to exchange ideas and best practice with some of our opposite numbers was of great value.

‘In the year that city status was officially bestowed upon us, it was fitting that our visitors were able to join us for Douglas City Council’s annual civic service.

‘Civic Sunday is an opportunity for the whole community to join together, to celebrate and commemorate what we have, and to do so at St Mary’s, for the very first time since it was officially granted co-cathedral status with Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, was also most fitting.’

Lisa Duckworth, chief operating officer at Post Office added: ‘We were very pleased to welcome the Lord Mayor of Liverpool with the Mayor of Douglas and her consort and show them the hard work that goes on behind the scenes.

‘We were particularly pleased to discuss our world famous stamps with the Lord Mayor of Liverpool who is a keen philatelist and collector of Isle of Man stamps.’

Councillor Kemp added: ‘The opening of the new ferry terminal gives us the opportunity to reset and improve what is already a strong relationship based on traditions of centuries of sea faring.

‘Now we also supply large amounts of specialist care in our hospitals, receive many Manx visitors for a variety of purposes and help train island fire fighters, there are many opportunities to increase the volume of both public and private sector links.

‘Our universities, public health and social care departments could also do more. Work has already commenced on developing joint tourist activities with the Manx government aimed at attracting more visitors to both economies.

‘Having frequently visited the Isle of Man myself I know that it is an absolute jewel lying in the sea, just three hours from Liverpool, which too few people from the city have visited.’