Roseanna Dale's #MyBiosphere

In the latest in a series of articles in Manx Life, Roseanna Dale writes about why the Isle of Man is so special to her.

Living on the Isle of Man almost has provided me with a childhood unavailable to many individuals.

I count myself extremely lucky to have grown up in a place with such opportunities to adventure outdoors while learning and exploring the beautiful Island I call home.

Although I have ambition to travel and experience the world, the Isle of Man will always be a special place to me and nothing I have seen yet compares to the comforting feeling the Isle of Man brings.

Throughout my childhood, I was lucky that I spent significant amounts of time outdoors, especially at Niarbyl with my father.

Niarbyl is well loved by many Manx people and it's not hard to see why. Personally, Niarbyl brings me memories of days on the beach with my family, collecting shells, rocks and sea glass, rock pooling, having barbeques: all of this, of course, done whether it was beautifully sunny or freezing cold and stormy.

I can fondly recall dragging my father to the beach on many days when the weather was questionable. We would be the only ones there, yet I don't think my father had a problem with it. He is as fond of the beach as I am – evident in the fact he founded Beach Buddies.

In my teenage years I was excited to leave and explore other places but at this point in my life, the Isle of Man is becoming increasingly important to me and the attachment I feel to it is stronger than ever.

I am a trustee of Beach Buddies, in addition to my day job as a nurse.

One of our main bases is now the iconic Niarbyl Beach Hut, in which we spend a lot of time planning events and planning life; enjoying the view and appreciating the natural beauty the Isle of Man has.

I find that spending time outdoors on the Island is a great way to wind down after work. I love my job as a nurse but being a part of Beach Buddies and spending time focusing on the environment and helping maintain the Island's natural beauty is a fantastic outlet for me. It is something I am becoming more and more passionate about as time goes on.

The fact that the Isle of Man is the only entire nation in the world declared a Biosphere reserve is a credit to all Islanders and I feel responsibility to continue that through the work of Beach Buddies.

For me, the Island's beaches are ultimately my favourite places to visit. My grandparents took my parents and they took me. My daughter is now also a huge fan of the beach and I certainly hope this passion for the beach continues down our family line.

Posted up on 11th June 2018

GET INVOLVED

If you love the Isle of Man and want to help keep it special, there are a variety of ways to get involved in UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man projects. Here are a few suggestions.

Please help us spread the word about Biosphere Isle of Man!