Douglas promenade has for more than 50 years served athletics

There are some similarities between the history of the Easter Festival and the largest event athletics organised on the Isle of Man, the Parish Walk, apart from both being organised by sub-committees of Manx Harriers.

The Parish Walk was revived in 1960 with the finish at the Villa Marina. The Villa Marina was the focal point of Douglas Promenade and, after one false start in 1963, the first Easter Festival road race started and finished at the Villa Marina.

The Easter Festival developed from a single day event into a three day affair and expanded rapidly in the 1980s. Although it declined thereafter the organisers through the 90s played a crucial role as they held it together.

In the early part of the century the new organisers did something similar to what has happened to many an old property in the Isle of Man. They gutted it and rebuilt it keeping the best bits but adding lots of nice new features. Regardless of how nice a house is on the inside if you want to sell it you have to make the outside look good too.

They moved the opening race from the front of the house to the delightful garden that is Port Erin and Port St Mary but they reverted to staging the closing event on the front lawn - Douglas Promenade,

The Parish Walk also went through a period of stagnation with minimal press coverage. A large part of its revival could be attributed to the publicity and the better access to information. But, as with the Easter Festival, although the revivalists should take the lion's share of the credit, it was so important that somebody kept the flame going.

So both events had visionaries who started them, efficient administrators who kept them afloat and the developers who have made them what they are today.

The Parish Walk developers found that the Villa Marina was not a big enough house to accommodate all of the expanded family and so the start was moved to the National Sports Centre. As the walkers return over several hours, Douglas Promenade can still cope with the finish.

Since the fun runs were cancelled, when Douglas Promenade was temporarily unavailable, there has not been a once a year event attracting hundreds of runners of all ages. The KPMG relay appears to be filling this void. And where is that being held? On Douglas Promenade of course.

It is no coincidence that three of the biggest events of the year finish within a few hundred yards of each other on Douglas Promenade.

Get rid of the cars, stop the horse trams from being moved there and increase the awareness of the wonderful facility we have.