The official start of the new tax year has sparked a fresh battle between Labour and the Conservatives over their respective economic plans.

The Tories claim 94% of working households are better off under the tax and benefit changes coming into effect.
Labour's Ed Balls claimed average families were £1,100 a year worse off since 2010, including Monday's changes.
Both parties say their rivals have secret plans to raise taxes if they win the general election.
The Lib Dems, meanwhile, are angry with the Conservatives for claiming credit for an increase in the personal income tax allowance, which they say they had to force Tory ministers to accept.
The personal allowance - the amount someone can earn before they are taxed - has gone up from £10,000 to £10,600.
The Tories and Lib Dems have both said they want it to go up to £12,500 by 2020, but senior Lib Dem David Laws said his party would implement this "far faster".
In other news:
Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls, speaking in Leeds, said Britain could not afford five more years of the Tories.
"Families are £1,100 a year worse off on average - that is the true cost of a Tory chancellor," he said, citing independent figures from the Institute for Fiscal Studies which he said supported his case.
He said the IFS figures took into account all of the changes David Cameron and his government had introduced since May 2010 up until Monday, including the change to the personal allowance. The IFS "also exposes how families with children have been hit hardest", he added.
"Their damning conclusion is that low-income households with children lose the most as a percentage of their income from changes implemented by the coalition.
"While millions are paying more, we know that millionaires are paying less."
He repeated Labour's claim that a Conservative government would increase VAT to make their sums add up - something denied last month by David Cameron.
The Conservatives claim Labour would be forced to increase National Insurance contributions to pay for their spending plans.
By Carole Walker, BBC Conservative Campaign Correspondent
David Cameron and George Osborne will both be out campaigning in the South West on the day tax changes affecting millions of voters take effect.
Mr Cameron will be meeting some carefully selected voters who will benefit from the changes. The opposing parties are already hurling conflicting statistics over how many of us have gained or lost under the outgoing government.
The apparent contradictions reflect the fact that the opposing parties are choosing different figures. So Mr Cameron will point out that more than 90% of working households will be better off under the changes which come in today, largely due to the rise in the amount we can earn before we pay tax.
Labour has countered that families are on average £1,100 a year worse off because of the tax and welfare changes since 2010; much of this is due to benefit cuts.
David Cameron will say there is not just an economic case but a moral case for low taxes, saying this goes to the heart of what he believes in as a Conservative.
But in an apparent acknowledgement that many people do not yet feel they are benefitting from the upturn in the economy, he will say: "I don't just want people to see Britain's recovery on the TV or hear it on the radio, I want them to feel it in their lives."
He'll claim that today's changes will help that to happen.
Few of us want to hand over more of our earnings in taxes, but as we saw in last week's television debate, some of his political rivals are mounting strong arguments that taxes should be raised for higher earners.
There is another flipside to the commitment to low taxes.  The Tories need to save £30bn to eliminate the deficit by 2017/18 and if they won't put up taxes, all the money will have to come from spending cuts.
They have said they will save £5bn by cracking down on tax avoidance, £13bn from departmental spending and £12bn from welfare. But there remain big unanswered questions on which benefits and which government projects will have to be axed.
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg blasted Labour's policies as "economically illiterate", but also warned that Chancellor George Osborne was "a very dangerous man" because of his plan to balance the books by spending cuts alone.
One of the biggest changes coming into force on Monday is the relaxation of pension rules, so that those with a defined contribution pension "pot" can take out as much as they like when they reach the age of 55.
Liberal Democrat Pensions Minister Steve Webb said the principle was to trust people with their own money - but he urged people to seek advice and not rush into any decisions.
This election issue includes income tax and national insurance levies and business taxes.
Labour's pensions spokesman Gregg McClymont welcomed the "flexibility" in the new system but voiced concerns the pensions industry was "finding it difficult to adapt so quickly to such a big change".
Other changes coming into effect include a higher limit on ISA savings, the Marriage Tax Allowance, a 2.5% increase in the state pension, the abolition of employer National Insurance on under 21-year-olds and the scrapping of the 10p tax band on savings. Working age benefit increases have also been capped at 1%.
The Conservatives have produced Treasury figures suggesting 94% of households will be better off under the changes, with 92% of pensioner households also gaining. The figures do not include workless households.
In his speech, Prime Minister David Cameron will say: "Today is a big day for our country. It's 'money-back Monday' - a day when, quite simply, hardworking taxpayers get to keep more of their own cash."
He will add that as a result of Conservative action - including raising the personal allowance - "our country becomes a better and fairer place to live… where those who put in, get out; where hard work is rewarded; and people are trusted."
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George Clooney, Wayne Rooney and Bill Gates are all devotees of table tennis, a sport enjoying such a boom that Oscar award-winning actress Susan Sarandon has even opened a ping-pong nightclub in New York.

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Ian Marshall, BBC Sport
"Asian and continental European nations dominate, although Team GB can compete with anyone from outside those areas. Joanna Parker and Paul Drinkhall are the singles entrants for Britain. Joanna is a solid defensive player, Paul has a strong forehand and is an ex-European junior champion. China's Zhang Jike is the reigning men's World Cup winner and world champion, and is looking to add the Olympic title. China sweep the medals, but in tournaments their athletes can crack under pressure."
The sport's appeal is obvious: it's fast, fun and cheap.
At elite level, it's really fast. The ball travels at speeds of 100mph and is struck more than 180 times in a minute - about three shots a second.
The Chinese dominate the global game (they have won all five titles at each of the last four World Championships), and the proliferation of China-born players representing other countries has raised the standard.
There are four table tennis events held at the Olympics: the men's and women's singles, and men's and women's team events, which replaced the doubles at the last Olympics.
As table tennis is an incredibly fast sport, an hour's play can burn approximately 272 calories. Due to its intensity, table tennis improves cardiovascular fitness, endurance levels and the health of an athlete's heart.
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One of the main benefits of playing table tennis is that it is non-contact. This means you can get all the positives of a high-energy sport such as football without the risk of collision injuries to the arms, shoulders and legs.
It is also one of the few competitive sports that requires players to move at speed without straining the muscles or joints through stretching or using heavy equipment.
For people returning from injury or the elderly, table tennis tennis can be the perfect sport to sustain fitness levels.
The action of having to hit a fast-moving ball with a bat several times a second means table tennis also improves reflexes, eye-to-hand co-ordination, mental alertness and speed of movement.
Table tennis is a cheap and accessible sport played by 2.4m people in the United Kingdom. For people of all ages and abilities, table tennis clubs provide the best place to learn and play the sport.
There are currently more than 750 clubs in gyms, leisure centres, schools, colleges and universities throughout the UK. To find your nearest club, visit the English Table Tennis Association,Irish Table Tennis,Table Tennis Association of Wales or Table Tennis Scotland websites.
Table tennis equipment, such as bats and ping-pong balls, can be relatively inexpensive to buy, with some leisure centres and clubs also offering a rental service.
Hourly rates for hiring a court often begin at approximately £5 per session, although membership deals can create a lower cost per game.
In England, Ping! is an innovative three year street ping pong project which provides people with opportunities to play social and competitive table tennis, free of charge.
Permanent outdoors free-to-use table tennis tables have also been installed in parks in places such as London, Birmingham, Bristol and Hull.
'Join In Local Sport' aims to get as many people as possible to turn up and take part in activities at their local sports facilities on 18/19 August, 2012 - the first weekend between the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The aim of the initiative is for every sports club and community group in the UK to put on a special event in a bid to encourage more people to get involved as members, supporters or volunteers.
More than 4,000 local sports clubs will be opening their doors to host events and show people just how they can get involved.
As well as tips on playing sport there will be information on coaching, supporting and how to help out.
Find an event near you.
Get your performance under pressure analysed in just 20 minutes by four-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson
Start the experiment
More on the London 2012 website
A point is scored in a variety of ways, including when a player allows the ball to bounce twice on their side of the table, hits the ball into the net and outside the boundaries of the table without bouncing.
Sweden's Jan-Ove Waldner dropped just one game in seven matches when winning the 1992 men's singles gold - living up to his nickname of the 'Mozart of Table Tennis'
The first player or pair scoring 11 points (by a margin of two clear points) wins the game.
If the scores are tied at 10-10 then it is the player or the pair that gains a lead of two points first who wins the game.
The expedite system can be introduced if a set has not finished after 10 minutes. Under the expedite system, each player makes a service and if the receiving player or pair makes 13 good returns, the receiver shall score a point.
The service is changed after every two points. Once the score gets to 10-10, the serve changes after every point.
In doubles matches, the serve alternates between players as well as teams. Players also take turns to hit the ball, with one hit allowed per player before it alternates.
More on the Team GB website
London major Boris Johnson proudly declared after Beijing that "whiff-whaff is coming home". However, the medals will not be following.
Paul Drinkhall plays in the men's singles, Joanna Parker in the women's, and both will find the going tough. The teams are also unlikely to go far.
Gold should be all about the Chinese. Wang Hao and world champion Zhang Jike should contest the men's final, while Ding Ning and Li Xiaoxia are the two top women.
China also look unbeatable in the team competitions. Germany are the best European outfit and will be looking for medals from the men's team and Timo Boll.
In the late 19th century table tennis was a sedate after-dinner pastime among the high society in England and British army officers abroad, with cigar-box lids used as rackets and a carved champagne cork for a ball.
China has won 20 of the 24 available gold medals since table tennis became an Olympic sport
Early names for the sport included gossima, whiff-whaff and ping pong.
The first World Championships were held in London in 1926, but it did not become an Olympic sport until 1988 in Seoul.
It is estimated there are 40 million competitive table tennis players and countless millions playing recreationally, making it the sport with the most participants worldwide.
More on the IOC website


Residents of a seaside town are mourning a local cat who found celebrity status when he took up residence in a supermarket.

Eighteen-month-old Milo belonged to the Barnes family, who live across the road from the Tesco store in Penzance.
Although he headed home to them each night for tea, he spent his days in the foyer of the shop, attracting a large social media following.
It is believed he died after being hit by a car on Saturday.
More on Milo the supermarket cat, and other news
Milos's owner Emma Barnes, 24, said she first realised her young cat was a fan of the supermarket when he disappeared for seven weeks.
He was eventually discovered in a village more than nine miles away from the town.
Ms Barnes said she thinks he must have climbed inside a Tesco delivery van.
She said customers and staff took him to their hearts, and he was often found asleep in the foyer of the store.
He once managed to sneak deep into the shop and an announcement was made over the Tannoy, "could someone get Milo from aisle seven?", she added.
Luke Mill, team manager of Tesco Penzance, said: "We were very sad to hear about the passing of Milo who was always a welcome visitor to our store."
Milo even had his own Facebook page, set up by Ms Barnes who was concerned people might think he was a stray.
Hundreds of people have posted their reaction to his death.
Claire Jolley wrote: "Heart goes out to you, we only recently met him when he got into our car but he was a real character, RIP Milo, love to you and your family xxxxx."
Ms Barnes says she and her two small children were heartbroken, but comforted by the reaction of the community.
"It means the world to me that he was so loved," she said.


A shotgun and ammunition have been stolen from the Aberdeen suburb of Peterculter.

The break-in happened at a rural property in the Anguston area.
The theft - which also saw electrical items taken - happened between 07:00 and 18:30 on Monday.
Police Scotland Det Insp Stephen Beattie said: "Inquiries are at an early stage and we would urge anyone who may have seen anything unusual or suspicious to contact us."


Paul Foster won the World Indoor Bowls title for the fifth time after coming from behind to defeat Greg Harlow.

The Scot beat his English opponent, who won the title himself in 2010, 7-11 11-1 2-0 in Great Yarmouth to become champion for the first time since 2011.
Asked how it compared to his previous wins, Foster told BBC Sport: "It certainly rates very highly.
"You have to go with your very first world title, so 1998 will always be the most memorable one."
This latest victory means Foster - who won in 1998, 2001, 2005 and 2011 - is one behind six-time champion Alex Marshall, but he insisted that catching up with his Commonwealth Games gold medal partner was not something he thought about.
"Everybody knows he is my best mate," he said. "When he's in tournaments, I want him to win unless he's playing me and vice versa.
"It's always the media saying 'Alex has six and you've only got four', but it doesn't concern me and it sure doesn't concern Alex either because there's a lot of guys out there wanting to win a first world title and I've been very fortunate to get five.
"So that means nothing to me. He is still the man."
Harlow, who was seeded two places above Foster and had beaten him in the final of the Scottish International Open in Perth in November, took control of the first set when scoring four at the third end.
Asked what he was thinking after going a set behind, Foster replied: "Help!
"I didn't think I played that badly in the first set. I dropped a bad four for me, a great four for Greg.
"He came out of the traps so fast, I was just hanging in and it ended up the four was the killer.
"Greg was always in control and every bowl he played was top notch and it's the best I've seen him play in a long time with his first bowl and putting me under pressure, because not a lot of people do that.
"Greg's a class act. After the first set, I just dug deep and I was pleased with the way I played."
After opening the second set by scoring two, Foster only allowed Harlow a single in the next end as he levelled the match.
The sixth-seeded Scot's increasing accuracy continued into the tie-break and Harlow lamented: "I was delighted to make the final but obviously disappointed not to come away with the trophy.
"Obviously I was playing well in the first one. I was going along nicely and was hoping for more of the same in the second, but Paul had other ideas."


President Obama is to use Tuesday's State of the Union speech to call for tax increases on the wealthy to help the middle class, officials say.

The proposals would raise $320 billion (Â£211 billion) over a decade, to fund benefits such as tax credits.
The speech is the centrepiece of the US political diary and may shape both Mr Obama's legacy and the 2016 election.
But the president faces resistance to his proposals, with Republicans controlling both Houses of Congress.
With the US economy growing, President Obama will stress that it is time for ordinary US families to feel the benefits.
According to US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the plans include:
The revenues would raise more than enough to fund the proposed benefits for the middle class, according to the officials.
These include tripling child tax credits, help for families with two working spouses and extra incentives to save for retirement.
There's growing confidence in the White House about the strength of America's economic recovery - as President Obama told the UK Prime Minister David Cameron last week, "we must be doing something right".
But there's also an awareness that for many middle class Americans wages still feel stagnant.
A growing theme in US politics is the need to make sure the economic recovery extends to all and that there's social mobility for those with aspirations.
Of course, as well as the freedom afforded him by the improving economic picture, there's also the fact that the president isn't seeking re-election himself.
It means Mr Obama can help set the political weather for the 2016 election, even though he knows these new tax rises will provoke opposition in the new Republican Congress.
Still, there's a desire not to frighten the horses too much. The White House is stressing 99% of these increases will fall on the richest 1%.
The speech is also set to include a plan to  expanding free community college education and proposals on cyber-security.
The State of the Union speech will be President Obama's first since the Republicans seized control of the two Houses of Congress at elections last November.
His proposals have already been dismissed by some in the party.
"Slapping American small businesses, savers, and investors with more tax hikes only negates the benefits of the tax policies that have been successful in helping to expand the economy, promote savings, and create jobs," Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin G Hatch said.
Administration officials hope to find some common ground with their opponents.
They also say the increase in capitals gains taxes, likely to be resisted by many Republicans, returns the rate to what it was under President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s.
The New York Times said the decision to present the tax plan during Tuesday's speech marked the start of a debate over taxes and the economy that will shape both the president's legacy and the 2016 presidential campaign.


Manchester City have signed defender Nicolas Otamendi from Valencia on a five-year deal worth £32m.

City will pay an initial £28.5m for the Argentina international, who was named in La Liga's 2014-15 team of the season and played in the Copa America final.
"To be here inside a club that looks so wonderful from the outside is a dream," said the 27-year-old ex-Porto player.
City manager Manuel Pellegrini said: "He's strong, he's excellent in the tackle and he's very good technically."
The Chilean added: "He is an established international for one of the best nations in world football and I have no doubt that he has the right mentality to fit into a squad where he will find many familiar faces, including Eliaquim [Mangala] and Fernando, who he played alongside in Portugal."
Former Argentina coach Diego Maradona gave Otamendi his first senior cap when he was called up for the 2010 World Cup qualifier against Panama.
He was a member of the squad that qualified for the tournament in South Africa, but was dropped by coach Alejandro Sabella for the World Cup in Brazil four years later.
Otamendi is City's third major summer signing following the arrival of England internationals Raheem Sterling and Fabian Delph.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


Several people witnessed a young soldier being "beasted" on the day he died from heatstroke on the hottest day of the year, an inquest has heard.

Pte Gavin Williams, 22, from Hengoed, Caerphilly county, suffered heart failure at Lucknow Barracks in Tidworth, Wiltshire, on 3 July 2006.
An inquest into his death heard he was made to do intense exercise as punishment for disobedience.
One civil servant said she "couldn't believe what I was witnessing."
The Salisbury hearing was told Pte Williams was subjected to the beasting by three non-commissioned officers before he complained of stomach pains. He collapsed and later died.
Sgt Russell Price, of 2 Rifles, Sgt Paul Blake, and Cpl John Edwards, both from the 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh, who carried out the punishment were cleared of manslaughter at Winchester Crown Court in 2008.
It has been alleged during the hearing that Pte Williams was being punished for his involvement in an incident where guests attending a summer ball at the officers's mess were sprayed with a fire extinguisher.
It was said Lt Col Mark Davis - who was a Captain at the time - directed him report to the Regimental Police staff at the guard room and then be brought to his office "hot and sweaty". He has denied ordering a beasting.
L/Cpl Christopher Elshaw, who was on duty in the guard room that day, told the hearing he saw Pte Williams being shouted at before being drilled.
When he saw him again later he said he looked like he was injured, adding: "He was stooping with his arm around his tummy, he looked uncomfortable."
"He had a red face as if he had been marching and he was breathing heavily. He looked like he had been drilled and he was hot and sweaty."
Civil servant Arthur Biershenk said he had not seen that type of drilling before in Lucknow Barracks "or anywhere else".
His colleague Dawn Harrison, who watched from an open window, said: "It struck me that it was an incredibly hot day to do something like that.
"To myself and my colleagues being civilians and not being in the Army it seemed preposterous to us the way the Army does their disciplinary action."
"I couldn't believe what I was witnessing," she added.
The inquest continues.


Charlton have appointed former Belgium international Bob Peeters as manager.

The 40-year-old has succeeded compatriot Jose Riga, who helped the Addicks avoid relegation from the Championship.
Peeters was most recently in charge of Belgian outfit Waasland-Beveren and has also managed Cercle Brugge and Gent.
The former striker, who was capped 13 times by Belgium, also had a two-year spell as a player at Millwall between 2003 and 2005.
Peeters will work alongside Charlton first-team coach Damien Matthew.
Former Charlton assistant manager Alex Dyer will not be part of the new setup and has left the club after after three-and-a-half years at The Valley.
Riga, 56, took over as  Charlton manager in March following Chris Powell's sacking and had hoped to remain in charge after seven wins from 16 games.
But Charlton owner Roland Duchatelet, who also owns Standard Liege, decided against that in favour of Peeters.


Police are appealing for information after a man was seen kicking a young boy in the head and chest on a train.

British Transport Police said the incident happened on a 16:00 service, travelling from Edinburgh Waverley to Peterborough last Sunday.
A spokesman said the assault, while the train was at Waverley Station, was on a boy aged two or three who was hit three times and kicked in the head and chest.
The man and three children got off at Alnmouth in Northumberland.
Police would like to speak to anyone who witnessed the alleged incident or anyone who can help identify those involved.
The man was described as being white, of large build, with short, dark hair. He was wearing glasses, dark jeans and white Nike trainers.
PC Joss Froggatt, said: "I would like to speak to anyone who was on board this service who may have seen or heard the incident. It is unclear at this stage exactly what took place, but we have had serious allegations made, so we are investigating to establish what happened.
"If you have any information, please contact me by calling 0800 40 50 40 or text 61016, quoting reference number 324 12/2/17."


US presidential hopeful Ted Cruz has been called "Lucifer in the flesh" by the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner.

Mr Boehner, a fellow Republican, has also reportedly said he will not vote for Mr Cruz if he becomes the nominee.
Their rift dates back to when Mr Cruz led a group of hard-core conservatives to force a government shutdown in 2013, against his party's leadership.
Meanwhile, Mr Boehner has described Donald Trump as a "texting buddy".
He also said they have played golf together for years and that he would vote for the billionaire if he were the Republican nominee, the Stanford Daily reported.
The billionaire is the front-runner on the race for the Republican nomination, ahead of Mr Cruz.
The Texas senator is seen by many Republicans as the only option to prevent Mr Trump from being the party's candidate. Others, however, dispute this, saying he is a divisive figure.
Mr Boehner, who was the most powerful Republican in US politics for a time until he resigned last October, used strong language when he spoke about Mr Cruz during a talk at Stanford University.
"I have Democrat friends and Republican friends. I get along with almost everyone, but I have never worked with a more miserable son of a bitch in my life," he said.
John Boehner tells us how he really feels.
At a time when Ted Cruz is struggling to save his presidential campaign, having a former high-ranking member of the Republican Party compare him to Beelzebub is, shall we say, unhelpful. It further reinforces the perception - hammered time and time again by Donald Trump - that Mr Cruz is too divisive, too abrasive, too unliked to be a successful leader.
The Texas senator likely would counter that he has made the right kind of enemies and the ire of the party establishment is a badge he will proudly wear. Unfortunately for him, however, the party establishment is just about the only thing left keeping his candidacy afloat. He has become the vessel for the #NeverTrump efforts - the last realistic candidate between Mr Trump on the nomination - and that movement is populated by insiders who, in any other situation, would not hesitate to stick a knife in Mr Cruz's back.
It seems Mr Boehner, happy in his retirement from politics, had no such reservations.
More about their rift
Mr Cruz is credited with having a large role in the federal government shutdown in 2013, when Mr Boehner was Speaker of the House.
The Texas senator is seen as having an aggressive posture and considers himself as an anti-establishment politician.
He reacted to Mr Boehner's remarks on Twitter, saying: "Tell me again who will stand up to Washington? Trump, who's Boehner's "texting and golfing buddy," or Carly & me?", he wrote, referring to Carly Fiorina, his pick for vice-president in an eventual candidacy."
When asked about the Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, Mr Boehner reportedly impersonated her saying "Oh I'm a woman, vote for me," which received a negative reaction from the crowd.
He later said they had known each other for 25 years and that he finds the former secretary of state to be very accomplished and smart.


Chelsea team doctor Eva Carneiro is set to lose her place on the bench for Sunday's trip to Manchester City after criticism from manager Jose Mourinho.

The Blues boss said his medical staff were "naive" for treating Eden Hazard during the 2-2 draw with Swansea.
Carneiro will continue to be Chelsea's first-team doctor but her role at the club will be significantly changed, according to the Daily Telegraph.
She will no longer attend matches or training sessions.
Carneiro will, however, continue to work with first-team players at Chelsea's Cobham training ground.
Having had goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois sent off on 52 minutes, the Blues were later down to nine men for a period of Saturday's game after staff ran on to treat Hazard when he was tripped.
If a player receives treatment on the pitch, he must leave the field.
"I was unhappy with my medical staff. They were impulsive and naive," said Mourinho.
"Whether you are a kit man, doctor or secretary on the bench you have to understand the game."
Carneiro, who joined Chelsea in 2009, thanked people for their support on Monday.
A club spokesman said: "We don't comment on internal staff matters."


When Philip Russell's friends gathered for his 29th birthday drinks, the mood was sombre not celebratory.

It was a few days after the London bomb attacks on 7 July 2005 and Mr Russell was classed as missing. The optimistic though clung to the slim hope he might turn up for the occasion.
But Mr Russell had not lived to enjoy the get-together he organised - he had died in the bomb blast that tore apart the number 30 bus in Tavistock Square.
The financial manager's usual route to work was disrupted by the shutdown of the Tube network, forcing him to find another way there.
At 0930 BST, he called his employer to say he would be taking the bus. Less than 20 minutes later, the bomb on his bus had gone off.
Born in the picturesque Kent village of Pembury in 1976, Philip showed an early interest in music - playing saxophone in an orchestra - and travel after a school French exchange.
By the sixth form, he had gone from a quiet studious boy to a popular outgoing young man, known among friends as the life and soul of a party.
He went on to graduate from Kingston University with a 2:1 in business studies.
Before settling into a job in finance in the City, Philip travelled on his own to South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
At the time of his death, Philip had been rising quickly through the ranks at JP Morgan Asset Management and had been set to go to New York and Toronto with the company that September.
A Charlton Athletic fan, he used to attend home games with his father and he was a doting uncle to his sister's children.
In a family statement read out at his inquest, Grahame Russell said his son was a great family man.
"He once told a friend that, should he never have children of his own, he would be the world's best uncle," he said.
He was also a great gatherer of friends, always being there for them in a crisis and never fazed.
"Philip's life was one of contentment," Mr Russell said. "He lived it doing the deeds of a true gentleman.
"His parents' pride and love knows no bounds, and the stories recounted by his friends since his death have echoed their every thought, proving that their son was indeed a good man."


The use of vans with adverts urging illegal immigrants to "go home or face arrest" are working, No 10 says.

The PM's official spokesman said David Cameron disagreed with Lib Dem Business Secretary Vince Cable's view that the scheme was "stupid and offensive".
The spokesman said the Home Office was "clear that this is already working".
He did not give figures on levels of response but said the Home Office was "looking at what they can take forward" from the London pilot scheme.
The Home Office say the van pilot had only ended on Sunday so were not sure "what figures have been collated at this point".
The pilot scheme saw vans driven through Barnet, Hounslow, Barking and Dagenham, Ealing, Brent and Redbridge featuring the "go home" posters - which had a text number illegal immigrants were encouraged to use to arrange their departure.
Leaflets, posters and messages in local newspapers were also used carrying the same message.
The pilot scheme cost just under £10,000, which is cheaper than forcibly removing someone. That process costs about £15,000, according to the Home Office.
The use of the vans have been widely criticised - Brent's council leader Muhammed Butt said the plan was an "act of desperation" and that more needed to be done to process people's claims.
He added it would "just drive people underground".
Mr Cable told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show on Sunday: "It was stupid and offensive. I think it is very unlikely it will continue."
He questioned whether illegal immigrants would have enough of a "sophisticated grasp of English" to be able to read the posters on the vans at a distance.
"It is designed, apparently, to sort of create a sense of fear (in the) British population that we have a vast problem with illegal immigration," he said.
"We have a problem but it's not a vast one. It's got to be dealt with in a measured way dealing with the underlying causes."
The Home Office said the scheme was an alternative to criminal procedures and the areas were chosen because they had either significantly higher or below average numbers of voluntary returns.
It said voluntary returns were the most cost-effective way of removing illegal immigrants and saving the taxpayer money.
Councils were not consulted as it is an immigration policy which does not require local consent, it added.
The Downing Street spokesman said the government would wait until final information on the pilots was available before deciding whether to extend the scheme nationwide.
Public and Commercial Services union general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "It is simply not credible that the government has enough information to state that these billboards are 'working' - in fact, it is far from clear how any success could even be measured."


Three special school staff members were arrested after a teenage pupil was seriously injured in a swimming pool.

The 18-year-old man is still in hospital after the incident at Leicester's West Gate School on 27 January.
The school subsequently suspended three female members of staff.
Police confirmed the women were arrested in connection with allegations of neglect offences and then bailed pending further inquiries.
Chair of governors, the Rev Canon Peter Taylor, said: "A number of investigations are being carried out into the circumstances of this tragic incident.
"Three members of staff have been suspended while these take place."
A Leicestershire Police spokeswoman said the pupil "sustained injuries as a result of getting into difficulty in a swimming pool in Glenfield Road."
She added that the women "aged 49, 61 and 62, have been arrested in connection with the incident on neglect offences".
Leicester City Council and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are also investigating.
The school - which caters for students aged four to 19 with learning difficulties and disabilities - was officially opened by Prince Edward last year.


Theresa May used a "well-established mechanism" in setting up a blind trust to manage her financial interests on becoming PM, Downing Street has said.

Under the arrangement, ministers avoid conflicts of interest with government work, but do not have to reveal their investments in full.
The Lib Dems said the public had a "legitimate interest" in knowing what companies Mrs May had shares in.
But Number 10 said the trust reflected the PM taking on "wider duties".
Mrs May set up the arrangement when she became prime minister last summer, after serving in the cabinet for six years as home secretary.
The arrangement was revealed in the Cabinet Office list of ministers' interests published last month.
In placing shares in blind trusts, ministers have no knowledge of how their investment is being handled, to avoid any potential conflict of interest. It also means they do not have to reveal their investments in full in the list of ministerial interests.
Six other ministers hold shares managed by blind trusts. They are: Solicitor General Robert Buckland; business minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe; defence minister Earl Howe; education minister Lord Nash; health minister Philip Dunne; and Advocate General for Scotland Lord Keen of Elie.
A Number 10 spokeswoman said: "Blind trusts are a well-established mechanism for protecting ministers in the handling of their interests, as they are not involved in any decisions on the management, acquisition or disposal of items in the trust. She set it up when she became prime minister."
The spokeswoman said Mrs May had not needed a blind trust while home secretary, but now had a "far wider set of public duties".
"Accordingly, the blind trust was established when she became prime minister," she added.
Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: "I'm sure the prime minister has nothing to hide but the public has a legitimate interest in what companies she invested in and who runs the trust.
"Theresa May promised the most transparent government in the world. This is an early test to see if her deeds match her words."
Mrs May's husband Philip is a former City fund manager but has worked as a a relationship manager for Capital Group since 2005. When Mrs May became PM in July the company issued a statement saying his job was to make sure clients were happy with its service, adding:  "He is not involved with, and doesn't manage, money and is not a portfolio manager."


Two teenagers have died after falling from a sixth floor balcony at a party in south-east London.

The 18-year-old man and 19-year-old woman were pronounced dead at the scene in Knights Tower in Wharf Street, Deptford, just after midnight.
Insp Shaun Carre-Brown described the deaths as "tragic accidents" which were not being treated as suspicious.
Police said the students were at a party and urged any witnesses to come forward.
A resident who lives in a building opposite Knights Tower said he saw a couple "frolicking" on the balcony.
He said: "The occupants were inside, these two were on the balcony. We were shutting our blinds when we saw a couple on their balcony frolicking.
He said less than 10 minutes later he heard a "bang". His partner said: "We thought someone had been shot."
Samson Oguntayo, 32,  who lives in the neighbouring Cornmill House, said he and his partner had seen the couple fall.
He said he thought they "were trying to have sex on the balcony".
"The guy was lifting the girl and putting her on the banister," he said.
"You could see they were doing some really dangerous stuff."
"The last thing I expected was to see them falling down.
"We just screamed."
Det Ch Supt Helen Millichap said: "We believe this was a tragic accident involving two young people who were students attending a local college.
"We will work closely with the college to make sure any affected students receive information and support.
"Our thoughts are with the family and friends of these young people."


Mattie Lennon is on his way back to Tyrone for a second stint as the county's senior hurling manager.

Armagh native Lennon is expected to be ratified by the Red hands committee, a year after stepping down from the post.
He had a successful spell with Tyrone in 2014 and 2015, guiding them to a first ever Nicky Rackard Cup title and securing successive league promotions.
Since his departure, two managers and an interim manager have taken the reins.
Antrim man Dominic Kearns stepped down after just a few weeks in the job early last year, with Waterford man and former Antrim manager Kevin Ryan appointed at short notice.
He too stepped away before the end of the season, but said he had achieved his objectives in helping Tyrone retain their NHL Division 3A and Nicky Rackard Cup status.
Following Ryan's departure, long-serving player and assistant manager John Devlin took over on a temporary basis.
Lennon previously managed his native Armagh from 2006 to 2008 and was in charge of the Monaghan team that reached the NHL Division 3A final in 2012.
He has also managed the Armagh Under-21 footballers, and played hurling at all levels for Armagh and his club Derrynoose.


A 16-year-old student has admitted killing his teacher in her classroom, a defence lawyer has told a court.

The teenager is accused of murdering 61-year-old Spanish teacher Ann Maguire at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds on 28 April.
Paul Greaney QC, prosecuting, said the boy did not admit murder, but added: "It does amount to an admission he's guilty of manslaughter."
A trial on the murder charge was set for 3 November at Leeds Crown Court.
No formal plea was entered, but Richard Wright QC, defending, said: "He has accepted responsibility for the unlawful killing of the deceased".
The student, who was 15 at the time of the killing, cannot be named for legal reasons. He appeared in court via video-link.
Mrs Maguire, a mother-of two from Moortown, Leeds, was due to retire in September after working for more than 40 years at the school.
Members of her family watched the proceedings from the public gallery.
The court heard that expert psychiatric reports would now be prepared before the trial.
The boy was told he would appear again for a hearing on 26 September. He was remanded in custody.
Both the judge and Mr Greaney asked the public to be extremely careful about using social media to discuss this case and stressed there could be heavy penalties for naming the defendant or giving other details about the case before the trial.


Twelve people survived one of Portugal's deadliest fires by seeking refuge in a water tank after access to their village was cut off by the blaze.

The residents, including a disabled 95-year-old woman, spent more than six hours in the tank as the fire prevented them from being rescued.
"If it wasn't for this, we would all have died," one of the survivors said.
The fires, which police believe were started by lightning, killed 63 people, many of them dying in their cars.
The latest of the victims was identified as a 40-year-old firefighter who died in hospital.
Residents in some areas of central Portugal were still being evacuated as more than 1,000 firefighters tackled the blaze, which continued to rage on several fronts on Monday despite light rain.
Maria do Céu Silva was hailed as a hero after using her house's water tank to rescue the residents of Nodeirinho, next to the IC8 motorway, which was badly hit by the fire.
The idea, Ms Silva said, came while she tried to save her disabled mother.
"My husband told me to put her in the van but she couldn't get in by herself so she told me: 'Let me die on the floor'," she told Correio da Manhã newspaper.
"With the help of my son we managed to take her here." Her 81-year-old father also survived by hiding in the tank.
The winds were so strong, she said, that roofs of the houses were blown out. "It was like a horror movie."
We found ourselves stranded in a village called Mó Grande, just off of the IC8 motorway; ourselves and others were directed there by an officer from the IC8.
As we drove up the mountain road you could see the flames jumping across from one side of the valley to the other. The accompanying wind threw branches at the car but you couldn't stop, you could feel the heat.
Eventually we reached the small village at a crossroads surrounded by fire. Locals and ourselves were crying, overwhelmed by the heat and speed of the fire. It was dark, so dark, among the flames.
The devastation was indescribable. People, bewildered, remains of homes burning uncontrollably, concrete posts exploding over roads.
Read on
Next to the village, 30 bodies were found inside cars, with another 17 next to the vehicles, on the N-236 road, which leads on to the IC8 motorway. The N-236 was being described as the "road of death" in Portuguese media.
A few kilometres north of Nodeirinho, 11 people died in the village of Pobrais. Local reports said a third of the population had lost their lives, many as they tried to escape the fire. A survivor spoke of the roads being blocked and of no-one coming to their aid.
Maria de Fátima Nunes and her husband were driving on the motorway when their car was hit by the fire.
"My husband was burned on the arm," she told SIC Notícias. "I got burned too, on the chest."
"There was fire at the top of the pine trees and they were falling over the cars. The fire was coming from all sides. The cars crashed into each other trying to escape."
The couple who were in the car behind them, she said, did not manage to escape and died. "I shouted for the woman to get out of the car, but she didn't. Her husband did, but died there."
Officials said on Monday that 135 people had been injured by the fires, including more than a dozen firefighters.
The fires began on Saturday in the Pedrógão Grande region during an intense heatwave and rainless thunderstorms, with temperatures of more than 40C (104F) in some areas.
Meanwhile, outbreaks were reported in two more central regions, Castelo Branco and Coimbra. There was some rain on Monday and temperatures dropped slightly, but the situation was described by civil protection officials as worrying.
Prime Minister António Costa visited some of the affected areas and urged people to follow the evacuation calls.


Three rare pieces of medieval jewellery and Viking gold ingots found in fields across Nottinghamshire have been declared treasure.

The items were discussed at an inquest where landowners and finders discovered where they would go.
Assistant coroner Stephanie Haskey said they gave "a good and growing picture of medieval life".
The pieces will now form part of different museum collections in the county.
The finds include a silver gilt cross pendant dating back to the 13/14th Century, a silver hawking vervel ring thought to be worth Â£1,500 and gold Viking ingots.
Another gold ring was found in Newark by metal detectorist Maurice Richardson who previously found a 2,200-year-old gold necklace worth Â£350,000.
Speaking at Nottingham town hall, Ms Haskey, thanked attending landowners and hunters.
She said: "All of these add up to give us a good and growing picture of medieval life in Nottinghamshire.
"I've seen over the year how these collections are expanding and so our knowledge is growing and it's really valuable to us."
Colin McAlpine, who found the hawking vervel ring, said he first thought it was a washer.
"I was cleaning it in a bowl and when I washed it I realised it was silver," he said.
"These are found in some numbers in Norfolk but in Nottinghamshire they're very rare."
Glyn Hughes, from the Newark Civil War Museum, said Newark had become a "hot spot" for treasure finds.
"We have been fortunate that we have had some finds coming into the collection," he said.
"Most people who find things are interested in their historical value but it's really amazing to see their faces when they find out the financial value."


The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is wasting a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to fight drug cheats, it has been claimed.

The Institute of National Anti-Doping Organisations (iNado) said the IOC's stance on doping was "confusing" and "indefensible".
And iNado said the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) must be more independent from sporting authorities.
Wada is co-sponsored by the IOC and international governments.
Following the fallout of the Russian doping scandal talks are ongoing on what powers Wada should have to sanction entire countries or sports that breach the rules.
The iNado chairman Doug MacQuarrie and chief executive Joseph de Pencier say that although the IOC seems to accept the need for a more independent Wada, by demanding "equal representation" on Wada's board and executive committee it was "essentially arguing for the current system, which has repeatedly failed to make the rights of clean athletes the primary concern".
The organisation has called on the IOC to leave anti-doping to independent experts, which has been mooted as a means to avoid conflicts of interest.
In an open letter they wrote: "The inconsistency of messaging from the IOC on the matter of independence of Wada is confusing.
"If it is serious about empowering Wada to be free from the influence of sports organisations, the IOC must step back from its efforts to maintain its operational influence."
The pair also questioned the IOC's warning about "national interests" being as much of a problem for Wada as interference from sport, pointing out that the IOC itself failed to ban Russia from the Rio Olympics.
"This premise is indefensible... sadly, faced with the greatest example of 'national interests' subverting clean sport in the history of the modern Games - the misconduct of Russia - the IOC has yet to respond with any form of meaningful national sanction," they wrote.
"Why did it not ban Russia outright until that country gets its anti-doping house in order, as Wada recommended?"
The pair also criticised IOC president Thomas Bach's plan for an Independent Testing Authority (ITA) to run all the drug-testing at not only the Games, but across all Olympic sports, year-round.
"It would be far more timely, cost-effective and efficient to invest in current independent anti-doping capacity than to spend tens of millions on an entirely new body that preserves a conflict of interest," they wrote.
And they rejected the idea that only the Court of Arbitration for Sport should be allowed to sanction those who break anti-doping rules.


Negotiations over a new national dual contract for Ospreys' Alun Wyn Jones remain ongoing, says Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) chairman Gareth Davies.

Jones' Ospreys team-mate, scrum-half Rhys Webb, became the latest player to agree a new dual deal on Wednesday.
"I'd like to think that Alun Wyn will sign but that's not settled as yet," Davies told BBC Radio Wales.
"We'll wait and see really. Ospreys and the Welsh Rugby Union, along with Alun and his advisors, are in discussion."
Wales lock Jones, 30, whose current deal expires at the end of the season, said he was "weighing up" his options in November.
Dual contracts are 60% funded by the WRU and 40% by the regions.
Davies believes there are additional benefits to the dual contracts for the players involved.
"It's more than just playing in Wales and playing for the national team as well," he added.
"I think some of the leading players understand they are looked after pretty well by Warren Gatland and his coaching staff, in terms of the amount of games they play and the conditioning they receive.
"So I think there's a bigger picture than just playing for the Ospreys and just playing for Wales - there are other things to take into consideration as well."


Italian rider Ivan Basso has withdrawn from the Tour de France after revealing he has testicular cancer.

"We discovered this two hours ago. I have to stop," the former Giro d'Italia winner, 37, told a shocked news conference on Monday.
Basso was set to be one of Alberto Contador's key lieutenants in the mountains over the next two weeks.
He caught his groin in a crash on stage five and the cancer was discovered in a check-up on the race's first rest day.
Tinkoff-Saxo team-mate Contador was in tears as he sat next to Basso during his announcement.
Basso, who will travel to Italy to undergo surgery as soon as possible, twice finished on the podium during Lance Armstrong's long reign at the Tour and many, including Armstrong, expected him to follow the American on to the top step when he retired in 2005.
But Basso got caught up in the Spanish Operation Puerto doping scandal and eventually admitted to the intention to cheat. He was given a two-year ban in 2007.
The Italian climber, who owns a blueberry farm in Lombardy, has claimed five top-10 finishes in Grand Tours since his return to the sport, including a Giro win in 2010.
He is also one of the friendliest and more relaxed members of the professional peloton so this news will be greeted with considerable dismay.
His diagnosis will also increase the focus on Armstrong's arrival in France next week to ride two stages of the Tour with ex-England footballer Geoff Thomas - a day ahead of the race - to raise money for a cancer charity.
Armstrong recovered from life-threatening testicular cancer earlier in his career to win the seven Tour titles he was eventually stripped of for his doping activities.
Armstrong tweeted on Monday that he wished Basso "the very best".


Marko Arnautovic scored the only goal to give Stoke a second successive win and leave Aston Villa cut adrift in the Premier League relegation zone.

Arnautovic, who also had an effort ruled out for offside, exploited a huge gap in the Villa defence early in the second half to finish off the post.
Villa created little bar a credible Jordan Veretout appeal for a penalty.
Tim Sherwood's side have not won since the opening day and lie 18th, four points from safety.
Relive Stoke's 1-0 win at Aston Villa
Read reaction to this and Saturday's other games
Sherwood said after last week's defeat at Liverpool that his team were already in a relegation battle and, in an attempt to turn the tide, opted for a change of system.
Jack Grealish, who pledged his international future to England this week, was left on the bench as Sherwood employed a wing-backs system, one that left the hosts' forwards short of service.
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When Grealish was introduced for Joleon Lescott at half-time, Villa reverted to a back four, with centre-halves Micah Richards and Jose Angel Crespo separated to provide space for Arnautovic's goal.
Villa may be right to feel aggrieved that they were denied a penalty when Cameron clumsily challenged Veretout in the first half, but, in truth, they were toothless for large periods, managing only two shots on target.
They are without a win at home all season and have taken only 71 points from their last 74 games at Villa Park, a run that dates back to December 2011.
Some eye-catching summer recruitment saw Stoke bring in the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri, Ibrahim Affelay and Glen Johnson to the Britannia Stadium, but an early run of six games without a win did not match the pre-season optimism.
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However, on the back of victory over Bournemouth last week, Stoke claimed their third successive win at Villa Park and extended an unbeaten run at Villa that goes back to 2009.
Without the injured Shaqiri, the trio of Arnautovic, Bojan and Jon Walters inter-changed behind Mame Biram Diouf to create regular problems for the Villa defence, while at the other end a solid rearguard resulted in the Potters' first clean sheet of the season.
Arnautovic was perhaps unfortunate to have a first-half effort ruled out - he looked to be level with the last defender before volleying past Brad Guzan - but there was no doubt about his second-half strike, played into space by Johnson before finishing from the corner of the six-yard box.
The only sour note for City was a late injury to Diouf, who left field on a stretcher.
Stoke midfielder Charlie Adam found the net with a wonder goal against Chelsea in April, collecting the ball inside his own half and lobbing Thibaut Courtois from 65 yards.
The Scot almost embarrassed Guzan in similar fashion, unleashing a left-footed effort from deep inside his own half, not even as far advanced as the centre circle.
Guzan just managed to scramble back, leaping to tip the ball around the post.
"It was on and I felt it might have been close. I thought it was in and he did well to get back," said the Scot.
Adam has now provided the goalkeepers of the Premier League with plenty of warning about wandering off their line.
Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood: "I am very disappointed, we needed to win the game at home to a team that we could have leapfrogged.
"We failed to capitalise and it was not good enough. I think a draw would have been a fair result, both teams were average.
"The situation is getting worse, it is alright saying ifs, buts and maybes, but we are not picking up the wins and that is why we are down near the bottom of the league.
"We are all in this together but as the manager I take all the responsibility.
"I will use the international break to get my players fitter because they are not fit enough yet to play the way I want them to play. For some of them it will be like a mini pre-season."
Stoke manager Mark Hughes: "I was pleased with what we produced, it was a performance that we have been looking for. The first half was some of the best stuff we have played in terms of controlling the game.
"In the second half, we knew they would come at us, but we defended really well.
"I thought Marko was excellent today, offensively and defensively. He puts a shift in. It wasn't an easy chance, but thankfully he took it.
"It would have been hard to take had we not taken maximum points today and now we have a lot of time to prepare for the next game at Swansea."
It does not get easier for Villa. After the two-week international break, they face a daunting trip to Chelsea on Saturday, 17 October (15:00), while Stoke go to Swansea on the following Monday evening.


St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright has indicated he would be interested in the Rangers job but insists such a scenario is "all hypothetical".

Wright, 53, has achieved three successive top-six finishes in the Premiership with Saints and led them to Scottish Cup glory in 2014.
Rangers parted company with former boss Mark Warburton earlier this month.
"I don't think there's anybody in a job or out of a job that wouldn't want to take that call," said Wright.
"Yeah, I would speak [if the call came in from Rangers] because it's a big club but it's all hypothetical.
"That call hasn't happened as from other clubs it hasn't happened so I'm still happy here."
Wright and Aberdeen counterpart Derek McInnes are the Scottish Premiership managers that have been linked with Rangers since Warburton's departure.
Former Ibrox boss Alex McLeish and ex-Rangers defender Frank de Boer have also been mentioned in connection with the post.
Rangers have reportedly held interviews to fill both the manager's job and a director of football post.
Under-20s coach Graeme Murty continues in interim charge of the first team for a third successive game away to Inverness Caledonian Thistle on Friday evening.
Saints host Kilmarnock on Saturday before visiting Ibrox on Wednesday, having drawn 1-1 on their two previous meetings with Rangers this season.
Last term, St Johnstone knocked Warburton's Rangers out of the League Cup.
The full interview with Tommy Wright will be aired on BBC Sportsound on Sunday from 12 noon.


US markets lost ground on Thursday, amid continuing tension on the Korean peninsula and weaker-than-expected US jobs data.

US employers added 158,000 jobs, according to payrolls processor ADP, below the more than 180,000 analysts had predicted.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq fell 1% or 61.4 points to 6,089.46.
The Dow Jones dropped 0.7% to 21,320.304, while the S&P 500 fell 0.9% to 2,409.75.
General Electric shares showed some of the greatest losses.
The firm's stock fell 3.8% after European regulators said the firm had provided misleading information while seeking approval of the acquisition of a Danish firm earlier this year.
The charges could lead to fines.
Thursday's losses follow months in which US stocks have by and large been heading higher.
Analysts attribute the climb to a mix of strong corporate earnings and optimism about the chances for business-friendly policies under the Donald Trump administration.
Thursday's declines do little to alter that general trend but suggest uncertainty about where the economy is heading.
The ADP National Employment Report added to the unease. The report offers a preview of official job creation figures, which are scheduled for release on Friday.


Monkstown moved to the top of the men's Irish Hockey League thanks to a 3-1 win at UCD on Saturday.

The Dublin side are two points clear of Banbridge whose game against Cork C of I was postponed because of a frozen pitch at Havelock Park.
Lisnagarvey lost for the second game in a row, going down 3-1 at Glenanne.
That result that leaves Instonians five points adrift at the bottom of the table after they lost a basement battle 4-3 at home to Railway Union.
Hermes-Monkstown maintained their 100% record in the women's IHL with a 4-1 win at bottom club Pembroke while Ards had their four-game winning run snapped by Cork Harlequins.
Pegasus drew while there were defeats for Ulster Elks and Belfast Harlequins.
Monkstown took full advantage of the cancellation of the game between the two sides above them in the standings, Banbridge and Cork, to move to the top of the table.
David Carson scored twice and Lee Cole was on target as well in the victory at UCD.
After having their 21-game unbeaten streak snapped by Banbridge a fortnight ago, Lisnagarey lost again with Irish international Shane O'Donoghue on target for hosts Glenanne to open the scoring from a penalty corner.
Garvey slip to fifth place, five points behind Monkstown, with Three Rock Rovers moving above them after a 2-2 draw at home to Pembroke Wanderers.
The relegation worries for Instonians increased with Glenanne's win coupled with their loss at Shaw's Bridge to Railway Union.
The game between the bottom two clubs saw Inst take the lead through William Robinson.
Despite two further goals from Matthew McCord they couldn't match a hat-trick from Mark English and a strike from Peter Catchpole for Railway as they moved five points clear of the Ulster side.
Another Anna O'Flanagan hat-trick, her fourth of the season, helped Hermes-Monkstown to their eighth straight win, 4-1, over Pembroke who remain without a point at the bottom of the table.
Ards saw their four-game winning streak come to an end after a 3-1 home defeat at the hands of Cork Harlequins.
Jane Kilpatrick was the scorer for Ards, who remain in fourth place but just a point ahead of Loreto after a Haley Mulcahy goal was enough to earn all three points in a 1-0 win at Ulster Elks.
Pegasus were denied a first win in five games when Kate Dillon scored from the last play of the game for Railway Union in a 2-2 draw in Dublin.
Taite Doherty and Pamela Glass netted for the Belfast side as they went ahead twice in the game, only to be denied at the death.
UCD remain in second place, four points behind Hermes, after a 2-1 win over Belfast Harlequins at Deramore.
Sorcha Clarke scored both goals for UCD sandwiched around a Jenna Watt strike for Harlequins.


Having seen how social media engaged voters during last year's referendum, politicians from all parties have been joining everything from Facebook and Twitter to Instagram, Vine and Snapchat in a bid to reach out to a younger and more digitally savvy electorate.

But are politicians using these platforms effectively to get their message across? And does their social media effort actually translate into votes?
During the final two weeks of the general election campaign, eight young voters from the BBC's Generation 2015 panel closely monitored Scotland's political parties and most prominent figures. They told the BBC Scotland news website who they thought got it right in the battle for Scotland's young voters.
The entire panel agreed that a major benefit of social media as a campaigning tool was in making politicians seem more "accessible" than ever before.
Young voter Rebecca Plenderleith, who has spent most of the campaign as an undecided voter, said social media brought a "humanity" to politics, while Conservative voter Struan Mackie said it enabled voters to see "past the party" and learn more about the personality of the candidates.
But others questioned how much this perception of politicians as "accessible" actually translated into reality.
Several of our panellists, while impressed with the high volume of politicians using social media, were disappointed that many of them would not interact with voters who weren't already clear supporters.
Similarly, several felt that much of the content posted on social media seemed to be intended to rally the party faithful rather than to attract new potential voters.
Lib Dem voter James Munro said: "Posts that are just full of rhetoric don't really add anything to the debate. Slogans like 'Only the SNP can make Scotland's voice heard' or 'Only UKIP can stand up to Westminster' have no effect on me."
Despite being a Green party member, Zoe Mcintyre has been trying to choose another party to vote for, as there is no Green candidate in her constituency.
One major criticism she had was that many of the official party accounts simply reposted statements they perceived as favourable to them, without attempting to explain to voters why their policy objectives would be of benefit.
The panel noted that high profile party figures appeared to be much better than less well versed candidates at showing their personality in what they posted.
Several of the panel singled out Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson as "winning at Twitter" for her down-to-earth approach to social media.
After Ms Davidson's "You ok, hun?" Twitter comment [on David Cameron's Twitter feed after he was accused of "demeaning the Office of Prime Minister" by Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy], SNP voter Craig Maclean said: "That had me in stitches. I wouldn't vote for her party just now, but little things like that show a human nature and did warm me towards Ruth Davidson".
Labour voter Eva Murray said she thought Kezia Dugdale and Margaret Curran's "sassy" replies in response to personal abuse on Twitter had helped get away from the "people in suits" image people have of politicians, while Nicola Sturgeon was described as "rarely, if ever, slipping up".
By contrast, our panel said many other MPs lacked the personal touch, using their Twitter feeds as "a dump for links to manifesto points" or simply to plug press releases.
Voter Zoe Mcintyre was also critical of the length of David Cameron's personal Facebook posts, saying "not many people have time or care enough" to read three paragraphs of solid text.
Our panel's advice to politicians on how to appeal to young voters on social media
1. Don't run a negative campaign. Focus on your message rather than making "cheap shots" at your opponents.
2. Show personality in what you share, don't just post generic messages.
3. Similarly, don't just post endless pictures of you on the campaign trail - particularly when the photo op seems irrelevant to the election.
4. Using hashtags can be a good idea, but anticipate ones which may get hijacked by others to make jokes at the party's expense.
5.  Adapt your posts to fit the social media platform you're on, e.g. creating easily shareable content or maybe even using emojis. But don't overdo, as it might make some young voters think you're trying too hard.
James Munro was frustrated that most politicians weren't taking advantage of opportunities provided by social media to speak directly to their constituents.
He said: "Coming from up north and with most of my family in the Highlands or islands, they are very concerned about an MP who stands up for local issues rather than what's on a national scale necessarily. That's one thing I've barely seen on social media."
While some voters liked the Conservative party's Your Manifesto tool - which extracts information from the user's Facebook profile to compile a set of policies relevant to their area - one major criticism was that while the application identified their area as Scotland, it failed to break down further into Scottish regions.
Our panel repeatedly mentioned "negative campaign messages" - that focus on criticising other parties - as a big turn-off, while photo-shopped images making jibes at other parties were described as "infuriatingly childish".
James Munro said: "This election has been far too much about inter-party squabbling. I couldn't tell you a single actual policy for quite a few of the parties because it's just not on their social media at all."
Meanwhile, Zoe Mcintyre said she was concerned that first-time voters seeing this kind of campaigning might be put off voting at all.
Undecided voter Laura Fell said that more creative hashtags might have attracted voters, with most parties opting for self-evident but uninspired choices, namely #voteLabour, #VoteConservative, #voteSNP, #libdems, #votegreen2015.
But undecided voter Noah Brown was also critical of more inventive hashtags such as "I'm #SNPbecause" and "#WhyImVotingUKIP", saying "you end up with a list of other people's perceptions, rather than manifesto based realities".
James Munro also warned of hashtags like these being hijacked by those seeking to make jokes at the parties' expense.
Another thing that left our panel less than impressed was politicians sharing their endless photo opportunities, particularly when they seemed to have little relevance to the election.
Commenting on an image shared by the Scottish Conservatives, Zoe said: "How is a picture of Ruth Davidson with a hawk on her arm going to convince people to vote Conservative? Surely she should be having more photos taken with the electorate!"
Noah Brown: "In some respects I think social media brought out the worst in people, but I don't think it made a difference to how I voted. I voted Scottish Greens in the end and it was doing research on my local candidates that swung it for me."
Struan Mackie: "I'm still voting for the Scottish Conservatives. But references to the referendum or independence have put me off several SNP candidates, Mhari Black for example. This is a general election and rearing the independence question again isn't appropriate."
Eva Murray: "I think social media has a huge influence in getting people involved in politics and getting ideas out there, but I don't think it would have the power to persuade me to vote for a party other than Labour."
Craig Maclean: "I'm still voting SNP. My impression of the Conservative party in Scotland has become less negative due to Ruth Davidson, but I still wouldn't vote for them. My impression of Labour in Scotland has gone down, mostly because of Jim Murphy, but I do like what some of their figures in England - Andy Burnham and Diane Abbot - are saying on Twitter."
James Munro: "I'd definitely say Ruth Davidson has gone a long way to improving the Scottish Conservatives in my mind. I still probably would never vote for them but she seemed like the only politician on social media who was a human being and actually ran her own media."
Rebecca Plenderleith: "Social media has ensured that I definitely won't be voting for either the Tories or Labour. What they don't realise is that by insulting other parties on social media they come across as if they are scared that their policies alone will not be enough to win them seats. I was an undecided voter. I'll now definitely be voting Liberal Democrat."
Laura Fell: "Nothing in particular has persuaded my vote. I am stuck between the choice of two parties, Labour and SNP, but I hate it when parties slag each other off and start scaremongering."
Zoe Mcintyre: "Social media hasn't persuaded me to vote a certain way. I'm voting Labour, even though I think the majority of their posts have been pretty negative.  But I would say I dislike Tories more from their social media because it's all so negative."


Oaklands Wolves and Basketball Scotland have been confirmed as participants in the 2016-2017 Women's British Basketball League.

The two new franchises will join eight existing WBBL teams when the league begins again in October.
Basketball Scotland will be based in Edinburgh, with Oaklands Wolves at Oaklands College in Hertfordshire.
The WBBL has also confirmed that Brixton Topcats have opted to withdraw from the 2016-17 league.
Basketball Scotland's chief executive officer Kevin Pringle said the team will help form a "key part" of Scotland's preparation for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
"The programme will be led by a core of Scottish players and supplemented with additional talent to make sure the Scottish athletes are pushed every day," he added.
Oaklands Wolves, who will play at the home of the England Junior national teams, aim to bring a "young and fast-paced style" to the league according to Michael Ball, the team's director of basketball.
He said: "We are trying to produce the next generation of international players from within the basketball academy, and we are going to try to add GB international players."


Rules restricting the number of books a prisoner can have have been overturned by Justice Secretary Michael Gove.

A limit of 12 books per cell has been removed, while relatives and friends can now send books to inmates directly.
The rule changes, affecting more than 80,000 inmates in England and Wales, are meant to help prepare inmates for work when released.
Mr Gove said those "languishing in prison" were "potential assets" who could be "productive and contribute".
The scrapping of the rules from 1 September is one of Mr Gove's first key changes to prison policy since being appointed as justice secretary.
The restriction on receiving books directly came as a result of the Incentives and Earned Privileges scheme, introduced in November 2013 under Mr Gove's predecessor, Chris Grayling.
It prevented prisoners from receiving direct parcels unless there were "exceptional circumstances", such as a medical condition.
Although inmates were still allowed to use prison libraries, critics claimed they were often inadequately stocked and could be hard to access because of staff shortages.
That scheme was relaxed after a High Court ruling in December found that restricting prisoners' access to books was unlawful.
Subsequently, people were allowed to buy new books for prisoners through four approved retailers - Blackwell's, Foyles, Waterstones or WH Smith - who would send them to prisoners directly.
Mr Gove's changes will remove the limit of 12 books to a cell, as long as prisoners observe overall limits on the volume of personal possessions.
They will also allow people to send parcels of books directly to inmates without having to buy them through approved sources.
Governors will still be able to withhold any books which they deem "inappropriate, not conducive to rehabilitation, or contrary to the safe running of the prison".
And rules on receiving parcels other than book-only packages will remain.
Mr Gove said the most important thing that could be done for people in prison was ensure they were usefully employed, and received skills needed for employment, such as literacy and numeracy.
He cited Arthur Brooks of the American Enterprise Institute as a "big influence" on this thinking.
"He believes that we should see all human beings as assets, not liabilities," he said.
"I agree. Every individual has something to offer, every one of us can earn respect. People who are currently languishing in prison are potential assets to society. They could be productive and contribute.
"If we look at them only as problems to be contained we miss the opportunity to transform their lives and to save ourselves and our society both money and pain."
Chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, Frances Cook, who had fiercely criticised the book restrictions, said the move was a "fantastic final coda" to its Books For Prisoners campaign.


A woman accused of having sex with a 15-year-old boy has been found not guilty of all charges.

Karen Seldon, 44, of Abercarn, Caerphilly county, was cleared of four counts of sexual activity with a minor at Newport Crown Court.
Ms Seldon said she was "angry" that the boy said she sent him provocative pictures of herself on Facebook.
Speaking after the trial, the mother-of-two said the case had been a nightmare for her and her family.


A policeman providing security for a polio vaccination team in Pakistan has been killed by gunmen near the north-western town of Swabi, officials say.

The killing is the latest in a spate of deadly attacks against vaccination workers in the country.
In December at least eight people engaged in polio vaccinations were shot dead in Karachi and the north-west.
No group has said it carried out Tuesday's attack, but the Taliban have threatened anti-polio efforts.
The militants have accused health workers of working as US spies and say the vaccine makes children sterile.
Along with Afghanistan and Nigeria, Pakistan is one of only three countries where polio is still endemic.
The latest attack took place on the southern outskirts of Swabi town, police say.
Tuesday was the second day of an immunisation drive in the area and a two-women team were administering polio drops to children.
"The team, after finishing the campaign in Kala [village of Swabi district] was heading towards a  nearby village when three men armed with Kalashnikovs appeared from sugarcane fields and opened fire," Swabi police chief Abdul Rashid Khan told the AFP news agency.
He said that the two team members were unhurt and the gunmen escaped.
"It seems the target was the policeman," Mr Khan said.
Health officials say a total of 538 immunisation teams were deployed in Swabi district on Monday, each accompanied by a policeman for protection.
The BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says Swabi has had its share of militant attacks in the past, mostly targeting non-governmental organisations involved in health and education projects.
On 1 January seven charity workers, six of them women, were shot dead in the Swabi area. Correspondents say it is not clear if they were targeted because their charity offered vaccinations or education for girls.
All NGO operations in Swabi district have now been suspended, officials say.


Having been the brightest star in a team that won the European Cup in the competition's first five seasons, Alfredo Di Stefano is almost unanimously regarded as the greatest player in Real Madrid's history.

The club has gone into a state of mourning following his death on Monday at the age of 88.
As current club president Florentino Perez noted in his emotional tribute, in a symbolic way, Di Stefano simply is Real Madrid. His presence looms so large that he came as close as anybody ever will to the status of being "bigger than the club".
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But football history could have been different - very different indeed. Because when the magical Argentine forward first opted for a move to Spain, he appeared to be destined not for Real but their eternal rivals Barcelona.
The story of Di Stefano's transfer to Los Blancos is a fascinating and complex web of claims, denials, counter-denials and conspiracy theories involving five clubs in three countries. There are allegations of treachery, a mysteriously ripped-up contract and - possibly - the personal intervention of a dictator.
In the spring of 1952, Di Stefano was already a player of quite some renown. A 25-year-old Argentina international boasting an almost goal-per-game scoring record, he travelled to Spain for a friendly tournament in Madrid with his Colombian club side, Millonarios.
His performances were breathtaking, immediately prompting both Barcelona and Real Madrid to push hard for his signature.
Barca appeared to take an early lead in a race that was complicated immensely by the fact that Di Stefano's registration rights were also claimed by Argentine giants River Plate, who were still less than delighted about their star player's controversial (and perhaps illegal) move to Colombia three years earlier.
Nevertheless, with hard-nosed nationalist Catalan lawyer Ramon Trias Fargas leading the negotiations, Barca embarked upon slow but steady progress with both South American clubs. However they made what appears to have been a fatal error by underestimating Millonarios when they enlisted the help of another Catalan who was living in Colombia, Joan Busquets.
Busquets just happened to be a director of Millonarios' biggest local rivals, Santa Fe, and his presence at the bargaining table made the Colombian club suddenly reluctant to agree to the move - especially when Barca strangely submitted an almost derisory initial offer, which was promptly rejected.
Apparently believing that Millonarios were irrelevant and that River Plate were the only club they needed to do business with, Barca reacted to having their bid refused by essentially ignoring such an unwanted development.
Instead of taking the rebuffal seriously, they arranged for Di Stefano and his family to leave Colombia and flew them to the north-east of Spain, where he started to settle into life with his 'new' club and even played at least one pre-season friendly for Barca in the summer of 1953.
At that point, however, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) intervened by refusing to sanction the transfer on the grounds that Millonarios had not agreed to it. The RFEF dismissed Barca's complaints that the deal had nothing to do with the Colombian club, who the Catalans claimed had signed Di Stefano illicitly in the first place.
Barca refused to budge from their position that they had an agreement with River Plate, who they believed were the legal owners of Di Stefano's registration.
In the meantime, Real president Santiago Bernabeu had taken advantage of the uncertainty to reach a similar deal with Millonarios. An impasse ensued.
When the RFEF eventually reached its verdict in September 1953, it came to the startling compromise that Di Stefano could play for alternate clubs over the course of four years, starting with a season at Real.
Humiliated Barca president Marti Carreto was forced to resign and the interim board ripped up the contract, freeing Di Stefano to join Real for good on the agreement that Los Blancos paid back to Barca the 4.5 million pesetas fee they had already handed over to River Plate.
The rest, as they say, is history, but plenty of questions remain unanswered. Why did Barca fail to reach a deal with Millonarios? Why did the RFEF refuse to sanction Di Stefano's transfer when Fifa had already waved it through? And why then did Barca, if they believed in their case, tear up the contract rather than sticking to their guns?
The big underlying question is the extent to which Spain's ruler, General Franco, was involved.
Throughout the 1950s, Real were regarded by their (many) enemies as Franco's team or the 'Regime Team'. Although the extent of the dictator's meddling in sporting matters has probably been exaggerated, it certainly was true that he had dealings over the years with Real president Bernabeu and occasionally exerted significant influence upon the RFEF.
Any conspiracy theory carries unusual weight from such a politically explosive era. Strange as it sounds, there have even been unproven claims that one or more of Barca's negotiators were acting as double-agents for Real, deliberately sabotaging the deal to ensure Di Stefano eventually moved to the capital.
Even now, the circumstances of Di Stefano's arrival in Spain is an almost uniquely emotive topic.
Barca fans angrily believe their team was robbed by dark governmental forces. The club's official website bitterly bemoans "a strange federative manoeuvre with Francoist backing".
Real supporters bristle with indignation at the suggestion of underhand dealings and maintain they simply took advantage of Barca's sloppiness rather than enlisting the assistance of General Franco.
Whatever the exact truth of the matter, the end result was that Di Stefano did move to Madrid, making his debut in a friendly against French club Nancy on 23 September 1953.
A month later, the first Clasico of the season took place at the Bernabeu. Real won 5-0… and Di Stefano scored four. A legend was born.


Neymar has criticised the directors of his former club Barcelona, who he left to join Paris St-Germain for a world record £200m earlier this month.

The Brazil international was speaking after scoring twice on his home debut for PSG in a 6-2 win over Toulouse.
"I spent four beautiful years there and parted happy," said the 25-year-old. "But with them [the board], no.
"For me, they are not the people who should be there, for the direction of Barca. Barca deserve much better."
Neymar's two goals against Toulouse took his tally to three in his opening two games for PSG.
Since his departure, Barca have lost 5-1 on aggregate to rivals Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup.
As they seek Neymar's replacement, they have also had three offers for Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho rejected, and have been unable to sign Borussia Dortmund forward Ousmane Dembele.
However, the club have recruited former Tottenham midfielder Paulinho, and opened their league season with a 2-0 win at home to Real Betis on Sunday.
"I cannot speak now I am in another team," said Neymar.
"I don't know what's going on there, but I see my old team-mates sad, and it's that which makes me sad because I have a lot of friends there.
"I hope that things will improve for Barca and that they will become a team that can rival others."


A £208m project to cut congestion along two key dual carriageways in Greater Manchester has begun.

The scheme will focus on parts of the M60 and the M62, creating a 17-mile "smart motorway".
Technology will be installed to monitor traffic, provide information to drivers, and ease congestion by using variable speed limits.
The network between junction 8 of the M60 near Sale and junction 20 of the M62 near Rochdale, will be upgraded.
Stephen Greenhalgh, project manager at the Highways Agency, said the work was expected to create more than 1,000 jobs to help deliver the scheme.
"Once completed, the smart motorway will tackle the congestion and unpredictable journey times that users of the M60 and M62 experience every day," he said.
Site surveys will begin this week, meaning some sections of the hard shoulder will close.
From 21 July, a 50mph temporary speed limit will be enforced near junction 18 of the M62, and then widened along other sections affected by the work.
The project is due to be completed in 2017.
By that time more than 200 new electronic signs will warn drivers of changes in the mandatory speed limit, lane closures, and road obstacles.
CCTV will also be used to monitor traffic levels from the Highways Agency's control centre at Newton-le-Willows in Merseyside.


A second councillor has quit the Labour party in charge of Nottinghamshire County Council in under a year.

Councillor John Wilmot has resigned to become an independent councillor for the Hucknall First Community Forum, which he has formed.
It follows the resignation of Ian Campbell, who left the party without a majority in August.
The Conservatives have called on Labour, which said it will continue to run the council, to form a coalition.
Mr Wilmott, who was deselected as a candidate for next month's district elections in Ashfield, blamed "in-fighting" within the party for his resignation.
"It's been a terrible time and it's really affected my health," he said.
Labour remains the largest group at the county council with 32 councillors but no political party has an overall majority.
There are 67 councillors in total, so any group requires 34 members to form a majority, with the Conservatives the closest with 21.
Conservative leader Kay Cutts said she wanted committees to better represent the new political make-up of the council.
"They should probably think of having a coalition of all parties so we can take this council forward for the next two years," she said.
Council leader Alan Rhodes said the party will continue to run the council.
"We live in a democracy - we won the county council in 2013," he said.
"We're developing our Labour program based on our values and what people told us to do. We will continue to do that as long as possible."


A man accused of brandishing knives outside Buckingham Palace has appeared in court.

Talhat Rehman, 54, of Lindsay Drive, Harrow, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court charged with possessing a bladed weapon in public and affray.
Police used a Taser after a man was seen ranting when challenged outside the palace gates on Sunday morning.
The Queen and Prince Philip were at Sandringham at the time.
District Judge Quentin Purdy adjourned the case until Tuesday afternoon.


Great Britain's Olympic track champion Dani King received help from psychiatrist Dr Steve Peters as she attempted to get over a horror crash that left her fearing for her career.

King suffered eight broken ribs and a collapsed lung in November while on a regular training ride in south Wales.
She was in intensive care for two days and in hospital for a further eight.
"I've spoken to Steve Peters, who has helped me overcome the fear," the 24-year-old told BBC Radio Solent.
King, who won gold in the team pursuit at London 2012, returns to cycling this weekend after five months out at the Tour of the Reservoir in Northumberland.
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Peters, who was a key factor in Britain's extraordinary track cycling success at the last two Olympic Games in Beijing and London, has also worked with Tour de France winners Sir Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome.
He has also been involved with England's football team, as well as world snooker champion Ronnie O'Sullivan.
"I'm really looking forward to racing now - I feel really ready," added King.
"I've come really far and to be honest I don't think it's much of a factor, I just need to get stuck in and get into it. It's time to put the accident behind me and just move on with the season. I don't want to dwell on it."
King said Peters had encouraged her to view the crash as a "freak accident" and "not think about the possibility of crashing".
Cardiff-based King, originally from Hampshire, decided in October to switch from track to road cycling to ride full-time for team Wiggle Honda.
She was not named in the GB squad for the 2014-15 funding year, and believes she has a better chance of getting into shape for the track for the 2016 Olympics by spending a season on the road.
"Ultimately it's about getting back into the team pursuit squad for Rio," she added. "Targets for the year are the women's tour, national road race and a couple of the tour series I'll also target.
"It will be a case of proving myself at the track nationals and going into the World Cup season. That will be the key and where I'll be hoping to put some markers down."


National League leaders Lincoln have signed midfielder Tom Champion on a 93-day loan from League Two side Barnet.

The Barnet-born 30-year-old began his career at his home-town club, but joined Cambridge in July 2013.
He helped the U's to promotion to League Two and win the FA Trophy, before moving back to Barnet last year.
Lincoln are currently two points clear of second-placed Forest Green and Champion goes straight into the squad for Tuesday's match with Solihull.


The wild passions of an Irish gardener who became the youngest woman to win a gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show are the focus for a new film.

Mary Reynolds' first love might well be nature but there is also a fair bit of romance in Dare to be Wild.
Mary's story of becoming the toast of Chelsea is the classic tale of a feisty underdog.
In 2002, she blagged a place in the world's most famous garden show, only to walk away with a medal.
"I kind of lied my way into the Chelsea Flower Show, pretending I had money when I didn't," she told the BBC.
"Then instead of chasing the money I chased a very handsome man to Ethiopia and back.
"It is a crazy story."
Film director Vivienne deCourcy first heard the tale when she employed Mary to design a garden for her.
It inspired her to write the screenplay and she went on to direct the film which is released in cinemas throughout the UK this weekend.
"Nature is the star almost more than gardening," Vivienne told the BBC.
"And the idea behind the film is that people will invite wild nature - as distinct from manufactured nature - back into their own gardens.
"People cry at the movie and grown men come out saying: 'I remember places like this when I was a child.'"
She referred to Mary's pursuit of the man who helped her build the award-winning garden.
"She said it was the best sex of her life," said Ms deCourcy.
Mary briefly denied ever making such a statement, but then got side-tracked talking about Tom Hughes who plays the love interest in the film.
"Whenever he was on set, I did make him hug me much more than he wanted to," she laughed.
Emma Greenwell plays Mary in the movie opposite Tom Hughes as Christy Collard, the re-forestation expert who was the key figure in building the prize-winning wild garden sanctuary.
The real-life Mary said watching the romantic drama play out on screen was "very strange".
She is in her own words now somewhat 'disconnected' from the story written about her experiences of almost 15 years ago.
However there is a clear bond between the woman who inspired the story and the woman who wrote it.
Vivienne and Mary laughed and joked together when I met them in a garden in Dublin that had been created by the Irish designer.
But beyond their friendship there is a joint desire to see the environmental message of the film hit home.
Vivienne kept on pushing for people to grow clover lawns to help bees.
And Mary, who has written a design book called The Garden Awakening, continually spoke out against modern landscaping - comparing it to dressing children in pink tutus but then punishing them for moving.
"People travel the world to visit places that are beautiful," she said.
"And then their gardens are colourful or bright or controlled but they are not beautiful.
"Gardeners have to remember that it is not about what they want, but about what the land wants."
Dare to be Wild is showing in cinemas across the UK and Ireland.


Hat-tricks from CJ Stander and Craig Gilroy helped Ireland regroup from their Scotland defeat to earn a nine-try Six Nations win over Italy in Rome.

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Scrum domination helped the Irish take immediate control with the bonus point secured by the 35th minute as Stander and Keith Earls both notched two tries.
Italy scored a first-half penalty try but for the most part were outclassed.
After Stander completed his hat-trick on 46, replacement Gilroy repeated the feat with Garry Ringrose also scoring.
South African-born Stander's third try meant he became the first Ireland player to score a Six Nations hat-trick since Brian O'Driscoll achieved the feat against Scotland in 2002.
Ulster wing Gilroy then got in on the hat-trick act as he notched his three scores in an 11-minute period in the closing stages at the Stadio Olimpico.
Ireland's victory was their biggest ever Six Nations win as the margin exceeded the 60-13 win over the Azzurri in 2000.
Joe Schmidt's side achieved the victory despite being without skipper Rory Best who had to be replaced by debutant Niall Scannell because of a stomach upset.
Conor O'Shea's Italy side contained Wales for over an hour in Rome last weekend before eventually succumbing 33-7 as Ireland's dreadful start at Murrayfield contributed massively to their defeat by the Scots.
However, it was a very different story a week on as Ireland came out fired up and the Italians had no answer.
A huge early shove by Cian Healy to force an early penalty off an Italian scrum set the tone as Ireland immediately attacked the opposition line.
Sensing their superiority, Ireland opted for scrums off a series of penalties and the Italian dam inevitably burst in the 12th minute as Jackson's impressive long pass set up a simple finish for Munster wing Earls.
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The Munster man's try meant that he joined Denis Hickie and Hugo McNeill in becoming the only Irish players to score tries in four successive internationals.
With Earls' Munster team-mate Simon Zebo's dancing feet making him an even bigger threat on the opposite wing, the Irish continued to attack in waves.
Zebo showed impressive passing skills to set up Stander's first try on 18 minutes and another change from the left winger laid the foundations for Earls' second try eight minutes later.
While Sergio Parisse's line-out drive saw referee Glen Jackson award a penalty try in the 32nd minute, as Ireland lock Donnacha Ryan was sin-binned, it was a brief respite for the home side with Stander securing the first ever Six Nations winning bonus point five minutes before half-time.
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The second half was largely a tale of two hat-tricks as Stander completed his haul on 46 minutes by running unhindered from just outside Italy's 22, before replacement Gilroy's late salvo.
With Gilroy among several Irish replacements in the third quartet, the visitors' play became disjointed for a time although the Italians were not good enough to profit.
A dreadful Giovanbattista Venditti clearance was punished by Gilroy charging in from distance in the 69th minute for his third international try.
With Italian resolve long gone, Ringrose then sped right through the middle to score under the posts before Gilroy ran in two more touchdowns to complete his first international hat-trick.
CJ Stander was the standout performer in a dominant display from the Ireland back row and his carrying was immense as he notched Ireland's first Six Nations hat-trick in 15 years.
His performance came after criticism of Ireland's back-row display at Murrayfield.
Ireland coach Joe Schmidt: "We showed we can start well and that gives a platform to build on.
"We know how good they can be. It was probably a bit of confidence to go out and do it.
"There were a few guys making Six Nations and Test debuts so it's good for them to get those performances under the belt."
"It's an open championship and people will be excited."
Italy: Padovani; Esposito, Benvenuti, Mclean, Venditti; Canna, Gori; Lovotti, Ghiraldini, Cittadini; Fuser, Van Schalkwyk; Mbanda, Favaro, Parisse (capt)
Replacements: Gega for Ghiradini (47), Panico for Lovotti (64), Chistolini for Cittadini (41), Biagi for van Schalkwyk (47), Steyn for Favaro (57), Bronzini for Gori (61), Allan for Canna (71), Campagnaro for Benvenuti (49).
Ireland: Kearney; Earls, Ringrose, Henshaw, Zebo; Jackson, Murray; Healy, Scannell, Furlong; D Ryan, Toner; Stander, O'Brien, Heaslip (capt).
Replacements: Tracy for Scannell (63), McGrath for Healy (51), J Ryan for Furlong (54), Dillane for Toner (60), Van der Flier for O'Brien (69), Marmion for Murray (69), Keatley for Zebo (75), Gilroy for Henshaw (48).
Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)
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