DEEP in the basement of a Ryde hotel, a group meets to support each other and develop skills. Using knives, guillotines and even swords, members focus on and discuss one particular skill before perfecting it.

And what are those skills? Magic, of course!

The IW Magic Circle, which has around 15 members, has been running since 2002 and meets underneath the Royal Esplanade Hotel.

The surroundings are just as you would imagine. The heavy, historic door underneath the hotel entrance leads to a dimly lit room, with wooden beams, whitewashed walls and red velvet seats.

During their sessions, you can hear the goings-on upstairs, with occasional bumps. Sudden cold temperatures add to the atmosphere.

Chairman Carl Adams, of Ryde, has been a magician since he was a child and specialises in close-up magic, claiming that "anything David Blaine can do, I can do". He believes the location is perfect.
He said: "It is wonderful within these walls. We can keep all our props here. On the Island there isn't an awful lot of work so we can just borrow the illusions as we need them."

Surrounding us is a miscellany of old and new props, from portable card tables to arm and head guillotines, 'seance' boards, costumes and much more.

There is a library with rows of books and videos full of tricks and advice on stage presence.
And it all has the aim of keeping magic alive on the Island.

Brian Colling, 61, a retired prison officer from Carisbrooke, said: "The difference between this club and others is that some feel very strongly that you should not discuss your secrets.
"We feel the only way to support each other is to share a bit of it."

The circle's friendly, supportive approach to magic stretches to welcoming new members. To join, no audition is required and new members do not even need to know how to shuffle a pack of cards - although it does help.

What is required is enthusiasm, determination and above all, loyalty.

Brian said: "I was expected to audition but what we look for is how interested they are and basically, if they can keep quiet.

"We let them come to see us for two meetings and let them listen in." Brian began learning magic while working as an officer at Albany Prison. Bored with the lengthy periods of watching inmates, he began playing with a pack of cards and developed a basic act, which he later performed for the inmates at Christmas.

He said: "It was a good way of bonding with the prisoners, actually. I showed them some gambling tricks, which they really enjoyed and I made them each shuffle the pack. I found it surprising that not one of them threw the pack away." Thirty years on, his speciality is still card tricks, although ironically, his other favourite stunt is escapology.

Shanklin-based David Grant Cleghorn, otherwise known as Sideshow Dave, specialises in more dangerous magic.

A former government employee, David inherited a clutch of old illusion props from his magician ancestors, then found dangerous magic through a circus workshop run by Ryde Extreme Performers. Today, extreme is possibly the most fitting adjective to describe his act. He chews razor-blades, eats fire and throws knives at his assistants.

He is also the only person on the Island who can perform fire fakir, where you set yourself alight.
He also swallows swords and with all its obvious hazards, it has endangered David's life twice. When he first tried the stunt, he punctured his stomach and suffered peritonitis.

And last year, while performing at a special party at the Balcony nightclub in Ryde, a reveller threw a bottle at him - while the sword was down his throat.

He said: "It was a good job I had my reflexes under control or that would have been quite nasty."