After much head scratching and lot of google'ing I finally got the OLED screen on the chipKIT IO Shield to turn on. Here's the proof:
Please join me in the most triumphant achievement. I think I deserve a cuppa and a biscuit(if I can find some).
Hopefully, I'll post a more in depth review on this great piece of kit in the next few 'bits' of time.
All the best
Pat