diff --git a/inc/ManagedString.h b/inc/ManagedString.h
index 7ff9060..653e96c 100644
--- a/inc/ManagedString.h
+++ b/inc/ManagedString.h
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ class ManagedString
 
     /**
       * Constructor. 
-      * Create a managed string from a specially prepared string literal.
+      * Create a managed string from a specially prepared string literal. It will ptr->incr().
       *
       * @param ptr The literal - first two bytes should be 0xff, then the length in little endian, then the literal. The literal has to be 4-byte aligned.
       * 
@@ -42,7 +42,13 @@ class ManagedString
       * ManagedString s((StringData*)(void*)hello);
       * @endcode
       */    
-    ManagedString(StringData *p) : ptr(p) {}
+    ManagedString(StringData *ptr);
+
+    /**
+      * Get current ptr, do not decr() it, and set the current instance to empty string.
+      * This is to be used by specialized runtimes which pass StringData around.
+      */
+    StringData *leakData();
 
     /**
       * Constructor. 
diff --git a/inc/MicroBit.h b/inc/MicroBit.h
index e3ea4a2..e8f18af 100644
--- a/inc/MicroBit.h
+++ b/inc/MicroBit.h
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 #pragma GCC diagnostic ignored "-Wconversion-null"
 #pragma GCC diagnostic ignored "-Wsign-compare"
 #pragma GCC diagnostic ignored "-Wparentheses"
+#pragma GCC diagnostic ignored "-Wmissing-field-initializers"
 
 #include "mbed.h"
 
diff --git a/inc/MicroBitImage.h b/inc/MicroBitImage.h
index bb0e028..71c3310 100644
--- a/inc/MicroBitImage.h
+++ b/inc/MicroBitImage.h
@@ -39,6 +39,12 @@ class MicroBitImage
     public:
     static MicroBitImage EmptyImage;    // Shared representation of a null image.
 
+    /**
+      * Get current ptr, do not decr() it, and set the current instance to empty image.
+      * This is to be used by specialized runtimes which pass ImageData around.
+      */
+    ImageData *leakData();
+
     /**
       * Return a 2D array representing the bitmap image.
       */
@@ -49,17 +55,17 @@ class MicroBitImage
     
     /**
       * Constructor. 
-      * Create an image from a specially prepared constant array, with no copying.
+      * Create an image from a specially prepared constant array, with no copying. Will call ptr->incr().
       *
-      * @param p The literal - first two bytes should be 0xff, then width, height, and the bitmap. The literal has to be 4-byte aligned.
+      * @param ptr The literal - first two bytes should be 0xff, then width, height, and the bitmap. The literal has to be 4-byte aligned.
       * 
       * Example:
       * @code 
       * static const uint8_t heart[] __attribute__ ((aligned (4))) = { 0xff, 0xff, 10, 5, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, }; // a cute heart
-      * ManagedString s((ImageData*)(void*)heart);
+      * MicroBitImage i((ImageData*)(void*)heart);
       * @endcode
       */
-    MicroBitImage(ImageData *p) : ptr(p) {}
+    MicroBitImage(ImageData *ptr);
     
     /**
       * Default Constructor. 
@@ -392,7 +398,7 @@ class MicroBitImage
       * @endcode
       */
     ManagedString toString();
-    
+
     /**
       * Crops the image to the given dimensions
       *
@@ -412,6 +418,17 @@ class MicroBitImage
       */
     MicroBitImage crop(int startx, int starty, int finx, int finy);
 
+    /**
+      * Check if image is read-only (i.e., residing in flash).
+      */
+    bool isReadOnly();
+
+    /**
+      * Create a copy of the image bitmap. Used particularly, when isReadOnly() is true.
+      *
+      * @return an instance of MicroBitImage which can be modified independently of the current instance
+      */
+    MicroBitImage clone();
 };
 
 #endif
diff --git a/source/ManagedString.cpp b/source/ManagedString.cpp
index c730967..66af6fe 100644
--- a/source/ManagedString.cpp
+++ b/source/ManagedString.cpp
@@ -31,6 +31,34 @@ void ManagedString::initString(const char *str)
     memcpy(ptr->data, str, len+1);
 }
 
+/**
+  * Constructor. 
+  * Create a managed string from a specially prepared string literal. It will ptr->incr().
+  *
+  * @param ptr The literal - first two bytes should be 0xff, then the length in little endian, then the literal. The literal has to be 4-byte aligned.
+  * 
+  * Example:
+  * @code 
+  * static const char hello[] __attribute__ ((aligned (4))) = "\xff\xff\x05\x00" "Hello";
+  * ManagedString s((StringData*)(void*)hello);
+  * @endcode
+  */    
+ManagedString::ManagedString(StringData *p)
+{
+    ptr = p;
+    ptr->incr();
+}
+
+/**
+  * Get current ptr, do not decr() it, and set the current instance to empty string.
+  * This is to be used by specialized runtimes which pass StringData around.
+  */
+StringData* ManagedString::leakData()
+{
+    StringData *res = ptr;
+    initEmpty();
+    return res;
+}
 
 /**
   * Constructor. 
diff --git a/source/MicroBitImage.cpp b/source/MicroBitImage.cpp
index a5c7781..059ee7b 100644
--- a/source/MicroBitImage.cpp
+++ b/source/MicroBitImage.cpp
@@ -7,10 +7,12 @@
 
 #include "MicroBit.h"
 
+static const uint8_t empty[] __attribute__ ((aligned (4))) = { 0xff, 0xff, 1, 1, 0, 0 };
+
 /*
  * The null image. We actally create a small one byte buffer here, just to keep NULL pointers out of the equation.
  */
-MicroBitImage MicroBitImage::EmptyImage(1,1);
+MicroBitImage MicroBitImage::EmptyImage((ImageData*)(void*)empty);
 
 /**
   * Default Constructor. 
@@ -163,6 +165,36 @@ MicroBitImage::MicroBitImage(const char *s)
     }
 }
 
+/**
+  * Constructor. 
+  * Create an image from a specially prepared constant array, with no copying. Will call ptr->incr().
+  *
+  * @param ptr The literal - first two bytes should be 0xff, then width, height, and the bitmap. The literal has to be 4-byte aligned.
+  * 
+  * Example:
+  * @code 
+  * static const uint8_t heart[] __attribute__ ((aligned (4))) = { 0xff, 0xff, 10, 5, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, }; // a cute heart
+  * MicroBitImage i((ImageData*)(void*)heart);
+  * @endcode
+  */
+MicroBitImage::MicroBitImage(ImageData *p)
+{
+    ptr = p;
+    ptr->incr();
+}
+    
+/**
+  * Get current ptr, do not decr() it, and set the current instance to empty image.
+  * This is to be used by specialized runtimes which pass ImageData around.
+  */
+ImageData *MicroBitImage::leakData()
+{
+    ImageData* res = ptr;
+    init_empty();
+    return res;
+}
+
+
 /**
   * Constructor. 
   * Create a bitmap representation of a given size, based on a given buffer.
@@ -762,3 +794,21 @@ MicroBitImage MicroBitImage::crop(int startx, int starty, int cropWidth, int cro
     
     return MicroBitImage(newWidth, newHeight, cropped);  
 }
+
+/**
+  * Check if image is read-only (i.e., residing in flash).
+  */
+bool MicroBitImage::isReadOnly()
+{
+    return ptr->isReadOnly();
+}
+
+/**
+  * Create a copy of the image bitmap. Used particularly, when isReadOnly() is true.
+  *
+  * @return an instance of MicroBitImage which can be modified independently of the current instance
+  */
+MicroBitImage MicroBitImage::clone()
+{
+    return MicroBitImage(getWidth(), getHeight(), getBitmap());
+}