I am very grateful for the advice about this. I shall now look out for the appropriate number foot pedal and in the meantime I will continue turning the handwheel to position the needle down.
I have become quite adept at stopping my machines with the needle down, including the treadles, so it is counter intuitive to have the needle whipped into the up position every time I stop sewing. I am sure Bernina thought this would be helpful when they decided to add this feature but I can't fathom how!
Clare