The South African community in the island celebrated Mandela Day this week by collecting donations for the Isle of Man Foodbank.

The campaign marked the 10th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s passing and saw a four day collection in Strand Street, resulting in the generous donation of £463.80 and 13 crates of food and toiletries.

Mayor of Douglas Natalie Byron-Teare invited those involved in the initiative to the Mayor’s Parlour, where representatives of the African community commemorated the occasion in keeping with the theme of community for her year in office.

Inspired by the principles Nelson Mandela stood for, the campaign recognised the value of every individual’s capacity to make a significant difference. It invoked Mandela’s call to contribute a symbolic 67 minutes of time, a minute for each year of Mandela’s public service, to help and uplift communities.

The event was organised by Isle Settle, which offers pre-arrival guidance and on the ground support to immigrants on the Isle of Man.

Vanessa Naude, owner of Isle Settle, commented on the occasion: ‘The Mandela day was aimed at expressing our gratitude for the opportunities afforded to South Africans to make this beautiful island our home.

‘It was heartwarming to see such a positive response and collective action.’

The director of the Isle of Man Foodbank, David Gawne, expressed his gratitude to the donation, saying: ‘The generosity we’ve seen during this campaign is truly inspiring. We thank everyone who donated and participated in making a significant difference in our community.’