It has been a period of intense activity for our Project Team and partners to create our memorial to Nelson Mandela in Glasgow.
These are exciting times and the bronze statue itself is now complete in Powderhall Foundry save for the final patination which will happen just before the installation.
With an unexpected hiccup due to a crack within the granite block procured, the granite plinth remains on schedule for completion with a new block of South African granite having been brought from Europe.
As previously reported, the foundations are fully constructed and ready for the installation and the unveiling event on the 9th of October 2026. Planning for the installation and for the event represents a busy period for our Board and partner contractors and as always, we are grateful for the excellent work and support of our Main Contractor, Sir Robert McAlpine and to colleagues at Glasgow City Council for their guidance and support.
A Message to the Future: The Time-capsule
One of the most important objectives of the Foundation and this project is education. We continue to work with our partners, WoSDEC and, through them, with Glasgow’s schools to focus on issues pertaining to racism, equalities and to social justice.
The thoughts of Glasgow children and their reflections on Mandela, his legacy are enlightening. Their views on Glasgow today and their hopes for the future are both insightful and inspiring.
They have embraced our project to place a Time-capsule beneath our memorial, and we have gathered letters, videos and amazing artwork from pupils across Glasgow and the West of Scotland. We will digitize much of this and include a selection in the physical capsule. We will also make sure to include a range of their thoughts and creativity within the Information Portal that we are developing to support the statue.
Save the Date!
The public Unveiling Event will take place on the 9th October 2026, starting at 4pm in Nelson Mandela Place and expected to last for an hour.
This will be a celebration of the special relationship that Glasgow had with Mandela, marked by the unveiling of this special memorial.
Contact Us
Nelson Mandela Scottish Memorial Foundation
https://mandelascottish memorial.org/
Chair: Brian Filling b.filling@btinternet.com
Vice Chair & Project Manager: Janis Carson jmgcarson@gmail.com
Secretary: John Nelson Johnnelson48@yahoo.co.uk
Board Members: Suzanne Bonnar, Claire Dunphy ,Debbie Gillespie David Kenvyn Brian Purdie Lorraine Purdie Isobel Tait
More Information on be found here: Alan B Herriot’s work can www.alanherriot.co.uk
PUBLIC UNVEILING EVENT:
9TH OCTOBER 2026 @ 16.00 HOURS