В Глазго подтвердили дату открытия памятника Нельсону Манделе

The date has been confirmed for the unveiling of Glasgow's long-awaited Nelson Mandela memorial statue. The Scottish Nelson Mandela Memorial Campaign has announced that the monument will be officially unveiled in Nelson Mandela Place on October 9, 2026. The event will take place between 4pm and 5pm in Glasgow city centre. The unveiling marks another major milestone for a project which will see a permanent statue of the former South African president installed in the street named in his honour. Sharing details of the event on social media, the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) said: "On 9th October the Scottish Nelson Mandela Memorial Campaign will publicly unveil the Nelson Mandela Memorial statue in Nelson Mandela Place, Glasgow. "The event will run from 4pm-5pm." The organisation noted that October 9 also marks the anniversary of Mandela's 1993 visit to Glasgow, when he visited the city to collect the Freedom of the City awards bestowed by nine UK councils. The STUC added: "Glasgow was notably the first city in the world to grant Mandela the Freedom of the City in 1981 while he was still imprisoned on Robben Island." As previously reported, designs for the statue were unveiled at Glasgow City Chambers earlier this year, with members of the public invited to give feedback on five shortlisted concepts. The memorial is being funded entirely through donations, with organisers estimating the total cost at around £180,000. The project is being led by the Nelson Mandela Scottish Memorial Foundation, which says the monument will celebrate both Mandela's role in the fight against apartheid and Glasgow's long-standing support for the anti-apartheid movement. Read more - Fallen local police heroes honoured after decades - Glasgow ceremony honours Merchant Navy crews who lost their lives at sea - Council to review West End parking zone proposals after concerns raised - I'm building my own sleigh to bring Christmas magic to children in Glasgow for free The city famously granted Mandela the Freedom of the City in 1981 while he remained imprisoned in South Africa, before renaming St George's Place as Nelson Mandela Place in 1986. Speaking when the designs were unveiled, foundation chair Brian Filling said: "Nelson Mandela remains a symbol of the struggle to make the world a better place and a beacon for the continuing struggle against racism." The completed statue will stand in Nelson Mandela Place in the heart of Glasgow city centre.