A Cape Town-born Staffordshire University student has told how his mother used to smuggle letters to former South African president Nelson Mandela.
Mr Mandela, whose body is lying in state before his funeral on December 15, died at the age of 95.
Radio production student Ian Colclough, 55, first met Mandela in the early 2000s when he interviewed the country’s first black president at Cape Town’s 46664 concerts – a series of AIDs charity concerts played in honour of Mr Mandela.
Mr Colclough’s mother used to meet Mr Mandela as part of her work with the Anglican Women’s Fellowship in South Africa when he was imprisoned on Robben Island.
Mr Colclough said: “They would go to Robben Island about once a month to meet and prey with Nelson Mandela.
“These meetings were also a way of getting valuable information and letters across to Mandela.
“His family would bring letters to my mother and, along with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, they would smuggle letters into him as he wasn’t allowed to receive any letters of that kind.”
Mr Colclough who has 30 years’ experience in radio and owns his own radio station said Mr Mandela was an icon.
He added: “He was extremely humble, he didn’t bear any grudge against anyone and was just a wonderful guy.
“One of the big things the people of Staffordshire can learn from Mandela would be the ability to put things behind you, to forgive and forget, to move on.
“I hope his legacy goes on and on and he continues to inspire people to go out and perform to their best and to be humbled and kind.
“This world needs people like Mr Mandela.”
(Additional Reporting – Katie Brooks)