Residents are being encouraged to rescue old stamps from Christmas cards to raise funds for people suffering with leprosy.
The Leprosy Mission has started a campaign to collect used stamps which will be sold to collectors to raise money for the charity.
Leprosy is a disease which starts by the damaging of small nerves on the skin’s surface resulting in a loss of sensation and pain.
This loss of feeling can lead to injuries going unnoticed resulting in infection, muscle paralysis and disability.
On the island the stamp collection is being co-ordinated by the One World Centre, a charity which aims to encourage understanding and respect for the lives and cultures of people around the world.
Director of the One World Centre, Rosemary Clarke, said: ‘Leprosy is a truly terrible disease that affects sufferers and their families socially and economically as well causing disability.
‘The used stamps are sold on to collectors around the world and the money is used by the Mission for their work in 11 countries where leprosy is still rife.
‘Everyone tends to get a bit more post around Christmas so it’s a good time to collect, although the Leprosy Mission will accept used stamp donations at any point in the year.’
Stamps should be cut from envelopes with at least a 5mm space around each edge. There is no need to steam or peel them off the paper.
All stamps should be sent by the end of January to the Leprosy Mission at One World Centre, Thie Garey Ny Cloie, Foxdale Road, St Johns, IM4 3AS.
For more details call the One World Centre on 800464.
Over the past 30 years, the UK charity’s stamp and collectables campaign has raised more than £1 million.
As well as providing healthcare, the Leprosy Mission offers rehabilitation, education, vocational training, small business loans, housing and fresh water supplies and sanitation to tens of thousands of people each year.
Figures from the World Health Organisation show that there are around a quarter of a million new cases of leprosy diagnosed around the world each year.
There are also more than three million people living with irreversible disabilities as a result of the late treatment of leprosy.
To find out more about the Leprosy Mission and its work visit www.leprosymission.org.uk