Plenty Mango

Life on the tiny Caribbean island of Montserrat was postcard perfect, with year-round sunshine, cooling breezes, lush vegetation, sparkling seas, and a flourishing tourist industry. That was until 18th July 1995 when the island's volcano erupted after 400 years, bringing over 20 years of danger and uncertainty.

Plenty Mango tells the island's story through the eyes of Sarah Dickinson who, with her architect husband, followed a dream to build luxury Caribbean-style villas on Montserrat. They only needed to build one more house to break even, only to have their plans shattered by the volcano.

Plenty Mango is an intimate portrait of an island's peoples, such as Cynthia, the Honey Lady, Moose and his "honesty" bar, Sir George Martin and his Air Studios, the tiler who brews his very own mango 'poteen', Victor's garage that sells Bibles alongside brake pads, and the goat herd who heard the mountain "'groanin" many months before the volcano blew.

We meet some of the ex-pats who love to party, with the excuse, "Hell, it's six o'clock somewhere in the world." "Jumbie" ghosts are everywhere, as are the Masquerade dancers whose vibrant costumes and heady rhythms take you back in time.

You'll join in the St. Patrick's Day week-long festival, celebrating the island's Irish roots and follow the giant speakers leading the "jump up", Despite the hardship and uncertainty, Montserratians remain optimistic and undefeated. They never say "goodbye", only'Il go to come back.