local characters

adam cool dude · 24 Oct 2019 at 14:00

When I was growing up in Kings Lynn you had Juggling Jim. I think he recently died and the streets were lined to honour him at his funeral. Everyone said he was a secret millionaire or that he used to be doctor but an operation went wrong and he went crazy from it.

Check out the neck on the guitar!

Raggs · 24 Oct 2019 at 14:03

there a bloke called allan walks around certain parts of Sheffield wearing a full football refs kit whistle and all arms aloft cheering at passing cars , seen him on one occasion and drivers going past were like wtf.

and there a guy called john burkill who collects for McMillan cancer Charity always out and about wears green wig and pushes a small trolley around he's raised 250k from what i have read.

vanpeebles · 24 Oct 2019 at 14:04

Nice to see the Durham ones. The A19 had/still has a lorry man, who would wave from one of the bridges and sometimes use a cb to talk to the drivers. Apparently started as a kid, as he would wave to his Dad's truck.

something daft already!! · 24 Oct 2019 at 14:05

Once saw a well dressed man bending down in front of a public urinal with a loaf of bread. He was dipping his break into the bowl and wiping it around then eating it. He was a bit of a character I'd say.

Yadda · 24 Oct 2019 at 14:09

Flibster said:
Norwich used to have a wonderful chap known as Marigold. Used to stand in/alongside the road and direct traffic while wearing marigolds.

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/people-of-norwich-pay-their-own-tributes-to-marigold-1-4068620

Coincidentally, there was an old chap up this way who always wore yellow marigolds, along with a military beret. He used to march around the place mumbling about "the Japs".

There was another bloke too, his house was absolutely covered in TV aerials and he'd hand painted "The Prince of Wales" down the side of his car.

Dup · 24 Oct 2019 at 14:14

There's a podcast called Gossipmongers with Joe Wilkinson where they share listeners stories about local characters etc. It is rather crude however, not one for the kids.

vanpeebles · 24 Oct 2019 at 14:14

The most famous of all Durham characters would be the little Count (yes that's an o in it):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Józef_Boruwłaski

Józef Boruwłaski died in Durham, on September 5, 1837, at the age of 97

I mooched around the Count's House often as a lad

AHarvey · 24 Oct 2019 at 14:25

There's a male taxi driver who drives around Stoke in full drag

ElliorR · 24 Oct 2019 at 14:33

In my town there’s this old boy, longish white hair, who walks round in a short skirt. First time I saw him I did a double take but now I don’t give it a second thought.

Uncle Petey · 24 Oct 2019 at 14:38

There used to be middle aged black guy in Kentish Town that wore a cowboy hat, a red codpiece (like the dude from Cameo) and kicked a balloon on a string as he walked along.

wolfie138 · 24 Oct 2019 at 14:42

so how many of these people actually HAVE been eccentric millionaires? it seems to be the default assumption, reading the replies above. my default assumption is that they're just nutters.

Wayne~ · 24 Oct 2019 at 14:45

Raggs said:
there a bloke called allan walks around certain parts of Sheffield wearing a full football refs kit whistle and all arms aloft cheering at passing cars , seen him on one occasion and drivers going past were like wtf.

and there a guy called john burkill who collects for McMillan cancer Charity always out and about wears green wig and pushes a small trolley around he's raised 250k from what i have read.

Not see the ref but John is a Sheffield hero, always give him a few quid when I see him.

Feek · 24 Oct 2019 at 14:51

Does anyone else keep mis-reading the thread title as "Local cheerleaders"?

something daft already!! · 24 Oct 2019 at 14:56

Feek said:
Does anyone else keep mis-reading the thread title as "Local cheerleaders"?

No, me thinks you have something on your mind.

Feek · 24 Oct 2019 at 14:57

I do now!

SydDanube · 24 Oct 2019 at 15:01

Market Dave from Altrincham.

https://www.messengernewspapers.co.uk/news/8340230.market-dave-makes-welcomed-return-to-altrincham/

https://youtu.be/02lw5qIMR-M

https://youtu.be/3NlqGIJmELI

Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaarket...

elrasho · 24 Oct 2019 at 17:06

R.P.L · 24 Oct 2019 at 17:19

something daft already!! said:
Once saw a well dressed man bending down in front of a public urinal with a loaf of bread. He was dipping his break into the bowl and wiping it around then eating it. He was a bit of a character I'd say.

That's ******* grim.

esoteric · 24 Oct 2019 at 17:28

There was a bloke in Leigh Park everyone called 'Pigeon Pete' because of his walk, his head bobbing like a pigeon.

And we also had 'Bus Stop Cat', a Ginger cat called Missy that would lounge around at the No39 bus stop and was bit of tart letting anything and everyone pet and stroke her, she would even get on the bus. Sadly she was put down due to injuries, first suspected of being beaten and then believed to have been hit by a car. A bus driver of that route started a JustGiving page and raised enough money for a memorial plaque.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-36460980

Muban · 24 Oct 2019 at 18:04

There was also the car lady of Chiswick Anne Naysmith https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/11405187/Anne-Naysmith-pianist-obituary.html. Poor woman died a few years back after being run over by a lorry.

She was featured on radio 4 Last Word (@21:10) https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b052mbjq