Local characters.
Discussion
Mad mick. So from our offices we’d watch him walk miles and miles each day. Up and down one of the steepest hills that exists.
He’d leave home and walk to the town to Asda. Buy a banana and come home. Then turn around and go buy one pint of milk. And go home. Then set off and buy a loaf of bread. All day long.
He’s still going but much more aged now and a bit limpy.
He’d leave home and walk to the town to Asda. Buy a banana and come home. Then turn around and go buy one pint of milk. And go home. Then set off and buy a loaf of bread. All day long.
He’s still going but much more aged now and a bit limpy.
The main one I remember from when we were based in Bristol City centre was Running Man. He would go past the office every day at a trot wearing shorts and trainers and nothing else, no matter what the weather. There could be snow on the ground and he would go past, sweating away, with no top on. Seemed harmless enough, but never spoke to him as he never stopped.
Red9zero said:
The main one I remember from when we were based in Bristol City centre was Running Man. He would go past the office every day at a trot wearing shorts and trainers and nothing else, no matter what the weather. There could be snow on the ground and he would go past, sweating away, with no top on. Seemed harmless enough, but never spoke to him as he never stopped.
This is ours...https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/18054207.437-ra...
Luckily only bare chested in the summer months.
We had Hoover Jim, though I don’t know where the Hoover bit came from. It was possibly because he couldn’t speak and therefore made noises like a Vacuum cleaner to communicate.
He used to stand at the side of the road with a high viz, holding a motorbike helmet. He’d flag down unsuspecting Motorcyclists and just climb on the back. The poor guys had no choice after that but to take him for a ride
He used to stand at the side of the road with a high viz, holding a motorbike helmet. He’d flag down unsuspecting Motorcyclists and just climb on the back. The poor guys had no choice after that but to take him for a ride
LaurasOtherHalf said:
Red9zero said:
The main one I remember from when we were based in Bristol City centre was Running Man. He would go past the office every day at a trot wearing shorts and trainers and nothing else, no matter what the weather. There could be snow on the ground and he would go past, sweating away, with no top on. Seemed harmless enough, but never spoke to him as he never stopped.
This is ours...https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/18054207.437-ra...
Luckily only bare chested in the summer months.
https://twitter.com/litherlandrman?lang=en
Bikes seem to be a uniting factor in many of these tales...
Another of our local ones was Timmy Wakely, now sadly deceased. He'd wander around collecting local scrap, cutting down trees and generally acting like Steptoe. If Steptoe had fried his brain in the 1990's on rave drugs. Like so many others, mental illness was the cause of his character. His obituary described him as a 'loveable rogue' and for the first time ever, I think it was an accurate use of the term.
His highlight was gathering two suitcases of old wiring from a skip and tying the suitcases to a fence for safekeeping. The fence being the local Mosque. Funnily enough, 2 suitcases with wires poking out the side aroused suspicion and closed down the City Centre for several hours.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3144824/P...
Another of our local ones was Timmy Wakely, now sadly deceased. He'd wander around collecting local scrap, cutting down trees and generally acting like Steptoe. If Steptoe had fried his brain in the 1990's on rave drugs. Like so many others, mental illness was the cause of his character. His obituary described him as a 'loveable rogue' and for the first time ever, I think it was an accurate use of the term.
His highlight was gathering two suitcases of old wiring from a skip and tying the suitcases to a fence for safekeeping. The fence being the local Mosque. Funnily enough, 2 suitcases with wires poking out the side aroused suspicion and closed down the City Centre for several hours.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3144824/P...
I have seen the Wimbledon guy , quite spectacular.
Is the old girl still in the Kings Road /Brompton area ,last saw her about 2 years ago , her world was loaded on one or two shopping trollies , always remember the aura surrounding her , made your eyes water !
And back in the late 50s , in the Orpington/Chislehurst area in and around Petts Wood , Smoky Joe , he had a rickety bike, no tyres , with all his possessions hanging from it , my dad was a PC at the time and him and others used to take Joe to the local police station station for fumigating and fresh donated clothes.
Is the old girl still in the Kings Road /Brompton area ,last saw her about 2 years ago , her world was loaded on one or two shopping trollies , always remember the aura surrounding her , made your eyes water !
And back in the late 50s , in the Orpington/Chislehurst area in and around Petts Wood , Smoky Joe , he had a rickety bike, no tyres , with all his possessions hanging from it , my dad was a PC at the time and him and others used to take Joe to the local police station station for fumigating and fresh donated clothes.
Torquay has got Moses, always makes you smile when you see him.
https://www.facebook.com/mosewavingmantorbay/
https://www.facebook.com/mosewavingmantorbay/
lastofthev8s said:
Yes Purple Aki is / was fairly well know across the North West I think, certainly about Liverpool. I grew up north of Liverpool in the 80’s and there was the shout ‘Aki’s gonna get you!’
Seems he travelled about quite a bit, certainly being mentioned by other posters outside the North West
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akinwale_Arobieke
The anti smoking man was Umberto the No Smoking man who’d lost his mum to cancer. Often travelled by bike from Liverpool to Southport collecting rubbish along the way too
https://mobile.twitter.com/angiesliverpool/status/...
There was also Jacko known as Plinky Plink who busked with a cardboard guitar in Liverpool city centre
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef49cHXG87Q
One I’ve heard of, but never saw was Tony Beep Beep who wanted bus / car drivers to beep their horns for him.
https://localwiki.org/liverpool/Tony_Beep_Beep
Remember all these from my days at Uni. Plinky Plink was a personal favourite and a nice guy to chat to.Seems he travelled about quite a bit, certainly being mentioned by other posters outside the North West
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akinwale_Arobieke
The anti smoking man was Umberto the No Smoking man who’d lost his mum to cancer. Often travelled by bike from Liverpool to Southport collecting rubbish along the way too
https://mobile.twitter.com/angiesliverpool/status/...
There was also Jacko known as Plinky Plink who busked with a cardboard guitar in Liverpool city centre
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef49cHXG87Q
One I’ve heard of, but never saw was Tony Beep Beep who wanted bus / car drivers to beep their horns for him.
https://localwiki.org/liverpool/Tony_Beep_Beep
Edited by lastofthev8s on Wednesday 16th June 19:47
Only saw Purps once and christ he was some unit.
There was also the god bothering loon that would walk a dozen or so steps then get down and kiss the ground, get up, rinse and repeat.
There was a character who used to wander around Lerwick - I forget his name. He was a bit "simple" but otherwise completely harmless.
A tale about him is that one sunny May morning the local minister greeted him with a cheery "Spring in the air!". His response was "Spring in the air your f
king self".
A tale about him is that one sunny May morning the local minister greeted him with a cheery "Spring in the air!". His response was "Spring in the air your f
king self".Edited by matchmaker on Tuesday 22 June 20:36
Swansea had Tea Cosy Pete / Tea Bag, originally Brian Burford.
Kind hearted man who would chat with anyone, and would always be seen around Wind Street in the early hours of the weekend. Part of the furniture, everyone largely respected him.
Troubled life, died in 2015: https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.walesonline.co....
Kind hearted man who would chat with anyone, and would always be seen around Wind Street in the early hours of the weekend. Part of the furniture, everyone largely respected him.
Troubled life, died in 2015: https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.walesonline.co....
London has of course got loads of these people.
Traffic cone busker
The preacher of Oxford Street, "don't be a sinner be a winner"
Running man of Surrey Quays (ran everywhere in normal attire carrying his stuff in a supermarket carrier bag, never saw him walk)
Some others that probably weren't that odd really but I thought they were when I was cycling to work. One memorable chap was always commuting to work in a full suit clutching a brief case. My wife and I used to have a chat with him quite often on Westminster Bridge and he was a really nice man. Just struck me as odd that he persisted with one handed cycling and a brief case in London traffic.
Traffic cone busker
The preacher of Oxford Street, "don't be a sinner be a winner"
Running man of Surrey Quays (ran everywhere in normal attire carrying his stuff in a supermarket carrier bag, never saw him walk)
Some others that probably weren't that odd really but I thought they were when I was cycling to work. One memorable chap was always commuting to work in a full suit clutching a brief case. My wife and I used to have a chat with him quite often on Westminster Bridge and he was a really nice man. Just struck me as odd that he persisted with one handed cycling and a brief case in London traffic.
matchmaker said:
There was a character who used to wander around Lerwick - I forget his name. He was a bit "simple" but otherwise completely harmless.
A tale about him him is that one sunny May morning the local minister greeted him with a cheery "Spring in the air!". His response was "Spring in the air your fking self".
A tale about him him is that one sunny May morning the local minister greeted him with a cheery "Spring in the air!". His response was "Spring in the air your f
king self".
Around 2000-2007 in Cardiff Toy Mike Trevor was a rather popular bloke who used to hang around the St Davids' shopping centre and belt out tunes on a kiddies microphone.
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/toy-...
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/toy-...
rossub said:
We had Hoover Jim, though I don’t know where the Hoover bit came from. It was possibly because he couldn’t speak and therefore made noises like a Vacuum cleaner to communicate.
He used to stand at the side of the road with a high viz, holding a motorbike helmet. He’d flag down unsuspecting Motorcyclists and just climb on the back. The poor guys had no choice after that but to take him for a ride
Asked a mate about the Hoover bit. If Jim was at the bar and someone went to the toilet, he’d Hoover down their pint before they got back. Nobody is going to lamp a mentally disabled guy that can’t talk!He used to stand at the side of the road with a high viz, holding a motorbike helmet. He’d flag down unsuspecting Motorcyclists and just climb on the back. The poor guys had no choice after that but to take him for a ride
Back in the 1970’s I worked in a local steelworks. It was next to the beach. A local chap, aged mid/ late 50’s ( at least), used to go for a swim in the sea wearing a loincloth. He would do some basic knee bends, stretches before and after.He would then wander into the works to warm up, dry his loincloth by standing near the furnaces ( he changed to normal ( nearly) clothes to hang up his loincloth.
He lived not far away with his brother. They would push a large pram around collecting wood to burn in their fire. Both looked eccentric as well as their behaviour.
We also had John Radio in the town ( saw him a couple of months ago so still on his rounds. He had mental health issues and walked everywhere with a radio, usually perched on his shoulder. I never actually heard it switched on.
He lived not far away with his brother. They would push a large pram around collecting wood to burn in their fire. Both looked eccentric as well as their behaviour.
We also had John Radio in the town ( saw him a couple of months ago so still on his rounds. He had mental health issues and walked everywhere with a radio, usually perched on his shoulder. I never actually heard it switched on.
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