Who is you “favourite” beggar in Sheffield City Centre?

Mine used to be a shady looking individual who accosted me no less than five times in one particular month. During this period, I was led to believe that he:

· Had a child in Skegness which he needed to see urgently, so could I ‘lend’ him the train fare

· Had just been released form prison and needed the bus fare to get to his B&B

· Had a job in Leicester to go to but didn’t have the funds to travel there

(And best of all)

· Was having a heart attack and needed the taxi fare to get to hospital.

Sadly, he doesn’t seem to be around any more.

My new fave is a young chap in his early 20s who is very eloquent and has perhaps realised that the old “spare change for a cup of tea” routine has been milked to saturation point.

So instead he starts his sales pitch “You look like a good honest professional man/woman. Can I have two minutes of your time please? I am not proud to be home homeless…..”

The lad could easily work in telesales. He duped me out of 50p first time round.

PS. What happened to that bloke with the mad hair and purple trousers who used to sell the big issue outside the NMB???

Originally posted by mikebayly

· Was having a heart attack and needed the taxi fare to get to hospital.

Sadly, he doesn’t seem to be around any more.


Perhaps you should have given him the money for a taxi :wow:

The one with the line "i'm the friendliest tramp in sheffield"

Originally posted by mikebayly


PS. What happened to that bloke with the mad hair and purple trousers who used to sell the big issue outside the NMB???

He's in York, outside the railway station :)

Originally posted by SeAnY
The one with the line "i'm the friendliest tramp in sheffield"

A lot of beggars use that line though

Originally posted by SeAnY
The one with the line "i'm the friendliest tramp in sheffield"
I remember reading about him on this forum some time ago. Because if this I was ready for him when he approached me in the garden of the Yorkshire Grey.

"I'm the friendliest tramp is Sheffield" says he.

"I'm the tightest man in Sheffield" says I.

He just walked off.

Originally posted by InvalidUser
I remember reading about him on this forum some time ago. Because if this I was ready for him when he approached me in the garden of the Yorkshire Grey.

"I'm the friendliest tramp is Sheffield" says he.

"I'm the tightest man in Sheffield" says I.

He just walked off.

Fantastic! I shall remember that one.

My favourite was the one who asked me for money saying that he was trying to get together enough money for the coach fare to Liverpool and before I could say anything he said "I'm not a heroin addict - honest".

but for the grace of god...

The "friendliest tramp in Sheffield" asked me for change too, and then gave me a load of abuse when I said I didn't have any. I really didn't, left my wallet in the office!

Nice.

does anyone remember cyril the tramp?, he used to sleep under the wicker arches.

i used to work up crookes,and caught the number 52 bus in the wicker, anyhow,one morning i smelled bacon cooking,it was lovely-until i looked around the corner (from the toilets)and there he was, turning the bacon over with his scruffy fingers:gag: .

cyril was a very nice old man and i never saw him bother anyone for money (although he may have done).

i was told that he was a well to do business man that fell on hard times:(

regards, john.

My current favorite is the Big Issue seller who sometimes sells outside the station - he stopped me and my mate once by saying "I'm the home of rock and roll!" :D
Really nice friendly bloke, dead cheerful and didn't pester or get smarmy with anyone.

Anyone seen Albert about lately? (I'm certain it's Albert)

The bearded chap that wears about 8 jumpers - usually seen on Eccie road???

if you like yu tramps n beggers! you want to go to nottingham!oooooooowwwweeeeeee, there 10 a penny there, and some are real nasty ba*****s. i used to have to walk though town every morning to collage, and without fail would be asked no less than 8 times within a 10min walk.

some would be nice, but most was realy intimadating and give you real greef if you didnt have anything to spare.
but if you did give in and hand out the cash every time thay asked it would have cost me about £10-15 a day just to walk to collage and back!

but there was 1 old mad who used to sit playing a xylophone, and just tap away playing the theam tune to eastenders. and he was a ledgend every 1 in nottingham new him. but sadley he died about a year ago

Has anyone come across the lad outside TJ Hughes who always starts off by saying,"Im not a theif but can i just ask you "............ then something about money.
Ive usually walked off by then.

my favouite has to be wilf the pen man ( i actually got to know him and he was funny) i worked at showboat amusements in the mid 80's on the moor,wilf would usually stand near sugg sport across the road and offer passes by a biro,if they took it which they nearly always did he'd produce a collecting tin which had a label on it say something about old soldiers,he'd then very conviently develop a limp as he follwed his "victim" holding out the tin,honestly i used to watch him everyday and by opening time he'd made a small fortune.sadly he died a few years ago,the bloke was a right character and could usually be found in the cannon and other classyy establishments:)

I wonder whatever happened to "George Best". A very hairy individual, mid 50s, who used to hang about West Street in the mid 1990s.

(So named because he looked very like George Best during George's "being sent to prison at xmas time" period.

I used to hate with a passion the vagrent that i used to call "crying kid" Looked very young and sounded like he was gonna cry when he operated in the west street area. Not until i told him in strong language to "go away" that he revealed his true booming voice!

tony_santos are you talking about the one who always needed bus fare to rotherham? always filthy with black hair?

i once heard him threaten to 'cut u up' to an elderly lady on fargate

he was a prolific user/rent boy and is now banged up if its the same kid (bout 15)

e x

I like the jamaican bloke who allways says that he needs but fare that badly that he's prepared to sell you £10's worth of weed for only a fiver.......

Im not a big expert of the stuff but its obvious that the stuff in the bag is not weed, more like conifer clippings!

Cant fault him!!!!!

Ive also heard he targets punters with the same trick outside gatecrasher on a Fri/Sat nite????

Originally posted by matt1889
I like the jamaican bloke who allways says that he needs but fare that badly that he's prepared to sell you £10's worth of weed for only a fiver.......

Im not a big expert of the stuff but its obvious that the stuff in the bag is not weed, more like conifer clippings!

Cant fault him!!!!!

Ive also heard he targets punters with the same trick outside gatecrasher on a Fri/Sat nite????

Ha ha!

He sold a lad I know a bag of what he claimed to be "colombia's finest" outside the Forum. Unfortunately it turned out to be lemsip.

The lad in question was more than just a bit hacked off and has vowed revenge on his return to the steel city.

Originally posted by matt1889
I like the jamaican bloke who allways says that he needs but fare that badly that he's prepared to sell you £10's worth of weed for only a fiver.......

Im not a big expert of the stuff but its obvious that the stuff in the bag is not weed, more like conifer clippings!

Cant fault him!!!!!

Ive also heard he targets punters with the same trick outside gatecrasher on a Fri/Sat nite????

I think he might have asked me for money before. I got a tenner out of the cashpoint outside Sainsbury's and walked up the Moor, the next thing I know someone grabs me by the shoulder and he asked me for 20p for 'the phone'. I told him I only had a not (bad mistake) so he said go in a shop and change it so I said no. He then offered me to buy some 'weed' so I went back into Sainsbury's where I worked at the time and the security guard kindly took care of it :).

Very intimidating though :(

Originally posted by matt1889
Ive also heard he targets punters with the same trick outside gatecrasher on a Fri/Sat nite????

I wonder if this is the same guy i met on Wednesday night near the Leadmill... I'm often told i look like a copper and my car looks like CID, waiting for a customer from some of the studo flats round there and wearing an earpiece i was approached by a Jamaican looking/sounding bloke who said something along the lines of "Aye...no bother man, i just waiting for someone...." Then left.

-PK-

Originally posted by Carl_Malibu
but for the grace of god...
Very true, I am quite sure that nobody actually sets out to loose all their dignity.

Originally posted by kirky
my favouite has to be wilf the pen man ( i actually got to know him and he was funny) i worked at showboat amusements in the mid 80's on the moor,wilf would usually stand near sugg sport across the road and offer passes by a biro,if they took it which they nearly always did he'd produce a collecting tin which had a label on it say something about old soldiers,he'd then very conviently develop a limp as he follwed his "victim" holding out the tin,honestly i used to watch him everyday and by opening time he'd made a small fortune.sadly he died a few years ago,the bloke was a right character and could usually be found in the cannon and other classyy establishments:)

oh, I remember the pen man, very well.

He'd shove the cheaptack pen into your hand, and when you weren't forthcoming with the money, he'd get all aggressive. (and not in any way polite)

The times I'd tell him to go and get lost!

He was really annoying.

So very different from the "match man" who was blind, and used to sell pens and matches etc, outside the old suggs store, which was at the top of the alley (sadly now gone) between Pinstone Street and Union Street. that chap was always polite. My mother used to say that the legend was that he could tell if you'd short-changed him, fron the sound of the coins dropping into his tin, (I don't know how true that is.)

I remember assisting him, many years ago. it must have been nearly 30 yrs ago.

His wife had collapsed near Winter Street Hospital, and we called for an ambulance for them. I don't even know how she got on...

PT

lol i remember pen man, i used to stand laughing at people taking apen and knowing he was gonna follow them till they gave him some money :P

i also remember black glenn
and my minds bit foggy on 1 guy we sort of knew ......always walked bare foot, wouldve been 30s / early 40, if i remember rightly i once heard he used to be a champion rock climber or weighlifter (memories a bit foggy :P) i think he spent a lot of time in the hole in the road?

in the late 80s / early 90s i prolly knew most of the younger traveller beggers :P