‘Gold ring’ Shropshire beggar dies of cancer
Wednesday 29th December 2010, 6:30PM GMT.
A Shropshire beggar who hit the headlines four years ago when a man dropped a diamond solitaire ring into his collection box has died of cancer, his daughter said today.
Big Issue seller Tim Pockett, 50, was given just three months to live by doctors when he was diagnosed with the disease in June.
But he has managed to defy the odds and was able to spend Christmas with his daughter Donna Griffiths and grandchildren in Acrefair, near Wrexham, before he died yesterday.
Mr Pockett, who is originally from Cardiff, was well known in the Shrewsbury area and came under the national spotlight in May 2006 when a man dropped a £500 white gold ring into his bowl.
The beggar was sitting in his usual spot outside Marks & Spencer when he saw the piece of jewellery among his coins.
Police later discovered that the man who dropped it into his bowl had gone to jewellers in nearby St Mary’s Street to sell the ring but was told they would not buy it.
After waiting a month Mr Pockett was able to keep the ring because the original owner had not reclaimed it.
He later gave it to his daughter Donna as a gift.
She said today: “My dad was really well known in Shrewsbury for selling the Big Issue and playing his tin whistle.”
Ms Griffiths said that her father was a positive man who had not let his illness defeat him.
She said: “He just kind of got on with life and didn’t really say anything about it. He lived every day as it came and he didn’t give up.”
UK News
Most Commented
- Clampdown on Shrewsbury chuggers
- Bishop's gay marriage views do nothing to support bible teachings
- Planners ordered to stay on Newport visit bus
- Letter: Angered by close encounter of the furred kind
- Letter: Alcohol price plans annoy me
- Shrewsbury’s broadband speed one of slowest in UK
- Letter: No sense in overseas job adverts
Shropshire Star on Twitter
Keep updated with the latest breaking news and content on our Twitter feed.
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Shropshire Star and Express & Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
Entertainment
All the film reviews
Before you plan a trip to the pictures, get our critics' verdicts on all the latest movie releases.
OUR NEW APP
Get the new Shropshire Star app
Download the Shropshire Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
shropshirestar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
God bless you Tim, I will miss you, I know you weren’t as bad as some made out, I knew you. I and none of my family were too proud to stand and talk with you.
Report abuse
Sad to read this. I often saw him about Shrewsbury – He seemed a nice gentle bloke.
Report abuse
Before the usual tedious right-wingers wade in {I can hear them twitching} let’s just reflect that we don’t chose the bed we are born in and the most intelligent stable and level headed people can have one domino removed from their life and the whole show can quite easily come down around them. Only the intellectual smug are stupid enough to think they’re in complete control of their destiny.
Report abuse
Sorry you won’t be there again, sitting with your box and playing your whistle.
Keep on playing wherever you are.
Report abuse
we will never forget you dad, you were so brave and im so proud of you, you never gave up an plodded on with daily life, miss you loads and loads xxxxxx
Report abuse