Shrewsbury pub regulars to pay for old soldier's funeral
Regulars at a Shrewsbury pub are taking part in a charity auction to pay for the funeral of a regular who died from cancer after falling on hard times.
When former soldier Jim Geraghty was diagnosed with cancer he had no one to turn to. He never married, had no children and had lost contact with what little family he had.
But Renate Payton, landlady of The Bull Inn in Shrewsbury, took pity on Mr Geraghty, a regular in her pub, and gave him a roof over his head, nursed him in his final days and was by his side when he died last week, with no will, no property and no money.
Now Renate and her partner Mark Glenister have organised an auction at the pub at 7.30pm on Friday to raise £3,000.
It will give 66-year-old Jim, who was well known around Shrewsbury for his own charitable work with Combat Stress and Help for Heroes, a good send-off.
"It was the least we could do for him," said Renate. "We had known him for years and he was a regular fixture here. Everyone knew Jim. He was a character. When he was diagnosed he had nowhere to go so I said he could live here at the pub.
"He then moved to Yockleton with us, which he really enjoyed. He was a lovely gentleman."
Renate had spent months trying to get Army benefits for Jim, who had served with the Royal Scots Dragoons in Northern Ireland in the 1960s and 1970s.
Renate said: "It is disgusting, he gave years of his life to the Army but he got nothing back."
