Snowy, a dedicated fundraiser for numerous charities, always stood out from the city crowds, with a long white beard, colourful clothes and big hats, delighting children and adults alike with his animal-orientated show. | "He added colour and life and eccentricity to Cambridge. We need people like this to give us a lift. " | | Benedict Le Vay, author of Eccentric Cambridge |
Neighbours and visitors passing through Oakington could not help but notice his home decorated with flags and toys. Snowy passed away on Thursday 8th March, 2007. His funeral took place on Friday 23rd March, 2007, at St Andrew's Church in Oakington - Weyman's Funeral Services offered to fund the funeral. Vicar James Alexander, speaking to BBC Radio Cambridgeshire's Andy Burrows said: “Snowy gave all that money to charity and ended up with no money himself, I think. "He started off as a road sweeper, and the dustmen used to give him clothes. One day he would appear in a Navy uniform and the next day he would be an immaculate gentleman in top hat and tails sweeping the roads. Then he got a couple of old fashioned ice cream carts and gradually built up this Snowy 'event' with performing animals." Snowy was made an MBE in 1995 for his charity fundraising and received the insignia from Prince Charles. He raised a massive £62,000 for the Cambridgeshire Society for the Blind and Partially Sighted. He also raised £33,700 for Guide Dogs for the Blind and £28,305 for Camsight, a charity supporting people with sight loss in Cambridgeshire. A fitting tribute? A measure of Snowy's popularity is the massive public support for the idea of a permanent tribute to the man, to be sited in the centre of Cambridge. Rob Dryden, the mayor of Cambridge says that various ideas have been put forward, including a statue, a plaque, or some other work of art that would be suitable for young people and the visually impaired. The proposal will be discussed at the city council's meeting on 19th April, 2007. A true eccentric Before campaigning for charities, Snowy worked as a road sweeper for Cambridge City Council. Snowy, whose real name was Walter, passed away aged 88 on Thursday 8th March, 2007. Author Benedict Le Vay features Snowy's very personal brand of eccentricity in his book, Eccentric Cambridge, one of a series of city travel guides. Le Vay spoke to BBC Radio Cambridgeshire's Alex Harris on the day of Snowy's death. | 
