Ringwood remembers Catweazle

5:10pm Tuesday 29th January 2008

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A MEMORIAL is being planned to remember the life of one of Ringwood's best loved and most missed local characters, who died earlier this month.

Roy Carter, fondly known to most residents as Catweazle, died on January 2 at the age of 79 after a long battle with cancer, and now residents are raising funds to place a permanent memorial to him in the town.

Police community support officer Tracey Cooper of Ringwood Police, who is co-ordinating a collection for the memorial, told the Forest Journal that the memorial would take the form of a seat or a tree.

It will be placed either at Carvers Recreation ground, where Catweazle used to love to sit and watch the cricket, or in Market Place.

His brother, Dennis, told the ForestJournal: "Roy will live on in the hearts of the many people who knew him and who were touched by his kind heart and character during his lifetime."

He added: "I think a memorial is a very good idea as he was so well known in Ringwood."

Catweazle, who lived in Ringwood all his life, had been a familiar figure around the town for decades and popped in to many of the shops in the town centre on a daily basis.

He also attended all the town's major events and one year a group of residents even took part in the annual carnival processions all dressed as Catweazle'.

Over 100 people paid their last respects at his funeral at Trinity United Reformed Church on January 16 and many more paid tribute to him online through the Facebook networking site.

People will be able to donate to the collection at either the Coral bookmakers shop or Patricia's Florists, both in Christchurch Road, Ringwood.