Established 2005 Registered Charity No. 1110656

Scottish Charity Register No. SC043760

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Bill Moore, RIP

September 10 2012
Many readers will miss the man they got to know through the Simon Community

While we were on our publishing break we heard that Bill Moore, a stalwart of the Simon Community London, had died. To mark his passing we are happy to publish this in remembrance of him; something he wrote about his life:

“I was born many moons ago in Wexford, Ireland. I had a good upbringing, but like lots of other young and old Irish men and women came over to London looking for work in 1966. I lived most of my life in London except for two years, which I spent in Edinburgh. I ended up on the streets like a lot of other people through circumstances (in my case bereavement) for about 18 months.

“While on the street, I often woke to find myself covered from head to toe with snow, and I often found myself wondering whether I could get off the street again or just fall deeper and deeper into the gutter. It was the Simon Community who got me going again, to whom I am very grateful.

“I have been involved with the Simon Community since 1993. My main roles in Community are doing street work, tea and soup runs and nights at the shelter. Since 1996 I have been heavily involved in organising collections, walks, headcounts and talks. Between September and Easter I do give 70 – 80 talks at schools, churches, youth groups, Universities (Career Fairs), rotary clubs and other groups. These talks have taken me far afield as Newcastle (where I spent a whole week with four other people), Wales and to Westport, Ballina, and Castlebar in County Mayo in the west of Ireland. The main purpose of these talks is to bring awareness of pitfalls and of course to collect funds for the community. I have also been on management for the past five years.

“I am hoping to return to my beloved Ireland for good next year, and I know that this is going to be a big challenge for me.”

His funeral took place on 8 October at Islington Crematorium, London.

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