Floral tributes have been left outside a Tesco shop in Sketty, Swansea, for Liam Harmer, a popular Big Issue seller who died in a house fire. Mr Harmer was a familiar face at Sketty Cross, where he sold the magazine for many years in all weather conditions.
Details of the Incident
Mr Harmer died on Tuesday after a fire broke out in a property on Elphin Gardens in Townhill. Police have stated that there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the blaze.
Friends, customers, and well-wishers have left bunches of flowers outside the Gower Road shop, along with a photo of Mr Harmer in a Star Trek uniform bearing the message "Live long and prosper," a Vulcan blessing from the hit TV series.
Tributes from the Community
Among the messages on cards left with the floral tributes is one that reads: "RIP Liam. Thank you for always greeting us with a smile and a chat. We will miss seeing you."
Tom Watts, Big Issue's sales and operations manager for Wales, who had known Liam for more than a decade, paid tribute. He said: "Liam sold the Big Issue in Sketty, Swansea, where he had been a familiar face for many years. He was very well liked and had built up a strong community of regular customers, many of whom became his friends."
Watts added: "I knew Liam for over a decade. I first met him in the Swansea office shortly after I started at the Big Issue, and I remember immediately thinking what a genuinely nice person he was. He was one of the kindest vendors I ever met, and I never heard anyone say a bad word about him."
Impact and Legacy
Watts highlighted the challenges faced by Big Issue vendors, saying: "Being a Big Issue vendor can be incredibly tough, and the pressures people face can sometimes make life and relationships difficult. Liam, however, was always pleasant, gentle and kind."
He recalled: "He would often ring the office for a chat, and we would talk about all sorts of things. He loved science-fiction novels, as I do, and I particularly remember our conversations about Arthur C. Clarke."
Watts concluded: "Liam was a truly lovely person, and he will be very sadly missed by his friends, customers and everyone who knew him."
