Tributes to first homeless tour guide

TRIBUTES have been paid to Manchester’s first homeless tour guide, who friends say taught his visitors about ‘humanity and respect’.

Former soldier Danny Collins spent years living on the streets and worked with Invisible Manchester to run walking tours around the city centre. The beloved grandfather died last month after a long illness. He was 66.

During his moving and eye-opening tours, Danny led visitors to the spots where he slept rough and spent much of his time when he was homeless, such as Central Library, Albert Hall, the

Hidden Gem and St Ann’s Church.

Danny suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after leaving the military, which eventually led to him becoming homeless. He moved to Manchester because he didn’t want to be homeless in his native Liverpool and became an adopted Manc. He spent four-anda-half years living on the streets before finding help from homeless charity The Booth Centre.

His tours helped visitors understand how easy it can be to fall on hard times and how you can become invisible when dealing with homelessness. The Invisible Cities’ alternative guided tours give people affected by homelessness a chance to walk tourists through ‘their Manchester’.

Alice Sparks, who set up the Manchester tours, said: “He was the perfect first tour guide, a big character, plenty of charm and the gift of the gab. Although one minor problem was that he could not walk through the streets of Manchester without stopping for a chat. Danny somehow managed to have friends all over.”

Homeless charities plan to hold a memorial for Danny next month.

Friends are also running a fundraiser to pay for funeral costs.