The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Sadness at death of well-known rough sleeper Valerie
Tributes have poured in for one of Peterborough’s most colourful characters who was found dead in a city car park.
Valerie Collins was found dead in the car park in St Peter’s Road behind Peterborough Town Hall on Monday morning.
Valerie, who slept rough, was a well known face in the city having set up a display of plants in the entrance of shops in Bridge Street.
The mother of two spent months living out of bins with her sleeping bag, pot plants and pram all squeezed into her small living space.
Peterborough City Council leader Cllr John Holdich said: “I will miss Valerie, we had a chat most days, always proud, clean and looking her best, she chose to sleep rough and had done for over 20 years. RIP.”
Flowers, candles, cards and pictures have been placed by members of the public at the location where Valerie was found.
One tribute read: “To a very special lady who changed my life in so many ways and who made my job worth doing. You will be sadly missed, rest in peace. Pauline”
Jorjie Nikolaki added: “R.I.P.Valerie, I will miss you in the mornings sitting at Greggs drinking coffee and me offering you biscuits when i was going to work.Lovely lady beautiful smile.xxx”
A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service said: “We were called just after 7am today to a report of a woman who was not breathing.
“Sadly the patient died at the scene.”
The cause of death has not been released as yet, but Cambridgeshire police said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and the case has been passed to the coroner.