A campaign raised £2,500 to help pay for John Poole’s funeral

A SIX-SEATER limousine cruised through the pathways of Finsbury Park as part of a funeral procession to honour the life of a former homeless man who died from cancer.

John Poole settled in Finsbury Park after being moved from “pillar to post” across ­London. He spent spells of his adult life homeless, in temporary accommodation and sofa surfing. He had had a difficult upbringing, and grappled for much of his life with alcoholism, which he later overcame.

Mr Poole became a valued member and steadfast supporter of the Museum of Homelessness (MOH) in Seven Sisters Road, and his friends and volunteers from the organisation lined the pathways as his body was ­carried through the park on March 20.

Funds for the funeral had been raised by the MoH through a special campaign to give Mr Poole the “send off he deserved”. LDC funeral services also “generously” donated a six-seater limousine to follow the funeral hearse on its journey to Islington Crematorium.

Mr Poole was well-loved by his friends and neighbours, who would often stop to socialise with him at his regular “begging spot” in Green Lanes.

His best friend and carer, Mark Smithson, told the Tribune that the 67-year-old had had a diffuse upbringing and faced many challenges throughout life: he struggled with bipolar disorder and addiction.

The pair met eight years ago in the park, and Mr Smithson said that he admired Mr Poole’s incredible “willpower, strength and loyalty” from their first interaction. They later lived together in a flat in Finsbury Park for six years.

Mr Smithson and Mr Poole regularly attended the MoH community days, where they were valued members. The organisation raise aware­ness and advocates for those with lived exper­ience of homelessness.

Mr Poole loved animals, and Mr Smithson recalled how he had gifted him a puppy – a Staffordshire Bull Terrier called Isha – for his birthday one year, and how she became a valued part of their life together.

John Poole’s friends and neighbours made sure he was given a special farewell – on top of £2,500 collected by the Museum of Homelessness, a six-seater limousine was donated by LDC Funeral Services

Speaking to the Tribune, Mr Smithson said: “Finsbury Park was like his garden, he used to go there all the time and walked Isha through it two or three times a day.

“The first time I ever met him was in the park, so it was such an amazing thing for his funeral to take place there.

“He was such a funny guy, he would always make me laugh when I was down.

“We supported each other so much over the last few years – he kept me out of trouble, and I helped to support him and advocate for things he needed in his life – he found it difficult to engage with authority and so needed help working with housing and social workers.

“He didn’t have any family to fend for him, but everybody is somebody’s child and therefore deserves support, and John really did deserve it.

“In the time we knew each other, he went from strength to strength: it was beautiful, it was everything for me.”

Throughout their time as best friends, Mark liked to surprise John with impromptu holidays – they would take the train together from London and spend time in Wales and Cornwall without John knowing where they were going.

Mr Smithson added: “We went to Wales last year and stayed in a campsite, we had an absolute whale of a time together. It was fascinating because they had these peacocks there and John had never seen one before. He really adored animals.

“Another time, we stayed on a beautiful farm in Wales. He got frustrated because I managed to get the horses to come over towards me, but they wouldn’t go anywhere near him!

“Those trips were really special.”

Matt Turtle, the co-chair of the MoH project, said: “When we first came to the park, there were a lot of eyes on our project because of what we were doing.

“It was so important to us that from our early days people like John and Mark gave us their blessing for the work we were trying to do.

“They are the pillars of our community and so we wanted to honour that after John’s passing with a special memorial service.

“It was amazing and unlike any day I’ve ever had.”

John will be forever missed and loved by “best mate” Mark, the whole MoH community, and of course, his dog Isha.