ADVANCING age forced him to give up his stalls in other towns over the years but he loved Leominster so much that he carried on at the town's market almost until the end.

The trader with the heart of gold, Mohammed 'Mike' Sharif, died on December 28 aged 89.

For more than 50 years Mike sold hosiery and knitwear in Corn Square - in all weathers. He became a familiar and hugely popular figure, befriending countless numbers of people and helping many.

He bought coal for old folk, equipment for a pensioners' club and Christmas stockings for needy children. He helped schools fund special projects, bought trees and a public seat for the town and much more.

Anything he had done for Leominster he did out of love, Mike told The Hereford Times on the occasion of his 40th trading anniversary in the town (1987).

He added: "I find Leominster a lovely town. It is unspoilt and uncommercialised, and the people are kind and courteous. You don't find that everywhere."

The bond became so strong that he could not bear to think of giving up his weekly trip to Leominster. Long after he stopped driving, a friend regularly drove him from his thatched cottage at Corse Lawn near Tewkesbury to Leominster's Friday market.

Mike Sharif, was born in British India and, as a British passport holder, came to settle in Birmingham. He started trading in a humble way travelling on public transport with suitcases of socks, vests and other apparel.

Civic honour

Mike, who had served in the Army himself, found good custom among Polish ex-soldiers at the Shobdon demob camp.

Not long after he took his stall in Corn Square, continuing to travel by train, but later acquiring a motorcycle with sidecar. One of Mike's proudest possessions was his first Leominster market trader's licence, price 10 shillings.

In 1987, the former Leominster District Council gave him a free market pitch for life and presented him with a plaque bearing the town's coat of arms. He was awarded a civic honour in 1997 before an audience of more than 1,000 in Corn Square during a celebrity switch-on of the Christmas lights.

Mike had suffered with heart problems and had not been seen in the square for a few months. A former customer, Cheril Roberts of Ryelands Road, left flowers at his former pitch after seeing a notice in the square announcing Mike's death.

She recalled Mike had presented her with flowers back in August - the last time she saw him.

"He was a lovely man. It would be nice to have a seat with a plaque, or something similar, to commemorate Mike," said Mrs Roberts.

Mayor Patricia Thomas supported the call and said the idea would be raised at the town council. Said Mrs Thomas: "Many people will be sad to learn of Mike Sharif's death - he loved Leominster and was a popular figure. He showed amazing fortitude in carrying on for so long. It would be nice if he was permanently remembered in some way."