ONE person had left a cream teddy bear, another a loaf of bread, others bunches of roses and even a copy of a book by John Steinbeck.

The scene of a memorial to tragic Big Issue seller Ralph Millward outside Marks and Spencer in Westbourne was awash with cards and tributes yesterday.

A little crowd had gathered round to read some of the tributes many with little stories of how Ralph had touched their lives in some way over the years.

One message read: “I feel really bad I didn’t stop a bit longer and talk to you on what happened to be your last day. We’re very grateful to you for stopping our daughter running in front of the cars all those years ago.”

Joan Viner, 78, of The Avenue, Westbourne, said: “I’ve never seen so many flowers apart from when the Princess of Wales died. People must have walked past and never given him anything and now all this,” she added pointedly.

Tessa Buckley, 52, of Burnaby Road, Westbourne, said: “He wouldn’t have known he would have had all this when he passed away. I fell over and broke my arm and we had a joke about my pink plastercast.”

Graham Westwood, 43, of Poole Road, Westbourne, said he was not surprised by the amount of tributes left to Ralph.

“He was so popular and amiable and also in my personal view he provided a service to the community. Many elderly people keep alive by coming up here every day and their point of conversation was Ralph.

“He would often spend up to half an hour chatting to the elderly,” he said.

Sgt Major Len Bainbridge, 65, of Meyrick Park, Bournemouth, recalled how they would swap books and chat.

“He was a lovely man. I knew him for three and a half years and used to buy a Big Issue every week off him. I would exchange books with him and would bring him books from the church. He was into anything to do with history,” he added.

Among the tributes was a poem entitled ‘Two Days After Ralph’s Death’ which poignantly states: “We’re all to blame you know. We’re all responsible.”

Forty-one-year-old Ralph Millward was found dead outside Marks & Spencer in Westbourne on Friday May 8 and three teenagers have been charged with his murder.

Hundreds of people are expected to attend a memorial procession from 2pm tomorrow down Poole Road to West Cliff Baptist Church for a church service at 2.30pm.