Memorial service to be held after doorway death of homeless man

The 10pm vigil is to be held on the same day as the Belfast man’s funeral - which is expected to take place in west Belfast.

The tragic homeless man - who was in his 30s and was from Belfast - took ill in Donegall Place on Saturday.

Paramedics spent over 40 minutes with him but he died at the scene.

Donna Connor, from Hope Outreach for the Homeless, said she and other volunteers met with Jimmy’s family this morning and they are “bearing up”.

“His family went down to the site where he died and laid some flowers,” she said. “We talked with them and we plan to have a memorial service on Thursday night at the spot where he died.

“Jimmy didn’t have any children and he wasn’t married but his father and his other family are devastated,” she added.

“They had really tried to support him.”

She added that his death “has hit us quite bad”.

“It didn’t really hit us so bad until we were with his family and some of the other homeless ones. Everybody was very upset.”

Mrs Connor said she wanted to thank “everyone who contacted us for their support and donations over the last few days”.

Earlier Donna said Jimmy was one of her “regulars” and well-known among the homeless community.

She said he had been released from hospital earlier in the week

Mrs Connor said a petition had been started by another homeless charity - Amethyst Outreach - asking for a derelict building in Belfast to be made available for the homeless.