'Snowy' Farr, the Cambridge Busker's Memorial.

'Snowy' Walter Farr entertained shoppers in Cambridge city centre, by busking, accompanied by mice and a cat which sat on his top hat ! He died penniless in 2007 aged 89. This memorial was in honour of the £125,000 plus, he collected for his charities, and cost around £50,000 ! The design by artist Gary Webb, whom I have the greatest respect for, was funded by city centre developers, a requirement imposed by the Planning Committee to compensate for loss or damage to the environment created by development. However, people are angry and agree that he would be horrified at that amount of money being spent in HIS memory, after spending many, many years on the city's pavements in all weathers raising money for his Blind and Animal charities. Cambs Mayor Sheila Stuart, says (quote from BBC News) "The money is in a ring- fenced pot for public art, and we have used it in a creative way for a world class piece of art in the city centre." The opinion of a great many people is that, it is not what Snowy would have wanted, and sited in absolutely the wrong place, in the middle of a busy thoroughfare, against the traditional University backdrop, and would be better by the childrens colourful playground near the Princess Diana Memorial, (or maybe Disneyland.)