Colin Johnson of Gwydelwern has recently died. I wouldn't expect many readers to know the man. He was a disabled person who relied on a chair and other than that was unremarkable, I suppose. He was the person who started the collecting bin in Tesco on behalf of cats. His widow has taken over the responsibility of collecting the items of catfood therein placed.
Johnson may have been nothing other than ordinary but he was famous in Scotland, though I doubt he knew it. The book called "It's a Sign!", published in 2012, is a collection of "unbelievable signs from Scotland and beyond" and is a compendium of the funnier pictures sent in by readers of The Herald newspaper.
On page 95 of the book, without any comment, is a photo taken by a Herald reader of Johnson's Rhuthun/Ruthin Tesco bin. It clearly reads "Denbigh & Ruthin Unwanted Cats Only". Visions of customers disposing of their unloved felines at Tesco.
The bin or, rather, its successor, is still there to this day and although the signage thereon has changed, it still carries the same ambiguous message, that you are welcome to get rid of your unwanted cats here. I am sure Johnson would see the funny side of his notice and, besides, humour is certainly a good way of remembering someone.
