‘Nobby’ the local legend, who lived in a bus shelter

Chris said: “In 1980 in Cathedral Square I took a picture of local legend Scotsman Michael Ross, affectionately known as Nobby. I remember he was gathering fag ends for his baccy tin.

“He lived in his Oundle road bus shelter, given its own postcode, for 15 years after reportedly losing his family when his house burned down.

“Nobby, a former headteacher, was given some golf clubs by a passer-by and indulged in his passion by sneaking on to the local course.

“Local residents kept him well fed and at Christmas his shelter was overflowing with presents.

“Many people believed he had died after he went into his sheltered housing in about 2005 but my 2015 image showed him alive and well. He was an artist, loved gardening and a play has been performed about his life. Nobby died age 74 in December 2020.”

•Street photographer Chris Porsz’s unique reunion pictures – where he recreates pictures he took decades ago – has earned him international recognition.

For many years, Chris worked for the ambulance service in Peterborough from which his ‘Reunions’ project was born.

Most of his pictures feature Peterborough people and places and are often the result of painstaking detective work by Chris.

His second book, Reunions II, is now available.