Tributes have been paid to Manchester’s first homeless tour guide who friends say taught his visitors about ‘humanity and respect’. Veteran Danny Collins spent years living on the streets and worked with Invisible Manchester to run walking tours around the city centre.
The beloved grandfather passed away after a long illness last month, aged 66.
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During his moving and eye-opening tours - which were punctuated with readings of his original poems - Danny led visitors to the spots where he slept rough and spent much of his time when he was homeless, such as Central Library, Albert Hall, the Hidden Gem and St Ann’s Church.
During a tour joined by the Manchester Evening News in 2018, guests were taken to a spot near Central Library where John Cassidy’s famous statue, ‘Adrift’ stands. It was there that Danny explained how a fellow rough sleeper and former accountant ‘fell apart’ when his wife died and ended up on the streets.
“He spent 20 years living on the street. He was a very educated guy and he said to me one day ‘when you wake up in the morning on the street, even the statues are looking down on you’.
"I thought that was really poignant,” he said.
Former soldier Danny, 66, suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after leaving the military, which eventually led to him becoming homeless. He moved to Manchester because he didn’t want to be homeless in his native Liverpool and became an adopted Manc.
He spent four and a half years living on the streets before finding help from homeless charity The Booth Centre. He spent his first night in his new home on Christmas Eve 2016.
His tours helped visitors understand how easy it can be to fall on hard times and how you can become invisible when dealing with homelessness.
The Hidden Gem, officially St Mary’s Catholic Church, was a spot Danny frequented for respite from the streets. Talking to visitors on one of his tours, he recalled his first visit when he was ‘kitted up’ with his backpack and sleeping bag.
“This lady invited me in and I told her ‘I’m homeless’, she said ‘it doesn’t matter to us’.
"I sat on the back bench and she brought me a cup of tea. When the sun shines through this glass it’s so inspiring. I sat there and thought ‘how wonderful’,” he said.
The Invisible Cities’ alternative guided tours give people affected by homelessness a chance to walk tourists through ‘their Manchester’.
Alice Sparks, who set up the Manchester tours, says Danny did remarkable work in his final years and could connect with anyone.
“Danny was Invisible (Manchester)’s first ever tour guide,” she says. “He laid the foundations for the organisation to train people who had lived on the streets to become tour guides.
"It was a big gamble, all I could offer to him was a cup of tea and the small chance that we might be able to pull it off.
"He said that we were as mad as each other, but he trusted in the idea and by October 2018 we had our first ever customers on a tour.
“I’d say in that first year, I spent more time with Danny than I did with any friends or family - it would not have been possible without him.
“He was the perfect first tour guide, a big character, plenty of charm and the gift of the gab. Although, one minor problem was that he could not walk through the streets of Manchester without stopping for a chat. Danny somehow managed to have friends all over.”
Alice says Danny was involved in lots of community projects and often encouraged others to get involved. But he always prioritised his family and was keen to save up his tour money to buy Christmas presents for his grandchildren.
She adds: “Together, we ended up in some bizarre circumstances - we found ourselves at fancy conferences, snazzy award ceremonies, or in tall skyscrapers. One that stands out to me is the time that we were on a talk show hosted by drag queens but somehow the evening ended with us holding a tarantula and a snake.
“Another time, an anonymous street artist called Mancsy produced a magnificent print that depicted Danny’s tour and poetry, with him standing tall in the centre of the piece of art. We have spent countless hours trying to figure out who the artist was, but the mystery remains unsolved.
"Or another occasion, we delivered a TEDx talk that we both got so nervous about it ended up being axed from their website.
“On his tours, Danny taught people about humanity, respect and looking someone in the eyes and saying hello. Such a spectrum of life, all covered by one man.”
Homeless charities plan to hold a memorial for Danny next month. The details are here .
Friends are also running a fundraiser to pay for Danny’s funeral costs.
Invisible Cities CEO Zakia Moulaoui Guery said: “Danny was not only the first Invisible Cities guide we worked with in Manchester, for many he also was the face of our tours in England and beyond.
"It has been an incredibly hard time for our team and trainees, guides who have worked closely with him and shared so many lovely moments together.
"We take comfort in knowing how much the tours and team meant to Danny and as we look back through photos and videos of our time together, we realise we had so much fun!
“It has been heartwarming to receive so many messages from guests, supporters, partners and the general public letting us know how much Danny meant to them too.
"One thing is for certain, he may be gone, but he never will be forgotten.”
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