The date for popular Big Issue vendor Paul Kelly’s funeral has been confirmed

The funeral for much-loved Big Issue vendor Paul Kelly will be held tomorrow.

He will be laid to rest with a graveside service at St Conval’s Cemetery in Barrhead at 10am on July 23. Paul’s family have made it clear that all are welcome and have also asked that anyone wishing to make a donation, should make it to homelessness charity Shelter.

The 50-year-old was found dead outside his home in the Kingswood area of Glasgow following a violent attack.

Since Paul’s tragic death, The Big Issue has been inundated with tributes from his regular customers and passers-by who he touched with his ‘Don’t be shy, give it a try. I don’t bite’ catchphrase on his pitch outside Sainsbury’s on Buchanan Street in Glasgow.

He also received a mention in Scottish parliament, thanks to a motion from MSP Monica Lennon, and graced the cover of the Scottish edition of The Big Issue magazine in the week following his death.

The loss of Paul has shocked and saddened all at The Big Issue and we joined scores of his customers, Sainsbury’s staff and fellow vendors on his pitch for a vigil in his memory on June 24.

As editor Paul McNamee noted in his own tribute to the popular vendor: “It just feels odd and it feels sad and a little darker that Paul Kelly isn’t in this world.”