Crowd backs popular singer after welfare check

6 hours ago

Asha PatelNottingham

News image — Miles Green spends hours every week singing to the public after his shifts at the One Stop shop in Carlton

BBC Miles Green, a 28-year-old man who has Downs Syndrome, with ginger buzzcut hair. He is wearing a Nottingham Forest shirt and holding a microphone. He is smiling as he is surrounded by a group of people, who can be seen in the background. — Miles Green spends hours every week singing to the public after his shifts at the One Stop shop in Carlton

Dozens of people gathered outside a convenience store to show support for a beloved local singer after a police welfare check left him fearing he would no longer be able to perform.

Miles Green, 28, who has Down's syndrome, has been a familiar sight for the last 10 years, singing on a street corner outside the One Stop store in Gedling Road, Carlton, where passing motorists regularly sound their horns in encouragement.

But after officers were called over concerns for his welfare, customers and supportive strangers rallied round on Thursday for a singalong, encouraging the local star to "shine brighter".

He told the BBC seeing the support made him emotional, and vowed to not stop singing.

Miles said he had been standing on the street corner, singing, as he usually did, when the police arrived and asked for his name and address.

"Obviously, I was upset," he said.

A spokesperson for Nottinghamshire Police said: "We were called by a member of the public who had concerns for the welfare of a man in Gedling Road, Gedling.

"Officers attended and carried out checks to ensure he was safe and well, with no issues identified."

A crowd of people standing outside a One Stop convenience store in Nottingham — Dozens visited the store in Gedling Road on Thursday to support Miles and sing along with him

After the "knock" to Miles's confidence, he was greeted on Thursday morning by a crowd of supporters who sang along with one of his favourite songs, Elton John's Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me.

"I can't believe it. I am a bit emotional obviously," he said. "I just love [singing] and I want it to keep going."

His mother Shirley Green said he had been singing on the corner since 2015 and it was often difficult to get him to come home.

"Everywhere we go, someone will say 'oh look it's Miles off the corner'," she said.

"Everybody knows him."

Deborah Bradley, a 65-year-old white woman with short blonde hair. — Deborah Bradley, who manages the One Stop store, said Miles had been bringing joy to the community for many years

Deborah Bradley, Miles's manager, said Miles had always loved singing to the public and to customers.

"They absolutely love him," she said. "If he's not there and on holiday, some of the older people come and in and they ask me where he is.

"He's just a general all-rounder for the community, he keeps everyone jolly. It's just his spirit."

On the recent setback, she said: "He came in on Wednesday morning and told me about it and he got quite upset. He said 'I'm not going to be able to sing anymore'.

"I said, 'we're not going to dim your light Miles', and we haven't, we've made it shine even brighter."