Man yells at shoppers for heartwarming reason

Troy Hawke has become a popular figure in Merseyside
-Credit: (Image: Liverpool Echo)


A man had shoppers in Huyton surprised and delighted as he made a heartwarming gesture. Troy Hawke, real name Milo McCabe, has seen a rise in popularity on social media in recent years, including a large following of scouse support due to his impressions of the accent.

Troy is a well-spoken character who sports a purple jacket. One of his most common sketches is the 'greeters guild', where he stands outside supermarkets and other shops and thanks customers for visiting the store. Often this is done without the knowledge of the shop, leaving staff and customers surprised to see him handing out compliments.

However, things were different when Troy visited Huyton. This week the comedian was spotted in a YouTube video by a new venue in the town centre for An Hour For Others, a charity created by Scouser Kevin Morland. The idea behind the charity was to bring people together and share skills in order to improve the lives of disadvantaged people across Merseyside. Its new base in Huyton will follow in this tradition, selling second-hand clothes on the ground floor. The proceeds will help fund employment training, workshops and coffee mornings upstairs.

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Troy quickly delighted fellow shoppers, telling one called Elsie that she looked “stunning.” When he was introduced to another local called Ste Cally, he said: “Thank you for allowing me to set foot in your kingdom. You're welcome. I do appreciate it. I've got a tourist visa, so legally I'm fine.”

Meanwhile, he invited two men on the other side of the street to visit and shouted: “Hey you, dressed like a football manager! Football manager and off duty linesman, get in this shop now! Yes, you too!

“Stop pretending to ignore me! There's a second hand Stone Island in here with your name on it! We've got loads of gear, lad! We've got it in the back room!”

However, unlike his other stunts, Troy had planned this appearance with An Hour For Others in advance. Kevin, 49, from Allerton, said: “Troy actually reached out to us about four years ago. I hadn't heard of him. He had just started out. He was doing comedy nights at the Hot Water Comedy Club and he wanted to raise a bit of money for us.

“Troy is amazing. He absolutely loves Liverpool. I couldn't understand how someone so posh can turn into a Scouser instantly. He did a white collar boxing event for us and got knocked out. We had a meeting about a year ago about him becoming an ambassador for us. He lives in Surrey but he loves the city.”

At the end of the video, Troy told a local called Craig: "An Hour For Others - that's what they're there for. They're looking after people. They've got a charity shop but it's funding a centre upstairs where they've got group therapy sessions. They'll basically give everybody around here that needs it the mental tools to sort of help themselves get to a better place.”

Kevin was delighted with Troy’s work on the day. He said: “I reached out to see if he could come to one of the opening days. Huyton is full of characters. He knew he'd get interaction with people.

“He raised a smile, he got people laughing. He’s all about complimenting people in their own unique style. It was brilliant. Some people didn’t have a clue who he was. But everybody took him really well.”

Troy, along with a host of other famous names, has backed the campaign to save Zoe’s Place too. After his visit to An Hour For Others, he made an announced trip to Huyton Asda, where shoppers and staff were surprised but delighted to see him. Meanwhile, Kevin has thanked Scousers for the support they’ve shown for the charity.

He said: “We've been going for 10 years. Back then it was just an idea. It started with a brush full of paint. Now thousands around the city are behind us. It's all about leaving a legacy behind and making our communities a better palace.”