A BIG Issue vendor held the finale to his fund-raising efforts in Weston High Street this week by eating a slap-up meal in a top hat and tails. Graham Walker has been entertaining crowds in Weston by selling his book, Unsettled, dressed in all his finery

A BIG Issue vendor held the finale to his fund-raising efforts in Weston High Street this week by eating a slap-up meal in a top hat and tails. Graham Walker has been entertaining crowds in Weston by selling his book, Unsettled, dressed in all his finery to raise money for Children's Hospice South West, the Somewhere to Go homeless charity based in the Boulevard, and the Beacon Project, a new church-run scheme to raise money for meals for the homeless. Graham managed to raise £2,850 in total for the three charities and presented them with the money on Monday before tucking into his meal. Graham said: "The staff at Boots have been a tremendous help. They raised £600 and Boots itself donated £500 as well. The whole experience was very emotional. One lady donated some money and told me her child had died in the hospice a year ago. My sister, Gill Walker, also came down from Bristol. Her son died in the hospice about five years ago."Graham was served a full English breakfast and a dinner of braised beef and vegetables, provided by staff from the Parade Cafe. Graham added: "This will be my last year on the Big Issue pitch. My son and I are setting up our own handy-man service in Devon. But I'll still visit Weston and say hello to all the people I've met over the years.