Friend of 92-year-old Olive Cooke, whose body was recovered from Avon gorge in Bristol, says she felt ‘she couldn’t give any more’

One of Britain’s longest serving poppy-sellers who fell to her death in a rocky gorge had felt “tormented” by cold-callers from charities and had “lost faith in people” after a suspected theft, according to her friend.

The body of Olive Cooke, 92, was recovered by police from the steep-sided Avon gorge in Bristol, close to where she had sold tens of thousands of poppies over the last 75 years.

Relatives and dignitaries described her as a beloved and respected citizen, a humanitarian and local legend who had devoted her life to good works.

One close friend, however, claimed Cooke had lost her faith in people after £250 in cash she had sent to her son went missing in the post. The friend also said she had felt under pressure from the number of requests she received from charities by phone and letter.

Michael Earley, 72, said: “I think she felt she had given so much – she couldn’t give any more.” Earley, who visited Cooke regularly, said of the missing money: “It brought her down terribly. She could not get it out of her system. She spent hours and hours talking about it.

“She always had a lot of faith in people and expected people to be the same. She thinks people should be honest and should respect each other. She lost faith in people.”

Police recovered Cooke’s body from the Avon gorge, near the Clifton suspension bridge, and confirmed on Thursday they were not treating her death as suspicious. Her inquest is due to open next week.

Cooke’s daughter, Kathryn King, said: “My mum was much loved. She lived a long life and achieved so much. We are all, as a family, so proud of everything she did. She was a humanitarian and would have done anything for anybody. She will be missed by us all.”

Her granddaughter Louise said she believed pestering by cold-callers and the loss of the money had added to her grandmother’s distress but she said she also had health problems, was depressed and was struggling to sleep.

She said: “These charities should not be allowed to pester the elderly. I do think that should be brought to the public’s attention. She was a bit of a legend in Bristol, and was well known and well liked by everybody. We want her life to be celebrated and for people to remember all the amazing things she achieved. She is now at peace.”

Cooke began selling poppies in 1938, when she was 16, having been inspired by her father, Fred Canning, a veteran of the Gallipoli campaign in the first world war. She devoted herself even more passionately to her charity efforts after her husband, Leslie Hussey-Yeo, a sailor in the Royal Navy, was killed in Italy in 1943, leaving her a widow at the age of 21.

Cooke became a familiar face in Bristol and stood in the doorway of the cathedral every year in the runup to Remembrance Day. She sold an estimated 30,000 poppies.

Earley said she used to make direct debit charity donations to more than 20 good causes but cancelled them. This, he claimed, prompted an increase in the number of calls from charities asking for her help.



“They would phone and she would have a job to put the phone down again,” he said. “She felt guilty she couldn’t give in the same way she wanted to give. She felt tormented.”

Bristol Cathedral (@BristolCathedra) Olive Cooke, who sold poppies in our porch for many, many years, has died. Please remember her in your prayers. https://t.co/XMxavgjUx5

Her son, Del Whelan, 62, said: “She thought she had done something wrong.” He said she also had health problems but the loss of the money and the impact of the cold-callers took their toll. “It was the constant drip of the begging letters. I think she found it difficult to say no. She had just had enough.”

Last year Cooke said she would never stop selling poppies. “It is important to remember the people who died in the wars, and are still dying now,” she said.

But she also told the Bristol Evening Post that she dreaded the arrival of the morning mail because of the number of requests for help from charities. She said in one month she collected 267 items of post from dozens of different charities, asking her for a donation or help with fundraising.

Cooke added: “I have always donated to charity … but as I am getting older, I have been told I need to start cutting back … I think the elderly are targeted with this sort of mail on purpose, as charities think they have lots of disposable money or they might have donated in the past, but receiving so much is overwhelming. And it’s not just post, there are also lots of phone calls that come through. There must be a lot of people in a similar situation.”



The lord mayor of Bristol, Alastair Watson, paid tribute. “She was a wonderful lady who dedicated her life to selling poppies and helping other people.”







Bristol Lord Mayor (@brislordmayor) Olive had been selling poppies for over 75yrs & I had the pleasure of awarding her with a LM's medal last December RIP Olive @PoppyLegion

Alistair McLean, chief executive of the Fundraising Standards Board (FRSB), said: “This is a tragedy and we extend our deepest condolences to Olive’s family and loved ones. The last thing that charities will want to do is to cause distress to the public. If you don’t want to be contacted in a certain way, our advice is to get in touch with the relevant charities and tell them.”









