SCORES of people have paid tribute to a kind-natured Winchester man best known for his wind and his heart of gold.

Ron Purse who was affectionately known as The Burping Man' was laid to rest just a few hundred metres from his Highcliffe home after spending all his life in the city.

Yesterday, as more than 100 of his friends and relatives bid Ronald Cecil Purse goodbye, those who knew him swapped endless anecdotes about his life and sayings.

Ironically the man who was familiar to hundreds around the city for his cheery hellos' and his catchphrase of soon be Christmas', died last week just before the annual festivities he enjoyed so much.

But the dozens who gathered in Highcliffe's All Saints Church yesterday to pay their respects will certainly make sure his memory lives on.

And to make sure of that fact, the Daily Echo can reveal that next year's annual Winchester Hat Fair will be dedicated to the memory of Ron who helped make the event the success it is today.

Announcing the news yesterday, organisers added that they would also be auctioning off Ron's famous pushchair with the proceeds going to the 71-year-old's favourite charity, the RSPCA.

Ron Purse was born in 1937 and was the youngest of seven brothers and sisters, growing up in Winchester during the Second World War and living nine to a two-bedroom house on St John's Road.

When the family were eventually re-housed in the then new Highcliffe Estate, Ron decided the new home was still too crowded so instead spent many years living in a garden shed at the Morn Hill allotments.

When this finally came to the attention of the authorities Ron was given a flat in Fivefields Road where he was to live for the rest of his days.

Friends tell how this home gave Ron some much-needed security and also allowed him to start collecting.

It was a habit that grew with him throughout his life from his infamous pushchair and prams to newspaper clippings and abandoned clothing - much of which would be bagged up and handed to people he met on the street or in pubs as presents.

He was also extremely fond of animals, keeping rabbits and, as Winchester's deputy mayor, Chris Pines, explained, a world record winning hamster.

Chris said: "He claimed that his hamster was 16 years old, though given that they only generally live for three years or so I suspect there might have been a bit of untruth in that.

"To be fair, much of what he said to you had to be taken with a pinch of salt although things were usually based on a bit of truth. Like the rumours that he was a millionaire because he never seemed to want for anything, when actually he was far from it. Or the tale that he was a boxer when, in fact, he had only really punched one person in his life and that was because he caught the guy trying to steal."

Chris added: "As a councillor one of my yearly tasks was to knock on Ron's door and remind him to cut his grass - which I think he grew to feed his rabbits.

"Eventually this would get done and for the following month or two Ron would stop me in town and tell me how he had cut the lawn. Only later did I discover that each year he got his brother Basil to do it for him.

"He lived his life with a huge amount of colour, even if to a certain extent he lived it in a parallel world. He was a lovely man, a true character, and someone who will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him."

News of his death touched hearts across the city, with dozens of people leaving tributes for Ron on a special page set up on the Daily Echo website.

Almost all described him as a unique character whose harmless nature and eccentric behaviour brightened their lives and made them smile. Particular memories for people included Ron's constantly decorated children's pram, which he used to push around the city and from which scores of, mostly discovered treasure', would be handed out to people he met on his travels through the city.

Other people said they would particularly miss his colourful voice and cheery disposition.

However by far the most memorable of Mr Purse's many characteristics was his loud burps and his ability to deliver them anytime any place, though usually in the direction of a pretty girl he saw.

Tony Hill, who runs the Saracens Press where Ron worked as a paper tidier for almost 25 years, knew Ron as well as anyone.

He said: "Ron worked for us for more than two decades, except for one year when he just failed to come into work at all.

"When we asked him where he had been he said he hadn't been feeling well so had decided to take a few days off.

"He was just part of the fabric at work and in the city. He was just a very kind-hearted person and a real character - there's not many like him."

Another person who grew to know Ron was estate agent Kelly Chestman, who befriended him while studying at Winchester University.

She said: "I got to know him when he would come into the Mash Tun pub and hand out presents. Mostly they were things he had found on the street and wrapped for you in newspaper, but it was always the thought that counted."

Another long-term friend was Tez, who got to know Ron while studying at university.

He said: "I remember on his 66th birthday we bought Ron a cake and gave it to him in the Mash Tun. He had just done a fashion show for people using clothes he had found and was all dressed up - something he loved doing particularly around Christmas time and his birthday.

"Anyway, we gave him this cake and everyone was singing him happy birthday and for the first time in his life he was utterly speechless. Then, rather than share his cake he swept it into one of his bags, rubbed his tummy and said that's my dinner for the week'. It was moments like that which make you appreciate just what a character he was."

It was also his character that led him to help form the Winchester Hat Fair - now the UK's largest festival of street theatre.

Organiser Jonathon Kay said: "Ron and I started the Hat Fair 35 years ago and he quickly became the event's talisman. He was very astute, in a crazy kind of way, but my lasting memory of Ron is of his generosity and his hard work at making the Hat Fair a success. He really loved the Hat Fair occasion and you would see him all dressed up in costume with his pram decorated as well - that image will really be missed but we will dedicate next year's Hat Fair to his memory which is hopefully a fitting tribute to him."

The Rev Terry Hemming, who led the service, said: "It's encouraging to see so many of you here who hold him with such high regard. Channel 4 tells us we are the best and most prosperous place to live in the country and I'm proud of a city where the deputy mayor speaks and the mayor, Sue Nelmes, sends a message today when other cities would not.''