Road renamed after popular Wolverhampton shopkeeper Raj Kumar - WATCH
A much-loved former shopkeeper was honoured as a road was named in his memory.
Friends and customers of Raj Kumar turned out for the service outside the shop he ran in Ashmore Park, Wolverhampton, for more than 30 years.
He died suddenly last year, prompting a outpouring of grief in the community in which he was so fondly held.
WATCH the new road name being unveiled
More than 2,000 people attended an emotional service to remember the 52-year-old outside his shop.
Now a road running behind the Ashmore Park Hardware shop where he served his community for so many years has been renamed Raj Kumar Drive, providing a lasting memorial for the popular shopkeeper.
Mr Kumar’s daughter Priya attended the road-naming ceremony along with other family members and friends. Wednesfield councillor Phil Bateman said it was a tribute ‘worthy of the man’.
The impact Mr Kumar had on his community was made clear following his death.
A sea of floral tributes were laid at the shopping precinct on Griffiths Drive after Mr Kumar collapsed in his shop last August.
Councillor Bateman said: “I don’t think we could have arranged anything more popular; a very sizeable crowd turned out.
“Everybody had a story to tell about him. He was the most unassuming but generous man of the soul.”
