Neil Potter, “The Bean Man,” Supports South Derbyshire Food Bank

Introduce Neil Potter, known as “The Bean Man.” Since March, he has dedicated two days weekly to appearing as a large tin can. During this period, he has gathered substantial quantities of food and thousands of pounds in monetary donations for the South Derbyshire food bank he supports. Neil, a resident of Willington, commented, “There are some very generous people.” He recounted an incident: “I was outside the Co-op a month ago and some young lady pulled up in her car, got out, and handed me £100.” He added, “I mean I was in tears, because you don’t expect to get £100 handed to you.” He also remembered a man donating £50. He stated, “Another gentleman walked into the Co-op and came out with four carrier bags of shopping.” Neil continued, “And I thought he’s going to give me a tin of beans or something, no, he said, ‘that’s all yours.'” Prior to his involvement in food bank collections, Neil was engaged in litter collection. He explained, “I’m retired and I needed something to do.” He further noted, “And the villagers were so generous that they bought me a trolley.” Nevertheless, Neil soon realized the trolley’s weight made it impractical for litter collection, prompting him to repurpose it. He remarked, “I thought I’ve got this trolley that the villagers have given me and it’s sat there doing nothing.” He elaborated, “So I got a few posters made up, stuck them on the side, and went round collecting for the food bank inside the trolley, and it just grew from that.” Neil’s motivation was also partially, and unusually, influenced by the television horror series Red Rose. In this show, a character faces blackmail due to video evidence of her attending a food bank. Neil stated, “There was a young girl who had to go to a food bank and she was so upset and embarrassed about the fact she had to go to a food bank, and I thought let’s do what we can for these people.” He opted to wear a food-themed costume to attract notice and, consequently, increase contributions. He explained, “The bean can was the only costume I could get that represented the food bank really.” He does not receive sponsorship from Heinz, and the BBC wishes to clarify that alternative brands of baked beans exist. His approach appears effective, judging by the volume of donations he obtains. He commented, “I thought I’d be lucky if I could fill a tray or something and at least it would be something, but no, people are just so generous, they really are.” He added, “By the end of the two days I’ve usually got at least 12 trays of food, and money-wise it’s usually about £100 over the two days, maybe a little more.” Subsequent to the achievements of The Bean Man, Neil has adopted an additional persona: Captain Rooster. He explained, “That’s really for the kids because they love that kind of thing.” He further noted, “They pester their parents until they put something in there, so it works well at the moment.” Both The Bean Man and Captain Rooster make appearances at diverse sites within the South Derbyshire region, such as Etwall, Findern, Hatton, Hilton, Melbourne, and Willington. Their collections typically occur on Fridays and Saturdays, with all gathered food and funds directed to South Derbyshire CVS. Petra Parker, the food hub officer for the charity, stated: “Neil’s help and support has made an amazing difference to our food bank. His actions have not only raised over £2,000 to date, but also raised vital awareness of food poverty locally. “Neil and his wife Mary truly care about the community and go out of their way to support our foodbank with great humour, but also great sensitivity.” She continued, “Last year our food bank provided over 24,000 meals to people in need, and without people like Neil and Mary, we simply wouldn’t be able to support as many people as we do.” For updates, follow BBC Derby on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Story ideas can be submitted to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or through WhatsApp at 0808 100 2210. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content found on external sites. Information regarding their external linking policy is available.