Friends of a beloved city market stallholder are calling for people to attend her funeral after she died with no close family to celebrate her life.  

Mim Potter created her own community by offering Afro-Caribbean hair supplies from her stall called Mim’s, starting out in Anglia Square before moving to the market.  

Described as a real character with a positive attitude who was small in stature and always dressed incredibly.  

Elieen Kibby had been close to Mim for more than 20 years and following the death of her dear friend, aged 76, she is appealing for folk to attend a graveside service to give Mim the respect she deserved.  

Norwich Evening News: Mim Potter will be having a council funeral due to having no family in the area, but Eileen hopes many people will attend Mim Potter will be having a council funeral due to having no family in the area, but Eileen hopes many people will attend (Image: Eileen Kibby)

The 63-year-old said: “Mim died peacefully at home on November 1. It’s been a difficult few weeks.  

“Mim lost both her husband and her daughter, and had no other family here which means she will be having a graveside council funeral.” 

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Eileen has been working with the council to sort Mim’s belongings out at her Bowthorpe home.  

She said: “I knew I had to help clear her home because she took great pride in it.  

“She wouldn’t want someone throwing everything into landfill, her whole life is in that house and it's been an honour to see all her memories.” 

Eileen has many memories of Mim, who was from South Africa, having worked on the market for 15 years.  

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She said: “She left the market around six years ago but right up until the end she went there for the social life.

"There's nothing like the friendships you make on the market, it really is a family.” 

Norwich Evening News: Mim Potter worked on Norwich Market for some 20 years Mim Potter worked on Norwich Market for some 20 years (Image: Newsquest)

Eileen went to the market this week to let people know that Mim had died and she was pleased to see the comradery was still there.  

She added: “People were offering me money to get Mim flowers, it meant a lot to know that people cared for her and still have special memories.” 

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Mim’s funeral will be held at Earlham Cemetery on Wednesday, November 29 at 9.15am. The service will not be in the chapel but instead, a few words will be said at the graveside in Earlham New Side, Farrow Road, row 65, plot 1030. 

Mim's Hair

BBC Voices spoke to stallholders ahead of Norwich Market's major revamp in 2005, including Mim Potter.

In the interview, she explained that she used to work in the old Norfolk and Norwich Hospital for more than seven years until private cleaning companies were brought in.

It was then that the idea to sell hair care products was born.

“When I first started years ago you couldn’t get any of this in Norwich and I had to go to London to get my hair done," she recalled.

The video gives an insight into Mim's fun character, saying: “I usually get here at 11 or half past 11.  

“They will say I am telling a fib because I am always the last one to get here anyway.” 

Mim didn’t ever order she always went and chose products herself, she said that way she knew what she was getting.  

She added: “I like the market because you are always surrounded by people, you get friendly people walking past and it gets the day going.”