A FAMILY fun day has been organised by a Frome pet shop in memory of their popular colleague, Ron Bond, whose sunny personality touched the lives of his fellow workers and customers alike.
The Frome Pet and Aquatic fun day, which has been organised for Saturday 4th August from 10.00am, will take place at the King Street-based shop. Funds raised on the day will be donated to Ron’s favourite charity, the Bath Cats and Dogs Home.
Lisa Carter, from Frome Pet and Aquatic said, “I hope everyone who loved Ron will join us in the shop for the day to make it extra special and raise as much money as possible. We also have a book of remembrance here for anyone to add their memories of Ron.”
The event will include a raffle with aquatic prizes, staff dressing up as cats and dogs, competitions for children, hunt the goldfish treasure hunt, homemade cakes and a chance to talk to staff from Bath Cats and Dogs Home.
Lisa Carter said, “We have a fantastic raffle with some great fish tanks as prizes.
“We will be having a homemade cake stall with tasty cakes made by all the members of staff. There will also be treasure “hunt the goldfish” around the shop and other competitions for the children.
“Every penny we make from these activities will go to Ron’s favourite charity, The Bath Cats and Dogs home.
Staff at Frome Pet and Aquatic have paid tribute to their fellow-worker. Janine Tozer and her husband said, “”Ron touched all who met him and all who worked with him and he gained the respect of all his colleagues with his knowledge and willingness to share that knowledge.
“It is a fact that Ron made absolutely everyone laugh and he will be remembered for his smile, his jokes and his infectious laugh. His interests varied from all things aquatic to film and music – and as Elisa says, he could chat (for hours) about almost anything! He loved his fish and his plants – and his coffee. Above all, he loved people and everyone he met was made to feel special and left our shop with a smile on their face. Thank you for the memories, dearest Ronnie, your laughter, wisdom and wit will be missed by all.”
Janine’s daughter Chloë also remembers Ron fondly. “Ron was always so welcoming and happy to see us at the Frome Pet Shop. Ron used to show our three-year-old little boy, George, all of the different types of fish. George loved his accent and found him very funny. We were all very fond of Ron and he will be greatly missed.”
Janine’s son Matthew added, “He was a true gentleman with a huge heart. He was always smiling, kind and with a story to tell. The life and soul of the party, he will be sorely missed by so many.”
Elisa said, “We will miss Ron so much – or Réné as he would say in his ‘silly French accent’. I will miss our chats about just about anything and being able to phone you about fishy thing – if you didn’t know about it, it didn’t exist. I hope you are at peace and will miss you always.”
Anny, who runs Frome’s sister store Not Just Pets in Bath, said, “Ron, I will always remember talking fish with you, and trying to make you proud of what I know about them, and how you were kind enough to say how impressed you were. I am sure it was only about 10 per cent of what you knew. Most of all I will miss your Gollum impression ‘My Precioussss’ that you would say to me down the phone whenever I called the shop. Thank you for also making sure all the lights were off, doors locked and customers had left before you would leave me on my own to cash up; always so kind and thoughtful.”
Lisa said, “Ron was a larger than life character who was loved by all his customers and colleagues.
“He was witty, charming and had a wicked sense of humour. We had such laughs in the shop and he always had a joke or innuendo to tell! It is such a sad time for all of us here as Ron had such a wealth of knowledge and huge personality that can never be replaced.”
Doreen said, “A fond memory of Ron was when he would creep behind the counter and whisper gently in her ear ‘any more biscuits in the tin?’ As Ron had a very sweet tooth which carried over from his sweet shop days.”
Lynne said, “Ron was such a loveable character who always had a smile which then in turn made everyone else smile, he had the knack. He was so willing to help or listen – not only to the older customers, but the younger ones too.
“His knowledge of gardening, wildlife and aquatic life was outstanding and this will be greatly missed. We all miss him.”
Yvonne said, “If you ever went to work feeling a bit low, as soon as Ron walked in and gave you that smile of his, you couldn’t stay low for long.”
Abby said, “Ron was a true legend whose heart was bigger than his very extensive knowledge of fish (and that’s big!) His cheeky smile and caring demeanour are very much missed and he shall never be forgotten.”
Steph, or Midge as Ron called her said, “It was an absolute pleasure working with Ron. I learned so much from him about fish, films and gardening.
“We would have a laugh about everything – it was surprising that I learnt anything at all! I miss his singing of the midge song, his wicked laugh and I just miss him really!”
Gill said, “I had known Ron since I was 17 and he lived his life cracking jokes, laughing and generally making people feel so much better.
“The pet shop would be filled with laughter and many customers, I’m sure, would come in the shop expecting to hear this. Ron was well loved by the staff, customers and everyone who knew him. He will be greatly missed.”
