A WEBSITE page dedicated to a cult Newbury figure attracted more than 800 members from around the world in just four days.
The group “Where is Nutty Nigel???” on social networking site Facebook, was set up in honour of Nigel Carl Rogerson, who was renowned for shouting and dancing around the town in the late eighties and early nineties.
Kym Pearce, aged 23, of Shaw, who set up the group on March 17 said: “I just feel that Nigel is one of Newbury’s most famous men and is popular and always cheery with a smile on his face.
“I never thought the group would be so popular though.”
Mr Rogerson, aged 45, who is staying at Two Saints, a housing association which supports homeless people in Newbury, said he was pleased to hear that people were concerned about him.
However, the group was quickly deleted by Facebook operators on March 21.
Manager of Two Saints, Jon Cox, said: “My understanding is that the site was taken down by the host, Facebook, as it was in breach of its own rules and data protection.”
According to Facebook’s Terms of Use: “You may not set up a Facebook page on behalf of another individual or entity unless you are authorized to do so. This includes fan Facebook Pages, as well as Facebook Pages to support or criticize another individual entity.”
Mr Cox said: “We have offered to assist Nigel in setting up his own official Facebook page.
“We at Two Saints are very fond of Nigel and it’s easy to understand why people both remember and appreciate his effervescent and original character.”
Mr Rogerson was born in the Midlands and lived in Cornwall until his family moved to Thatcham when he was 16 years of age.
He denied rumours posted on-line that he came from a wealthy family.
“People get me confused with someone else,” he said.
He left home when he was 22 and decided to travel, briefly staying in bedsits in Reading.
He came to live in Newbury because he knew people in the town, “And I can’t say I dislike anything about it,” he said.
For the past few years he stayed at a night shelter in Oxford before moving back to Newbury.
Members of the Facebook group commented on how they had seen him in various other towns around Britain.
Mr Rogerson said: “Yes I’ve travelled a lot. I’ve lived in Cornwall, Leicester and Wales and I travelled a lot with the convoy, we lived on a farmhouse outside Poole where there were lots of us and about 100 vehicles!”