Innholdsfortegnelse for 14-12-20 i The Big Issue

THE BEGINNING There are thousands of people in the UK without a warm, safe and secure home this Christmas. It can take only an unfortunate combination of circumstances and a lack of support networks to set people on the path to becoming homeless or at risk of losing their home. Options are limited by poverty. Mental health or other issues exclude people from society. We wanted to show some of the common routes that leave people without a home. You might remember ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ books from when you were younger. Presented with a choice, you decide which path to take and find out the consequences. There are multiple paths to follow and the decision on where to go next falls to you. Our version will take you through…

There is a man at Jodrell Bank Observatory collecting the sounds of space. Astrophysicist Professor Tim O’Brien has turned the X-rays from black holes and radio waves from deep space, billions of light years away, into sounds. They don’t disappoint. The black hole Cygnus X-1 is like a quick, melodic pulsing drum. Appropriately it sounds very far away. The radio waves from the deepest of deep space are even better. A bit metallic, they sound a little like descending scales. The farther away they are, said Hannah Peel on her Night Tracks show on Radio 3, the more extended the descending tone. There is something mindboggling and shocking about being outside in the dark and looking up and hearing these sounds. In headphones, obviously. The pulsars are not pulsing within…

Gregg Wallace Foodie In the first years of living alone my diet was fish finger sandwiches, fry ups, McDonald’s and kebabs. If I could go back to talk to my younger self I’d tell him to start eating healthier. I’d say, mate, learn to cook. A whole new world will open up for you. Jarvis Cocker Pulp frontman When I was 16 I didn’t move at all on stage, I was petrified. Then, at a concert in a pub on the 9th of October 1980, my exercise book tells me, my guitar amp broke and I just had this big freak out, basically just a tantrum. I just kind of rolled around on the floor. And people clapped at the end of it. I wrote in my diary, “freak-out on…

March 19 Begins working with charity FareShare UK as an ambassador, campaigning to raise money and awareness to tackle child food poverty. June 11 Rashford reveals that his campaign has raised around £20m, enough to provide meals to three million vulnerable people during lockdown. “Trust me when I say, I will keep fighting until no child in the UK has to worry about where their next meal is coming from.” June 14 Pens open letter to MPs asking them to rethink the plan to cancel the food voucher scheme over the summer holiday. June 16 1.3 million children are able to claim food vouchers during the summer holidays following the government’s U-turn in response to Rashford’s campaign. June 25 Appears on the cover of The Big Issue for the first…

YOU DECIDE TO LEARN MORE ENGLISH The Big Issue not only helps you earn an income, they also arrange language lessons. It’s not easy but you know the effort will be worth it. Staff at The Big Issue office help you write a CV and you hand it out to shops and hotels. You feel the future is uncertain but hope someone will take a chance on you. You keep your fingers crossed Turn to p11 You feel like your luck will never change Turn to p37 YOU TAKE MORE DRUGS It’s frightening how quickly you get addicted. And just what you will do to get the next fix. You’re skint but desperate. In a shop there’s no one about. Do you steal the tools on the shelf? You steal…

For the obsessive bibliophile The Madman’s Library, Edward Brooke-Hitching (Simon & Schuster, £25) The joy of flicking through this gorgeous book of curious wonders cannot be understated. Brooke-Hitching has already spoiled us with some delightful collections of ideas and images (see also The Phantom Atlas, The Sky Atlas, The Golden Atlas) but this might be his most enchanting yet; a collection of stunning pictures from some of the strangest books ever produced, accompanied by the fruits of his forensic investigations into their creation. Your heart will swell just to see it on your shelf. For the savvy young firebrand Such a Fun Age, Kiley Reid (Bloomsbury, £12.99) This perfectly pitched, witty and switched-on novel packs enough punch to take out Tyson Fury, and sparked some pleasingly nuanced conversations about modern…

It wouldn’t be Christmas without a few turkeys. But the past decade has seen a seemingly exponential increase in cheap and cheesy festive movies. The plots offer recycled rom-com tropes and aspirational lifestyle signifiers with some snowflakes sprinkled on top. It seems you are never too far from an unlucky-in-love food stylist and a workaholic architect rediscovering the spirit of Christmas under the mistletoe. This production-line of holiday fare is mostly due to the tireless efforts of US channels Lifetime and Hallmark, who together have formed a sort of jollity-industrial complex. For Lifetime, it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas on October 23 when they launched their 2020 slate of 30 new movies; Hallmark only have 23 premieres this year but have a special checklist app so fans…

It’s 2020. Of course Christmas TV is going to be stale and weird So this is Christmas, and what have we done? Well, mostly I’ve watched the Snoop Dogg Just Eat advert on a loop while wearing larger-lady leggings, but it still feels like a rather eventful year all the same. And as it’s not all over just yet, the question must be asked – can Christmas TV in 2020 really comfort us? Or will it be chilling dystopian background noise, like the sound of Frosty the Snowman coming through the pipes of the air conditioning system at Nakatomi Plaza? Chances are we’ll all be too drunk to care, which is a good job really, as the Christmas schedules are jam-packed with repeats, football and old kids’ films that everyone…

A hand up... Our sellers BUY the magazine for £1.50 and at Christmas time can sell it for up to £4 Not a handout… Vendors earn a legitimate income, and gain valuable social and employability skills. With your support, we can continue to do so now and in the future. The right to citizenship… The Big Issue Foundation, our charitable arm, helps sellers to tackle social and financial exclusion. Prevention… Big Issue Invest offers backing and investments to social enterprises, charities and businesses which deliver social value to communities.…

letters@bigissue.com @bigissue /bigissueUK @bigissueuk LOVE FOR OUR KIDS CHRISTMAS COVER COMPETITION WINNER EVELYN WESTON, AGED 5, FROM NORTH YORKSHIRE @Deborah_Gibberd Well done #EvelynWeston @BigIssue star picture artist. Love this reindeer! @acroline Wow. Beautiful work by Evelyn. @EmmaW4rren This is pure festive joy! Many congratulations Evelyn, wow, just five years old. @Cli›feLights What a brilliant @BigIssue front cover this week. Well done Evelyn. letters@bigissue.com Fare’s fair One miserable morning in November whilst doing the weekly shop at the supermarket this happened. On the way out of the shop I bought a Big Issue from the lady who has a pitch there, as is my usual habit. I don’t spend much time talking to her, just pleasantries and then on my way. On my way back to the car to offload groceries…

With the cold season now firmly upon us, spirits on the wane after an extremely tough 2020 and an unusual Christmas ahead, who you gonna call? Who else but The Big Issue’s lethargy-busting exercise and wellbeing guru Mr Motivator. Fresh from being awarded an MBE for services to health and fitness, the 68-year-old – who overcame homelessness to become one of Britain’s best loved celebrity workout instructors – has pulled on a special seasonally-themed unitard to get us feeling good in both body and mind in the build-up to the festive season, even while cooped up at home. Hosanna in exercise! “When it comes to being active during winter it’s not just about being physically active,” Mr Motivator urges us all, “we need to be mentally active as well. And…

ASK A BIG ISSUE VENDOR WHERE YOU CAN PITCH YOUR TENT He's friendly and it's nice to speak to another person again. The next day he's convinced you – you're going to try your hand at selling the magazine. You go to the office, are given an induction and the staff arrange for you to see a doctor. You get help to sort your benefits and after a few weeks you've found a flat. It's nice to be indoors for the first time in months. You carry on selling The Big Issue Turn to p7 YOU FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE BIG ISSUE With no savings you need to earn some money as quickly as possible and you find out about The Big Issue. Selling the magazine on the streets…

YOU STRUGGLE TO ADAPT TO CIVILIAN LIFE AND YOU LOSE YOUR FLAT It’s just not what you know. The army culture and the routine is no longer there and it is hard to keep track of all the bills. Your new job is demanding and you just can’t cope. With nowhere to go, you feel like you only have a couple of choices: You ask for help and take shelter in a hostel Turn to p43 Take shelter in a cave Turn to p34 WALK THE COAST Ah the great outdoors! It’s refreshing to be out on the open road. You don’t know where you’re going or how long it will take to get there but, for now, just breathing in the sea air is enough. But two months in…

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame The most glorious animal fantasy of the British countryside, cosy and strange and terrifying all at once. Everyone should meet Toad, Mole and Ratty. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Hansom cabs, foggy London, bizarre crimes and the world’s most fascinating detective. A whole world of mystery. Essential reading and never to be forgotten. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin A boy becomes a mage and learns the pain and wonder of his own soul. A fabulous trilogy of novels set in a world of strange islands, by a master of the art of science fiction. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien An entry into Tolkien’s vast universe of legend, but a great story in itself. Bilbo…

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey Netflix This polished musical – produced by pop star John Legend – feels like real care and attention has been lavished on it. Forest Whitaker leads a diverse cast in a tale of lapsed toy-making and good tidings in the snow globe-ready town of Cobbleton. Happiest Season available on VOD Harper (Mackenzie Davis) convinces her girlfriend Abby (Kristen Stewart) to come home for the holidays. The only problem? Harper hasn’t come out to her well-heeled parents. The result is a mix of sharp lines, covetable soft furnishings and unexpected slapstick. Noelle Disney+ Anna Kendrick is the gift that keeps on giving in this cheery cockle-warmer: as Santa’s sunny daughter she is helping her gloomy sibling Nick (Bill Hader) train up for the top job when…

Once the preserve of hot young pop stars in cosy jumpers gesturing dramatically to virginal snowy landscapes with a suggestive twinkle in their eye, British Christmas music at some point had a bucket of freezing water poured all over its mojo. A preponderance in today’s year-end charts of charity choirs, novelty YouTubers and miscellaneous has-beens hawking crappy swing records proves that, much as their hormones might still be raging, the nation’s youth have long since abandoned the hitherto hallowed festive tradition of screaming at native seasonal dreamboats such as East 17 or Shakin’ Stevens in favour perhaps of gazing longingly beyond our borders. To South Korea, for instance. Because in the land of K-Pop Christmas is – and I cannot emphasise this enough – big. Click a K-Pop Christmas playlist…

NEIVE (AGE 8) WATCH Free Rein as I love horses. ACTIVITY Horse riding on Mikey as he’s fun, but I love all the horses. PLAY On my roller skates with my friend. I got them for my birthday. LISTEN I like Christmas songs. Jingle Bells is the one I like to sing. EAT Chicken tikka big bite at school with my friends. WAITING For Santa, to see my presents. I think I’m on the good list. TEDDY My favourite teddies are Tody, Bear Bear and Buzzy bee to cuddle at night time. LEYTON (AGE 10) WATCH I’m a Celebrity. ACTIVITY Playing football with Dunbeth football team with my pals. READING Harry Potter books at night. EAT My favourite is pepperoni pizza. WAITING For Christmas and spending time with family. PLAY…

VENDORS This is the most important time of the year for Big Issue vendors. Some may not be on their usual pitches due to local restrictions or health concerns but our staff is working closely with each vendor to make sure it’s safe to be selling and that there is extra support to make up for reduced earnings. As ever, we are providing masks and hand gel, and encouraging vendors to follow guidelines. If you can, please support your local vendor by buying The Big Issue from them. PITCHES Towns and cities across the country are quieter than normal so our teams are moving vendors to pitches where they have the best chance of selling magazines, depending on local safety measures and circumstances. An increasing number of vendors are offering…

As Covid devastates the economy and poverty levels continue to rise, people in the UK are stepping up to meet the challenges head-on. Latest figures from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation found destitution is set to double, from a million households and half a million children in 2019. The Trussell Trust says 2,600 food parcels were provided to kids every day in the first six months of the pandemic. And charity Crisis estimates 200,000 households will be homeless this Christmas. This is where volunteering comes in. For organisations like FareShare, which redistributes surplus food to frontline charities, demand for services has doubled in a year. They’re now handling enough food across the UK for two million meals a week, with volunteers doing most of the work. “The range of volunteers we’ve…

Idon’t know anyone who went through the life I went through. One person almost corresponds, but he had dedicated education and could at 15 recite poetry and read copiously. But I never met anyone who went through the privation, the muck and suffering, the hunger, ignorance, violence and disregard of human life that I went through. Of course I have read books about people who went through what I went through, and sometimes worse, but never have I known such people. So what do you do with this strange concoction of suffering and harm, to which you could add self-harm? I have no idea. All I know is that this background of suffering, no food, no shelter, no love, no humanity, informs how I look at current events. Yet in…

Marcus Rashford is spearheading a movement. But he is not alone. He has been working alongside FareShare UK since March, before forming The Child Food Poverty Task Force in September. It includes charities FareShare and Food Foundation, supermarkets including Tesco, Co-op, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose and food industry giants Nestle – to push politicians towards backing proposals set out by the National Food Strategy to call for immediate government funding to eradicate child food poverty in the UK. #EndChildFoodPoverty…

I'm a Manchester United supporter. And I think there's something at the heart of the club, because of where it sits, that makes it more likely to produce a Marcus Rashford. But let's not deny it came from Marcus and his mother most of all. Marcus's profound admiration and respect for his mother has created this national campaign. It has grown from a mother's love for her children in a deprived area of Manchester. I take that forward. And I try to speak to my children Albert and Esme about that. They know who Marcus Rashford is. There's so much in the game which is cynical and repulsive, there’s a lot of players I don’t have the time of day for. We need more young people like Marcus Rashford stepping…

YOU ARE HAPPY SELLING THE BIG ISSUE You’re comfortable and know it’s been a big step to get to where you are. While you know that The Big Issue serves as a great platform to other things, you also know it will provide support for as long or short a time as you need. Turn to p54 to meet Bill YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR LUCK WILL NEVER CHANGE It’s impossible to find a job but The Big Issue is there for you to help you earn an income so you know there will always be food on the table and a roof over your head. You still have your dream job in the back of your mind. You hope you can get there one day. This is the end of…

01 Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin  Translated from the Chinese by Bonnie Huie, in late-1980s Taipei in the post-martial-law era. Th Thee anonymous lesbian narrator (nicknamed ‘Lazi’) tells a vibrant coming-of-age story. 02 The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst  Utter classic. It’s vital to understand understanding the Aids crisis e if you didn oughe thr and this noand el w this novel y fi was my fivily infl vily influential, t’say also It bitingly ’s also bitingly funn funny. 03 Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin  Baldwin moved from the US to Paris in 1948 and wrote this novel in the 1950s, well before gay liberation. Homosexuality, bisexuality, groundbreaking complexity, shattering beauty, white wine and oysters. 04 In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado  When queerness is…

When Normal People arrived on screen one month into the first UK lockdown, it had an unenviable task. We needed it to live up to the hype of one of the finest novels of recent times. We needed it to be perfect. But how could a TV series hope to match the emotional intensity and raw honesty of Sally Rooney’s book, that seemed somehow able to look directly into the hearts and souls of two lovestruck young people? Paul Mescal’s performance as Connell, all repressed emotion and open-heartedness, has rightly been heralded as star-making. But let’s not forget that Daisy Edgar-Jones, as Marianne, did all the heart-wrenching, all the passion, all the angst and insecurity, all the break ups and make ups, but backwards and gazing out from beneath a…

NEED HELP? Why not get together with other Big Issue readers on Twitter - @BigIssue Get the answers in next week's mag! Good luck 1. Which now-deceased US blues guitarist features on David Bowie’s 1983 LP Let’s Dance? 2. Which British Oscar-winning actor was born in Dorking, Surrey in 1907? 3. After Shanghai and then Beijing, what is China’s most populous city? 4. Who wrote the 1818 novella Nightmare Abbey? 5. In what year was Wikipedia launched? 6. According to the National Snow and Ice Data Centre, what percentage of the Earth’s land is covered by glacial ice? 7. What is the name for the outermost part of the sun’s atmosphere? 8. What type of scientist studies microscopic plants and animals? 9. In which city was the rescheduled 2020 UEFA…