Innholdsfortegnelse for 9/20/2021 i The Big Issue

Your views on the big issues @bigissue RE: THE CONNOR BROTHERS’ BIG ISSUE TAKEOVER [SEVTECBEY 6] @bevbostock Having a #MellowSaturday reading the latest edition and listening to @greentea_peng What a find! Loving, loving, loving everything we are hearing from her. Thanks for the introduction! letters@bigissue.com Senior service Just a word to the Connor Brothers [September 6]. Don’t disparage yourselves for being middle aged. All ages matter. When I was young we were as passionate as today’s young people, but people of all ages were involved in protests. In 1961 the philosopher Bertrand Russell was arrested on an anti-nuclear demonstration aged 89. Archbishop Desmond Tutu campaigned against apartheid, and he was no spring chicken. Now, of course, our own John Bird is a great example of elderly (forever young) people supporting…

There is one thing of which I’m certain. When John Bird and Gordon Roddick launched The Big Issue in 1991 they didn’t predict that in the week the title marked its 30th anniversary, a pop star’s remarks about her cousin’s friend’s testicles, related to a viral pandemic, would make global news. Or that the British PM would get involved in the chat. But that, as the kids say, is the tea. Things move quickly. In 1991 the USSR still existed, but not for much longer, the internet was still about four years from getting its boots on, and being woke was what happened when your mother came in to tell you that you were late for school. Hicki Minaj and her unfeasibly large impotent testicles were beyond the ken of…

Among the various people thanked in the first edition of The Big Issue was a man who reminded me of the comedian Tony Hancock. He had the same type of tubby figure, the same slightly pissed off look. I loved Tony Nancock’s face, his kind of sardonic “nothing surprises me” manner. I first met thepersonwhoislisted intheinauguralBig Issue in The Prince’s Head next to our Richmond editorial office. He sat at the bar and we fell into conversations on numerous occasions as our team was struggling to create The Big Issue. St was a very strained atmosphere, largely because we were not quite sure what we were doing. And not sure whether it would succeed. We became friends and i often bought him pints. He never seemed to have much cash…

Co-founded by The Big Issue, The Big Exchange launched in 2020 to "build a fairer financial system that works for everyone". It is built to give people support, access and choice to financial products and services that do more for them, for other people and the planet. From £25 a month, people in the UK can make a positive impact on the people and the planet through a range of accessible, transparent investment options that have all been rated to show how much they contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. There is a growing desire for people to take control of their own impact on wider society and the environment – The Big Exchange lets people do so with their money through investing. A free app was also launched…

Marcus Rashford Footballer and campaigner “Rain or shine, one of the most recognisable things to hear on our high street is: 'Big Issue!' We've missed you during this last year. Good luck and enjoy it – you're doing a great job.” Mark Hamill Star Wars legend “What impressed me most was Big Issue’s business model – empowering the homeless like you do is not only admirable, it is also positively inspirational.” The Dalai Lama “I appreciate your work helping the homeless – a good service to humanity.” Theresa May Former Prime Minister “The Big Issue has been an incredible force for good in Britain.” Sir Alex Ferguson The greatest ever football manager “Big Issue vendors are trying to get back on their feet. What is it you say? ‘A hand…

A hand up... Our sellers BUY the magazine for £1.50 and sell it on for £3, keeping the difference. Not a handout… Vendors earn a legitimate income, and gain valuable social and employability skills. With your support, we can continue to help them now and in the future. The right to citizenship… The Big Issue Foundation, our charitable arm, helps magazine sellers to tackle social and financial exclusion. Prevention… Big Issue Invest offers backing and investments to social enterprises, charities and businesses that deliver social value to communities.…

Each week I and many others look for Ana outside Waitrose in Crowborough, East Sussex. Her smiling face and kind words are always a tonic. Life has not been easy for Ana. She has five children and her mother helps with childcare so Ana can travel three days a week or more from Croydon to Crowborough to sell the magazine. Ana came to the UK from Moldova and while she speaks very good English she has not been able to learn to read and write in English to enable her to improve her work opportunities. So, apart from some cleaning jobs, she is pretty stuck. Hopefully some assistance can be found so that Ana can look forward in the longer term to a more stable future with more choices, and…

…a furniture restorer STEVE WYATT, 44 sold The Big Issue at Pero’s Bridge in Bristol from 2008 to 2011 Steve Wyatt battled addiction for more than a decade, leading to spells of homelessness and time in prison, but it was his three-year stint selling The Big Issue that reacquainted him with human kindness. Wyatt, now 44, sold The Big Issue at Pero’s Bridge in Bristol from 2008 to 2011 while battling to beat addiction and now runs his own furniture restoration business, Poole-based Restored Retro. The former vendor remembers how selling The Big Issue helped him on to a better path. “I met lots of characters on my pitch and some of the customers who helped me showed me love when I couldn’t love myself. That still sticks with me…

“There are lots of benefits in selling The Big Issue. I have flexibility and this aspect is so important to me. As a vendor, I’ve made lots of friends and I am part of the community. I am happy with my earnings and I feel valued and appreciated by my customers.” Alina Baboi, Stratford-upon-Avon " I love selling the mag, it gives me flexible hours, a bit of extra income, but most importantly gets me out of the house so I can meet people in the community. I would recommend it to anyone." Rob Speedy, Chelmsford "The Big Issue helps me get out and mix with people in the community – I feel like I make a difference when I am selling. I'm so grateful to the people of Milngavie…

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. When The Stone Roses appeared exclusively on the cover in 1994, what was the name of the album they had just released? 2. Street Cat Bob is a Big Issue legend, even after his tragic death in 2020. What is the name of his owner? 3. Dame the two Street Cat Bob films. 4. What was the cover price of the first issue? 5. Which two fictional characters traded blows in ‘The Great Big Brexit Grudge Match’ in 2017? 6. What was the name of the exclusive single Snow Patrol made available through The Big Issue in 2018? 7. In the Lords, The Big Issue’s…

VENDORS The last 18 months have been a turbulent time for everyone, our vendors included. Following a long lockdown where they were not able to sell magazines on the streets, vendors in England, Scotland and Wales are now back out selling the magazine. Please continue to support them. Even if you have already bought a magazine, please stop and chat. As we hear time and time again, it’s getting out and about for social interaction that can really make a difference, as well as the money that comes from selling the magazine, of course. SUBSCRIPTIONS AND SHOPS When vendors were unable to sell, we knew we had to continue to support them financially. We did that by finding alternate ways to sell magazines. Subscriptions can be bought for yourself –…

Empty homes From the beginning we knew the best way to address homelessness was to create more homes. We reported on the Living Over The Shop campaign run by Ann Petherick. For decades she has tried to convert the largely empty spaces above high-street shops into accommodation. The number of empty properties is still a massive issue 30 years later. But now on our high streets there’s the problem of the shop units being empty too. IT issues In a terribly naïve yet spookily prescient article, we covered a report that looked at how computer equipment was taking over office life: “Computers clog offices with reams of paper and are extremely ineffective, according to a recent study by Harvard University in the USA. “The theory goes like this: computers produce…

A former drug addict and dealer, Mark Dempster sold The Big Issue in the 1990s before he trained as a counsellor and launched his successful Harley Street practice. He has also co-hosted a radio show with Russell Brand. “I have led two lives – one before recovery from addiction and one after,” he says. “The experience and support The Big Issue gave me during my early addiction recovery helped me regain control and become a successful therapist and addiction expert.”…

The last 18 months accelerated the pace of innovation at The Big Issue, with digital technology helping us to increase access to a range of support for vendors. During lockdown our Digital and Financial Inclusion team worked with frontline outreach staff across the UK to get vendors set up with mobile phones and card readers. We expanded our partnership with Zettle, a PayPal company, which first began helping our vendors to offer cashless payments on their pitches in 2019. Equipping vendors with mobile phones and card readers means we are able to help them set up bank accounts and organise ID, which includes things like getting on the electoral roll – all of which is beneficial to boosting credit ratings. This has the knock-on effect of creating better credit visibility,…

The Big Issue changes my life every day PITCH: Co-op Wanstead, London, Monday-Saturday, 9am-3pm I’ve been on this pitch for a very long time – more than 10 years. I like selling the magazine here in Wanstead. Everybody knows me here and there are nice people who care about you. It’s not just about the money from selling the magazine, they ask me how I’m doing, how my five children are. They are always so nice to me. I decided to sell the magazine because I didn’t want to be on the street doing nothing. Selling the magazine changes your life – it’s like a job. I feel like when I go to my pitch I’m going to see my family. I have very good friends there and they care…