Veronica Goddard

….magazine; is this one of the few magazines that increase their prices solely in line with inflation? This magazine is well worth its price and is the one magazine I buy, aside from Radio Times.

The Big Issue is an international entity that works with homeless people all over the world, from the United Kingdom to Africa, Asia and Australia. At the centre of their work is The Big Issue magazine, an award- winning entertainment and current affairs magazine, that is produced by professional journalists and sold on the streets by homeless people. In the UK, they buy the magazine for 70 pence and sell it on for £1.50, keeping 80 pence for themselves.

Not only does beginning to sell the magazine provide an opportunity to access the services of The Big Issue Foundation, but also the act of having to organise themselves and their money, as well as committing to a sales pitch, teaches new skills and self reliance, which in turn builds self confidence and can be the key to moving on. The Big Issue offers social as well as financial inclusion.

Editorially The Big Issue magazine is committed to giving homeless people a voice in the media and raising difficult issues that are overlooked in the mainstream press. The Big Issue Company also aims to promote itself as a model of how a social business, as opposed to a charity, can be a solution to homelessness and social exclusion.

I remember buying from a particular seller in Lincoln. It was a bitterly cold day and he was dressed in Tee-shirt & jeans. His jacket was covering his dog, sitting on a doorstep beside him. That was why I bought my Big Issue from him. These young people are often living rough due to a change of circumstances or perhaps due to ill-treatment at home, so next time you see a seller, please stop and buy. He or she is working to effect a change in their life and deserve our help.