newsletter sprinG 2013
tHe soul of v ending THE BIG ISSUE FOUNDATION / p1 / WINTER 2012
tHe positive tHougHts and aCtions tHat sHine tHrougH tHe darkness
newsletter sprinG 2013
a personal tribute to tWo greatly missed vendors, p14
CONTENTS profile 03 vendor ron the heart of homelessness 04 a big issue love story ringing the changes 06 the people's operator a week in the life 07 service brokers in oxford a stiky situation 08 a famous artist and the vendors staying regular 10 the benefits of committed giving around the country 12 upcoming events in memoriam 14 our birmingham vendors Join the bike ride 16 london to paris
The news can be depressing to say the least. It seems that every day there’s a new warning about the impact of benefit changes, of immigration, of UK food poverty, the growth in rough sleeping and the new generations of people who will be hitting the streets of our country. It can make you want to close your eyes and hope it all goes away - but it won’t. We work in an area where many do not, we work with the 'disposed of', the damaged, the disliked. Our work is centred on providing people with both the tools to help themselves and the connections that lead to meaningful help, greatly supported by our loyal and generous donors. We always need to find new ways to move the agenda on. ‘Prevention’ is the best cure. This year we have new initiatives. Working with our vendors and our friends, we will be educating young people, to raise awareness. Many of our vendors began their journey to the streets by running away as youngsters. We want to raise this issue in schools, to help young people think differently about homelessness. Earlier this year two of our Birmingham vendors were stabbed to death. Ian Watson-Gladwish and Wayne Busst were immensely popular, their deaths a shock like no other, but from the grief grew a new spirit of support and understanding. This newsletter pays tribute to Ian and Wayne and we touch on a new project that will do all it can to improve vendor safety. The Big Issue Foundation does vital work. Our vendors and their achievements are central to everything we do, whether it is riding from London to Paris in July, writing articles or taking part in our public events. I hope this newsletter inspires you with its positivity. Last year our small team worked with over 3000 individuals. Our work is based on establishing meaningful relationships with vendors and getting them to services and support. One positive outcome for a vendor costs an average of just £150. In these times of austerity, that’s amazing value for money. I am often asked about ‘homeless people’ and I always start with a correction; the word order is wrong. We are working with ‘people’ first, they are ‘homeless’ second. Thank you for taking the time to read our latest update, together we can do so much.
chief executive, The Big issue Foundation cover picture: magnus arrevad The Big Issue Foundation is dedicated to the wellbeing of Big Issue vendors and we work with over 2500 individuals across the UK. Our skilled Service Brokers work one-to-one with vendors, creating bespoke life action plans with a core self-help ethos, to tackle issues ranging from health and accommodation through to money management and aspirations. The Big Issue Foundation is about taking control, moving forward, gaining independence and rebuilding lives. We exist to enable vendors to continue their journey away from homelessness towards social and financial inclusion.
1-5 wandsworth road, vauxhall, london, sw8 2ln tel: 0207 526 3456 www.bigissue.org.uk email: fundraising@bigissue.com www.twitter.com/tbif www.facebook.com/thebigissuefoundation registered charity no. 1049077
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THE BIG ISSUE FOUNDATION / p2 / SPRING 2013
I meet Ron in a Pret in Covent Garden. We drink hot chocolate and he tells me the great news that vendor Billie who has been selling outside the same shop for years has been hired to work in it! Ron is a warm, friendly and soulful man, very grandfatherly. He is a proud man. He doesn’t even take a pension: “I don’t take anything. I’m the old type who believes you shouldn’t. I’ve worked all my life. I left school at 16 – I’ll read anything but I can’t spell.” Ron worked briefly in a factory making fish boxes in Grimsby but he didn’t fancy sticking with that so he joined the Forces, the Royal Artillery. He was posted to Singa-
pore at the age of 17 having never left the country before - and he loved it. When he left the Forces, however, he didn’t know what to do, a sadly familiar refrain. It’s hard to leave the ‘family’ that the Forces represent. He still sees his army mates, one of them is another Big Issue vendor, Paul, who works around the corner. “He has my back,” says Ron. Paul joins us and the two guys chat as only old friends can. They talk about surviving in the streets, how to keep your money in many pockets to avoid losing everything if you are mugged, how you always sleep with one eye open. They talk about how their bag is their life. It contains
Here We are
This March and April the London Graphic Centre (LGC) has hosted a mini-exhibition of Street Lights art – that is art created by vendors or homeless and vulnerably-housed people which appears in The Big Issue magazine’s Street Lights pages. Called Here We Are, the exhibition – curated by Andrew Jeffery from LGC and Street Lights editor Emma Field – features ten pieces of work in the LGC Covent Garden store, employing methods ranging from painting to illustration and collage. Stephen Robertson, Big Issue Foundation THE BIG ISSUE FOUNDATION / p3 / SPRING 2013
every valuable item they own. On Thursdays Ron goes into the Big Issue office to volunteer and help train new vendors. “I think some of them don’t realise how important it is to get people’s attention when you’re on a busy street,” he says. Ron has worked as a Big Issue vendor for two years. He works 7.30am to 10pm five days a week, because he doesn’t want to rely on anyone. The day he can't get out of bed, he says, he will ask for help, but not until then. When asked about his dreams his answer is: "I wish I could move to Singapore and stay there for the rest of my life." silja aNderseN
CEO, commented: “Personal choice and expression through art has been pivotal for so many of our vendors as they work their way back to the world. We are truly grateful to Andrew and our friends at the London Graphic Centre for providing this unique platform.” The pieces are supported with interviews that give an insight into the artist's relationship with art when faced with a situation that many of us would find overwhelming. Featured work by (from lef�) Paul Bellingham, Dee Jay, Andrew Howard. For more information on Street Lights email emma.field@bigissue.com
photos: magnus arrevad
soul man
ron with the big issue foundation's silja andersen
THE BIG ISSUE FOUNDATION / p4 / SPRING 2013
at tHe Heart of Homelessness
tHe big issue Helps people in Crisis, and it Can even Help tHem fall in love! peter stone tells us His amazing story
i
awoke to the sound of a road sweeper. Man, it was cold. I had absolutely nothing at all, and I was all alone in the world. An unkempt young lady on the street took me to a day centre, a place to eat and wash. I was in a desperate world. I didn't feel able to tell anyone how I ended up living on the streets. I drank tea. I was lost, I was homeless. Soon I was sleeping out under the footpath to the Tate Modern with a friend - without him I would have not been able to survive. He showed me all the different ways of living on the streets. Eventually he went into rehab and I was alone again. I missed him but I knew this was his best shot. One cold night under the footway I saw a small bedraggled fox; I threw it a few sandwiches and watched as ‘Foxy’ ate some and then bounded off some distance to eat the rest. For months this went on and each night she would come a little bit closer until eventually she took it from my hand. We had a mutual respect and when I woke one morning to find her a few feet from me curled up, I welled up. When I moved, she shot off. Night after night this went on until I had to move - the curator had found my little den, and one day when I returned all my blankets had gone. My alcohol dependency had taken over, I was drinking day and night not caring about the damage I was doing to myself. I was almost always drinking. Many people won't understand how cold it is for people living on the streets, you feel constantly chilled to the bone. The drink helps. I began walking, looking for hope. I circled London and ended up at Waterloo, and it was here my life would change. On Waterloo footbridge I met a man selling The Big Issue, his name was 'Peter' and he was well known by many - he was a homeless helpdesk. We got chatting and I resolved to try selling the magazine. We went to the Big Issue offices and they told me that I could have 10 magazines to start me off. Peter told me to stick by him to learn how to make some sales, and how to keep the right amount to buy more magazines. I slept next to Peter for many, many nights, rising at the crack of dawn to catch the early commuters through Waterloo. And one day when I was selling I met Alison. She would stop and chat and sometimes buy an Issue, and then she would go off to work. I sometimes saw her going home, but not often, as I would be looking for somewhere to sleep. After a while I would buy her a Boost bar to give her energy (she always seemed worn out) and she’d chat if she had time. A summer passed and each day I bought a Boost for Alison.
Sometimes during the day I sat in the Peace Garden at the Imperial War Museum and drank White Lightning. I had some coloured pencils and a pad of artist’s paper and I would sit there drawing whatever came into my head. A rabbit, a hare, birds, snails. One day I drew a picture of Foxy (below), had it framed, and gave it to Alison. Our friendship was growing but I would get on Peter’s nerves talking about her and one day he said either ask her for a coffee or shut up! So I asked her, the very next time I saw her, to go for a coffee with me on the station forecourt. She said she would think about it.
"I WOULD GET ON HIS NERVES TALKING ABOUT ALISON. ONE DAY HE SAID EITHER ASK HER OUT OR SHUT UP"
A few more weeks passed and one day out of the blue she said yes, let’s go for a coffee. I nearly fainted. I didn’t have any clothes for a date so the staff at a hostel let me go through the ‘lost and found’, from which I got a pair of white trousers and a white jacket which I washed and ironed at least three times - I looked like Lawrence of Arabia. When I walked to Waterloo station to meet her my knees were wobbly, my mouth dry, I must have walked around Tie Rack about 22 times. And then, to my delight, there she was. We eventually went for a drink at a little bar not far from the station and it was in here that we both relaxed and really got talking, we just had so much in common. As I walked Alison to the bus stop I so wanted to kiss her, yet I didn’t want to, I didn’t want to spoil the night we had had. That evening was probably one of the happiest times of my life. It’s now almost 11 years on, and Alison and I have our own home, an amazing 8-year-old daughter, three cats, and even though we face the same problems as everyone else making ends me e t , I c ou ld n't want for anything more in my life. Alison is still as beautiful to me as when I would see her on that bridge at Waterloo East.
THE BIG ISSUE FOUNDATION / p5 / SPRING 2013
The Big issue has Teamed up wiTh The people’s operaTor
We have teamed up with The People’s Operator, the new mobile network dedicated to good causes, to deliver a massively reduced mobile tariff for Big Issue vendors across the country. This unique tariff helps the most vulnerable stay in touch with people and services at an exclusively low rate; they get the best deal plus safety-enhanced features that will benefit them in and out of work. The People’s Operator also gives our supporters a new way to support The Big Issue for free. Join the network through us and they’ll give 10 per cent of what you spend to The Big Issue Foundation, at no extra cost to you. To sweeten the deal, they'll also make sure you get great rates and a topnotch service. Plus they’re the only network to share 25 per cent of their profits with good causes each year. All you have to do is use your mobile. To find out more about TPO’s great rates and how they’re helping good causes, head on over to www.thepeoplesoperator.com. Once there, you can sign up to support The Big Issue by using the partner code BIGISSUE.
THE BIG ISSUE FOUNDATION / p6 / SPRING 2013
a week iN The liFe joB shariNg service Brokers iN oxFord
moNdaY
Holly: I meet up with Broadway Oxford City Outreach for their 6.30am round. I catch up with our rough sleeping vendors, and speak to people new to the city about The Big Issue. I set up an appointment with someone who wants to be badged up. Back at the office I see a vendor who has just had his first dentist appointment after I helped him complete his application for the new surgery around the corner from the office.
TuesdaY
Holly: In the morning I induct the man I met yesterday. We discuss our Vendor Savings Scheme, to help him save for his tabard deposit and budget for magazines. In the afternoon I go to the city centre to see some vendors on their pitches. A vendor wants to know about the Dog’s Trust Hope Project, to get help with costs if his dog needs a vet.
wedNesdaY
Hannah: Conor, one of our super volunteers is here, helping to create useful up-to-date spreadsheets of contacts. We work closely with other services to find the best support for each vendor. A colleague from Crisis Skylight drops in to learn more about what we offer. I induct a new vendor and look into his support needs. A regular collaborative outreach on a Wednesday is with the local Harm Minimisation team; they offer drug and alcohol support, advice and referral as well as a needle exchange.
ThursdaY
Hannah: I induct and train up a returning vendor and look into his support needs. We never give up on people no matter how challenging or complex their needs. In the afternoon, I meet a vendor for his three-month review. Over a coffee we talk about sales, opening a bank account, health, accommodation and the possibility of support to get a passport. Later, I talk to a colleague from Streets Revolution and discuss the wellbeing activities they currently offer. A walk around the pitches in town allows me to meet vendors as they sell and they can raise any issues they might have.
FridaY
Hannah: I am planning this year’s Aspirations Week: I spend the morning thinking up ideas and inviting local providers to offer their support. I collect leaflets from another service for our office information display. As vendors drop in to buy magazines and book onto pitches I catch up with them and offer advice and encouragement - and sometimes a little banter. I explain to a vendor the benefit of having a basic bank account to help her save money and discuss the ID that she will need. All of our vendors are working to increase their income and to become financially-included. I am sure our vendors know how proud we are of the hard work they put in to improving their futures.
THE BIG ISSUE FOUNDATION / p7 / SPRING 2013
a stiky s i t u at i o n World renoWned street artist stik and tHe big issue foundation reCently teamed up to open people's eyes to Homelessness in a very artful Way
t
he aim of Stik's project was to cut out the art dealer and make some limited edition posters available exclusively through Big Issue vendors, in The Big Issue magazine. Formerly homeless himself, Stik wanted to give something back to the homeless community and funded the printing of the artwork. The issues containing the posters hit the street and created an immediate buzz and signed posters appeared on eBay for £400. More importantly word of the posters created an interest from the broader public, who began flocking to vendors, creating that all-important engagement that has been at the heart of The Big Issue's work for so long. “I have loved the fact that I have been walking around actively seeking Big Issue vendors," said one commenter online. “Can I just say, I must have passed Mark and his dog everyday for almost two years, now I know him - what a lovely, lovely man.” said another. Stik toured the offices and streets of London, Birmingham and Bristol to meet our vendors, sign some posters and add few personal drawings to the covers to make some very special magazines. He even found time for an interview:
You’re an artist in demand all over the world. Can you tell us why producing new work for The Big Issue was so important? The Big Issue is a great organisation which helps so many people to get back on their feet. I’ve wanted to do a project like this for a while. Also, I wanted to give something back to my friends who are still
homeless, who taught me the tricks of street survival and showed me some sort of stability. The stick character you paint is simple but emotionally suggestive. What are you trying to get across? The paintings are my feelings. The big characters I draw are picking their way cautiously through the city. They are peering shyly from the walls, unaware of their own enormity. The city is brutal but I try to humanise it a little. You spent many years homeless. Was street art the outlet you needed to get you out of the trouble you were in? I felt I would be lost if I didn’t make some noise. It might be a quiet voice in the din of the city but it gave me a sense of identity. I had no idea that other people also identified with my artwork until later on. Homelessness must take a heavy mental toll... A house is like a second skin: it protects you from the world. Without it you can get badly hurt, physically and emotionally. Homelessness is relentless and grinds you down to a state where you just exist to survive. You try to develop a thick skin but end up getting hurt anyway. It is hard to stay positive. When you are homeless you feel like you are in the street even when you are in a house. And even when you are not homeless, the street still feels like your living room.
THE BIG ISSUE FOUNDATION / p8 / SPRING 2013
photos: magnus arrevad
street artist stik in his east london studio and (below) painting in the vendor's area at the big issue's vauxhall offices
So it can become a different state of mind? I think people who have been homeless will know what I mean when I say I still have my homeless days, when I am back in that state even though I have a home now. Council letters and tax forms seem to bring it on, that inability to comprehend normal domestic life. It is a reminder of how easy it is to lose it all. There are advertisers trying to grab some of street art's credibility. How does that feel? This happens a lot. An advertising company used my work in an advert last year but they forgot to get my permission. I asked them to take the advert down and then donate some money to the Big Issue Foundation. They agreed and this is how this poster project was funded. What about galleries? Is there room for any overlap, without the bizarre commodification that goes on in the art market? Galleries have the role of presenting art, a bit like a zoo. Except now the animals have broken out and are running free. Street art is wild and constantly evolving. It is a great time to be an artist. There is nothing wrong with artists trading their art and there are still some good galleries but galleries come and go. Art is for ever. I know you often have to clean small bits of graffiti off your
work. Is there any unwritten code of ethics between street artists? I constantly maintain my work. Sometimes I go round and change the eyes of a piece so it’s looking in a different direction so it has an extended life. It’s a living artform. Staying up is a big part of street art culture and the evolution is central to what keeps it current and alive. Street art seems to be a truly international movement - is it difficult to make connections with artists in other cities? My art has enabled me to travel around the world. I love Hackney but didn’t leave for about six years, and it is a real breath of fresh air to get out into the world. The street art in Berlin is everywhere. There I got a chance to meet up with Thierry Noir, who is famous for painting on the Berlin Wall, and we did a big collaboration when he came to London. It is an international scene but is really open. I sense you think the whole scene is only just getting started. Do you feel that way about your own work, your own life? I am doing a big mural in New York soon and have a month-long residency in Japan later in the year. It's very exciting and a million miles from where I was but I am not through the night yet. Lots of people helped me along the way, particularly a close artist friend, Sheila, who has treated me as an equal and as a professional even whilst I went through the health service and the hostel system. She helped me to realise I had something to give, even in the hardest of times.
THE BIG ISSUE FOUNDATION / p9 / SPRING 2013
keepiNg iN Touch Committed giving – setting up a regular donation – Can make a massive differenCe to an organisation The Big Issue Foundation has a budget for next year of just under £1.1m. With the help of people like Holly and Hannah (page 7) and Big Issue Foundation service brokers around the country it is possible to create a meaningful difference to the lives of so many people who are homeless. We are a relatively small organisation, tirelessly managing the relationships we have with our vendors to get them to the bespoke support that they need. Because of this we are proud to say that a positive outcome for one of our vendors costs an average of just over £150. It can take a lifetime for someone to become homeless or as little as just 12 months. Whatever the speed of a person’s journey to the streets we know that it can take a long time to rebuild the things that are lost on the way. This kind of change will take time and there can
be many false starts. Our work is not a quick-fix solution to homelessness; we make longstanding commitments to change and work hard to help people build meaningful bridges back into mainstream society. We do need more help; we need the generosity of our wonderful donors to give our organisation the reassurance that our services will remain fully funded and effective thanks to supporters who choose to give a monthly or quarterly donation. Change takes time - that’s why setting up a regular gift is the most valuable way you can give! Maybe you are already a committed donor, in which case, please accept our heartfelt thank you. If you feel inspired to set up a regular gift, please fill in the form on the last page of this newsletter and return it to us. Our commitment in return is to do everything that we can to help the lives of some of this country’s most vulnerable. We will keep you up to date with newsletters twice a year. You can always read about our initiatives at www.bigissue.org.uk Your commitment will make a difference where it truly counts.
THE BIG ISSUE FOUNDATION / p10 / SPRING 2013
We Would like
to say a big tHank you gillie riCHardson providing head massages to Bath vendors Tina from Bath sandwich bar
tHe butter pat Andrew from
london grapHiC Centre for curating the Here We Are exhibition
steve Harris rutH redCliffe from Redgrove Associates
 from Bridge-The-Gap, Earn-a-Bike and The Happiness Project
bournemoutH and poole College helping vendors get Customer Service qualificationS
everyone at simmons & simmons
brand786
traCie keil
outreach drug worker for Southampton Harm Reduction partnership
lusH
for providing free soaps and toothpastes
marsHall leisure
for the hats, scarves and boots to vendors
dennis publisHing and CyClist magazine doing the London to Paris bike ride
banHam
for use of their warehouse for Big Sleep Out
Give money to the biG issue when you shop online - and it won't actually cost you anythinG The Big Issue Foundation has partnered with the brilliant website, easyfundraising.org.uk to raise money via online shopping. You can register for FREE, then simply visit your normal online retailers (like Amazon, John Lewis or Expedia - there’s over 2,000 to choose from) using the links and search function on the easyfundraising.org.uk site. Retailers will then give easyfundraising.org.uk a
commission for driving sales to them, which is then turned into donations for the Big Issue Foundation. Simple and brilliant! Other ways to give online at no extra cost to you include giveasyoulive.com, which allows you to donate to The Big Issue Foundation via your shopping. Another way to fundraise is by selling items using eBay For Charity where a portion of your sale price goes to good causes. THE BIG ISSUE FOUNDATION / p11 / SPRING 2013
tripadvisor wonderful staff donations
fresHfields for all their ongoing support
sainsbury's, vauXHall for all the treats and event participants
lee mCgovern for creating our new video
kat presCott
young people and Homelessness ‘Homelessness’ is an issue surrounded by misunderstandings and stereotypes, many of which can start at a young age. Ideal for assemblies or class talks, our free education packs are aimed at creating a dialogue that will help educate young people to think differently about what it can mean to become homeless. We know that young runaways can frequently become the ‘new homeless’. We have formed new partnerships and have lots of other great ways that schools and young people can get involved.
For m o r e in F or m ati on ple as e v i si t http://www.bigissue.org.uk/get-involved
I was inspired to write Invisible Girl after reading an article about runaways by Andy McCullough from the Railway Children charity. I was so shocked to discover that every five minutes a child in the UK runs away from home, which equals 100,000 under 16s sleeping rough on our streets each year, that I immediately called Railway Children and spoke to Andy. He confirmed the statistics, went on to tell me about his own experience of being a young runaway and offered himself as a resource for my book. I wanted Invisible Girl to feel real, to show how easily children can slip through the cracks, unnoticed. How readily, when love is unavailable at home, they will seek it elsewhere, walking into dangerous situations leaving themselves wide open and vulnerable. As well as to entertain, my wish for Invisible Girl is that it speaks to the children who, like me when I was small, find themselves standing in the shadows facing overwhelming difficulty without support. I hope to hold their hands whilst pointing them toward safety, toward getting the help they need and developing a toolkit for self-care. I want to speak to the loved children too, to inspire compassion and understanding, an appreciation for what they have. Our streets will continue to make cold hard beds until we can end this cycle of poverty and abuse that turns runaway children into homeless adults. Against all odds, both Andy and I managed to climb out of our childhood difficulty and create healthy adult lives. Sadly, we are the exception to the rule.
kaTe marYoN
www.katemaryon.co.uk
News From arouNd The couNTrY bournemouth
Bournemouth is riding the crest of a wave into a new initiative which may be rolled out nationally. In this exciting new project local organisations are being asked to buy magazines from an allocated vendor for their clients to read while using their services. These could be a hairdresser's, a GP's surgery, a dentist's, a café or an office waiting room.
briGhton
Following a change in office venue our focus has been to deliver support in an outreach capacity and engage with vendors on their pitches. We are looking to bring all Brighton vendors together for an event to share information and identify how best to support vendors moving forward.
bristol and bath
With a brand new Foundation Team in Bristol we have now got some joint projects up and running across Bath and Bristol. We’ve been looking at how we can help vendors develop skills and get formal recognition for those they already have. With support from a local business, Redgrove Associates, we will be launching some enhanced sales training this summer. Three more vendors have achieved their NVQ in Sales and Customer Service. Vendors here have also been actively involved in the Support Your Local Business campaign with advertising agency M&C Saatchi. Two Bath vendors created posters which appeared at Bath and Bristol train stations and in the national press as part of a UKwide effort. Since the last newsletter we have seen an increase in the number of vendors attending courses having received financial help from the Vendor Support Fund covering everything from plumbing to photography. The new team in Bristol got off to a great start by organising a week of activities for the vendors sessions during the week included first aid training,
guitar lessons, bike maintenance and a 'drop in' encouraging vendors to sign up to use local libraries.
london
Our focus in London has moved towards a more proactive approach of taking support to vendors while they are selling on their pitches or buying magazines at Distribution Points. We have increasingly had to look at signposting support services from the charity sector rather than local authority support due to continued restrictions on who is able to access “official” support.
events Calendar To be a part of our fun and engaging fundraising events – whether it is cycling, walking or sleeping out – please call 020 7526 3453 or go to www.bigissue.org.uk/events
oxford
Both our service brokers have attended training by the NHS to become Smoking Cessation Advisers. This will mean that we will be able to advise vendors on the benefits of quitting, recommend different types of nicotine replacement therapy and support vendors one-to-one through their attempts to give up. We have had an increase in volunteers at the Oxford office in recent months, carrying out a range of invaluable tasks. One volunteer, Ben, has canvassed local vendors and found that there is a keen interest in fishing. He has plans in motion that he hopes will see our vendors casting their fishing rods this summer. We have a packed schedule coming up for our Aspirations Week this year. We have information sessions running with Ruskin College, our local university that provides access to university education for those who would often be excluded from the mainstream system, and from Aspire, a local award-winning charity that aims to give homeless people skills and practical work experience. We have interview practice planned with the Oxford Playhouse and a visit from Streets Revolution who are hoping to engage our vendors in sport and leisure activities.
big nigHt in
13-19 may 2013
plymouth
london to paris bike ride
We have students from the Plymouth University Peninsula Dental School visiting us on Monday March 18. They are coming to talk to the vendors about any dental issues, particularly reluctance to visit, and hope to arrange a tour of the school. They are also bringing some dental freebie packs.
18-21 July 2013
birminGham
We have ESOL class at the moment which operates every Tuesday for non-English speaking vendors; with that they have an interactive class based around customer service and sales skills. We are also running a sales MOT service where vendors have their sales reviewed and sales training is offered with new targets.
tHe virgin aCtive london triatHlon 27-28 July 2013
nottinGham
We have, in Nottingham, health-related drop-in sessions, vet check-up drop-in sessions, vendor of the month (only started last July), volunteer news, themed week news and anything else deemed useful for vendors to know about such as saving scheme incentives, reminder of pitch booking rules, new badging up systems etc.
southampton
The Southampton office began the year with a series of workshops, where vendors learned cookery and confidence-building skills. We are now preparing for Aspirations Week, working in partnership with different agencies to encourage vendors in their long term hopes and plans. THE BIG ISSUE FOUNDATION / p13 / SPRING 2013
tHe big kiCk off london, 10 July 2013
lost to tHe streets
tragic vendors ian watson-Gladwish and (inset) wayne lee busst
“tHis aWful Crime, perpetrated against tWo Hard-Working, mild-mannered men, only serves to illustrate tHe eXtreme vulnerability of people WHo live and Work on tHe streets” JoHn bird
Earlier this year Wayne Lee Busst and Ian WatsonGladwish were stabbed to death in Birmingham city centre. Big Issue vendor Neil Harvey pays tribute to them both Friday January 11 started much the same as any other day. I had my usual breakfast of Rice Krispies, then made my way to the Big Issue office on Summer Lane, Birmingham. I arrived at the offices at approximately 9am, and asked to book the Union Street pitch, at which point I heard a mumble behind me. Turning round I found it to be Wayne, another trainee vendor. He had wanted to work Union Street, so I said he could have it, and I would work Colmore Row/Pigeon Park instead. I had no idea that this would be the last time I would see him. Wayne was a quiet man, about 5 foot 10 inches tall, and had a couple of day’s stubble. He was 32 years old, same as me. After a brief chat, I headed off to my pitch on Colmore Row. One of the vendors I saw that day was Ian. Ian was well known around the city centre. He was one of the 'faces' of the Big Issue community, having been a vendor for a long time. When there wasn't a trainee there, he would quite often work on the Colmore Row pitch. He always had a kind word, and offered advice to me as a new vendor. After my breakfast on the Saturday morning I had a look on the BBC News website. There was a headline that caught my eye: "Two men stabbed to death in Birmingham City Centre". My heart sank. I read the article, which contained very few details. Living around a big city, this kind of thing does happen. I headed out to sell some copies of the magazine. The city centre was a ghost town. What is usually a bustling city was eerily quiet. After spending three hours in the cold, I decided to call it a day. Upon returning to the hostel, and having made a cup of tea, I checked the BBC website for further updates. There it was in big, bold print. Both men had been Big Issue sellers. I felt sick. I had had a feeling of unease when I had previously read about the incident having been on Union Street. I immediately thought of that previous morning, and then my mind turned to Wayne. "Please, don't be him," I thought. But it was. I couldn't help but think, "What if...?" What if I had been earlier to the office, booked the pitch and not seen him. That could have been me. What if I hadn't been on Colmore Row? Maybe Ian would have been on that pitch, maybe he would still be alive, maybe I wouldn't. However, if there is one thing I have learnt in life, it is not to dwell on 'what ifs'. It brings to mind a quote by one of my heroes, the late, great American comedian Bill Hicks. "The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your doors. The eyes of love see all of us as one. If you let fear in, you allow the demons to run amok.” These senseless killings could instil fear in many people, but that would only serve to close ourselves off to the beautiful experiences life has to offer. Only through love and acceptance can we move on and put these incidents behind us. We will always remember those who have fallen by the wayside, for whatever reason, but we must always remember what their lives meant, not what their deaths mean.
THE BIG ISSUE FOUNDATION / p14 / SPRING 2013
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THE BIG ISSUE FOUNDATION / p15 / SPRING 2013
stephen robertson and vendor dean will both be cycling to paris
Join our Ceo, stepHen robertson, on our london ri21 de to paris bike nday July 2013 tHursday 18 July to su
I committed to participate in and raise money via this year's London To Paris Bike Ride late last year. It is the only major event that we run that I have not completed so it seemed like a great New Year’s resolution. People often think The Big Issue is a large organisation because of the visibility of vendors up and down Britain’s high streets, but it's not really the case. Our work focuses on offerin g self-he lp solutions for homeless and vulnerably housed people - a ‘hand up and not a hand out’ - help with housing, health, finances and goal setting. We might be small but together we achieve a lot. We believe in teamw ork and this ride is completely in-tune with our ethos. I will be riding the 230 miles with some of our vendors and a great bunch of supporters – a massive privilege all round. Naturally I would say that our services are vital and we help our vendors to make changes to their lives everyday but it is absolutely true. Our services worked directly with over 3000 people last year and each positive achievement cost us an average of around £150. Tragically we have been much in the news recently with the shocki ng death of two of our vendor s in Birmingham. The Big Issue extends a hand of hope and works because it gets people working and then does so much more. We live in times of increasing austerity. Homelessness is increasing and there is little good to say about a life on the margins of society. We have to work together to create opportunities for change. Many thanks, Stephen Robertson, Big Issue Foundation Chief Executive
Want to Join stepHen, several big issue vendors and a fabulous group of supporters? WWW.bigissue.org.uk/l2p THE BIG ISSUE FOUNDATION / p16 / SPRING 2013