As the Big Issue celebrates its 35th anniversary this September, the magazine and social enterprise has been extremely successful in doing what its slogan suggests: it is still a “hand-up, not a handout”.
In London, there are currently around 616 people selling the Big Issue. They have sold a combined 358,000 copies in the past year.
Three of them told BBC London how the Big Issue had changed their life for the better.
The magazine first came out every month and then weekly to help those facing street homelessness.
When it started in London, 64-year-old Kelvin Gregory, then in his 20s, was one of the first to sign up.
“I was homeless, begging for a while, in and out of work. One day a friend of mine said there’s a magazine called the Big Issue, and would I like to try and sell it,” said Kelvin.
“Thirty-five years down the line, I’m still here. I treat it like it’s my vocation.”
The Big Issue has supported 110,000 vendors in the UK since 1991, who have earned £162m between them.
Vendors earn an income by buying the magazine from its publishers at the reduced price of £2.50. They then sell it on the street for £5.
All the profit is theirs to keep and they can use this to buy more magazines the following week.
These days, selling the Big Issue is open to anyone facing financial insecurity, not just those sleeping rough.
