Big Issue North pulled from the street again as second national lockdown commences

The lead-up to Christmas is usually vendors’ most lucrative time of year

Big Issue North vendors are now not permitted to sell its magazines, as England has entered a second lockdown.

The 350 people who sell Big Issue North are self-employed, buying magazines from the Big Issue North’s offices for £1.50 before selling them on the streets of the north for £3. This means that they are not eligible for furlough, and as they cannot work from home, homeless and vulnerably housed people across the north of England now find themselves without a source of desperately needed income.

The lead-up to Christmas is usually vendors’ most lucrative time of year, with calendars to sell, more people out and about doing their Christmas shopping and the Christmas spirit breeding feelings of generosity.

This year, however, without any way to work and with winter drawing in, it is set to be their most difficult. 

During the first lockdown, the Big Issue North paid out £500 each day to support vendors’ cost of living, from rent and bills for those in their own accommodation, to essential shopping and transport. This time, it expects to pay out even more, after an influx of new vendors when the first lockdown was lifted, plus an increased need for help with bills due to winter’s bitter cold.

There are a few ways you can help vendors of the Big issue North.

Firstly, you can make a donation to the Big Issue North’s hardship fund, providing everything vendors need to survive the weeks ahead, by texting HARDSHIP to 70970 to give £5, going to easydonate.org/HARDSHIP, or scanning the QR code.

Secondly, you can continue to buy the magazine, either in Sainsbury’s (including Sainsbury’s online shop), Co-Op, McColl’s or Booths, or online at issuu.com/bigissuenorth. 

Half the cost of each magazine will go directly to the hardship fund. If you don’t want to have to shop each week, you can also subscribe to Big Issue North, either by purchasing a three, six or twelve month subscription package at shop.bigissuenorth.com/category/subscriptions, or by taking out a weekly direct debit at https://pay.gocardless.com/AL0003E9T4AAG1.

You could also do some of your Christmas shopping on its online shop shop.bigissuenorth.com. There is a wide range of products in store, from back issues and a new quarterly subscription magazine, The New Issue, to music merchandise, to handmade jewellery and homeware made from recycled copies of Big Issue North.

If you have a knack for knitting, the Big issue North is also currently looking for volunteers to knit warm hats, scarves, gloves and socks for vendors for when they are able to return to work.

Anything you can provide can be sent to Big Issue North, 463 Stretford Road, Manchester, M16 9AB, and will be very gratefully received.