Here’s some details about what to look forward to in Monday’s mag…
We speak to vendors from across the country about how they’ve coped during lockdown and how excited they are to be seeing their customers again....
“I’ve been buzzing since I was told we’d be back.†Kenny, Edinburgh
“I’ve missed interacting with people and the money side of it too.†Karl, Birmingham
“It will be good so good to see my friends.†Clive, Plymouth
“I treat my customers as part of my family.†Dave, Hammersmith
“I can’t wait to get back on my feet again.†Amanda, Cardiff
“I’ve missed the structure that selling the magazine brings, feeling that motivation to get up and do something.†Giovanni, Bournemouth
“I’ll be running down the road at six o’clock in the morning to get to the office! I’m going to be like Forrest Gump.†Earl, Newcastle
We also take a look at the new kit vendors will be supplied with and the health & safety measures in place to protect both them and their customers.
As well as vendors making a comeback on July 6 there’s a whole host of other things happening as lockdown eases, from indie booksellers opening up their doors to beer gardens welcoming punters and cinemas taking in limited numbers of viewers. So wash your hands, grab your mask and see what’s happening.
“I was told to lower my ambitions†– that was obviously before Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson claimed 11 Paralympic golds and was invited to become a life peer. Just as well she didn’t listen to that particular careers adviser. In her Letter to My Younger Self, she hails her late father for never accepting second best for his daughter just because she was in a wheelchair.
‘Building me a home…’ It’s 40 years since Bjorn Ulvaeus got drunk and penned Abba’s most enduring heartbreaker The Winner Takes it All in his Swedish island hideaway. Malcolm Jack takes a trip to the tiny hut to pay homage and gets a bit misty-eyed.
PLUS: Is Pakistan really to blame for half the UK’s coronavirus cases? We dig deeper in Fact/Fiction; Mr Motivator may have finished his 14-weeks as The Big Issue’s fitness guru but we’ve got one final technicolor treat with him; the Imperial War Museum has compiled a post-conflict playlist, soundtracking the emotions that follow when the bloodshed ends.
And finally, we spoke to long-serving Big Issue vendor Robin Price at the start of lockdown so it was apt to revisit him again. He says times have been tough but he’s ready for a fresh start. We all are. Good luck to everyone for next week.