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Issue 1435 - An Early Christmas Gift From Bob

Street Cat Bob – the legend lives on

Bob is back on the big screen – and also streaming to smaller screens until cinemas reopen. We went behind the scenes on the set of A Christmas Gift From Bob to stroke its star and chat to James Bowen, Luke Treadaway and other cast and crew. The message about kindness, compassion and keeping the hope through hopeless times is as essential as ever right now.

Ambassador’s reception

We unveil the first of our Big Issue Brand Ambassadors, actor and activist Christopher Eccleston. He speaks about how important The Big Issue has been in his life and why he’s giving gift subscriptions to all his family and friends. Great idea!

Mapping out a new way to buy subscriptions

We outline how readers’ continued support will mean we can keep supporting all of our vendors through troubled times. And we have developed a new map on our website where people will be able to look up their local vendor, find out more about them then buy a subscription with a share of the money going direct to them. We aim to keep adding more and more vendors to the map so keep an eye on our website for that!

Also inside

- Comedian and actress Sara Pascoe is this week’s Letter To My Younger Self
- With another last minute change to furlough, we look at how people’s jobs will be affected
- We bust the myth that started circulating saying foodbanks would close during lockdown
- Ariyon Bakare stars in the new series of His Dark Materials and opens up about the demons from his past that still haunt him
- Vendor Martin McKenzie spoke to us just days before he’d have to stop selling the magazine and Vendor Expert Mike McCall tells us how to look after chickens

Plus much more!

The Big Issue

The Big Issue's own-brand products support the creation of a range of work-based opportunities for disadvantaged people.
Big Issue has spent over 30 years at the helm of self-help revolution. It all began with the launch of The Big Issue magazine in 1991, which was created to offer homeless and disadvantaged people the opportunity to earn a legitimate income by selling a magazine on the streets. Since then over 200 million copies magazine have been sold by over 100,000 people. Vendors buy the magazine upfront for £1.75 and sell it on to the public for £4.00, and in doing so each runs their own micro-enterprise. In 2005 Big Issue Invest was launched, with the aim of extending The Big Issue's mission by financing the growth of social enterprises and charities across the UK. To date the organisation has directly invested in over 350 such organisations, and manages or advises on more than £170 million of social funds.
Read all about The Big Issue

The Big Issue big sellers

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Issue 1607 - Eric Cantona £4.00 GBP
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Issue 1606 - Cate Blanchett £4.00 GBP
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Issue 1604 - Time for a budget reboot £4.00 GBP
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Issue 1603 - Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley £4.00 GBP
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SUPPORTING THE MAKERS

Our suppliers create opportunities for disadvantaged people

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PROTECTING THE PLANET

Our products are sourced with sustainability in mind

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A HAND UP, NOT HAND OUT

We’re striving to dismantle poverty through social trading