Local heroes
Having read Juliet Lawn’s comments with regards to turning
over a new leaf [March 9-15], I would like to add there’s more
to The Big Issue than just reading it.
Don’t just buy the magazine but engage with the sellers.
They enjoy social contact and like to know they have friends
in the community. By doing this you get several benefits
such as getting to know a seller and becoming a friend
which is good for both parties.
Big Issue sellers are also excellent sources of information
on their patch, and are sometime the eyes and ears of the
locale. For me the added pleasure I get from knowing Carl
and Michaela, my local contacts and friends, is the feelgood
factor of helping other people in their day to day life.
So in conclusion, Don’t just buy, read, go engage. Your life
will be much richer for that.
John Meikle, Middlesbrough
Art and soul
I live in North Wales but bought the Street Art/Ben Eine
issue [March 9-15] in Holborn, central London last Monday,
took a week to get round to reading it, but when I did was
very thrilled and absorbed, particularly as I am very into
street art albeit only as an onlooker – though it influences
my own amateur sketchbook work.
Thank you so much for such a satisfying insight into
committedartistsandtheirwork.
WayneChapman,email
Trainofthought
IhadtowonderifauthorPhilipReeveknewaboutBen
Eine’searlydayspaintingtrains.InReeve’syoungadult
sci-finovel,Railhead, thetrainssportbeautifulpaintings,in
particularonesdonebyFlex,“oneofthoseferalartistswho
likedsneakingintotherailyardstopainttheirdesignson
waitingfreightcontainers,passengercarriages,evenonthe
locosthemselves”.Andinthisstorythe“locos”arecentral.
It’sa brilliantread,andifyoualreadylovetrainsitwillmake
youlovethemevenmore.
SueClapham,email
Doublethanks
Twobigthank-yousfor
recentitemsinTheBig
Issue.Numberone,your
issueonpubliclibraries
[February10-16].Ihavetoadmit,
italmostmademecry,andI was
nearlymovedtowritea long
articleaboutlibrariesI haveused
andlovedinthepast 65 years.
Justdidn’tgetroundtoit.
Andnumbertwo,I havejust
receivedmyfirstorderfromthe
PlasticFreedomshop[image:
BethNoyofPlasticFreedom,
ourchangemaker,February24-March1];soimpressed
withthespeedoftheorderanditsingenious,plastic-free
packaging.
I knowtheitemsaredearerthantheirplastic
equivalents,butperhapsifthoseofuswhocanaffordthem
willbuythem,thepricemightcomedownforeveryone.
JudithAinsley,Derby
ndsohereweare.Fromnow,nothingiscertain.Yet the
abilitytoadaptatincrediblepacehasbeenstaggering.
Threeweeksago,ifwewantedtotakeourchildout of school for
anon-holidayday,fineswerethreatened.Now,we don’t know
whenschoolswillreopen,howthosestudentswhohaveworked for years
towardsexamswillbeexamined,andhowparentsaregoingto entertain
children full of energy who are, essentially, locked in.
Let it never be said again that this generation of young people are
soft and entitled. When they get through this, and they will, they will be
changed. They will be tougher people, they will be perhaps more calm, but
they will have a perspective different from now. I hope they can marry the
toughness with their innate buoyancy. That’ll be something.
Everywhere, we see the changes. Fear is clear and understandable. How
will people cope, especially in precarious employment with suddenly no
income? Will the growing clamour for a Universal Basic Income deliver?
This thing may only last a few months, we hope, but the outcomes
in our accepted financial setups will be utterly changed. The sums of
governmental and European financial packages at present – £330bn
fromtheChancellor,some750bneuro
fromChristineLagardeatthe
ECB– aremind-boggling.
AtTheBigIssue,ofcourse,wefeel
itkeenly.Ourreasonforbeingisto
providethoseonthemarginsofsociety
witha meanstoanincome.Anda
questionwearegettingaskediswhat
happensnow,quicklyfollowedbywhat
canIdotohelp?You,andsomany
others,arefullofheartanddecency.We
havebeenworkingtochangethemodel
ofhowwefunction– changesthat 10
daysagowereunthinkable.Wewill
reiteratethisagainandagain.Pretty
soon,ourvendorswillnotbeabletobe
onthestreets.Youcanhelpbytaking
a subscriptiontoTheBigIssue.Ifwe
sell60,000three-monthsubscriptions,
wecanhelpthe1,500menandwomenwhowillseetheirincomego.We
canpostcopiestoyou,wecansortyououtwithdigitalcopies.Within
days,we’lllauncha newBigIssueappthatwillbringyouevenmoreofthe
contentthatcantakeyouthrough.Thesalesmoneywillgointoa central
pot,andfromtherewecanhanditout.Ourdistributionteamsarespeaking
tovendors,explainingplansandworkingoutthebestwaystohelpthem
accessthemoney.ThiswillalsohelpmakesurethatTheBigIssueishere
whenthecrisisisover.Webelievethatwewillbeneededmorethanever
whentheskiesclear.
Restassured,themenandwomenwhoworkinTheBigIssueare
doingeverythingtheycan.Likeeverybodyacrosssociety,theyhavebeen
shaken.Buttheyhavenotstopped.Theirfocushasbeenonmakingsure
wecandeliverforTheBigIssuevendors.Whetherit’screatinga magazine,
updatingnewsandinformationonline,workingrightatthefrontlineto
helpvendorsinthemoment,oradaptingtheverywaywearetomakesure
wecankeephelping,therehasbeenatireless,selflessfocus.
Weall,withourvendors,needyoutokeepsupportingTheBigIssuein
theweeksahead.Togetherwestand.EDITORIALA
New thinking
will see us
through this
[email protected]PaulMcNameeiseditorofTheBigIssue
@pauldmcnamee
[email protected]We are
speaking
to vendors,
making plans.
We will be
needed more
than ever
when the
skies clear
23-29 MARCH 2020 BIGISSUE.COM | 07