I
’ve been selling the magazine since 2008 and since coming back after lockdown it
has been like starting again.
At the moment a lot of my regular customers are still working from home rather
than in central London so they don’t come out any more. It’s about one third of the
number of people who would normally be here.
I’m really missing them, although I’ve managed to see one or two of my usual customers, for
the rest I have seen nothing. I’ve been barely selling any magazines – it’s been even worse than
when I start selling in 2008.
So I am working really hard to bring in new customers and that means trying out different
pitches. I see the one or two regulars on my pitch at White City at the start of the week and then
that’s it until that day comes again the next week.
In between I have to move on to try to find more customers. I’ve been selling the magazine
in Angel and Hackney and a few other places.Easton’s delighted to be back on his pitch after four months
away, but with less footfall than before he’s having to cast
the net wider to get his sales back to where they werePITCH: White City tube station, London
Monday-Friday 6am-11amEASTON
CHRISTIAN, 66
MY PITCH
THE BIG ISSUE MANIFESTO
A hand up...
Our sellers BUY
the magazine for
£1.50 and sell it
for £3, keeping
the difference.Not a handout...
Vendors earn a legitimate income,
and gain valuable social and
employability skills. With your
support now, we will continue to
do so once the crisis has passed.The right to citizenship...
The Big Issue Foundation,
our charitable arm,
helps sellers to tackle
social and financial
exclusion.Prevention...
Big Issue Invest offers backing
and investments to social
enterprises, charities and
businesses which deliver social
value to communities.I don’t think that people trust the
government because they are not following
up on the test and trace stuff, I don’t think
people believe that the government has
the situation under control so they are
staying away, and that is making it quiet for
me. I don’t blame people really, they have
to look after themselves, especially if the
government don’t do it for them.
Like a lot of people I’ve been keeping
a much closer eye on the news – I was out
selling most of the time so I wouldn’t be
able to keep up, but the lockdown has
changed all that.
I managed to get a flat in 2012 in Hackney
and I spent a lot of time there over the
lockdown. It was great at first because
normally I just get the weekend off and I
work the rest of the time without a holiday.
So I was grateful for the first few days off –
but then I got four months of it!
It wasn’t too desperate on the financial
side because of the help from The Big Issue.
Not only did they help me with cash and
supermarket vouchers, they also helped me
to claim my pension. Jerri [Corbett, a Big
Issue sales and outreach worker in London]
was like my key worker – anything I had to do
on the computer, she did for me. She helped
me get my pension, which I was eligible to
collect from 2019, but I thought that the
longer I left it the more beneficial it would be
for me. Because I couldn’t sell the magazine
and I wasn’t earning anything, Jerri helped
me to apply. Whenever I need to use the
computer, the people in The Big Issue office
are there for me.
Church is such a big part of my life and
I used to go to the Frampton Park Baptist
Church in Hackney every Sunday, but it is still
closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The
good thing about going to church to praise
God is that, really, you can do that anywhere.
It is just a building at the end of the day. Look
at the Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park –
artists from all over the world used to come
there but now it’s a church. I have been able
to keep in touch with some people from the
church even without services. It’s not about
the building – it’s what’s inside the heart
that counts.
I’m still working hard on my pitch and
I’m still playing music just like I did before
the lockdown. After I returned to selling a
woman asked me for a picture and I asked
her why. She replied: “It’s because you make
The Big Issue look good.” It was really nice!Interview: Liam Geraghty
Photos: Louise Haywood-Schiefer46 | BIGISSUE.COM FROM 24 AUGUST 2020I
’ve been selling the magazine since 2008 and since coming back after lockdown it
has been like starting again.
At the moment a lot of my regular customers are still working from home rather
than in central London so they don’t come out any more. It’s about one third of the
number of people who would normally be here.
I’m really missing them, although I’ve managed to see one or two of my usual customers, for
the rest I have seen nothing. I’ve been barely selling any magazines – it’s been even worse than
when I start selling in 2008.
So I am working really hard to bring in new customers and that means trying out different
pitches.I seetheoneortworegularsonmypitchatWhiteCityatthestartoftheweekandthen
that’situntilthatdaycomesagainthenextweek.
InbetweenIhavetomoveontotrytofindmorecustomers.I’vebeensellingthemagazine
inAngelandHackneyanda fewotherplaces.Easton’s delighted to be back on his pitch after four months
away, but with less footfall than before he’s having to cast
the net wider to get his sales back to where they werePITCH: White City tube station, London
Monday-Friday 6am-11amEASTON
CHRISTIAN, 66
MY PITCH
THEBIGISSUEMANIFESTO
Ahandup...
OursellersBUY
themagazinefor
£1.50andsellit
for£3,keeping
thedifference.Notahandout...
Vendorsearna legitimateincome,
andgainvaluablesocialand
employabilityskills.Withyour
supportnow,wewillcontinueto
dosooncethecrisishaspassed.Therighttocitizenship...
TheBigIssueFoundation,
ourcharitablearm,
helpssellerstotackle
socialandfinancial
exclusion.Prevention...
BigIssueInvestoffersbacking
andinvestmentstosocial
enterprises,charitiesand
businesseswhichdeliversocial
valuetocommunities.I don’t think that people trust the
government because they are not following
up on the test and trace stuff, I don’t think
people believe that the government has
the situation under control so they are
staying away, and that is making it quiet for
me. I don’t blame people really, they have
to look after themselves, especially if the
government don’t do it for them.
Like a lot of people I’ve been keeping
a much closer eye on the news – I was out
selling most of the time so I wouldn’t be
able to keep up, but the lockdown has
changed all that.
I managed to get a flat in 2012 in Hackney
and I spent a lot of time there over the
lockdown. It was great at first because
normally I just get the weekend off and I
work the rest of the time without a holiday.
So I was grateful for the first few days off –
but then I got four months of it!
It wasn’t too desperate on the financial
side because of the help from The Big Issue.
Not only did they help me with cash and
supermarket vouchers, they also helped me
to claim my pension. Jerri [Corbett, a Big
Issue sales and outreach worker in London]
was like my key worker – anything I had to do
on the computer, she did for me. She helped
me get my pension, which I was eligible to
collect from 2019, but I thought that the
longer I left it the more beneficial it would be
for me. Because I couldn’t sell the magazine
and I wasn’t earning anything, Jerri helped
me to apply. Whenever I need to use the
computer, the people in The Big Issue office
are there for me.
Church is such a big part of my life and
I used to go to the Frampton Park Baptist
Church in Hackney every Sunday, but it is still
closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The
good thing about going to church to praise
God is that, really, you can do that anywhere.
It is just a building at the end of the day. Look
at the Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park –
artists from all over the world used to come
there but now it’s a church. I have been able
to keep in touch with some people from the
church even without services. It’s not about
the building – it’s what’s inside the heart
that counts.
I’m still working hard on my pitch and
I’m still playing music just like I did before
the lockdown. After I returned to selling a
woman asked me for a picture and I asked
her why. She replied: “It’s because you make
TheBigIssuelookgood.”Itwasreallynice!Interview: Liam Geraghty
Photos: Louise Haywood-Schiefer46 | BIGISSUE.COM FROM 24 AUGUST 2020