20 | BIGISSUE.COM FROM 30 NOVEMBER 2020
support our vendors.
SAM FENDER
AND THE
BIG ISSUE
COLLABORATION
Chart-topping singer Sam Fender has joined forces with The Big Issue to focus minds on
homelessness and help support vendors.
“This Christmas is going to be tough for everyone,” Sam said. “But most of all, it’s going to
be tough for the people who don’t have a home. So hopefully we will get some attention.”
At just 26, Sam has already had a number one album, Hypersonic Missiles, been named
one of the BBC’s Sound of 2018 picks and won the Critics’ Choice Award at the 2019 Brit
Awards. He has decided to use his rapidly growing platform on behalf of those without a
home this Christmas.
To raise awareness, Sam is releasing Winter Song, a powerful cover of the classic track
by folk rock band Lindisfarne. Fender is a huge fan of the band, who are local legends in his
native north-east England, and felt the emotional punch of the lyrics resonated with the
moment we are in.
The single was unveiled on Annie Mac’s Radio One show on November 24 as the “Hottest
Record in the World”. Among the telling lyrics in the 50-year-old track is a moment when the
listener is asked to “spare a thought” for people without a home.
The song has been released in collaboration with The Big Issue and fellow social
enterprise People of The Streets, which helps people facing homelessness to tell their own
stories. Also, to celebrate, Sam will appear on the cover of a limited edition of The Big Issue.
The magazine will be available to buy exclusively from his online store and the proceeds
from sales will go to vendors.
To fi nd out more about how The Big Issue helps our vendors, and the huge di�fi culty
that lockdown has brought for the hundreds of men and women who rely on The Big Issue
to earn their living, Sam met up for a video chat with his local seller, Earl John Charlton.
Earl’s usual pitch is outside Newcastle’s Central Station. In a wide-ranging and frequently
emotional conversation, they bonded over their shared Tyneside background and their
experiences of childhood bullying. They even planned to meet up for a cuppa once the
coronavirus restrictions ease.
Following their conversation, Sam urged his fans to buy or subscribe to The Big Issue.
“The Big Issue has helped Earl conquer his addictions and also get him o�f the streets and
back into his own home. It’s important that we get behind The Big Issue,” he said.
This is an extract from their conversation. You can read more and watch video clips at
bigissue.com