THE
AMBASSADORSMEETIfI ambeingbrutallyhonest,anactor’slife– particularlywiththerunofwork
I’vehad– youcan’thelpbutgeta littlebitself-obsessed.I’vehadsomanyshows
comingoutduringlockdown,youhavetodointerviews,andI haveI felta bit
talkedout.Thisfeelslikea breathoffreshair.
I saidtomywifetheotherday,I feelsoblessedandluckytobegiventhe
opportunityto flipallthaton itshead and talkaboutsomeof themostvulnerable
peopleinoursociety,asopposedtojusttalkingaboutmyself!Itfeelslikea golden
opportunity,withtheplatformthatI’ve gotto usethatto reallygoodeffect.
I wentonBBCLondonNewstheotherday.I wantedtohighlighthowhalfof
BigIssuevendorsarenotabletosellthemagazineatthemoment,andthatthere’s
goingtobea lotofhardshipandunemploymentandpainwhenthispandemic
isover.Butthatoncevendorsareabletogetbackoutonthestreet,comerainor
shine,theywilldoso.SoweneedtosupportTheBigIssueanditsvendorsnowand
drivethatmessagehome.
Becauseit’sa brilliantpublicationandiscontributingsomethingsoimportant
–instillingconfidenceinvendorsand helpingthemstandon theirown two feet. So
whetheryoucanbuyitinprintfroma vendor,buyitonline,takeouta subscription,
or makeaone-offdonationto theChristmasappeal,thesethingsare soimportant.
Itwillbegreattoworkalongsidetheotherambassadors.I bumpedinto
ChristopherEcclestonrecently– I hadnoideathenthathewasgoingtobea fellow
ambassador.I workedwithSophieWinklemanwaybackandsheisanabsolute
delight.AndmywifeisoverthemoonthatGeorgeClarkeisinvolvedbecauseshe
adoreswatchinghim.SoindividuallywecanraisethelevelofinterestinwhatThe
BigIssueisdoing,andcollectively,I hopewecancometogetherandmagnifythat.
I’msohonouredandhumbledtobecome a Big Issue Ambassador. It’s my most
importantroletodate.
As told to Adrian Lobb @adey70AswellasstarringinsomebrilliantTVthisyear
DanielMayshastakenona newrole:Big Issue
Brand Ambassador. He tells us why‘IT’S MY MOST
IMPORTANT
ROLE TO DATE’
TheBigIssueispartoftheDNAofLondonandofcities
acrosstheUK.I can’timagineaworldwhereTheBigIssue
doesn’texistbecauseofallthegoodthatitdoes.
Sincebecominganambassador,I havelearnedmore
abouthowTheBigIssueoperates,theworkitdoesandthe
innerworkingsoftheorganisation,themoreI feelthat–
particularlyatthistime– thisisthemostworthwhilecauseI
couldpossiblygetinvolvedin.
Becausethefactthatsomanyvendorscan’tgooutand
sellthemagazineontheirpitchesisdevastatingforthem.
Ithasbeena realeye-openerforme.Thatnotionofthem
buyingand sellingthemagazine,keepingthedifference,
meansitisn’ta handout,it’sa handup.Theyareessentially
a smallbusiness.I lovetheideaofTheBigIssueinstillingan
entrepreneurialspiritinpeoplewhohavegonethroughsuch
trialsintheirlives.Forme,TheBigIssuestandsforsupporting
someofthemostvulnerablepeopleinthecountry.Andwhen
youplacethatvitalworkinthecontextofthesecondnational
lockdown,itiscompoundedtenfold,isn’tit?
Soitwasa completeno-brainertojumponboardandto
highlightthosevendorswhocan’tworkatthemoment.Itisa
reallyvitalmessagetobringhome.
TheBigIssuehasbeena publicationthatI’vefelthas
alwayssupportedmeovertheyearsbygivingmeinterviews
andchampioningprojectsI’vebeeninvolvedin.
Duringlockdown,Iputmyselfupasaraffleprize inThe
BigRaffle,whichraisedmoneyfor The BigIssue.It was such an
amazingthingtobepartof,theprizewaswonbytwoyoung
aspiringactorsandI dida workshopwiththem.Wespokefor
anhouranda half,theyweredelightfulandenthusiasticand
itwasa reallyintimateopportunitytotalktothemaboutthe
industry,to instilconfidenceinthemand listento whatever
fearsorworriestheyhad.Itwassucha brilliantidea.
Now,asanambassador,I’mupforbeingasinvolved
inmoreofTheBigIssueand its work as I possibly can be.
Whateveritis,I’min.ALSO ONBOARD WITH THE BIG ISSUE
DanielMaysjoinsactorsChristopherEcclestonand
SophieWinkleman,architectandTVpresenterGeorge
Clarkeand firefighterSabrinaCohen-Hattonon our team
ofBigIssueAmbassadors.Theyaregettingthewordout
aboutourvitalworkandthechallengesfacingvendors
duringlockdown.bigissue.com/big-issue-celebrity-
ambassadors-and-supportersFROM 30 NOVEMBER 2020 BIGISSUE.COM| 33