The Big Issue – August 20, 2018

Amanda Hill, 40

OUTSIDE SUBWAY ON DUKE STREET, CARDIFF

“We have lost a few friends on the streets”

I

started selling The Big

Issue about six months

ago after I was arrested

three times in two weeks

for begging. I was fined £500

and that left me with nothing.

The Big Issue’s outreach team

had been asking me for ages to

start selling the magazine. So

that is when I took it seriously.

And The Big Issue has been

a big help – I had no confidence

when I started selling, but it

has really helped me to feel

more confident. I have also

been able to get myself of

drugsand have been clean

for a while.

As well as selling the

magazine, I’m a carer for my

husband, who is losing his

sight. He’s almost completely

blind and has some mental

health problems. We have

been together for nine years

and married for four.

I met him in a care home

when I was visiting my

brother. I wasn’t looking for

a relationship – I’d been in a

violent one before so I’d been

single for four years – but we

got talking, started flirting then

fell in love. He’s great and so

caring and loving, but losing his

sight is hard on him.

We are in temporary

accommodation as of three

months ago and it wouldn’t

have been possible without

TheBig Issue. Over the winter

we were staying in a tent and

itwas horrible. During the

snow and the Beast from the

East it was dicult to maintain

body heat and our tent broke

so our clothes were constantly

wet through.

Another person who was

sleeping rough across from

us in the park actually died

in the cold. We have lost quite

a few friends and family on

the streets.

It’s really hard to juggle

caring for my husband as

well as selling The Big Issue.

Having an address is helping

me to get medication for him

so things are starting to get

better. I’m saving up for a card

machine so I can sell a few

more magazines – I get a lot of

people saying they don’t have

any cash.

I’ll be selling at Pride this

weekend – it’s a big thing that

I have supported for years.

A couple of my family members

are gay. I’ve been on the march

many times. I love it. And my

family and friends will be

there again this time to

march with me.

I may be married to a man,

but I am pansexual and how I

feel is that if you love

someone it doesn’t matter

about their sex or gender, it’s

about who the person is on

the inside.

When I realised I was

pansexual I didn’t put it on

Facebook and I didn’t feel

I could tell many people other

than my family and a few close

friends. I do think there is still

some discrimination there and

it is events like Pride that help

to fix that.

Interview: Liam Geraghty

Photo: David Wagstafe

MY PITCH

ABOUT ME...

CASTING MY MIND BACK
I haven’t got any gear or tackle
at the moment but I’d love to get
back into fishing. I started at the
age of three when my dad was
part of the boat club and
I’d love to get back to it – I was
really good.

GETTING FIT
I used to swim for Cardif when
I was at school. I was up early to
train for an hour before school
and a couple of hours afterwards.
Now I’m on medication and
I’m able to exercise, I’m looking
forward to doing it again.

ON MY

PITCH...

I’m outside Subway in

Cardif on three days a

week, usually on

Saturday and Sunday,

between 12.30 and 6pm