OUR VENDORS
More people are getting a hand up from The Big Issue as the cost-of-living crisis bites
In this age of uncertainty, one thing can be relied on. If someone is in urgent need of financial support, they can turn to The Big Issue.
New figures confirm that we worked with 3,642 vendors last year. That amounts to a 10 per cent increase in the number of people selling the magazine, with 899 individuals signing up to sell for the first time, earning an income to support themselves and their families, while becoming less reliant on tax-funded benefits.
Thanks to Big Issue readers like you, vendors were able to earn a staggering amount of money. Over 2.2 million magazines were sold last year – an amazing 34 per cent year on year increase in sales – meaning £3.76 million went into the pockets of our vendors, some of the most marginalised and vulnerable people in the UK.
The economic landscape has indisputably had an impact on the numbers of people needing to turn to selling the magazine to make ends meet. There are 14 million people in the UK living in poverty as rent, energy and food prices continue to soar and this latest report on the impact The Big Issue has is proof that many more people could benefit by becoming a vendor.
Mark Richards, a Big Issue vendor from Cardiff, said: “If it wasn’t for Big Issue Recruit I would either be in prison or six feet under the ground. I’m hoping that with their help I will be able to get into full time employment in either hospitality or as a warehouse assistant.”
Vendors such as Mark would like to
