The Big Issue is a UK-based street paper that supports the homeless, the vulnerably housed asnd those seeking to escape poverty. Vendors normally buy the magazine for £1.25 and sell to the public for £2.50. We are using Zinio digital editions to create additonal revenue opportunities to fund our street-based and pastoral care services for our vendors. We are a social enterprise company and all revenues go to support the vulnerable communities we serve. Our goal is to move our vendors away from dependency and towards full time employment

READER FEELGOOD LIST OF THE WEEK

the FEEL GOOD list.

ENDORSEMENT OF THE WEEK

A POEM FOR CHRISTMAS • Omar Miller is a street poet and says his work as a Big Issue vendor helps him to gain other perspectives on the world

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL VENDOR

GET IN TOUCH

A year of goodwill

GEORGE'S JOY FOR EARL

Vendor Garry defiant after attack

Vow to turn ‘anger into action’ on homeless deaths

NEXT WEEK

RORA’S MISSION CONTINUES IN 2021

Was 2020 the worst year ever?

Out with the old, in with the new

I can’t wait to hug more humans • As The Big Issue prepares to enter its 30th year Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, once a vendor, now a top firefighter and Big Issue Ambassador, looks at the challenges and opportunities ahead

letter to my younger self • Every week, through what has been a year like no other, a famous face has given their 16-year-old self some advice that we can all benefit from

WHILE SHEPHERDS WATCH THEIR FLOCKS…

ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL • Just down the hill from Owen’s farm is where hit drama All Creatures Great and Small is filmed. A surprise smash hit this year, we book an appointment with star Nicholas Ralph, who plays young vet James Herriot, to talk about its success and the Christmas special

WE KNEW WE WERE COMING BACK TO A DIFFERENT PLANET • What’s it like being the only three people in the universe safe from Covid? Astronaut Jessica Meir takes us through space, time and the oddity of isolation

‘DOES IT MAKE ME ANY BETTER THAN THE NEXT MAN THAT I'VE WON A BOXING MATCH AND THEY HAVEN'T? NOT REALLY...’

STREET ART

‘This will be my first Christmas without Street Cat Bob’ • James Bowen and Luke Treadaway celebrate Bob’s remarkable legacy

A message from Dara

Diary of a Young Naturalist • The best free and independent publishers take risks, amplify original voices, and know how to spot a gem in the dust. With many under unprecedented financial pressure in 2020, The Big Issue has chosen go the extra mile spotlighting their work this year. So here are four juicy pages celebrating the best independent books of 2020, starting with our very favourite:

THE BIG ISSUE HONORABLE MENTIONS

OUR CRITICS’ CHOICES

FRIENDS OF THE BIG ISSUE PICK THEIR INDIE FAVOURITES

‘A home is like your centre of gravity’

Box of delights • In a year when our screens were our saviours, TV editor Adrian Lobb flicks through the Christmas schedules to pick out the shows that will keep us merry

‘THE DARKEST PERIODS AMPLIFY THE GLIMMERS OF LIGHT’

TO WARDS A BETTER HEALTH FUTURE • Circle Health is Britain’s leading independent hospital group. Chief executive Paolo Pieri explains why they’re supporting Big Issue vendors at Christmas – and beyond

ALAN’S CHRISTMAS QUIZ CORNER • Ho ho ho! Big Issue trivia buff Alan’s feeling festive...

COVER STAR QUOTE QUIZ • The great and the good have featured on the cover of The Big Issue in 2020. But can you remember who said what…?

The Big Issue

Merry Christmas • FROM OUR VENDORS

THE BIG ISSUE MANIFESTO