The Big Miss You Podcast

Introducing BetterPod: The Big Issue's new podcast

Acting today for a better tomorrow. What world do we want to build for future generations? How can we face the challenges of today to make our society better? How can everybody act now to protect the environment and address climate change? BetterPod is the place to have these big conversations. Each week, we bring in the people who are acting to improve our shared future. We tell stories from the worlds of arts, science, politics and beyond – all the time focusing on solutions, on the constructive discussions that can help us all take action. We want you to join our movement. You can take the first step towards a better tomorrow by subscribing now and telling your friends. BetterPod is brought to you by The Big Issue's Future Generations team. A recent study by the NCTJ showed that some 80 per cent of journalists come from professional and upper class backgrounds. At The Big Issue we believe those aren't the only voices that matter. Through the Future Generations team, we offer a platform for exciting young journalists from underrepresented backgrounds to address the biggest issues facing us today. Editor & producer: Laura Kelly Illustration: Eleanor Bannister ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Big Issue vendors return to the UK streets

Since March, our vendors have not been able to sell The Big Issue on the UK’s streets. This measure has been essential to follow government guidance and keep everyone safe from Covid-19.  With lockdown starting to ease, we are really pleased that Big Issue vendors will be back on the streets next week, starting from Monday 6 July.  Over the last couple of months, this podcast has celebrated the relationships between our vendors and their customers… the friendships that have grown out of The Big Issue. In this special final edition of The Big Miss You Podcast, we hear from lots of our vendors – from all over the country – about what they’ve missed whilst they’ve been unable to sell the magazine... and what they're looking forward to. The Big Miss You Podcast is produced by Laura Kelly [https://www.laurakaykelly.com/] with additional reporting by Liam Geraghty. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Jim and Samantha in Salisbury, Wiltshire

Today, we take a trip to the medieval cathedral city of Salisbury. Normally, that’s where you’d find Jim listening to violin music, while selling The Big Issue. For the last six years, Samantha has looked forward to visiting him for a chat every time she’s in the town. Their conversations about what’s in the magazine frequently lead on to talking about the politics of the day – they’ve had a lot to cover in recent years.  Jim has been dealing with precarious housing - sleeping rough on and off - for a number of years. At the moment, he says he's "living entirely on other people’s kindness". He's had somewhere to sleep during the lockdown, but is unsure how long he'll be able to stay. He says that he's seen pictures of Salisbury city centre and it looks empty without him. He's looking forward to getting back out to sell the magazine when Big Issue vendors start working again on 6 July. The Big Miss You Podcast is produced by Laura Kelly [https://www.laurakaykelly.com/], with additional reporting by Liam Geraghty. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Nick and Sally in Truro, Cornwall

This episode of The Big Miss You Podcast takes us to the south west corner of England, to the Cornish city of Truro. Animal-lover Nick normally sells The Big Issue there, frequently accompanied by his dog Bryony. His regular customer Sally wanted to tell us how important Nick is to the community, and how kind he is. Nick describes himself as a New Age traveller. He lives in a caravan on ground near the waterworks, with Bryony and his cat Meow. Though the lockdown has hit his earnings hard, he tells us that his connection to nature has given him something to smile about. The Big Miss You Podcast is produced by Laura Kelly [https://www.laurakaykelly.com/], with additional reporting by Liam Geraghty. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Two Janes in Wimbledon, London

For this edition, we're taking you to Wimbledon, in London. Local Big Issue seller Jane Burns is something of a local celebrity. She has a loyal group of regular customers, and has even appeared in The Times newspaper. On a normal morning, at 10.30am, you might see Jane’s customer Jane Blackmore coming out of the underground and nipping into Gregg’s to pick up a coffee and a sausage roll that she can drop off to her favourite vendor on her pitch.  Jane Burns has been through a lot in her life - facing down serious health problems with an incredible resilience. For this podcast, she was generous enough to share her story of how she came to be selling The Big Issue with us. The Big Miss You podcast is produced by Laura Kelly [https://www.laurakaykelly.com/] for The Big Issue UK, with additional reporting by Liam Geraghty. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.