‘There are good people and there are those who just look the other way’

“Na, you’re alright thanks mate,” says one passer-by as he declines a magazine and hurries along Bristol harbourside, eager to escape the biting cold.

This is not an option for Big Issue vendor Matthew Blackman, who is out in the freezing temperature day and night.

But he remains resolutely upbeat and optimistic, greeting each person walking by with a smile and a cheery hello.

“If I’m not here, I won’t sell one will I,” says the vendor, admitting he has just 50p in his pocket and is yet to sell a copy of the magazine today.

Matthew has sold the Big Issue on and off for about 20 years. His recent stint started just three days ago. following a break up with his partner that left him with nowhere to go.

“Generally, people are pretty decent, you do get the arse holes though,” he says. “Some people are extremely nice and some are indifferent, but that’s OK.

“Without the Big Issue, I do not know what I would do to be honest. One, I can make a few quid and two, what else would I do all day?”

He is one of around 70 vendors who sell the Big Issue in Bristol and the surrounding areas.

The magazine operates as a social enterprise, with the motto “hand up, not handout” and each person runs their own micro business, buying copies for £1.25, selling them to customers for £2.50 from dedicated pitches.

Garry Buchan demonstrates how quickly he can boil water with just a small tin stove

Over on Park Street, vendor Garry Buchan is seemingly oblivious to the cold as he smiles at passers-by and chats to a delivery driver on his pitch, just opposite College Green.

“You never hear him complaining,” says the driver, who it turns out has just handed over a bag of much-needed warm clothes to the Big Issue seller.

“I have been selling the Big Issue for two and a half years,” Garry tells Bristol24/7. “I lost my job and my wife and my house which is how I ended up here.”

Garry sleeps out on the streets every night, but seems more concerned with the plight of others, doing regular fund-raising activities for the Big Issue Foundation – the Big Issue’s charity wing – the next of which will be a walk from Dover to Lands’ End in August.

In answer to the question of how we finds the drive to do all this, while trying to survive on the streets, he says: “You just have to have the energy. The Government is not going to address homelessness, so somebody has to do something. While I’m still fit and young enough, I can do it.

“If the Government started putting money in the right places and stopped these cutbacks, there would not be so much issue with homelessness. But it’s not going to happen in our lifetime.”

Garry says he has enough survival skills to cope with life on the streets, gesturing to a neat pile of belongings that include waterproofs and bedding, and explaining how he layers up at night to keep the wet and cold out.

A small tin burner and pan provide hot water for cups of coffee and instant packet meals.

“There are good people and then there are those who just look the other way” he says, adding that he has an excellent relationship with the immediate community.

A former foreman for one of the biggest building firms in the country, Garry says he has been offered work but, without accommodation, is unable to sort out the necessary paperwork. His key ambition is to get a boat that he would use to help homeless people get back on their feet.

Big Issue Bristol HQ

Back in the Big Issue office on Upper York Street, the Monday morning rush of new magazine sales has been and gone, as has a drop-in service that supports Roma vendors who may struggle with a language barrier.

“I’ll buy seven please,” says vendor Pablo Martinez, bustling up to the front counter and dropping a handful of pound coins onto the surface as he calls in to re-stock for tomorrow.

Pablo Martinez

“I do try to be OK every day,” he says with a big grin, in answer to the question of how he is doing.

He started selling the Big Issue in 2004 and currently has a pitch in Bishopston, where it’s been a bit of a slow morning.

“The numbers of people who are homeless are definitely rising,” Big Issue service broker Lewis Stewart tells Bristol24/7. “We do see this in terms of people selling the Big Issue to some extent, with an increase in vendor numbers and magazine sales, but not to the full extent that homelessness has increased overall.”

Lewis says that there are certain groups, particular younger people, who don’t sign up to sell the Big Issue, often because of lack of confidence.

“It’s not easy to go and put yourself out there and make yourself a sales person,” says Lewis.

“Some people find it quite difficult. We always try to help people, but getting them in through the door is harder.

“There is a still quite a few people out there who do not see that it’s a difficult job.”

James Wilkinson

James Wilkinson, sales and outreach worker for the Big Issue, agrees adding: “I generally think there is quite a bit of misunderstanding about the Big Issue and how it works, which can really affect how the public see vendors.”

He says that the Big Issue not only helps people earn money, but can also help a lot with social exclusion.

Lewis Stewart greets vendor Gerard Short in the Big Issue office

Stopping in for a quick coffee and to buy more magazines, Gerard Short confirms he has a great number of regulars who buy the magazine from his pitch on the Clifton Triangle.

“I just get on with people – there are some really nice people out there. You do get the miserable bastards as well, I always say if you turn them upside down, they will be smiling,” he says with a smile.

Gerard has been selling the magazine for eight years, but has been diagnosed with asthma so now has to restrict the hours he spends working in the heavily congested spot.

Calling goodbye, he heads back out into the cold, new magazines safely in his distinctive red bag ready to do it all again tomorrow.

Find out more about Garry’s story and his work for the Big Issue Foundation:

Read more: Sleeping Rough