Big Issue first started offering a hand up to those who needed it in September 1991. As we turn 35, the new PM has recently promised to answer the question asked by our first cover: Why don’t the homeless go home? So we gave it an update: Can the homeless finally go home?
As part of our birthday celebrations, we hear more from Andy Burnham in an exclusive interview. We also take a look back at our early days with covers charting our story, which has always been about giving a voice to those who needed it – and providing a great read in the process. Read more in this week’s extra-special Big Issue.
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What else is in this week’s Big Issue?
Bryan Adams: Unveiling our new Ambassador
In September 1991, when Big Issue launched, Bryan Adams was at the top of the charts in the UK with his hit single, (Everything I Do) I Do It for You – as he was for most of that year, or so it seemed. “My friends were calling me up saying, ‘Your damn song is still number one,” he recalls, laughing. “But it was a great time.” Now, as Big Issue celebrates its 35th birthday, superstar Canadian rocker Adams is joining us as an ambassador. “We’ve come full circle!” he says.
From Big Issue to the big league
When Dan Bleach represented England at the World Masters Hockey World Cup this summer, it was a profound honour. But, for the former Big Issue vendor, it was also a triumph over addiction and homelessness. Read his remarkable story.
Inside Andy Burnham’s rough sleeping plan: ‘It’s not just a one-off thing for Christmas’
Andy Burnham stunned everyone by declaring that his first instruction as prime minister would be to put the country on a path to end rough sleeping. Homelessness is rarely so high on a prime minister’s agenda. With a cost of living crisis, a climate crisis leaving Britain cooking, Gaza, Ukraine and a special relationship with a rogue US president to cultivate, Burnham could hardly be blamed for focusing elsewhere. So, why do it?
Just hours after announcing the ambitious effort Burnham spoke exclusively to Big Issue.
