The Big Issue 3/8/2021

‘Amanda bestowed the world with her presence and had a heart full of good intentions’ The Big Issue is saddened to announce the sudden death of much-loved vendor Amanda Hill. The 43-year-old died in her sleep on March 1, her family has confirmed. The news has shocked all of us at The Big Issue – just last week Amanda told of how much she was looking forward to “seeing the smiley faces of her regular customers” once lockdown measures ended and she could return to her Pontypridd pitch. Big Issue Cymru sales and operations manager Tom Watts paid a touching tribute to the seller. He said: “Amanda had her ups and downs in the time we knew her, but we saw her joy in finally getting long-term accommodation near her family in the Valleys…

The number of free-to-use cash machines has fallen by more than a quarter across the UK since 2018, according to consumer watchdog Which? , while in some of the most deprived areas there has been a three-fold increase in cashpoints that charge to withdraw money. “There are two-and-a-half million people in the UK who are reliant on cash to pay for essential products,” said the report. “A further seven million people say they would struggle without cash. We believe people must be supported to make the transition to online banking where possible.” Which? is calling on the government to make good on its 2020 promise to protect access to those who depend on cash through new legislation, or risk cutting off millions who may not have access to digital bank accounts. Their…

VENDORS Across the country vendors are prevented from working on their pitches by the national lockdown. Our staff is working closely with each vendor to make sure there is extra support to make up for lost earnings. We also understand that apart from reduced income, the lack of social interaction will cause a lot of distress. If you would like to pass a message on to your local vendor please email editorial@bigissue.com and we’ll do our best to make sure they know they still have your support. SUBSCRIPTIONS AND SHOPS Since the first national lockdown in March, we have supported our vendors with more than £1m of financial assistance to make up for lost sales. As the only certainty is more uncertainty, we urgently need your help to make sure we can continue…

PEOPLE NOT POLICY That was a great feature in last week’s Big Issue [Trainspotting at 25, February 15]. Attention needs to be drawn to the continuing need for recovering addicts at a time when depression blankets out hope. I have been a supporter of work in Glasgow by the Calton Athletic Recovery Group (CARG). Founded in 1985 by the visionary David Bryce (he died 10 years ago) it rescued hundreds of addicts and prospered under his leadership. It keeps going now, only on a smaller scale. Funding is always a problem. As Mr Liddell of the Scottish Drugs Forum pointed out, “Our treatment services (in Scotland) are unattractive – the regime they often insist on is not what prospective patients need or want.” This is exactly what David Bryce realised and the…

One of the most interesting UK political pledges in recent weeks came just days ago, in Scotland. It was not linked to the Budget or the Salmond affair or the Indy question. It was entirely different. And so passed largely unnoticed. It came from Monica Lennon, the MSP for Central Scotland. Lennon is a good politician. She was the leading force for the Scottish Period Products Act, a world first, making it mandatory for public places to offer free sanitary products. She had been running for leader of the Scottish Labour Party but lost out to Anas Sarwar. He has his work cut out regaining ground for his party. Lennon’s pledge was simple – to make music teaching free in all secondary schools. She wanted to make it a core part of…

The five million self-employed people in the UK have been some of the workers hardest hit by the economic fallout of Covid. More than half of those who own a business or work for themselves say their financial situation has worsened during the pandemic, according to The Money Charity. In last week’s Budget the Chancellor announced the extension of the self-employment income support scheme (SEISS), with two more grants available for those whose earnings have been damaged by lockdown, including the newly self-employed who filed a tax return for the year 2019-2020. Nevertheless, research by London School of Economics found that a significant number of freelancers are packing it in to join the salaried workforce because they are struggling with money after being left out of state support. If you have questions and…