The Big Issue

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

Fighting on the beaches

THE TOP 5 STORIES ON BIGISSUE.COM  LAST WEEK

THE DISPATCH • News, views & miscellany

BAD NEWS FOR JEFF BEZOS IS GOOD NEWS FOR HUMAN INTERACTION

THE BIG ISSUE UK

BIRD'S WORDS • We may have won World War II, but its repercussions remain

LETTERS

The diary of one man’s 900-mile odyssey to raise money for Big Issue vendors

Landmark fund to create more diverse social entrepreneurs announced

GLOBAL ROUNDUP • Street papers and positive thinkers making a difference around the world

‘AS LONG AS THERE’S THAT KIND OF CLADDING ON BUILDINGS ANOTHER GRENFELL WILL HAPPEN’ • Five years after tragedy took 72 lives, what’s changed – and what still needs to change?

GRENFELL A STORY OF MULTIPLE FAILINGS • The inquiry has been running for four years, yet no recommendations from the first published findings have been implemented to date. Kate Lamble has been following the testimonies of those involved

‘WE NEED TO BE THE VOICES OF THOSE WHOSE VOICES HAVE BEEN TAKEN FROM US’ • That night in June 2017 changed thousands of lives. One was Tayshan Hayden-Smith. He grew up across the road from Grenfell Tower, and had overcome challenges in his life to become a promising footballer. The fire turned his focus on how to support and strengthen his community. He planted a Grenfell Memorial Garden, then founded Grow2Know to connect young people with nature. Now 25, his career continues to blossom – he’s appearing on TV shows like Your Garden Made Perfect and just won a top prize at the Chelsea Flower Show. He’s written for The Big Issue about what Grenfell Tower means to him

IN 1996 , GEORGE MICHAEL BARED HIS SOUL TO US IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW. HERE’S A LOOK BACK AT THE LOVE STORY THAT FUELLED THE GENIUS

STEVE LAMACQ • He’s made a career out of telling people what they should be listening to, and still enjoys being argumentative about it

CULTURE

Online lives of self-delusion and desperation

Books on the Cuban Revolution

A rummage through my curated shoebox of visual history

A right-to-die story that’s strangely life-affirming

‘IT’S REALLY ABOUT THE NEAR MISSES WE’VE HAD’ • Writer Joe Barton, who penned critical smash Giri/Haji, has returned with action thriller The Lazarus Project, where man-made and natural disasters are a constant threat. He tells us about the real-world inspirations behind the show

LUCY SWEET IS ON THE VERGE

A dystopian world that’s running out of time

RECORD OF THE WEEK

MY PITCH • Mercure Brigstow, Bristol Every day 5pm-8pm