The Big Miss You 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 KellyIllustration: Eleanor Bannister

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, with additional reporting by Liam Geraghty.

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, with additional reporting by Liam Geraghty.

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 for The Big Issue UK, with additional reporting by Liam Geraghty.

This week we're taking a virtual trip to the seaside - to Broadstairs, on the Kent coast. Usually, you’d find Big Issue seller Colin there, offering a supportive ear and a cheerful smile to his fellow members of the community.Jane and her husband Vic got in touch with The Big Issue to tell us about how much they’re missing seeing Colin for a catch-up when they’re out and about.Jane and Vic have long enjoyed their chats with Colin, but earlier this year, they had a particular reason to feel grateful to him. Colin was the good Samaritan who came to Vic's aid after a fall in which he hit his head.The Big Miss You Podcast comes out every Thursday. It is produced by Laura Kelly, with additional reporting by Liam Geraghty.

Our audio journey takes us to Stockbridge in Edinburgh this week. Local vendor Kenny has been selling the magazine there since last year. Kenny is much-loved by the tight-knit community in Stockbridge.One of the community’s hubs is in Mae Douglas’s shop, The Write Stuff. Like Kenny, Mae is unable to do her normal job at the moment. She got in touch with us to send a message to Kenny, whose weekly visits to her shop she has been missing.Kenny talked to us about how he's looking forward to seeing his family and his customers again. He also told us how he's been maintaining his recovery from addiction, whilst in lockdown.The Big Miss You Podcast comes out every Thursday. It is produced by Laura Kelly, with additional reporting by Liam Geraghty.

For our main feature this week, we’re heading to Norwich where Simon sells The Big Issue outside Top Shop. A fixture of the city, known for his flamboyant jester’s hat, he often cheers up his customer, Mary, with his hearty laugh. Simon slept rough for seven years, bringing his tent all over England, before settling in the friendly city of Norwich. His positivity is remarkable. "I'm not going to tell you how bad my life's been, I'm going to tell you how great I want it to be," he says.We're also visited by comedian Robin Ince, who tells us what Big Issue vendors mean to him as a "professionally nomadic" gigging performer.The Big Miss You Podcast comes out every Thursday. It is produced by Laura Kelly, with additional reporting by Liam Geraghty.

The first episode of the The Big Miss You podcast takes you to Lincoln High Street, where vendor Richie can usually be found selling the magazine outside the Marks and Spencer.His friend Tom Bridger, an actor from Lincoln and regular weekly customer, wrote to The Big Issue to tell us about how much he was missing having the chance to sit down for a cup of tea with Richie.In an emotional conversation, Richie tells about how much that message meant to him. “I miss all of my customers really badly,” he says. “Yeah, [The Big Issue] is just a magazine. But it's not just a magazine, it's my whole world. I just can't wait to get back to work.”“He’s a very inspirational person, for me personally,” said Tom. “He’s always trying to help out people who are local.”The Big Miss You Podcast comes out every Thursday. It is produced by Laura Kelly, with additional reporting by Liam Geraghty.