It’s cold outside

It has been a very wet and very windy start to the new year. Dealing with cold and wet weather is off-putting for many of us, but, if you work outside, it can be not only challenging but dangerous.  

If not responsibly managed, working outdoors in cold temperatures for extended periods can have a serious impact on someone’s health. In the UK, while there is no legal minimum legal temperature for people working outdoors, there remains a requirement for employers to keep workers safe and healthy. For those who are self-employed, like our vendors, it is ultimately a case of them deciding whether the weather is suitable for selling in or not.  

That decision is never a simple one. Missing a day of selling is often significantly detrimental to a vendor’s overall income. On average, a vendor earns £60 per week. Many have no other source of income. Selling The Big Issue is a formally recognised form of self-employment, so vendors don’t receive paid leave or sick pay. The average food bill per week is nearly £40 per person, meaning that a vendor needs to sell twenty magazines to cover costs. 

Vendors can’t work from home; a day not on the streets selling their magazines is a day that they aren’t earning money. The impact of even one week of poor magazine sales can be devastating, especially for those with other financial commitments. 

Missing a day of selling is often significantly detrimental to a vendor’s overall income. On average, a vendor earns £60 per week. Many have no other source of income.

This can be especially difficult for disabled vendors or those with health conditions. Our last vendor audit showed that around a fifth of our vendors had a long-term condition or disability that impacted their mainstream employment opportunities. Not only that; the cost-of-living crisis is impacting disabled people more than ever. The charity Scope estimates that disabled people have to pay up to £600 more a month on utilities.  

“I have very bad problems with my liver. I get tired very easily and I can’t stand for too long,” explains Sara, a vendor based outside Sainsbury’s in Southport. “I have a seat on my pitch which means I can sit down and rest when I need to…but it can be really hard when it is very cold, and I feel pain on my liver.” 

Sara is typical of the kind of Big Issue North vendors that you will see out and about; young, Romanian-born and a caregiver. She has two daughters who rely on her earnings from Big Issue North, further encouraging her to keep working in all weathers: “I hope my children don’t have a life like mine. I hope they get good jobs which are in the warm and not outside in the rain and the cold.” 

More than ever, your support is crucial for our vendors. Along with buying the magazine, it may be that you can support their income via donations to Big Issue North Trust, or by purchasing items from our online shop.  

You can also show your support by stopping, saying hello, and checking on a vendor’s welfare. With over 250 active vendors across the North West, our office staff are not always able to keep in constant contact with them. A brief chat with your local vendor regularly can assist us in making sure that they have everything they need and are keeping safe and secure. 

“My customers have been really kind to me and have helped me whenever I need it,” says Sara. “My customers are so kind… and the people of Sainsbury’s are very good. They bring me coffee and take care of me.”

If you would like to donate to support our work, you can text BINORTH to 70970 to give £5 or go to justgiving.com/bigissuenorth 

You can learn more about the work the Big Issue North Trust does, and donate to our seasonal campaigns here. 

Photo courtesy of The Big Issue.