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 dine in with duck e

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 THE BIG
ISSUE
New Year Edition, 2014
No.I083

VENDORS OF THE YEAR

he year started with tragedy.
On January 11, Ian Watson-Gladwish and Wayne
Busst were stabbed to death as they sold The Big Issue
"IT WASN'T THE BIG DINOSAUR in Birmingham City Centre. Senseless and brutal, the
THAT IMPRESSED ME THE MOST. deaths rocked the organisation and shocked the nation.
NO, IT WAS THE INFINITE VARIETY, Our founder and compass John Bird spoke of
incomprehension and a deep questioning over whether
THE MULTIPLICITY" 16 he could keep the whole thing going.
And then you, the public, began to react. You started to
send in messages of condolence, then support, and then
stories about your own vendors. We realised that the way
REVIEW OF 2013 to best honour the dead was to redouble effo rts for their
What made the news in 2013 4 colleagues.
The spread of foodbanks H
Big cartoon of the year ll!. ~Aiiii'".a.illlllill It ran like a rich seam through the year,
Vendor tributes 13. culminating in the Christmas cover- and such a cover!
letter To My Younger Self M Several hundred faces of vendors brought together to make
one great big joyous Santa.
FEATURES This week, we look back over 2013 but also look towards
2014. Things have turned a corner, George Osborne insists.
David Attenborough ill And there are certainly, on paper, markers of upturns in
An open letter to Michael Gove fl unemployment figures and in growth. How this translates
Alex Massie says: time to wake into tangible realities for us all in 2014, we shall see.
up to the Yes/No referendum 23 Foodbanks continue to grow in number and payday lenders
don't look like they're in decline.
THE Through it all, The Big Issue remains -for our vendors
and to give you, our readers, some righteous fire and an
ENLIGHTENMENT independent anti-authority streak every week.
We have mattered for a long time and we matter now
Film, TV and radio 28 more than ever.
One last Thing 30 Go and find your local vendor, chat to them, buy the
magazine and then do it again the following week.
Big0uiz42
Very quickly you'll discover The Big Issue works.
Puzzles 44 Happy new year to you all.
My Pitch quotes 46 #celebrateyourvendor

Editor of the Year 2013

(British Society of Magazine Editors)

SYRIA EMERGENCY APPEAL THE BIG ISSUE

dec org.uk!appeals/syna·cns1s·appeal
JOURNALISM WORTH PAYING FOR
If you have any comments please email me at:
paul.mcnamee@bigissue.com or tweet @pauldmcnamee

AHAND UP. NDT AHANDOUT Big Issue vendors buy the magazine for £1.25 and sell it for £ 2.50, keeping £ 1.25 for each copy that they sell. All our vendors
receive training, sign a code of conduct and can be identified by their photo ID badges, which must be worn at all times on their pitch. The Big Issue was
set up in 1991 to provide homeless and vulnerably housed people with the opportunity to earn a legitimate income. Becoming housed is only the first step
on the journey away from the streets, so we allow vendors to continue selling the magazine once they have found accommodation. Through the Big Issue
Foundation, we also provide support to vendors looking to address the issues that led them to become homeless. The Big Issue Foundation is a charity
that relies primarily upon donations from the general public. To find out more about the Foundation's work visit bigissue.org.uk.
THE BIG ISSUE I p3 I NewYear Edilion, 2014
NUMBERS
NEWS REVIEW OF 2013

40,000,000,000 40BN Number of 'Goldilocks'

Earth-sized planets in habitable
zones of space, according to
Kepler mission data.

new person to claim

housing benefit in
the UK (310 new
people a day).

Jockey Tony McCoy

sets an extraordinary
record for career wins.

The number of

21 APART
YARDS
The proportion airports a Japanese
of Brits defined official emailed in
as the "precarious April to mistakenly
proletariat" by report a North
the BBC's class Korean missile had
calculator. been launched.

The two pressure

2,200,000
The number of Syrian cooker bombs that
refugees who have killed three people
fled since conflict and injured 264
began (10 per cent of others at the
the population). Boston Marathon.

Cost of Operation Alice, an investigation that

failed to clear up a dispute about one man's
word against another (Andrew Mitchell

'
allegedly calling a police officer a "pleb").

THE BIG ISSUE I p4 / New Year Edition. 2014

There's more to
National Book Tokens
than meets the eye

Look a little closer at National Book Tokens and you'll discover more pleasures
than ever for anyone who loves books. Because now, every National Book Token comes
with Caboodle, a brand new rewards programme.
Caboodle offers a huge range of literary treasures- like free books, exclusive offers,
incredible competitions and much more. Best of all, it's free. Now with added

To celebrate the launch of Caboodle, we're giving away a year's supply of books to 10 lucky
winners. For your chance to win, find the 20 book titles hidden in the picture above.
Play online at nationalbooktokens.com today. Bundles of b<lnelots for b ookiOvers

0
10 prizes of a £150 or €250 National Book Tokens gift card. plus runners up prizes. Te rms apply. See website for decalls.
 WORDS OF THE YEAR

PHUBBING
Snubbing someone by
using your phone instead Rudely-named stock
of talking to them. exchange in Los Santos in
Grand Theft Auto V (say it
with a Scottish accent).

~UKUPPY Unfortunately-named
new mascot at
POGONOPHOBIC Fukishima Industries,
close to the site of
Irrational fear or dislike
of beards, especially the Fukishima nuclear
Jeremy Paxman's. disaster.

BATTLE OF THE COURT ROOM BATTLES

NtGELfA(3ANNIES rwlr(t~!
What began with Lawson and
ex-husband Charles Saatchi's aides
being tried for alleged credit card
fraud, and ended with Elisabetta
and Francesca Grillo being cleared,
mutated into an ugly savaging of
the celebrity chef. She admitted
having used coke, but cutting a
soberly glamorous figure in court,
Nigella applied super-strength
mascara, held her head high and
sparked a frenzy of tabloid "get the
look" splashes.

QUOTES OF THE YEAR

"I MET SOMEONE...

AND, WELL, THAT
The speeding points that tore
a family part. The LibDem
former MP and ex-wife Vicky
SOMEONE IS AGUY"
Tom Daley tells the world about his boyfriend
Pryce were convicted of onYouTube.
perverting the course of
justice (she took speeding
points for him), and both served
two months of an eight-month
sentence. When the children got
/:..
dragged into this sorry court
rumble, it all became rather
liDo ~ou t~in~ Bartoli's
sad and ridiculous. ~a~ tol~ ~er, 'You're never
~oin~ to ~e aloo~erT' "TH( BAOG[RS HAY(
MOV(O TH[ GOAlPOSTS"
WiflllJ!lt? NIGELLA, OF COURSE
John lnverdale on
Marion Bartoli (who went
on to win Wimbledon).
Environment secretary
Owen Paterson.
 NEWS REVIEW OF 2013

SCANDALSHEET ~jO/J?)

ROB fORD -----.

THE CRACK PIPE MAYOR ~
Toronto's Mayor was stripped of
most powers by the city council
but brazenly refused to resign
after being caught smoking
crack. He ended the year
dancing uncontrollably at
West Toronto Church of God
(one churchgoer suggested
Ford "smells like ganja").

The former Co-operative bank

boss (and now ex-minister) was
caught on undercover video
discussing cocaine and crystal
meth he allegedly wanted, and
was arrested shortly after.
Flowers is planning to leave for
America, apparently, once the
police matter is resolved, to "get
back his God".

n ROB FORD. The best

1AJl ~ n 0 11.( scandal merchants
VV UU ~ v are shameless.

TOP TRENDING
GOOGLE SEARCHES
2013

"I'M GOING ON
HOLIDAY SOON... "GO ATt
IWISH IT WOULD
HURRY UP" HIM WITH
The Queen on the slow
I Paul Walker
_....._.,.,_____.. arrival of the Royal Baby. 2 iPhone 5S
lOVfAND 3 Royal baby
"THE MAN WHO GIVr HIM A 4 Cory Monteith

~~IK~. ~.RITAIN"
5 Oscar Pistorius
6 Nelson Mandela

about Ed Miliband's dad winds

owWJOB"
Gwyneth Paltrow's big
7 Grand National
8 Universal Jobmatch
9 Margaret Thatcher
everyone up. relationship tips. 10 XboxOne
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 NEWS REVIEW OF 2013

FIVE YEARS ON FROM THE BANKING

CRASH WE'RE ANATION IN RECOVERY.
WE'RE TOLD. HERE'S WHAT THE
~aOODBANKS TELL US ... ~« 2013
FOOD BANKS 2008

20
foodbanks in Britain
foodbanks in Britain

(people receiving
three-day f ood parcels)
Stats:Trussell Trust

HOMELESSNESS & ROUGH SLEEPING

~·
'" 2012/ 13

~,79~
2012/13 ...,

.,· 9,474 (accepted as homeless

In Wales) (sleeping tough
F (accopted
~ ..
as homeless
In Scotland) In london)

2008/09

53,430 Stars: DCLG,Sconishgovernment (based on quarterly snapshots Aprii·June). Welshgovernment, Broadway

-·
THE BIGISSUE I p9 / New Year Edition. 2014
BRITISH POLITICS AT YEAR'S END (RENDERED AS IF IT WERE A
LATE 18TH CENTURY GIN PALACE FULL OF DARK GOINGS ON...)
.a:: d? 2
•
 NEWS REVIEW OF 2013
II THINGS WE KNOW NOW (THAT
WE DIDN'T THIS TIME LAST YEAR)

CUCAMELON
IIS A THING
Supermarkets unveiled
this new fruit/cucumber
melon hybrid back in March.

2 THE BRITISH LOVE A GOOD BUBBLE

We didn't see the economic "recovery"
coming. But we didn't think anyone was
stupid enough to artificially reinflate the
housing market.

3 MINECRAFT IS THE MOST ADDICTIVE

THING ON PLANET EARTH
The stupidly brilliant thing, which
is basically just building up blocks,
became the top-paid game on iPhone
and iPad this year.

4 DAVID JAMES IS
A PSYCHOPATH
The former goalie owned up to
a scary lack of feeling during
Channel4's Psychopath Night
in December.

SPACEMEN LOVE DAVID BOWIE

5 The Thin White Duke sang songs about
astronauts, now astronauts {like Chris
Hadfield on the ISS) are singing them back.

And it wasn't himself. He revealed

a relationship in his brilliant
autobiography.

A SLUT IS A WOMAN
? WHO DOESN'T CLEAN
Godfrey Bloom quit as Ukip MEP after
referring to party members as "sluts [who]
don't clean behind the fridge". The charmer.
,
a SOMEONE HAS MORE
MONEY THAN SKY
BT paid £897m to outbid
Sky and lTV for the
Champions League.
£89ZM
9 SEA SLUGS HAVE
DISPOSABLE PENISES
It's true. Scientists found Chromodoris
reticulata sheds members.

IO THE NATIONAL
TRUST DOES
BURLESQUE
The tea, scones and
nipple tassle night at
Killerton House in Exeter
was launched in June to
"attract a younger crowd".

II ANDY MURRAY IS A TRUE CHAMPION

We sort of knew this last year. Sort of.
But this year he finally allayed all fears and
won Wimbledon. We never doubted him.
Honest.
 hrifty Couture

T use recycled denim

to make these
unique, gorgeous jeans
personalised exclusively
for you and ready in just
two days! They take all
your preferences and
things you love, whether
it's music, cartoons,
anything at all, and
incorporate it into your bespoke design. In
buying a pair, you will help create jobs for
ex-offenders and unemployed people in
London. If we sell enough, we will train Big
Issue vendors to make more.
READY IN TWO DAYS

treet artist Mau

S Mau has teamed

up with DGrade
Clothing and The Big
Issue to create this
funky, exclusive
design to launch
The Tee Issue.
Pollution in our
oceans is a major
issue, and DGrade Clothing use plastic
bonles to make each Tee-shirt (three
bonles in a 50/50 mix with Fairtrade
conon).ln ocean blue, it has a full-colour
image on the front and print on the back. It
looks great and helps keep the sea clean.

readable, reusable bag made from 100

A per cent recycled banana fibre, hessian,

paper, jute or elephant poo! Every Bag
Issue bought supports the Karm Marg
orphanage for street children in India, which
provides former street children with a home
and an education.
 IN MEMORY
VENDORS WE'VE LOST
OVER THE LAST YEAR
BIR MINGH AM
Ian Watson-Gladwish, 31, and Wayne Busst, 32,
were fatally stabbed on January 11, in front of
horrified members ofthe public during rush hour in
Birmingham city centre. An outpouring of grief
followed from friends, family and the people of the city
as well as the extended Big Issue community. We also
lost James McDonnagh and ex-vendor Billy Price.
BOUR NEM OU TH
Donna Osman died in June at the age of 40. Always
upbeat and headstrong, she never Jet her disability hold
her back. Steven Ralph passed away in May from
pneumonia, aged 46. He had sold The Big Issue for
many years. Claire Willes died in May. She had
struggled with substance abuse for many years and
tragically died after a drug overdose, aged 49.
BRIS TOL
John Holt died in March of a heart attack at the
age of 54. John's family, his loyal customers and
Big Issue staff all attended his funeral. He had kept in
touch with his three children in Australia who were
there to Jay flowers in front of a memorial plaque.
JozefLakaszewski died in July of throat cancer, aged
57. He did not have any family but a funeral service
was attended by Polish and English friends.
DE RBY
Dave Ashall, a vendor in Derby, passed away.
ED IN BU RGH
Barry Campbell, an ex-vendor, died suddenly in July.
His mother decided to collect for The Big Issue at the
funeral and the money raised was put towards snacks
for vendors at Christmas time. Wayne Doyle,
former vendor, died in the arms of his friend, fellow
ex-vendor Stuart, in November. Gordon 'Gogs' Fraser
also passed away. He had been unwell for some time
but still sold magazines when able.
GLOUC ESTER
Kevin Rizakos was a vendor from South Africa who
THE BIG ISSUE I
died due to poor health. Victor McDermott, 44, was
killed on December 2.
LO NDO N
Long-term vendors Andy Coupe and Anthony Tiffany
died this year from natural causes. Ion Ciolanf died
following an accident when he returned to Romania.
NORT HAMPTON
Ray 'Trainer' Addis passed away. He was a
Northampton vendor who had become a vendor
co-ordinator. We were also saddened to lose
Simon Boyd and Martin Woodley.
NOR WIC H
John Broth, a vendor in Norwich, passed away.
NOTT IN GHA M
Dave Ashall, a vendor in Derby, passed away.
Much-loved former vendor MickAtkin died
from a drink-related stomach problem.
OXFORD
Steve Cope was one of the faces of Oxford Big Issue
over the years -long-term vendor, part-time employee
in the office and all round lovely fellow, greatly missed.
We were also saddened to Jose Steve Lawer.
PE TER BO RO UG H
Andrea Lenaghan died of natural causes in the arms
of her friend. She was much loved and would lend a
hand to newly homeless people in the city. Sorely
missed by all who knew her. We also lost Michael White.
READ IN G
Phillip Byrne, a vendor in Reading, passed away.
WAL ES
Cheryl Baines, 35, who worked in Cardiff and Newport,
and Craig White, 37, who sold in Cardiff, both passed
away. Gary Spirit, who had sold The Big Issue in
various towns across north Wales for many years, died
in August.
p13 i New Year Edition. 2014
 Every week The Big Issue's letter
To My Younger Self reveals avery
different side to celebrity. Here
are some of the best bits of 2013
"I certainly have moments when it
hits me I'm not young any more. It was
shocking and scary to age. So much of
my notoriety was based on my looks.
So to deal with that and try to look
good ... I've always tried. I think most
women do. We survive on our looks."
DEBBIE HARRY, 68

"If I could go back in time I don't think

I'd be an actress. I'd tell my younger
self to persevere with
physics and chemistry
and I'd go down that "I was quite broody for a while no marriage, no divorce, no
path instead." before my children came. I was
delighted to see them. I felt
war. I thought, I don't want that.
My father was the opposite,
JUNE BROWN, 86
from a very young age that he did it all. And I thought,
these were the things on offer definitely that. Not 'wanking in
"I'd tell my younger self that what will feel in life and I wanted to have digs', that's how Larkin put it.
like the murderous end of his career is the life that involves bearing Which doesn't sound great
really an opportunity to walk a new path. children. A negative example does it?"
It was very mysterious to me when my was Philip Larkin - no children, MARTIN AM IS, 64
career as a leading man was s uddenly over
when I was 30. There was nothing wrong
with me - I hadn't suddenly got paralysed "Sadly, if you're someone like me you're
or got acne. I wasn't ensnared by the drink never happy just achieving your first dream.
and the drugs of the 1960s because I'd You get greedy and you look for more. But
always taken care of myself - it was so there's probably a little more contentment
hard for me to become an actor at all because of the now. I am proud of what I've achieved and I
working-class e nvironment I'd come from, so I was careful feel very priv ileged that I made a living doing
with my body, my vehicle, my Fe rrari. So when the 1960s something I loved. It's not all been a bed of
ended and I ended with it, that was just killing for me." roses though; I've broken every bone in my
TERENCE STAMP, 75 body and spent a lot of time in hospital."
AP McCOY, 39

MY YOUNGER SELF WAS VERY NAIVE ABOUT THE PROBLEMS OTHER PEOPLE GO
THROUGH. PRISON TAUGHT ME HOW PRIVILEGED I'D BEEN AND HOW MANY GOOD
FRIENDS I HAD JEFFREY ARCHER, 73

It's tempting to say I'd

"I was naive about romantic relationships.

~
J!
advise myself not to take
But I did have one wonderful relationship,
with Richard Burton, and it went on for
J1
~
--
heroin. But I don't think you
many years. But he was married so he
wasn't mine. I played the young girl

~
his
opposite
should regret these things.
young boy. There was an
immediate bond." CLAIRE BLOOM, 82
IRVINE WELSH, 55

THE BIG ISSUEI pl4 / New Year Edition, 2014

 THE MIX
LETTER TO MY
YOUNGER SELF
2013
"I'd tell the younger me, I know you're
dreading that weekend stuck in a little flat
in Earls Court, all your mates out at
shows, you locked inside for three days,
pissed off because you have to write an
a-side and two b-sides for your band's
next single - but trust me, it's a good
idea, 'cause on the Friday you'll write
William, It Was Really Nothing, on the
Saturday Please, Please, Please, Let Me
Get What I Want and then on the Sunday
night you'll kick back with a joint and
write How Soon Is Now? So that Irish
working-class work ethic will come in
pretty useful." JOHNNY MAAR, 50

"When Richey [Edwards, former Manics guitarist

who disappeared in 1995] went missing, I just felt
grief and pain. Not just a broken heart but a
broken fucking frame of a body. I felt like I was
having a heart attack most days. It was horrible.
Everyone saw the loss of a rock'n'roll icon bit
but there were also his parents, his sister, the
loss of a friendship. No one else could ever
understand that." NICKY WIRE, 44

"I'd tell myself education is worth "I wouldn't say I had an "If I could go back to
more effort. I was a bit lost at eating disorder but for the when I was happiest
school, hanging around the wrong purposes of trying to hit a I'd go back to being a
type. My academic career went target weight as a jockey, I sperm. You're in your
down the plughole. My school was completely disrespected my dad's ball bag. You
a social experiment, an early mix of body. I did whatever I exist but there's no
a grammar and comprehensive, needed to do to lose hassle. You're with all
massive- 1,800 pupils, all boys. three pounds in your relations, no one
It was a madhouse. There were a a day." CLARE you don't know. No
lot of very tough kids but when I BALDING, 42 one's trying to flog you
look back I realise the toughest shit. You have no idea
were the four or five down the front trying to concentrate of the stresses and
while all around them there were doors being slammed, strains lying ahead.
fire extinguishers being let off, people being hit on the That answer could be
head with desktops." SUGGS, 52 taken as me being a
miserable bastard but
I'm not. This Is quite a
THE FIRST THING I DID AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LADDER [OF THE horrible planet really.
I find death quite
APOLLO II LUNAR MODUL~ WAS TO URINATE INTO MY SPACESUIT
BUZZ ALDRIN, 83
reassuring. Knowing
there's an end
makes it easier
to get through."
"I'd want to smack the teenage me if I met KARL PILKINGTON, 41
him now. He didn't have his head on
straight. My mother was ill with
breast cancer for so long there's
a lot of my childhood I cannot...
I've just blocked out. If I could
go back to my teenage self
I'd tell him not to yell at his
mother. Her last words were
'Where were you?' because
I had run away to California
because I couldn't deal with it.
It took me 10 years to deal
with her death."
MEATLOAF, 66

THE BIG ISSUE I p15 i Hew Year Edition, 2014

THEBIG ISSUE I pl6 I New Year Edition, 2014
 DAV I D ATTENBO ROUGH

OH, THERE IS SO MUCH MORE

TO DISCOVER. KIDS ARE
OPTIMISTIC LITTLE
CREATURES. TELL THEM
THE TRUTH AND LET THEM
GET ON WITH IT
THE NAT ION'S MOST TRUSTED MAN
LOOK S TO 2014 ... AND BEYOND
INTERVIEW BY ADAM FORREST

avid Attenborough was eight years old when he discovered the immensity of
Mother Nature's miscellany. It happened on a trip to the vast Natura l
History Museum in London. "It wasn't the big dinosaur [diplodocus] that
impressed me the most," he recalls. "As a boy I was a bit saddened to see it
was a copy- a plaster cast Bit of a swizz, I thought.
"No, what impressed me was the infinite variety of things- going round
the gallery with a million different butterflies. Seeing the multiplicity of t he
natural world left an impression on me."
At 87, Attenborough has been almost everywhere, seen almost every-
thing. He is able to look back at the breadth of his broadcasting work with
pride. His programmes have covered every aspect of the natural world ("a reasonably
coherent survey", he judges) and have left an enormous impression on several generations
of telly viewers. He is - according to a Reader's Digest poll- the most trusted person in
the United Kingdom.
He is also determined that a pacemaker fitted in 2013 will not stop him achieving
yet more. Talking to The Big Issue shortly before Christmas, the great n aturalist of our
age is visibly, boyishly excited about his latest project for Sky- David Attenborough's
Natural History Museum Alive, which uses CGI and 3D technology to bring the museum's
extinct inhabitants to life. Attenborough comes face-to-face with a sabre-toothed
Smilodon, a 33-ft gigantophis snake and a huge, fluffy moa bird.
It makes for delightful viewing. But wandering round the Natural History Museum
before t he interview, I found myself feeling a bit jaded - overwhelmed, perhaps-
by humanity's masterful documenting powers. We have set up live webcams of lion kills,
surveyed the inky-dark recesses of the ocean floor, stuck cameras into every conceivable
kind of burrow, nest and den. U we are getting this good at filming living things (and some
dead ones too), isn't there a danger we're running out of discoveries?
"Oh, nowhere near- there's so much more," says Attenborough. "The fun of this
programme has been to show some of the [extinct] things that we thought we knew were
actually wrong, and speculate what they might have looked like when alive... And in terms
of conservation, there's so much to be done. Every three months you see a nice picture of
a bird in the newspaper that says underneath, 'This species is disappearing'. So we ought
to be looking out more for what we have."
Climate change means we - and everything else on the planet we take pictures of e

THE BIG ISSUE I pl7 I NewYear Edlllon, 2014

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-are in pretty big t rouble. Despite initial
reservations about mixing environmentalist
polemic and his r ole as an objective BBC
figurehead, Attenborough h as become more
open about the huge difficulties we face in a
warming world.
"Kids should know," he says. "They are
the next generation that's going to have to
cope with a lot and decide wh at they're going
to do. Kids don't get overwhelmed by all that
much. Kids are optimistic little creatures.
It's middle-aged and elderly blokes like me
who get depressed about it. My feeling is that
what they want to know is the truth and the
idea you can hush climate change up because
it might make the poor dears miserable is not
a good idea."
He worries very big ch a nges are now
inevitable. How does he rate our chances of
survival? "We're not going to become extinct
in t he next 100 years, 200 years or 500
years," he says. "But we may well be less
well-off, less comfortable than we are n ow.
There will be more of us in the immediate
years ahead, whatever we do now. So the
natural world will be under greater threat.
There may b e things we can see n ow th at
they wouldn't be able to see. The effects are
very difficult to predict so it's either a very
great or foolish man who sticks his neck out
and says he knows what'll happen.
"But by and large - if you're a cook or a
chemist- you know that if you heat things
up reactions take place," he continues. "The
Earth is heating up - it's bubbling more, it's
fizzing more. If climate ch ange continues, as
one suspects it might, a lot of fertile lands
will be under water, a lot of lands that are
fe rtile now will become desert and there
will be huge changes in population. We'r e
well placed in this country, and we'll have
to make decisions about that. Do we allow
everybody who wants to come to live here to
come here? It's tricky."
Attenborough also seems perturbed
about the tricky path ahead for public service
broadcasting. He is aware how fas t things are
changing. Almost all trends are now at odds
with the sober, Reithian values of the BBC.
"There will be an awful lot of do-your-
own television," h e says. "You know better
than me, kids are making their own s tuff
and talking to themselves - and they don' t
particularly want old guys sitting in London
telling them things. That's becoming global.
The factors, the influen ces, the ideas, the
exchanges, globally, are changing hugely.
If you're in an optimistic mood, you think,
'That's pretty good - everyone is involved'.
On the oth er hand you can see it as mob
rule, qnd wonder if anyone will do anything
intelligent or far-seeking or altruistic."
"When I was working 30 years ago you
did 13 one-hour episodes in a series but now
you have the absurdity of television planners
telling you you're only in for a two-part
series," he adds. "I mean, how fatuous is
that? So I worry contemporary television is
losing ambition, is losing zest to tackle the
nard things."
The interview finishes on a brighter note.
Attenborough waxes lyrical about the
birdlife at the wetlands centre not far from
his home in Richmond. "They keep coming,
of their own volition, to the biggest conurb-
KIDS! GO WILD
Don't be afraid to explore the great outdoors in winter.
Here'sDavid Attenborough's guide to wildlife spotting in the UK...
II~II#I:C¢1;1•19~1
"Children can look for
various footprints in the snow
- hedgehogs, foxes and so on.
If you didn't know the fox had
been coming into your garden,
you can get a shock after the
snow comes and you discover it's
been there. Foxes make a variety
of noises. The noise you're most
familiar with is the noise of
copulating foxes - it's fairly loud.
There is the copulatory lock,
which means the pair remain
attached after copulation: both
are trying to get away but can't.
It's nature's way of protecting the
male sperm [making sure it] isn't
routed out or superseded by
other sperm. So there's a hanging
on - and that's the noise."
ation in western Europe. I like that. There's
something optimistic about that."
And then the nation's most trusted man is
off, a meeting with Prince William and the
Duchess of Cambridge ahead at a special
screening of his 3D extravaganza.
It is tempting to imagine, gloomily, there
will never be another like Attenborough. But
perhaps, in the spirit of optimism, it is better
to imagine that somewhere out there is an
eight-year-old boy, taking his first trip to the
museum, getting ready, one day, to show us a
new way of looking at the world. •
David Attenborough's Natural History Museum
Alive 3D airs at 6.30pm, New Year's Day, Sky 3D
and in 2D on Sky I
THE BIG ISSUE I pl9 t New Year Edition. 2014
DAVID ATTENBOROUGH
ll@ll11#41;t
"One of the things I like to see in
winter is the little redwings that
come down from Scandinavia.
There are lots of migrants in
winter of course, like the
Bewick's swans coming down
from the Arctic. I live in
Richmond, close to
Hammersmith, which has a
wonderful wetlands centre
attracting plenty of birds. What
I find charming is the notion
that there are birds up there in
northern Siberia saying: "Biimey
it's cold, it's mid-December...
Why don't we go to that great
place by the Thames in
Hammersmith?" They keep
coming, of their own volition,
to the biggest conurbation in
western Europe."
ll~ll#litjjllal
"Mountain hares change colour
in the winter, an ermine coat.
Not many Big Issue readers will
get to see that of course, unless
they're in the Scottish Highlands.
There have been some good
reintroductions of species into
the wild. The obvious one is the
red kite, which you can see when
you're driving on the M4. The
otters in Scotland -that's been a
success. With beavers, if you're
a landowner and you want to
introduce them, fine by me -but
there are people growing trees
commercially who get pretty
cheesed off if beavers fell the
things before they're a couple of
feet high. I mean, if you own a
million acres in Scotland it's all
right - I suppose you can do all
kinds of experiments and keep
a pack of wolves if you like, as
long as they don't go eating
babies in Glasgow."
 .

•- .

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 AN OPEN LETTER TO THE
F-----t----...-...-cmo-N=S~E-CI r·--=---·----- -
s an.outand proud datageek,league tables.ru:e unequivocall)LOne_ofm~-----­
favourite things in the world. Compactly presented information troves,
ltitude of infor_mation that can be analysed and
reanalysed to the nth degree leading to a glorious compendium of graphs
and..char..ts.Jieaven. Co~erseJy. as a_teacb._euncLWestliJUTLUnit_e..,duf.g.an
......_
I _ _ _ _ __
also find them to be objects of absolute horror.
-l'm.utterly convinced that.e'-!ery school.in-this countcy.is.packed-with. -- - - - - ,
dedicated, creative, intelligent and passionate staff, desperate to secure
theJlest~utc.omedor_those students in.its..careJ3ec.aus._e.te~hingjs_a~----~
vocation, not a job. However, schools, by their very nature, differ
1--- -..::.:.:.:...J._ _ _ -+-----~----- __wildly...fi:om.onuown.to the_nex~d.factQ[S_co~ge to cr.eate.eachind.OOdu.cu...._ _ _ ___,
environment.
ure, the people-who work in schools.shru:e.a common-ideology ofwanting th&bes&-- -- - -
outcomes for young people but the definition of 'best outcomes' is entirely dependent
, - - - -I '--- - - __on..the context oLthe..s.chooLThi.sis..wkyJeague tables.are such.a.contentious topi...__ _ _ __
because the layers of complexity and circumstance are stripped away and we are
judged and rated as·if it were-a level-playing--field-which-it most certainly-is-no~.-------,
If you were to visit the schools at the top and bottom of the league table you would
have-vetydifferent"eXperiences buttbetthe common-gronnctwould"be a-core-team- -- - -
of staff working themselves insensible for the good of the students. The staff in the
- bottom-school must-just feel utterly-crushed when-those-tables--get published; wh-ic:ll-- - - --
makes it very hard to see their benefit.
• - - - - - - - · - --'l'hf' whole profession was-similarly crushed recently-wherrthe.PI5A-figureswe·l'f""- - -- -,
released stating that we are lagging behind on the international stage when it comes
- - - - - - - - to-Elfglislr; mathsand science. Thenews wanner,predictably, witlmnge am1mn"t~---­
of coverage in the media bemoaning our education system and laying the blame at
----------T!hf"'ff'f't-nii'-Pi !~h P·r-i teachel'Si)rdemonic-hellbeasHeenage·N;:-.- - - - -- - - - -
We should always be looking at ways to drive up the standards- quality of educa-
'onis<tbsolutely-paramounr- butwe aren'rgoingto"bringaboutthatimprovement-- - - -
by simply shouting at people to be better at their jobs. We need to seriously consider
l'------re-£orri1.1ll1efkey't~5Sii00essfulleaf""'ning 1s very sllllple ani:lsffiilghtforward. It's engage-
truly interested in something, can clearly see the purpose and
-------.e!l~ran.ce-ofitt<l~nd-ltets1:1nnml·vit::1:fltenit1.vtll sticlr.For example;-learningto-drivei·. .-- - --
SigJruncantuy more difficult than learning trigonometry- the difference is that people
- - - - - -,.,,-.,;n·t-t-n• rl ..i·rro a cannuch'lllore"tha1rtheywanttoiind1:tre size-onnnissingmlgla-.- - -- - -

The countries that are successful share a key similarity. They have all undergone
- -;;'!
Sic;;gru
=·fican reform thaflias p aced educafion standards front and centre. Reform that
focuses on fostering a love of learning, reform that acknowledges and addresses the
,-------f.,.~H·h indivtduals-and as-such have-differentways-ofte-arningmllr~-----
differing support needs, reform that makes education one cohesive journey, rather
- - - --than~a-series of lOOsely conne-cted p11ases.
You are very vocal about the need for improvement, and in actuality, everyone
- - - - - - ---..ing in education would agree w1th you but that won't happen with a senes
of, seemingly, knee-jerk policy changes and a culture of blame and finger-pointing.
- - -while educauon standards rema1na polilical w apon-;-any-unprovements wmr- - - -
always happen on a political timescale rather than an educational one. If there is a
ser1ous des1re to fiave a 'world class' education system m th1s country, then why not
remove it from the political arena? Hand it over to the experts and the academics
- - - - - . - -:..- dedicated their lives to thestudy of education and learning, to t he
thousands of dedicated staff who are committed to securing the best possible
You are welcome
at a Quaker meeting
www.quaker.org.uk
 l!ustralion:l.laesCcle
YES/NO: YOU STILL
PAYING ATTENTION?
We all should be because the outcome will
have aprofound effect on the UK. But the
campaign needs to be injected with the
urgency it deserves, argues Alex Massie
arning: this is another article about
the Scottish independence referendum.
Be not afraid, however, you need only
endure this argument for another nine
months. If it some t imes seems as
though you've heard it all before that is
probably because you have heard it all
before. Scottish independence ceased
to be a fringe movement a long time
ago. The argument for independence
has been made for at least 40 years now a nd, in general
terms, little has changed in all that time.
So it is not difficult to understa nd why this campaign
has not yet set the heather alight. Much of it is simply
stale a nd one suspects som e of t he would-be heather
arsonists would struggle to fulfil their brief even if they
were handed a can of kerosene and a box of Swan Vestas.
Be that as it may, it is a rather big deal. A bigger deal, in
fact, than m any people seem to appreciate.
This time next year the United Kingdom may no
longer exist. At least not as we have known it. There is an
expectation - much cherished by Scottish nationalists
- that many things would r em a in much the same if
Scotland votes for independence. We will be fine, they
say, because we will keep all the wonderful things about
Britain (the BBC, the NHS) and we will maintain the
useful things as well (the Bank of England) while
ditching the intolerable aspects oflife in Britain (Tories,
THE BIG ISSUE I
OPINION :
INDEPENDENCE VOTE
chiefly). There will be less
drama than you think, so let's
vote Yes.
Perhaps. It all seems some-
what too good to be true which,
in politics, is generally a leading
indicator that it is all too good to
be true. Against that, the Union-
ist campaign has hit upon the
novel tactic of scarcely running
a campaign at all. Not, at any
rate, a campaign built upon
th e ide a that th e United
Kingdom might offer Scotland- and
its other constitue nt members - a
bright and bounteous future.
Instead the No campaign has chiefly been content to
poke Yes campaigners with a variety of sticks and cattle
prods. This has annoyed nationalists, many of whom
dislike being pressed on the detail of their plans for a
currency union with tl1e "rump" UK or the precise terms
of Scotland's putative membership of the EU. But, in the
end, this kind of"whataboutery'' can only take Unionists
so far. Man cannot exist on this thin porridge alone for
18 months. Nor woman neither.
All available evidence suggests both campaigns are
much better at preaching to the already converted than
they are a t dispatching mission aries to win fresh
converts. The polls stubbornly refuse to shift, leaving
journalists scrabbling to find fresh ways of injecting
excitem ent into a campaign that, most of the time, is
about as sexy as a November afternoon in Inverclyde.
If Scots a re wear ied by endless referendum talk, I
suspect people in other parts of the United Kingdom are
equally disenchanted by Scotland's solipsistic approach
to the referendum. Only citizens living in Scotland have
the right to vote but the consequences of this plebiscite
spill out far beyond Scotland. A Yes vote will unavoidably
have consequences for Britain's standing in the world.
This is not s imply a matter of preening. Standing
brings clout which, in turn, brings opportunity and
r esponsibility. Britain's influence within Europe might
be compromised still further by Scottish independence.
So too, possibly, could its standing at the United Nations,
where there'd be a fresh attempt to evict Britain from its
permanent seat at the Security Council. Britain's ability
to project power- of both the soft and hard varieties -
might be compromised by Scottish independence.
Domestically, too, the colour of British politics would
change. It would become more difficult- though not
impossible- for Labour to win in England and Wales.
But this might be the least of the changes. It is possible
to game plan the practical consequences of a Yes vote but
a No vote w ill also not prevent fresh calls fo r fu r ther
constitutional change.
Besides, the practical politics are only one aspect of
the equation. More significant by far is the impact Scot-
tish independence might have on how Britons think of
themselves and their country. It is a psychological matter
as much as it is a political conundrum. Much will change.
Which is one reason for paying attention and earnestly
hoping for a better campaign in 2014 than that which we
have endured in 2013. •
p23 t New Year Edition. 2014
 I
I

&3 MARKS THE SPOT

building dates from the 1700s and it

a hostelry in 1813. Glasses remain '
tables, furniture is still in place and
is in the till - in fact, everything
as it was when Mr and Mrs
_-""'!tlooerts called time for the last time in
Now a museum, visitors can enjoy
time-capsule, although the beer may
off! valiantsoldier.org.uk

he Keel Row Bookshop

is a delight, spread over two
~loors, with every wall lined
'with packed wooden shelves.
he selection grabs the
imagination -from prized first
editions to piles of hardbacks
from the Folio Society and
~tacks of good condition stripy
,'Penguins. keelrowbookshop.co.uk

as a mine, an ammunition
,_..,..,--.... -·and a mushroom farm,
islehurst Caves also operated as
underground music venue from
ROCKWEll liDO CAFE, LONDON 1950s-70s, hosting concerts by
One of the most stylish art deco lidos built in England I Hendrix, The Rolling Stones,
in the 1930s, it also houses one of south London's Zeppelin and The Who.
est cafes. Nestled by the poolside, decked with perhaps the most astounding
umbrellas and plants, the cafe is a genuine oasis. about these caves is that
coffee rivals the best, the brunches and dinners housed 15,000 people during
award-winning, and their new range of craft World War, as a
means there's no excuse not to stick around lu-tlort''""'rt underground town.
dinner. thelidocafe.co.uk
 's £9.95 for a twirl on the dancefloor but free to
, ~ spectate from the balconies, with the best people-
,, watching opportunities in town: waltzing elderly
couples who look like they've been going for decades,
their grandchildren in glitzy gowns and tourists, who
take it very seriously indeed. There's no better shelter
from Lancashire showers than watching dancers and
listening to the famous Wurlitzer. lheblackpooltower.com

DANIEL GUMB'S
HOUSE
, .BODMIN MOOR
Bodmin Moor's
settlements date back
4,000 years but Daniel
Gumb's is a peculiar marriage
of geometry and necessity.
Gumb built a house for his wife
and nine kids in the 1730s using
Pythagoras' theorem (the three, four,
five right-angled triangle method).
In 1850 his remarkable home was
,moved to make way for quarrying
but parts remain including his
Pythagorean diagram.

OUNRAVEN BAY
OUTHERNDOWN, WALES
Frequently used as a filming location,
the village of Southern down has
seen its share of Time Lord dramas.
he famous parting kiss between
David Tennant's Doctor and Rose
(Billie Piper, above), that left a nation
.,.~--'" tears, happened on these sands.
doclorwholocalions.nel
Fun for inquisitive children!
AQUILA Magazine is perfect for lively children AQUILA is advert free, and comes
who like to ask questions. Using a fun mix of
recommended by parents and
science, arts and general knowledge this unique
teachers worldwide.
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· she has loved and kept her magazines over
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Mrs D. McNeight
II' Ideal for 8 years +

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HATS ON FOR
ss
PEOPLE
Put your hat on, have fun
and raise money to help
homeless people get ahead!
Ways you can support include
schools fundraising, knitting,
ideas for the workplace, celebrity
hat auction and much more!
What will you be doing?
To donate £3 text
WOOL 14 £3 to 70070
This ;. o r~ of charge set>ic:e
rhrouifl just Text Giving. Yoo wil
rteeiYe o receipt by text.
 FilM I TV I RADIO I BIG OUIZ I PUZZlES

THE ENLIGHTENMENT
rom Norman Tebbit chatting up a media Award winning, chin out, authority

f storm with talk oflesbian queens and

marrying his brother, to Buzz Aldrin revealing
how the first thing he did on the Moon was
ease the pressure on his bladder, The Big Issue
was first for news that you won't read anywhere
challenging, independently minded - serving
our great vendors firs t and always. This is a
gallery of the covers we brought in 2013.
Come back in 2014 for more fun and mischief
m aking.•
else- until the others pick it up from here.

!.~~) ~
l.lllall
IBUY
I SELL
Ml
IIIIIIIIli.

~ mE
MAR~ I ~FBD
·~~!'- 1F.
llllliiSIIII , _ .., "

: lj
· "0\~M

~
WAR
ft
ENDS
BATILS!
-----·- -
BEGINS r !

THE BIGISSUE I p27 I New Year Edition, 2014

 into a strange sym- In a perceptive speech
phony of gloops and earlier this year, director Steven
pops and foamy Soderbergh (whose BEHIND THE
gurgles. It is spectacle CANDELABRA boasted one of the
both wretched and year 's best performances:
compelling, in a film Michael Douglas, who managed
that combines the to out-Liberace the real thing)
challenging edge of bemoaned the fact Hollywood
experimental cinema was only interested in making
with the absorbing franchise-extending behemoths,
fascination of the and there was no longer any
goriest bits from a middle ground for film-makers
David Attenborough like him. I'd like to say the cool

EDWARD WHO HAS BEEN documentary. I

brought relatives
to the UK premiere
reception that greeted so many of
the big summer films proves
him wrong but unfortunately the
LA WREN SON
MAKING WAVES? screening at this year's Edin-
burgh International Film Fest-
ival: they aren't great film buffs
economic logic he expounded
continues to hold.
This said, the $100m Alfonso
he Big Issue editor has just but were gripped throughout. Cuar6n spent on GRAVITY was

l called and asked me for my

lasting impressions of the year
in film. At the risk of upsetting
his and your festive digestion,
I should report that one of the
most memorable sequences from
2013 comprised a long close-up of
a container full of dying fish, each
being gutted by the brutal flick of
a sharp knife. This was onboard a
large trawler ploughing through
the North Atlantic at night.
The ship is the sole location of
Lucien Castaing-Taylor and
Verena Paravel's LEVIATHAN, an
extraordinary documentary
about commercial fishing off the
coast ofMassachusetts.
Filmed with a tiny digital
camera whose darting move-
ments mimicked the last gasps of
these suffocating fish, it is a scene
of visceral intensity. The desper-
ate eyes of the fish fill the screen;
bloody entrails combine with the
salt water; the soundtrack builds
The fact this moment stands
out points to a wider triumph
of documentary film in 2013.
In THE ACT OF KILLING Joshua
Oppenheimer coaxed leaders
from the government-sponsored
death squads oflndonesia's Cold
War past to re-enact the tactics
of their trade to absurd and
disquieting effect.
Sarah Polley's STORIES WE TELL,
meanwhile, mixed reconstruc-
tion and true-life footage to probe
the life of her late mother in a film
that spoke honestly and beaut-
ifully about family life. Produced
on modest budgets, these inven-
tive takes on real-life events show
there doesn't need to be a high
cost to creativity. Think of
the big-budget blockbusters ,
in 2013. The Lone Ranger.
R.I.P.D. Iron Man 3 .
Pacific Rim. The
Wolverine. Remem-
ber them?
worth it. This pared-down space
actionerwas masterly, combining
adrenalised thrills with moments
of CGI poetry - a genuinely
expressive showcase of 3D. The
film's made a ton of money and I'd
like to think it will usher back
more intelligence and cinematic
grace into high-concept block-
busters. But like poor Sandra
Bullock in the film itself, Cuar6n
is, I suspect, out there on his own.
Still, awards season is about to
begin - so the studios have held
back their bes t films for the
beginning of the year. Among the
strong candidates are Steve
McQueen's slavery drama 12 YEARS
ASLAVE, Spike Jonze's futuris-
tic romance HER, the Coen
, brothers' folk-music comedy
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS and Jona-
th a n Glazer's science
fiction UNDER THE SKIN.
Quite a prospect for
2014: see you there! •

asphyxiation- all set to an incongruous ragtime

'IT WAS LIKE 1973 soundtrack amid period production design so gorgeous
it makes Don Draper's offices look like a set off of
SAM DELANEY ALL OVER AGAIN' Crossroads. Boardwalk Empire went from strength
to strength in its fourth series on Sky Atlantic,
continuing its policy of becoming 10 per cent more
ust as society sank back into demented from one series to the next.

J the inequality, unemployment

and misery of the 1970s in
2013, so too did television
regress into an HD rendition of
, the schedules from that crappiest
of decades. Mild racism, strong
sexism, stupid game shows and
knockabout prison comedies:
it was like 1973 all over again.
And before anyone writes in to
explain that not all of the shows
referenced below were actually
on our screens in 1973, please be
aware that I don't care - I am
simply stretching an (admittedly
flimsy) analogy.
2013'S ANSWER TO UPSTAIRS
DOWNSTAIRS: BOARDWALK EMPIRE
(SKY ATLANTIC). Incest, heroin,
sex games, half-faced assassins,
If they ever get to series six, it'll probably involve
Steve Buscemi personally visiting each and every
viewer's home in full Nucky Thompson costume,
masturbating onto your telly box and kicking your
cat to death. What a show.
2013'S ANSWER TO PORRIDGE: ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK
(NETFLIX). What would happen if a nice middle-class girl
ended up in a horrible prison where she had to dodge
psychos, perverts and a woman called Crazy Eyes who
shits on her cell floor when her romantic advances are
spurned? This!
2013'S ANSWER TO ARE YOU BEING SERVED?: THE CALL CENTRE
(BBC THREE). Everyone mocked Nev Wilshire, the boss
out of this fly-on-the-wall doco series, for being like the
real-life David Brent. Yes, Nev tried a bit too hard to be
funny at times. But what's so wrong with that? He was
just trying to render the unbearable experience of
working life slightly more entertaining. I say, knight
the bastard.
2013'S ANSWER TO IT AIN'T HALF HOT MUM: RICK STEIN'S INDIA

THE BIG ISSUE I p28 I Hew Year Edlllon, 2014

.,. .
JANE
GRAHAM
MATCHPOINT, BEEB ...
ne of my stand-out memories from this summer is
0 sitting alone in a hot cafe in Brittany pulling a series
of faces that suggested I was undergoing the extreme
peaks and troughs of manic depression in record-
speed rotation. I didn't care about the asylum out-patient
vi be I was projecting; in my head, thanks to my wi-fi
connected earphones, I h ad the most magnificent
pictures ofAndy Murray sweeping towards a victory I'd
dreamt of for years. When the WIMBLEDON match point
was finally won I put my head on the table, and this
perspiring, lonely little Scottish paleface just wept,
loudly, all through the next table's ice-cream orders. And
for the hundredth time this year I heard that
voice in my head: thank God for BBC radio.
It's not my love of melodrama that
leads me to conclude that life wo uld
be more puny if it weren't for BBC radio.
IN OUR TIME and GREAT LIVES offer me free,
concise Open University courses every
week. FRONT ROW and NIGHT WAVES douse me
nightly in the gleaming treasures of the
arts. Radio 3's celebration of Benjamin Britten
this year has been a total joy but no less than
I've come to complacently expect.
Few professional chatterers make me
laugh more tha n SLive's Kermode a nd
Mayo, except maybe the postmodern
Partridge that is RICHARD BACON (though
Bacon also does thought-provok ing
radio brilliantly; one of the best things
on his show this year has been the frank
and very moving updates from terminal
cancer sufferer and charismatic story-
teller Steve Evans). And DAN AND PHIL's
fantastically dry and bright request show
(BBC ONE). Limping around India, looking like he needs
the loo, romanticising peasant culture while being
condescending to the locals. I bloody love Rick Stein.
2013'SANSWER TO THE DAVID NIXON SHOW: DYNAMO- MAGICIAN
IMPOSSIBLE (WATCH). "Ere mate,look at this, I'm gonna
make your mobile phone go inside that bottle of
Peroni."
"Like fuck you are ... Jesus H Christ! That's
amazing!"
''Yeah, nice one,laters."
2013'S ANSWER TO WORLD IN ACTION: SEX BOX (CHANNEL4).
Channel4 boss: "If we don't have a hit soon I'm gonna
be back at Channel Five- AND I'M TAKING YOU
USELESS BASTARDS WITH ME!"
Channel 4 commissioner: "How about we get
people to have it off inside a box then ask them all
about it live on air."
Channel4 boss: "That is EVEN too tawdry,
adolescent and cheap for me."
Channel4 commissioner: "But what if we got
Mariella Frostrup to present it?"
Channel4 boss: "BINGO! That's public service
broadcasting at its very best. Controller Of BBC
Three job, here I come!'
2013'S ANSWER TO EASTWARDS WITH ATTENBOROUGH: RIVER
MONSTERS (lTV). First of all, it's not a monster, it's a fish.
And tricking a dumb creature into biting a hook on a
THE BIG ISSUE I
on Radio 1 is that station's best idea in years. I should
say though, committed BBC cheerleader as I am, I have
ventured further into the badlands of commercial radio
this year than ever before (where only a talent as big and
brawny as CHRISTIAN O'CONNEll's could beckon me).
Why the BBC couldn't give COLIN MURRAY the morning
show he now does for TalkSport - a warm, irreverent
and often wonderfully daft talk show- I don't know.
But compared to his schedule rival, SLive's stiff and
zest-sapping Victoria Derbyshire, Murray offers
three hours of happy bantery cheer, especially on
Fridays when everyone's favourite mumbling Luddite,
Bob Mills, joins in.
I love sport but my real radio obsession is drama and
here, the BBC has no rival. I don't have room to list all
the exceptional Radio 4 and 3 plays that have brought me
such pleasure over the past 12 mon ths but special
mention must go to the a mbitious 45 episodes of
Elizabeth Jane Howard's family saga THE CAZALETS, which
ran intermittently from January to July and held me
rapt from beginning to end; Brian Friel's compel-
ling and complex adaptation of Ibsen's HEDDA
GABLER; Abigail le Fleming's rich, multi-lay-
ered production of Pushkin's EUGENE ONEGIN,
and the continuing fruity treat that is the
serialised DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS.
And I know one should strive to note
the brand new in an end-of-year r eview
but to be honest, my very favourite
station is BBC 4Extra, much of which
comprises repeats of the best dramas of
years gone by. The past year gave us a
re-run of wonders including THE BROTHERS
KARAMAZOV, AUSTERLITZ, SHAOOWLANDS, THE
BROWNING VERSION (more than 60 years old,
Rattigan 's play is more agonisin gly
powerful than ever), and my favourite of
all, Michael Butt's exquisite, musically
enhanced six-hour dramatisation of
roust's IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME which, in its
mos t affect ing mome n ts, cr eated an
emotional epiphany and physiological trem-
or comparable to that which Proust strove to
claim for memory flashes. Awesome. •
stick is not clever, daring or adventurous. It's like luring
a drunk into a toilet by waving a bottle of cooking
brandy at him, then whacking him over the head and
nicking his wallet. Would they turn that sort of thing
into a TV series? Okay, they probably would. In fact, it
sounds quite good doesn't it? Either way, self-declared
'extreme fisherman' J eremy Wade is a dick.
2013'S ANSWER TO THE WOMBLES: Fill YOUR HOUSE FOR FREE
(CHANNEL4). In which patronising Tory Kirstie Allsopp
parades around boot fairs, skip yards and rubbish tips
telling poor people how they could have a home almost
as well appointed as her own if only they got over their
counter-productive
obsession with personal
dignity and started
turning other people's
cast-offs into furniture.
HnT MUM ROMANTICISING
U .. •
BEN~~~~·~tt~~~~~~~MT:LEEDON PEASANT CULTURE WHILE BEING
~~t~o;!~t~:~~~~t;~ace CONDESCENDING TO THE lOCAlSn
by Sir John 'Wahey, look
at the tits on that- I wouldn't mind going to a tie break
with her! Don't fancy yours much though, Boris!'
Inverdale. Bravo, Auntie Beeb. Bravo. •
@delaneyman
p29 t New Year Edition, 2014
 MUSIC
MOGWAI
Royal Festival Hall, Southbank,January 24 &25
Back with another
exceptional album,
Mogwai return

~~-~it
'
with Rave
Tapes. The .!!!_ .. ~
original ..: ;,.,.. 1 . · - "
masters of
quiet/ loud
post-rock
dynamics h ave
gradually mastered
every other tier of volume
and intensity in between.
mogwai.co.uk

ART
VINCENT VAN GOGH:
THE SUNFLOWERS
National Gallery,Trafalgar Square
January 25-April27
Two of Van Gogh's
Sunflowers paintings
displayed in an exhibition
that sees the National's
version - one of a series of
five spread around different
museums worldwide- paired
with another on loan from

ATALE YOU'LL Amsterdam's Van Gogh

Museum. It's London's first
chance in 65 years to

NEVER TIRE OF
compare some of the most
recognisable pieces of art in
history. natlonalgaDery.org.uk

10 THINGS THEATRE
THEATRE VAULT
TO CHEER PETER PAN: THE NEVER ENDING STORY The Yauhs,Waterloo, January28-March 8
Wembley Arena, January 2·4 More than 30 shows in six
YOU INTO It's the tale of the boy who never grew up, like you've
never seen it before, in this hi-tech production featuring
weeks in one of London's
most atmospheric new
THE NEW acrobats, dancers, stunbnen, magicians, Peter flying sans
wires and X Factor runner-up Stacey Solomon starring
performance spaces - 30,000
square feet ofVictorian
YEAR as Tinker Bell. Fear not, concerned parents, it does end
- and before bedtime. W1lfllbleyarena.co.uk
brickwork-encased vaults
beneath Waterloo station.
IN LONDON Highlights include HunterS
Thompson's Fear and
KIDS SPORT Loathing in Las Vegas adapted
DISNEY ON ICE: NBA GLOBAL GAMES: for the stage and a play based
DARE TO DREAM ATLANTA HAWKS on Ian McEwan's The Cement
02Arena, until January 5 VBROOKLYN NETS Garden. thevauhfestlval.com
Disney stars on ice skates 02 Arena,January 16
-an entertainment formula Stretching the limits of'Eastern FESTIVAL
that's been dazzling families Conference', NBA basketball LONDON ICE
for decades, and it shows no comes to London as the Atlanta SCULPTING FESTIVAL
sign oflosing its sparkle with Hawks take on the Brooklyn Wood Wharf,Docklands, January IIH2
Dare to Dream, featuring Nets. All-star players AI Blocks of solid, crystal-clear
Rapunzel, Princess Tiana and Horford and Deron Williams ice are carved into beautiful
Prince Naveen. dbpromotions.co.uk are set to face off. theo2.co.uk sculptures - one of London's
most popular free art events.
DANCE MUSIC You can even have a go
STRICTLY COME MAROONS yourself.londonicesculptlngfestival.co.uk
DANCING LIVE 02Arena,January 10 &II
FESTIVAL
·~:~ . : :~ · ':!;
Wembley Arena, January 20 &21 They' re the band with Moves
You've watched them cha cha Like Jagger- one of the biggest LONDON MIME FESTIVAL
. :l· i. -' : ~ ' :_:· ....'
' ·, . •• {. ' lJI'
and Charleston from your singles of2011-12- fronted by Various venues, January 8-February I

...... ...\\'~ · ~.:...... '""

. . living rooms, now get out and
'
. .,.;._. see the stars of Strictly Come
Dancing in the flesh. Deborah
~ Meaden, Susanna Reid, Nicky
Byrne and Ben Cohen are set
to appear. strictlycomedancin~ive.com
Adam Levine, off the US version
of The Voice. We're beginning to
see why Maroon 5 called their
latest album Overexposed.
Expect a mixture of rock, pop,
funk and R&B. maroonS.com
Mime is a vibrant, innovative
area of theatre - as this
festival featuring performers
from the Czech Republic,
France, Holland, Italy and
the UK will prove. mimelondon.com

THE BIG ISSUE I p3Q I New Year Edition, 2014

 APPEAL FOR INFORMATION

Search for Joe

Rachel is searching for Joe, a British homeless man
she met at an Irish pub called 'The Fiddler's Elbow',
near the Termini station in Rome, in Dec 1991.
Rachel and Joe were friends for 6 months but lost
touch when Rachel returned to England. She'd love
to get back in touch with him but without his
surname, all attempts have failed.
In 1991, Joe was about 35 yrs old. He was mixed
race, had dark curly hair, a heavy build and was
approx. 6ft. Possibly from London, Joe was living
homeless in Rome, but had previously spent 4 years
living homeless in Paris.

Are you Joe? Do you know Joe or does he sound

familiar? We'd like to speak to anyone who may
have ANY information about him. THANK YOU.

Please call us 0207 424 7703

or email selina.tso@walltowall.co.uk

Choose your challenge for

20 14 and help homeless
people rebuild their lives.
StMungo's tfk
Rebuilding lives, day by day

j ijj,!iijj.i Woolly Hat Day is back! Wear a hat, knit a

Friday
Hat wearer?
hat, bake a hat cake and more! What will you
l 31 1 Woolly Hat Day be doing?

w;;;w Runner? - Join the St Mungo's Home Team and run through
Sunday the heart of London. Register by 31 December
25 BUPA I Ok run and take advantage of our early bird offer.

Miil.tM Adrenaline seeker? At 550 feet this abseil is one for the braver
Sunday
challengers. But you will be rewarded with
l 8 J Broadgate Tower breathtaking views across London's financial
district and beyond.
Absei l
Adventurer? A fantastic opportunity to cycle 260
24-29 Boston to New miles from Boston along the east coast to
America's most famous city, New York City
Yor k Cycle Ride over a long weekend.
NOW
THERE'S
ABRIGHT 1
IDEA ...
MORE THAN 1.7 MILLION
PEOPLE HAVE BENEFITTED
FROM BIG ISSUE INVEST'S
MISSION TO HELP SOCIAL
ENTERPRISES DELIVER
REAL SOLUTIONS TO SOCIAL
PROBLEMS

ig Issue Invest has come on leaps a nd

8 bounds since it was formed in 2005 as the

social investment arm of The Big Issue.
The Big Issue helps people get off the street
by providing an opportunity to achieve the
dignity and self-esteem of earning a living by DEALS
selling the magazine. Big Issue Invest is an THAMES REACH
extension of The Big Issue's mission b y South London-based Thames Reach is a
financing social enterprises that prevent people homeless cha rity that offers support in
getting onto the streets in the first place. housing, health, employment and reconnec-
Big Issue Invest helps tackle poverty and BIG ISSUE INVEST is the tion services, employing its person-centred
inequality by backing business-like solutions to social investment arm of approach to individuals experiencing
social problems. BII has raised and invested The Big Issue, run "by homeless ness. This year the charity under-
£20m- mainly private capital and not from social entrepreneurs, for took a 'payments by results' contract, called
the sales of The Big Issue magazine - for more social entrepreneurs". Ace, from the Greater London Authority to
than 170 social enterprises operating in the We help scale up social nav igate 415 entrenched rough sleepers
UK's most disadva nt aged communities, enterprises and trading in the capital into accommodation and
touching the Jives of more than 1.7 million arms of charities by ultimately independent living. This has been
people while sus t aini ng 3,200 jobs and providing finance from backed by a £250,000 Joan from Big Issue
training more than 14,000 people. It is £50,000 to £1,000,000. Invest. THAMESREACH.ORG.UK
anticipated that over the next five years Big We work with enterprises
Issue Invest can help improve the lives of that have a track record, SANDWELL COMMUNITY
3.75 million people, providing 7,500 jobs and as well as a plan to CARING TRUST
training 45,000 people. increase trading income Sandwell CCT runs anum-
Nigel Kershaw, Big Issue Invest CEO and and deliver high social ber of residential services
chairman of The Big Issue, says: "We h ave impact. To see If Big Issue for the elderly and adults
invested in some really transforming social Invest is the right partner with learning difficulties,
enterprises this year that are making a differ- for you, please contact including dementia special-
ence in communities right across Britain. Just enquiries@bigissueinvest isms a nd supported and
like The Big Issue, wherever you look there are com or call 0207 526 shared living. With the backing of Big Issue
social enterprises working to find sustainable 3448. More information Invest, Sandwell was able to buy a new care
business solutions to the social crisis that exists about Big Issue Invest can home, Hall Green, to provide a higher level of
around them. It's about prevention - that's what be found on our website: support for older people with mental health
we are here for." • bigissueinvest.com issues. SANOWElLCCT.ORG.UK

THE BIG ISSUE I p32 / New Year Edition, 2014


MONEYLINE
Moneyline was born out of a desire to create
a fairer system for low-income families
trying to access credit- primarily low-value,
short-term loans. It has m ade more tha n
50,000 loans, opened more than 12,000
savings accounts and employs 60 staff in its
15 outlets dotted around England and Wales.
Since 2011, Big Issue Invest has provided
Moneyline with five loans, totalling £2.3m,
to support its rapid expansion. ELMLINE.CD.UK
RUNNING DEER
Running Deer is a small community project
that aims to support people at risk of exclu-
sion - eg, those with learning difficulties, the
unemployed and ex-offenders. The Devon-
shire-based project teaches its students
about camp crafts and rural skills with the
aim of improving their confidence, comm-
unication, team-building
and participation skills.
A Big Issue Invest loa n
allowed Running Deer to
buy 15.81 acres of wood-
l and in Teign Vall ey,
Devon, offering security
and commercial oppor-
tunities. RUHNINGDEER.DRG.UK
HIGHLAND HOME CARERS
Set up with a unique vision as a home-visit-
ing caring business, Highland Home Carers
(HHC) truly does have people at its heart.
The relatively long distances that carers have
to travel in the more remote areas of the
Highlands can create d ifficulties for corp-
orate companies, which often have to satisfy
shareholders with high profits. This is less of
an issue for the employee-owned HHC. With
more than 240 employees, and a new finance
deal with Big Issue Invest and Co-operative
and Community Finance, HHC has the
chance to take on more contracts to move
forward, and it is hoped that expansion plans
will see the company looking after roughly
400 people. HIGHLAND·HOME-CARERS.CD.UK
POSITIVE SUPPORT IN TEES (PSIT)
PSIT aims to create better services for people
with 'forensic needs'. This includes adults
with learning difficulties whose behaviour is
challenging to service providers; behaviour
that may have landed them in trouble with the
law or seen them sectioned under the Mental
H ealth Act. Individuals a re s upported
through a detailed, bespoke programme,
which PSIT has been delivering since 2009,
when Big Issue Invest provided a 'start-up'
loan to kick things off. PSIT now supports 22
such individuals, employing 63 people in the
North East. PDSITIVESUPPORTINTEES.CO.UK
CHOCOLATEFILMS
Chocolate Films operates around the belief
that creativity is one of the most important
learning curves for young people, utilising
digital media in innovative ways to offer
more than 2,000 youngsters across south
London a hands-on opportunity to sample
film-making. The backing from Big Issue
Invest allowed Chocolate Films to continue
with its vita l work, offering stability
while covering the cost of new, up-to-date
equipment and a major website overhaul.
CHOCOLATEFILMS.COM
OTHER INITIATIVES
CSV TECH FOR GOOD CHALLENGE
Some of Britain's most exciting early-stage
businesses each won £50,000 worth ofback-
ing earlier this year to change the lives of
young people across the country. Unlike
Dragons' Den, Tech for Good Challenge - Big
Issue's Invest unique corporate social ventur-
ing programme- provided intensive mentor-
ing for all the shortlisted businesses taking
part in the competition. Following a Cater-
pillars' Cocoon - a two-day workshop and
pitching process - 11 of the fledgling tech ven-
tures working with young people were judged
ready to make use of the £50,000 boost. As
well as the three detailed below, other winners
included F lip Yourself, FutureReach, My
Time, Work Hero, RunAClub, Discoverables,
State ofAmbition and Insane Logic.
THE OJ AND MC ACADEMY
The DJ & MCAcademy has worked with more
than 40,000 young people and adults, helping
them develop confidence and gain skills and
qualifications through DJing and radio pre-
senting, lyric writing and music production.
THE BIG ISSUEI p33 t New Year Edition, 2014
SOC IAL ENTERPRI SE
The investment is being used to tap into the
profitable corporate market and to expand
outreach work. DJANDMCACADEMY.COM
FRESH YOUNG MEDIA
This new media company is targeting budding
entrepreneurs aged 16 to 20 to develop a top
business magazine for young people (Fresh
Young Millionaire) in collaboration with
experienced media mentors. The investment
has allowed the team to create an interactive
com mu nit y webs ite a nd mob ile ap p.
FRESHYOUNGMILLIDNAIRE.CDM/FRESH-YOUNG-MEDIA
SELFLESS
Selfless is an online platform that enables
young adults to participate in volunteering
relevant to their career aspirations. The
investment is being used to drive up the num-
ber of organisations involved. SELFLESS.ORG.UK
THREADNEEDLE UK SOCIAL BOND FUND
Many people are increasingly interested in
making sure money they invest does good. Big
Issue Invest, in partnership with Threadnee-
dle Investments, launched a UK Social Bond
Fund in December. This a llows people to
invest a portion of savings to support socially
beneficial activities, including building more
affordable homes, creatingjobs and investing
in improving health and education. Nigel
Kershaw, Big Issue Invest CEO says: "The UK
Social Bond Fund is not about giving to
charity - it aims to give investors a financial
return and at the same time invest in busi-
nesses that support sustainable economic and
social development and job creation in the
UK. We believe the Threadneedle UK Social
Bond Fund will extend the work of The Big
Issue by stopping people getting onto the
street in the first place. The Fund will invest
in areas such as affordable housing, employ-
ment and training a nd health and social
care, at the same time as aiming to deliver a
financial return for investors."
RENTAL EXCHANGE
Working in partnership with Experian, the
Rental Exchange aims to help social housing
tenants build a positive credit history by shar-
ing rent payment data. Unfairly, some social
housing tenants struggle to access affordable
credit, such as a loan or credit card, because
they don't have a credit history. BII research
has shown that up to 1.5 million tenants could
benefit from an improved credit score if rent
data was shared. This will help tenants access
more affordable mainstream credit and access
other goods and services, such as insurance or
better deals on utilit ies and mobile phones.
BII is now working with social hou sing
providers to make rent data-sharing a reality.
AWARDS
Big Issue Invest's outstanding work through-
out recent years earned the social enterprise
three top awards in 2013, including the Social
Champion award at the Charity Times and a
memorable double at Social Enterprise UK,
including the Social Investment Deal award
and the Social Enterprise Champion of Cham-
pions award for Nigel Kershaw, the Big Issue
Invest CEO and chairman of The Big Issue. •
 REGENT'S PARK
IOKRUN
Saturday 15 March
Run with us and join our
fight to beat heart disease.

"Every five minutes another child goes missing in

the UK. We know how heartbreaking this is
for their families. Please support the charity
Missing People with a donation today."
Christine & Peter Boxell, Lee Boxell's parents

• •
To help bring a chi ld home m l SSl ng
text HOPE9 to 70707 *to donate £3
coo" £5 p1uo nerwork ctwge. M.-g Pooplo "'""'"'" 1OO'llo o1 your donatoan. Obl>on bol Pl1"' a porrnosaoon. Coonomot eo<a 08«8 479 aoo.
'Tort people
www.m issingpeople .org .uk/donate Reglstored Charity No. 1020419
 Please help usopen more doors by donating online bigissue.org.uk/donate or send acheque
to our freepost address: The Big Issue Foundation, Freepost LONI7469, London, SW8 2BR.
Thank you.
THEBICi
ISSUE
FOUNDATION
Clwfty No. I0.90n Encland & Walet www.bigissue.org.uk/donate
ClASSifi[O
To advertise: Jenny Bryan I jennifer_bryan@dennis.co.uk

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THE BIG ISSUE I p36 t NewYear Edition, 2014

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CLA~~Ifi[D
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One Village Soap.
Charlbury. OX7 3SQ
({) 01608 811811
onevillage .com

There are 1000's of suffering strays living and

dying on the streets of Sri Lanka, many are
malnourished, sick and injured. Our small
UK Registered Charity works to alleviate their
suffering by offering lifesaving veterinary
care, refuge, rehabilitation and conducting
vital neutering/rabies control programs and
adoption schemes.

We are currently caring for over 400 destitute

cats and dogs at our beautiful sanctuary in
southern Sri Lanka including Jaap, the dog
in the photo that has been nursed back to
health and happiness.

I enclose 0 £100 0 £50 0£25 0 Other £
Mr/Mrs/Ms............................................................................... .
Address......................................................................................
Email ..........................................................................................
Please make cheques payable to: Animal SOSSri Lanka. Post
Or make a secure donation online www.animalsos-sl.com
Give more at no extra cost to you:
0 GIFT AID. I would like Animal SOS Sri Lanka to reclaim tax on this & all future
donations until I notify you otherwise. I confirm I am a UK taxpayer & that I pay as
much income or capital gains as Animal SOS Sri Lanka will reclaim in the tax year
(currently 2Sp in every £1 donated.)

THE BIGISSUE I p4Q / Hew Year Edition. 2014

 RfCR Ull MfNJ/VOlUNHfRING
To advertise: Brad Beaver I bradley_beaver@dennis.co.uk

SALES SUPPORT VOLUNTEERS Escape 9-5 in 20147

Do you want to gain first hand experience of supporting our vendors on the streets?
Do you think you are a good communicator? Read on...
This interesting voluntary position is mostly field based and will involve you working Disabled woman in Wincham, vegetarian, works p/t, into wildlife
on the streets of London where you will get to meet our vendors and offer advice gardening, gadgets and the simple things in life, recruiting both a
on selling techniques and personal development. You will also work with our new full time live-in Personal Assistant, and live out PA.
vendors to facilitate building and maintaining positive relationships with the Big
Issue and also the Local Community they are working in. 6 x 24hour shifts per mth, £170 per shift.
You must be enthusiastic about sharing ideas, flexible, reliable u sociable and be
available to work with us at least two full days per week for a minimum period of Must be meticulous, positive, flexible poodle and hen friendly, and
three months. A commitment to the social objectives of The Big Issue is essential. comfortable with providing personal care.
This is an unpaid position but we will cover travel expenses (up to Zone 6) and lunch
up to £3.50 per day.
Willingness to work outside the box and ability to cope with a dry sense
london - Flexible hours of humour and an indecisive perfectionist more important than gender
or experience. For further details please go to
Please go to Work For Us' on our website at
www.bigissue.com for further details u to apply. THE BIG
Closing Date: Sunday 5th January 2014 ISSUE www.wincham.plus.com

ROMA AND/OR ROMANIAN

SPEAKING VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Are you fluent or at intermediate level in Roma I

Romanian, and want to help vendors in your local
community? If so, we would love to hear from you!

Nottingham - Flexible hours

Please go to 'Volunteer' on our website at ffiiii1
www.bigissue.com for further details u to apply. ~

If you really are NOT looking forward to

Christmas, why not tell someone how you feel.
Drop a line to Samaritans at:
Freepost RSRB-KKBY-CYJK
Chris
PO Box 9090
STIRLING FK8 2SA
We can't make everything better but we will reply
to you and try to help you get through a difficult
time.
Postage is free so for the cost of a piece of paper
and an envelope you can give it a try.
YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO LOSE
www.samaritanletters.co.uk
Registered Charity No. SC014042

fSA ARITAHS\

THE BIG ISSUEI p4J i New Year Edillcn, 2014

 THE BIG
ISSUE
EST1991
FOUNDERS
John Bird & Gordon Roddick

Group chairman
Nigel Kershaw

EDITORIAL
Editor
Paul McNamee
Deputy editor
"IT'S F**KING
Vicky Carroll
Senior reporter
Adam Forrest
Editorial co-ordinator
AWOMANSOJ
REAllY HAVE l
Steven MacKenzie
Web content manager
TheoHooper
Staff writers
Sally Brammall, Andrew Burns ~I
Office manager
Robert White

PRODUCTION
Art director
Scott Maclean
Production editor
Ross McKinnon
Designer
JimLadbury
Sub-editor
Darren Smith
Central advertising
production co-ordinator
Terry Cimini

ADVERTISING
020 7907 6633
Advertising director
"APPS-APPS-APf
Steve Nicolaou
Advertising manager
Ciaran Scarry
APPS-APPS-APP~
Senior sales executive
Esrne Collins
Sales executive
WHERJ!!_'SAT, Dl
Richard Staplehurst l-o~: .
Classifiedand Recruitment
020 7907 6635
Jenny Bryan

Marketing and
communications director
Lara McCullagh

THE BIG ISSUE FOUNDATION

Chief executive
Stephen Robertson
020 7526 3456

Editorial
Second Floor, 43 Bath Street,
Glasgow, G21HW
0141352 7260
editorial@bigissue.com
Distribution
Birmingham: 01212361936

Printed at BGP.
Published weekly by The Big Issue,
1-5 Wandsworth Road,
London SWS 2LN

~
lntt•natklnol
(}1nsp .....,......
Netwo1kof

British Editor ofThe Year Oifestyle) 2013,

Paul McNamee

PPA Scotland Awards 2013

Editor of the Year - Paul McNamee
Feature Writer- Adam Forrest
Unsung Hero- Robert White

THE BIG ISSUE I p42 JNew Year Edition, 2014

 . \
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"lH[ MOV\[S lR[ SCR[W[D"

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lfTIMES. YOU
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f**KING FIGHT" \
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"I DON'l DOlWITI£R.I R£M£MB£R i

WHEN YOU JUSl MH Al AN AGR££D !~
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"TH£R£'S ATRANSATlANTit::Y
APPEAl TO BIEBER. HE REMINDS
ME Of ME WHEN I WAS YOUNG" 1<

HOW DID
YOU SCORE?
HO:Z·LIST
11·20: B·MOVIE
21-25: YOU'RE ASTAR

THE BIG ISSUE I p43 ! How Year Edition, 2014

PUZZLES SPECIAL
CROSS-CODE PATH WORDS
Starting from the central shaded letter, move one letter at a time
(up, down, right or left, but not diagonally) to find 19 alcoholic drinks.

u 0 E v p A E L I D A
T M R s p N y s A 8 E
H 8 I s c H s u 0 s M
E E D R 0 p E E D c y

R 0 R T 8 H A R A A K

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A 0 N I w N A E M A A
M T E 8 T E p R u T c
A T A R c I M A H c 0
R E N D y D E R A D v
WORD PYRAMID
ABCDEFGHIJKLMN Spell out a 15-letter word or
phrase by moving from one
OPQRSTUVWXYZ chamber to another within
the pyramid. You may only
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 enter each of the
H chambers once and
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 may only proceed
I s through openings
in the walls. The
Each number in our Cross-Code grid represents a different letter of first letter may
the alphabet. You have three letters in the control grid to start you appear in
off. Enter them in the appropriate squares in the main grid, then any of the
use your knowledge of words to work out which letters should go in chambers.
the missing squares. As you get the letters, fill in other squares
with the same number in the main grid and control grid. Check off
the alphabetical list of letters as you identify them.

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE QUIZ

I. What is the maiden name of Hillary Clinton, US senator
and wife of former president Bill Clinton?
2. From where in Cambridge does BBC Radio broadcast live
a Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols every Christmas?
3. In Greek myth, how were the husband-murdering
Danaides punished?
4. Which planet was discovered by William Herschel
ini7BI?
5. Who starred as The Joker in the 1989 Batman film?
6. Which footballer was the top scorer in the first
10 years of the English Premier League?
7. In the song The Twelve Days of Christmas,
how many lords are leaping?
8. Who composed the score for the 1954 film
On The Waterfront?
9. In 2013 Jack Dee and others canoed on part
of the Zambezi for which charity?
10. With which social reform is Elizabeth Fry associated?

THE BIG ISSUEI p44 JHew Year Edition, 2014

CON TRICK SUDOKU
In this crossword we have removed all the vowels and just left the There is just one simple rule in sudoku:
consonants. Can you fill in the gaps using only the five vowels each row, column and 3 x 3 box must contain the numbers one
(A, E, I, 0, U) to complete the grid? to nine. This is a logic puzzle and you should not need to guess. ·
The solution will be revealed next week.

7 5 3 2-
3 9 2 4 8
4 8 5 9 7 3
8 1 6 2
3 1 9 7
9 6 2 5
8 7
9 2 7 8 3 1
6 9
FIVE ALIVE
Here are two miniature five-square crosswords using the same
grid - but the letters have been mixed up. You have to work out
which letters belong to which crossword. BOX CLEVER
Fill the 6 x 6 grid with as many boxes as there are numbers printed
in the grid. Each box must be either square or rectangular and
must contain just one of the numbers. The numbers show how
CL AR ET many squares there should be in each box.
. .

2:
I I I

HM AL : :

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THE BIG ISSUE I p45J New Year Edition, 2014

I MY PITCH # celebrateyourvendor
WORD ON
THE STREET
WHAT OUR VENDORS SAID THIS YEAR ...

Eddie lyons
28,Marks &Spern:er. Mill Street,Perth
I want to raise money for
37,ourside Oebenhams, Noningham Rachel House Children's Hospice
When I sell The Big Issue it's in Kinross. I love to cycle and
like my brain gets a break but once I get a bike I'm going to
when I get home at night I'm cycle from Perth to Edinburgh
just pure thinking about the to raise funds.
things I've done wrong.

Julie Allaway 47.Sr Martin'sLane. ourside Exerer Carhedral

If you're visiting Exeter you should definitely
come to St Martin's Lane and visit me! We've got
the cobbled path where Iam, so you have to be
careful where you walk.

Marc Matthews
40.oursideIceland,Oevizes,Willshire
KrisDove With this bedroom tax I've fallen
22. outside Warerstones, New Streer, Birmingham behind, so I don't think I'll be long
I've got an absolutely killer line in that place. The authorities
but it only works on women. have given me some advice,
"Good morning, it's your lucky to try and find a one-bedroom
day. If you buy one, you get place, but have also told me
me free." they haven't got any!

Andy de Gruchy
54,outside Sainsbury's. I.Dnlshill, Southampron Windsor Griffiths
3B,AmolfiniArtsCentre, Bristol Mark Borrett
My wife and I camJled in I take life from day to day. 40,George Streer, Edinburgh
The only plan I've got is to get
atent in the New Forest, myself well again and do a good I've just got my results through for my
job on The Big Issue, to show
near Hythe, by Tesco. people that I'm changing my standard grades - all seven passed,
ways and gening through
We lived there for ayear, my difficult times. I am proud to say. Next I'm going to sit
all covered up. my highers.

NEXT WEEK
THE BIG
ISSUE BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH
Sherlock star pushes his body and mindto the limits. Whoa!
ON SALE
JANUARY6

THE BIG ISSUE I p46 t NewYear Edition, 2014

 6 45
WHAT
AM Grace leaves the bus shelter where she's been lying for a
• couple of hours. She hasn't really slept. She didn't feel safe.
If Grace was at Centrepoint, she'd be getting out of a warm bed
instead. She'd have slept well, safe in the knowledge that her
door was locked and there was no risk of sexual abuse from

DO YOU DO her father, who she thought she could trust. She'd be looking
forward to the day rather than dreading the future.

WHEN YOU'RE But none of that can happen unless someone like you sponsors
a room today for a homeless young person like Grace, for just
£12 a month.
16 AND HAVE Grace tries to report her situation, but is told that she is

NOWHERE not technically homeless. They say she could stay at her
father's, even though he was subjecting her to sexual abuse.

SAFE TO GO? If someone like you had become her Centrepoint room sponsor,
Grace would be registering with a doctor to get a full check-up.
Sleeping rough can affect physical and mental health, so it is
At 16, Grace has been homeless for vital that Grace gets the support that your money could provide.
over a year. She had endured years of
sexual abuse, neglect and cruelty at the PM Grace tries to get into an emergency hostel that she's used
hands of her own family and thought
that life on the streets couldn't be any
8 20 • before. But they only help people for one night, so Grace
tries to use a different name, without success.
worse than the terror she was facing
If Grace had a room at Centrepoint, she'd be finding out how
at home. In reality, sleeping rough was
to cook nutritious meals - perhaps her first ever spag bol - and
just as bad.
learning how to put a weekly food budget together with healthy
By sponsoring a room at Centrepoint ingredients. It would also be preparation for independence.
for just 40p a day (£12 a month) you
could give a homeless young person PM Grace gets on a night bus. She's grateful to be warm for a
like Grace a safe place to stay. Please
call us today on 0800 13 80 473, fill
11 3 0 • while, but knows she will have to get off at the bus depot in
the early hours of the morning.
in the form below, or visit our website at
www.centrepointroom.org.uk/bigissue74 If she was spending the evening at Centrepoint, Grace would
have been given counselling to overcome the trauma of her
sexual abuse. She would be making new friends with those
around her, many with similar experiences, who are able to talk
about how they have put a ter rifying past behind them.

AM Thrown off the night bus, Grace will walk around town until it
4 3O • gets light. She's utterly exhausted but too scared to lie down
in the dark, with drug dealers and pimps never far away.
Sponsor a room today and Grace or someone like her could be
sound asleep instead, free from any t hreat of violence or abuse.
With your help they might even be able to dream of a positive
future - perhaps for the first time ever.

Please sponsor a room at Centrepoint today. Call 0800 13 80 473, give homeless
visit www.centrepointroom.org.uk/bigissue74 or return the form below. young people
a future
•

Why become a Centrepoint Will you sponsor a Centrepoint room and give somebody like Grace a place to stay?
Room Sponsor? ~ D I wish to spon sor a room at £12 a month Full Nam e - - - - -- -- - -- -
~ D I wish to spon sor two rooms at £24 a month Address _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ __
• For just 40p a day, you could ~ D I wish to sponsor _ rooms at £ _ a month

help a young person esca pe ii Please collect my payment on the 1st/15th ev ery
Postcode - -- - - -- - -- - -
month (please clrcl• pr•ferred date)
homelessness forever Telephone _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _
Instruction to your Bank or Bulldlnq ~oon~
0 I'd like to receive important news and updates about my support.
• You'll receive a welcome pack and Socletv to oav bv Direct Debit ~Dab I have Included my email address below.
regular updates about the progress To The Manager: Originator's ldentlllcatlon No. [ill[ID@][j][QJ[l) Em ail _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ __.__

of you ng people you're supporting Name and full address of your Bank or Building Society: In accordance with the 1998 Data Protection Act. we hofd your details to
providt you with updatts and appeals. If you do not wish t o receive these
please contact Centrepolnt.
• 80% of young people who come
- -- - - - - Postcode _ _ _ _ _ Under the Governm ent 's Gilt Aid scheme, ·& 'd iA:
through Centrepoint go on to find Name(s) of Account Holder(s) all donat ions made by UK t ax payers are !}'I ~w
worth a quarter more. To make your qlft
education, employment or their qo further, just t ick the box and date
own home Bank Sort Code: [TI- [TI -[TI 0 I would like Centrepolnt to reclaim the tax I have paid on all donatJons
Account Number: I I I I I I I I I I have made In the four years prior to this year. and any donations 1may
• 86p of every pound we spend Instructions to your Bank or BuildI no Society: Please pay Centrepoint
malte ln the future. I am a UK taxpayer. f am payrno at least as much
In Income and/or capital oalns tax In a year as will be reclaimed by all
goes directly towards services for Direct DebUs from the account detailed In this Instruction, subJect to the
safeouards assured by the Direct Debit Guarantee. I understand that this
charities to which I Qive in that tax year. Date I I
Inst ruction may remain with Centrepolnt and, If so. details will be passed
homeless young people electronically to my Bank/Builc!inQ Society.
Please r eturn this form to: Centr•polnt Room
Sponsorship, Freepost ANG 2640, Colchester,

8
Slgnature(s>•- -- - - - - Date _ _ _ C02 8BR. Th ank you
To protect the privacy of those we help, a model has been used for the 1.. Sanks and Buikflno Societies mav not accept Direct Debit Instructions tor
photograph and the name has been changed. The story however Is true dlJ some types ot account RAP1314B-14E /_1i vt e.itk ' '
and as told by a young person. ReQ Charity No 292411 \ { tOrt~AtiiU