WHAT IS THE BIG ISSUE

• A STREET NEWSPAPER THAT IS SOLD BY HOMELESS PEOPLE

• IT EXISTS TO ALLOW HOMELESS PEOPLE TO EARN A LEGITIMATE INCOME AND INTEGRATE BACK INTO
MAINSTREAM SOCIETY
• IT WAS FOUNDED IN 1991 BY JOHN BIRD AND GORDON RODDICK
• THIS WAS IN RESPONSE TO THE INCREASE NUMBER OF HOMELESS PEOPLE LIVING IN LONDON
• IT WAS INITIALLY RELEASED MONTHLY BUT CHANGED TO WEEKLY IN 1993
• ON 1995 THE FOUNDATION WAS FOUNDED TO OFFER ADDITIONAL SUPPORT TO VENDORS
• THIS ADDITIONAL SUPPORT WAS IN SUPPORT TO HOUSING, HEALTH, FINANCE AND ADDICTION
THE FORMAT
• THE BIG ISSUE STARTED OUT AS A NORMAL PRINT NEWSPAPER IN 1991
• IT HAS BECOME A WORLDWIDE BUSINESS, REACHING OUT TO MANY
COUNTRIES THEREFORE GROWING PROFITS AND AWARENESS
• HOWEVER IT RECENTLY EXPANDED TO A WEBSITE SHOP TO ALLOW AN EASIER
ACCESS TO THEIR PRODUCT(S)
WHERE CAN YOU READ IT
• AT FIRST THE BIG ISSUE WAS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO PEOPLE WHO PERSONALLY BOUGHT A COPY FROM A
SELLER
• NOW, YOU CAN READ THE ARTICLES FROM THEIR WEBSITE WHICH AS QUICK AND EASY ACCESS TO MANY
TOPICS OF THE LATEST ISSUES AND PREVIOUS NEWS
• THE WEBSITE IS ALSO HOME TO LARGE AND SMALL EVENTS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC TO RAISE MORE AND
AWARENESS OF THE FOUNDATION
WHEN DID IT START

• IT WAS FOUNDED IN 1991 BY JOHN BIRD AND GORDON RODDICK

• UNFORTUNATELY, GORDON DIED ON THE 10TH SEPTEMBER 2007
• JOHN BIRD LATER BECAME A LORD AFTER HIS WORK FOR THE FOUNDATION WAS WIDELY APPRECIATED
WHO STARTED IT – JOHN BIRD
• BIRD WAS BORN IN A NOTTING HILL SLUM TO A POOR LONDON IRISH FAMILY. HE BECAME HOMELESS AT
THE AGE OF FIVE, RESIDED IN AN ORPHANAGE BETWEEN THE AGES OF SEVEN AND TEN, AND WAS
EXCLUDED FROM SCHOOL.
• HE BECAME A BUTCHER'S BOY AFTER LEAVING THE ORPHANAGE, BUT SUPPLEMENTED HIS INCOME BY
STEALING.
• BETWEEN WORK, HE SPENT SEVERAL SPELLS IN PRISON DURING HIS TEENS AND TWENTIES WHERE HE
LEARNT TO READ, WRITE AND THE BASICS OF PRINTING.
THE AGENDA

• IN 2016, THE BIG ISSUE SOLD ITS 200 MILLIONTH COPY AND CELEBRATED ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY.
TARGET AUDIENCE