Most weeks you will  have seen Joseph in the town centre. He sold the Big Issue- its usually £2-50 a copy every week but increases to £3 over christmas. Joseph would  buy the magazines at half the selling price and earns the rest by spending a lot of time in all weathers waiting for a sale.

Joseph went back to his family home because his mother was having an operation that was quite a while ago, so  at present we don’t have a regular Big Issue vendor, but you can buy copies in Gloucester, Chepstow or on line.

So what do you get for your money?- well you are getting a well written  magazine with articles and interviews  by many well known and unknown people. It is not stuffed full of adverts and always has powerful  issue based features and a contribution from founder John Bird. The christmas edition last year  included David Attenborough and Professor Brian Cox,  inventor Alan Turing, photographer/film maker Anton Corbijn, actor Roger Moore, singer Joan Baez and  Pop star Ozzy Osbourne plus stories about venders and their customers, a healthy letters page  as well as film, music, theatre, books,poems  and art  previews.

Why the Big Issue?- it’s a hand up not a hand out. Selling the magazine has helped thousands of people take control of their lives over the past 23 years. The magazine speaks up for those who are often ignored and offers them a place to take part in society.

So next time you see Joseph or anyone selling Big Issue  in Coleford Town or anywhere you might be- have a chat, and when ever you see the Big Issue on sale think about buying one. All Big Issue sellers are registered and supported by the Big issue foundation

More info www.bigissue.com