I could go on about the many volunteer roles carried out by older people making a major contribution to society, eg food banks.
What a great idea to shut us all away in communities. We did all that in the ’70s and I’m not sure many would wish to return to communal living.
In my view, old age should be celebrated, not something to complain about.
Kate Helsby, Oxford
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After the riots
Reading Big Issue vendor testimonies from the Roma community was so sad. Hopefully, tomorrow will be peaceful and supportive of all members of our communities!
@kathrinluddecke, Instagram
More people’s lives than you might think of are being disrupted by the far right’s violence, hatred and disorder. Solidarity with all street vendors and dwellers. We all need #HopeNotHate
Sussex Labour Representation Committee, Facebook
Thank you, Big Issue, for standing up against these appalling acts and the people who undertake them. We are all part of humanity. We should all be kind. Let’s work together to overcome!
Mara Metcalfe, Facebook
I cannot understand hatred from any side or culture. Live and love is the more beautiful life.
Louise Dornan, Facebook
Let’s spread the love
Naturally concerned with the current unrest and appalled by the remarks of people like Nigel Farage, Elon Musk and others, surely we all need to take a step back.
We need to recognise the need to let go of our attachment to particular identities of geographical origin, religious tradition, class and all other kinds of labels and thus affirm our universal humanity. We need to recognise our core human values and virtues – of goodness, truth and beauty and of course unity and love, which are or should be the living values and joys of mature human beings that across the miles and down the ages underpin and overarch all and everything.
Charles Mugleston, Suffolk
Simon the star
The day dawned bright on Norwich Pride and we were delighted to introduce my niece visiting from the USA (with her wife who took the photo, which you can see at the top of this page) to our fave Big Issue vendor, Simon. He gave them a big welcome to our fair city! A grand start to our day. Thank you, Simon!
Mary & Mark Dunn (proud aunty and uncle), Norwich
The great outdoors
Congratulations on the article describing the great visit outdoors for three BI vendors. Adventures like this benefit everyone and the vendors’ own stories made good reading. For years I have helped provide minibus transport to help people of all ages access places they might never have visited.
The Great Outdoors came to our village Wolvercote, Oxford recently to portray the mass protests and legal struggles in the 1930s to secure access to open spaces. Thank you, Mikron Theatre from Marsden, Huddersfield and its narrowboat summer season of canalside drama.
Christopher Gowers, Oxford
It’s criminal
In reference to the James Timpson article regarding most people in our prisons living in poverty, it’s no real great surprise really as the rich can afford the best lawyers. If the system was a lot fairer then there would be far more rich people in prison. It seems that if you hold a so-called important job you are immune from going to prison. Why hasn’t anyone been prosecuted for the Grenfell cladding scandal, partygate, Covid PPE corruption and post office inquiry, to name just a few?
And people wonder why the country is so divided. Working-class people don’t have to commit anything as near as bad to go to prison, so this issue needs to be addressed immediately.
Geoff Baker, Stubbington
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