“It makes me happy being able to do things like cooking in my own home. It means a lot. It’s the little things that matter – when you’ve been on the streets you appreciate these sorts of things.”
Karl’s oven issue came to light following a chance conversation with The Big Issue’s East Anglia regional manager Jim Graver who has been supporting the vendor for many years.
That has continued throughout the Covid-19 pandemic with The Big Issue’s frontline teams providing regular contact to ensure that we can meet vendors’ needs during lockdown.
Karl added: “Jim in the office rings me regularly to make sure I’m okay, it’s really nice of him. I look at Jim as a really good friend, he’s always been there, always understand and supporting.
“He heard about the cooker through my mum funnily enough. My mum told him about it and he sorted it out for me which was a big surprise. It was a really nice thing for him to do, it’s nice to be thought of like that.”
Despite the support, Karl is desperate to get back on his pitch to be reunited with customers.
He was rough sleeping back when he first came to Norwich, joining The Big Issue on the recommendation of a man he met at a Narcotics Anonymous meeting.
Since then, he has worked hard to build relationships with his regular customers and conquer his drug demons as well as saving up his earnings to sort out his own flat.
The Big Issue has played a big role in his transformation, he says, and the friendship he has with his customers is equally important and much missed during these uncertain times.
Customers don’t have to do what they do when it comes to buying the magazine, they do it out of kindness. I miss all that
Karl said: “It’s boring not selling the magazine. It used to give me confidence and bring me out of my shell having to talk to people. It gives me that self-respect. The Big Issue has been a big contribution to my life, it has stopped it going down the toilet. I’m forever grateful for that. If it weren’t for The Big Issue I could be out doing anything – I could even be dead – but I haven’t had to go down that path.
“Sitting around all day wasting time when I could be doing something is stressful and depressing – doing The Big Issue stops all that. The devil finds work for idle hands is the saying. I’m missing being out there – it’s what I do and what I enjoy doing.
“It’s probably the most sensible thing I have ever done. The Big Issue has given me something to look forward to and help pass the time in the most constructive way. I’ve got a lot of gratitude and I’ve made a lot of friends.
“I’m missing my customers and the conversations, the friendship, the understanding we have. They don’t have to do what they do when it comes to buying the magazine, they do it out of kindness. I miss all that.”
We can only keep supporting vendors like Karl with your help. You can help us support Big Issue vendors by buying one-off issues or subscriptions from The Big Issue app, available now from the App Store or Google Play.
You can keep us going by subscribing to the magazine to receive it every week directly to your door or device. Head to bigissue.com/subscribe for more details.
You can also get a copy in stores for the first time. Head to Morrisons, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, McColl’s, Co-op, Asda or WH Smith to grab the latest issue.
Image: Kumar Sriskandan / Alamy Stock Photo
