Advertisement
For £35 you can help a vendor keep themselves warm, dry, fed, earning and progressing
BUY A VENDOR SUPPORT KIT
News

Popular Hackney vendor and arts mainstay Kevin Headley has passed away

Tributes are pouring in for the seller, who has died aged 52

Kevin Headley

Figures from across London’s underground arts scene and readers have come together to pay respect to much-loved Big Issue vendor Kevin Headley, who has passed away.

The 52-year-old who sold the magazine outside Hackney Wick overground station for many years died on May 5 after suffering a suspected heart attack.

Kevin Headley
Kevin-Headley
Kevin was an active figure in London's underground arts scene

He was well-known across London for his tireless work supporting homeless charities and curating local arts events and festivals as well as selling The Big Issue.

A vigil took place on his pitch from 5pm to 9pm on May 8 to allow readers and those who knew him to celebrate his life.

Kevin had a big impact on The Big Issue in his years as a vendor and was the man responsible for introducing our charitable arm, The Big Issue Foundation, to street artist Stik, resulting in a wildly successful team-up that saw exclusively designed posters sold by vendors.

Advertisement
Advertisement

He also graduated as a Homeless Health Peer Advocate in 2015, provided by charity Groundswell, allowing him to help homeless people access healthcare as well as sitting on the Q and A panel for the Foundation’s Sleep Out and joining in The Big London Night Walk too.

A memorial service will be held to remember Kevin from 1-2pm on June 14 at St Andrew’s Centre in Brockley, south-east London, with a wake to continue celebrating his life taking place at nearby Livesey Memorial Hall in Perry Hall from 3pm to 11pm.

Stephen Robertson, CEO of the Big Issue Foundation, said: “Kevin was much-loved and a very popular figure in the community and the arts, who was constantly trying to play his part and show a different way of doing things.

“He was very proactive in the underground arts scene and was always keen to giving something back and come up with good ideas with a passion as well as campaigning to raise awareness for people who are homeless or disadvantaged.

“He went above and beyond.”

Advertisement

Kevin’s love of the arts saw him get heavily involved in The Big Issue Foundation’s Big Noise Festival as well as host of festivals in Crystal Palace, Hackney and Shoreditch. Away from the big shows, he even arranged for DJs and bands that he met on his pitch to perform at a food donation drive for homeless people at a local cafe in 2016.

He also threw his weight behind homeless micro-festival It’s Nearly Friday and London’s Wicked Radio and co-curated monthly open mic event Bring It at Hackney venue Grow. The latest event will be held in tribute to Kevin on May 10 as well as raising money for his family.

“Like many of us, the team at Grow are shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of friend and colleague, Kevin Headley,” said a statement from Grow. “If you hadn’t met Kevin, he was a remarkable man who dedicated his life helping others from all walks of life, in so many different ways and in many different places all over London – including his tireless effort in helping those experiencing homelessness.”

Advertisement

Change a vendor's life this Christmas

This Christmas, 3.8 million people across the UK will be facing extreme poverty. Thousands of those struggling will turn to selling the Big Issue as a vital source of income - they need your support to earn and lift themselves out of poverty.

Recommended for you

View all
Rents in UK are rising at highest rate in decades. Will they keep going up?
rents uk
Renting

Rents in UK are rising at highest rate in decades. Will they keep going up?

'Dismay' for disabled and vulnerable households as average annual energy bills to rise to £1,738
Blue flames from a gas hob
Energy bills

'Dismay' for disabled and vulnerable households as average annual energy bills to rise to £1,738

Mum-of-three hit with 'revenge eviction' after asking for repairs: 'It felt like the end of the world'
Hazell and her three kids faced homelessness until Shelter stepped in
Renting

Mum-of-three hit with 'revenge eviction' after asking for repairs: 'It felt like the end of the world'

Malala Yousafzai on taking on the Taliban and why 'storytelling is the soul of activism'
Malala Yousafzai
Activism

Malala Yousafzai on taking on the Taliban and why 'storytelling is the soul of activism'

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know
4.

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know