Street Cat Bob may be gone but his legacy lives on

In this week’s issue, James Bowen pays tribute to Street Cat Bob.

“Big Issue vendors recently ventured back on to the streets after more than 100 days of lockdown. This week they will go to work with Bob at their side once more, staring out – for the 11th time – from the cover of the magazine he helped me sell all those years ago outside Angel Tube station,” he said. “It is so fitting that it should be hitting the streets at this particular time.”

Of the hundreds of messages we’ve received about the impact Bob had on his devoted followers, we run some that show he really did have a monumental, unbelievable impact on people’s lives. It’s recommended reading, whether you’re a cat-lover or not. We also have the editor of the Big Issue in Japan about why Bob had so many fans over there, and vendors too talk about how their own pets have helped them through hard times and lockdown.

Also in this week’s magazine:

• We introduce the Ride Out Recession Alliance – our new campaign to fight the imminent post-viral tsunami of poverty
• Vinnie Jones, a hardman on both the football pitch and the big screen, opens up on his feisty younger self
• Laura Whateley looks at fast fashion in the wake of the Leicester factory scandal
• Fact/Fiction investigates whether bubonic plague is the next outbreak we have to shield ourselves from
• We’ve teamed up with Elton John’s Aids charity to boost HIV testing

And much, much more!

Head out and buy a magazine from your local vendor – they need your support more than ever. 

But if you can’t make it to your seller right now, you can buy 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 Sainsbury’s, McColl’s, Co-op, Asda or WH Smith to grab the latest issue.