Mark Dempster struggled with drug addiction when he was younger, and turned to the Big Issue back in the 1990s. He has completely transformed his life since, and is now a fully trained counsellor with his own practice in Harley Street.
A former drug addict and dealer, Mark Dempster sold The Big Issue in the 1990s before he trained as a counsellor and launched his successful Harley Street practice.
He has also co-hosted a radio show with Russell Brand.
“I have led two lives – one before recovery from addiction and one after,” he says.
“The experience and support The Big Issue gave me during my early addiction recovery helped me regain control and become a successful therapist and addiction expert.”
Learn more about our impact
When most people think about the Big Issue, they think of vendors selling the Big Issue magazines on the streets – and we are immensely proud of this. In 2022 alone, we worked with 10% more vendors and these vendors earned £3.76 million in collective income. There is much more to the work we do at the Big Issue Group, our mission is to create innovative solutions through enterprise to unlock opportunity for the 14million people in the UK living in poverty.
