“I like the visual aspect of painting, you can just put what you’ve got in your head on to the canvas. Everything goes really – it passes through your head and you can get it down on paper.
“It has been hard in the period that I have had to stay here all day – it’s not a very big room. The Big Issue has been a big help. I must have read about seven books that I had got before I got here.
“Jeri in the office asked me about titles and authors and sent me a few books.
“It has been helpful because I like reading and when I have been on the streets that is all I use to do. It’s an escape for me and it also fills the time.
“I definitely say I’ve had a lot of help from The Big Issue.”
As well as helping Jacques get creative, The Big Issue is also ensuring that he is getting all the help that he needs with cash and food vouchers as well as referring him to a foodbank who delivered groceries for him to cook in his room.
We have also helped Jacques with past debts, linking him up with Citizens Advice to help him get on top of his finances. It’s a vital step after Jacques, who started selling the magazine for the first time in 17 years last September when he lost his job working for Deliveroo, saw his income from vending stopped overnight at the end of March.
Now he can’t wait to get back on his pitch when it is safe for him to return.
Seeing my regular customers used to really help me. I would love to go back to my pitch
Jacques added: “Rather than being outside all the time, it is safer to be in the hostel but the hostel is crowded apart from the room. I am lucky that I can cook in my room rather than sharing the kitchen but there has been no one coming down with symptoms, which is good.
“I miss selling the magazine because I used to go to my pitch daily. The last time I was there at the end of March, it was very sad because there was hardly anybody there – the station was open but in two or three hours about 50 people came in and out.
“It was a scene that I have never witnessed before. People were wary to come close.
“Seeing my regular customers used to really help me. I would love to go back to my pitch.”
The Big Issue can only keep supporting vendors like Jacques with your help. 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 Morrisons, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, McColl’s, Co-op, Asda or WH Smith to grab the latest issue.
Image: Kumar Sriskandan / Alamy Stock Photo
