James Cox, Waitrose, Clifton, Bristol

Image: Amber Jetha 

I’ve only been selling Big Issue magazine for five or six weeks now and it’s been good, I’ve been selling a fair few. Big Issue has sorted out a QR code for me so that people can just scan it to buy the magazine as I can’t get on the contactless system yet. They’re helping me get a passport so I have photo ID then I’ll be able to get that. But the QR code is working out perfectly at the moment because obviously a lot of people since lockdown don’t carry cash.

I’ve been homeless since I was 13 years old and I’m 43 now. I’m sleeping on the streets at the moment. I’m originally from Weston-super-Mare but I didn’t get much help over there, I was basically just left to my own devices. I left Weston because in years of sleeping on the streets I’ve had my sleeping bag set on fire with me inside. I’ve been stabbed several times, beaten up god knows how many times, peed on, spat on. So I’ve been here, there and everywhere. I’ve gone all over the place from up as far as Newcastle and Gateshead to all the way down to Land’s End.  

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Showering is the hardest thing about sleeping rough and also keeping the weight down on what you carry. I’m not like any of the other homeless, I don’t stash my stuff. I carry it around with me the whole time as I’ve had bad experiences of putting stuff somewhere, going back to it, relying on it for that night to find it’s either been burned, slashed or stolen. But whatever I carry on me is limited because obviously bedding comes first, like a sleeping bag, a blanket and a pillow and that doesn’t leave much room in the bag for other stuff.

I want to go indoors in the future and I’m speaking to the local council about it but they advise me to go back to Weston because I’ve got no family connections. I think that rule should go away. Obviously there needs to be some sort of rules in place, but I guess after 30 years of being on the streets you get fed fake promises by different councils and people in authority, and when it comes down to it nothing happens.

I’ve never begged in terms of putting a sign out asking people for money. I’ve only ever sat in the doorway of a derelict shop or whatnot and said “morning” or “afternoon” or “have a nice day” to people just to get a reaction, to get a smile on their face because it puts a smile on my face. If people want to donate money I always say only if you can afford it. It was a friend of mine who’s been doing Big Issue for a few years who turned around to me and said: “Rather than just sitting there asking people and saying hello to people, why don’t you try and sell Big Issue to make some money that way?” It seems to be working. I’ve noticed since I started selling the magazine that people have been a bit more understanding about the scenario.

It’s still early days at the moment but I’ve got a couple of regular customers. People are still coming up to me now asking me if I have a copy of the 10Foot special from a few weeks ago. I’ve been having to advise people to check online on the Big Issue website because in the office in Bristol they didn’t have any left. It was one of my best weeks selling that magazine.

My main goal for the future is to get indoors and to get a job. I wouldn’t mind getting a plot of land and building myself a house. I’m a qualified bricklayer but because I sleep on the streets no one wants to employ me. I’ve been turned away on many occasions to the point that I’ve almost stopped trying because I’m getting fed up of getting rejected.

Little Waitrose Ltd, Queens Road, Clifton, Bristol, UK