Vasile Nicolae, Barnard Castle, Co Durham

Images: Exposure Photo Agency

I enjoy selling the magazine. I’ve got my dog Max with me on my pitch. He’s only four months old – he’s a Bichon puppy and he’s from Romania. The customers like him too much if anything! They stop and play with him, they love him. I have a small ball with me on my pitch so Max and the customers play together with that. 

I spend a lot of time with Max. When I go home I take him out to the park to go and play with him. He plays with my daughter, who’s six, all the time too. I got him when he was one month old. I love him, I love dogs and other animals as well. It’s like he’s part of the family, I love him almost like a son. 

I have lots of customers. I’m happy to sell Big Issue – lots of customers buy me coffee and sandwiches in the morning and some customers even help me with my rent. My rent has gone up – everything is expensive. I used to pay £300 four months ago; now it is £520. You’ve got gas going up, electricity going up as well. There’s one lady who kindly helps me with that. Big Issue sometimes helps me with vouchers for energy bills too.

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In January I’m going to start studying in Manchester, and Tracy from the Big Issue office is helping me with a voucher to help me get a laptop so I can do my course online. I’m trying to do a business management course to see if I can open a shop for myself when I have finished studying. I’d like to open a clothes shop or a shop to help people fix their phones, something like that. I’m not exactly sure yet. I’m looking forward to starting the course in the new year and hopefully I can be a business owner one day.

Selling can be a little bit hard sometimes but I am happy with my customers. It can be cold though. Sometimes I get something like a sleeping bag and put it around me and put my dog in my hand to try and keep warm. It’s always raining here in England so I need to get an umbrella or something to keep me dry when I’m out selling.

I get all wet. I’ve been selling the magazine for 10 years. I started because I didn’t have a job. I’ve been at Barnard Castle for four years and I love it. Customers are different in different places. Here they are laughing with you and they say good morning to you, that makes me very happy.

Lots of people have known me for a long time so they stay around to speak with me. I never studied English in school and when I came to the UK in 2014 I only knew English through football. So I learned it through selling Big Issue.

I love football and I play for a team in Sunday league. I play as a striker or right wing or left wing – I’m top scorer in the league! All the managers around Durham know me and want me to play for their team. I play for a team that won two cups last year and they are second in the league. It’s something I really enjoy. 

Interview: Liam Geraghty 

Barnard Castle, UK