AS THE country enters a third lockdown, Big Issue North vendors face a predicament as they are once again not permitted to sell the magazine.

The 350 people who sell Big Issue North are self-employed, buying magazines from offices across the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber for £1.50, before selling them on the streets for £3.

This means that they are not eligible for furlough, and as they cannot work from home, hundreds of homeless and vulnerably housed people now find themselves without a source of income.

During the first lockdown, frontline staff paid out a total of £500 each day to support vendors’ cost of living, from rent and bills for those in their own accommodation to essential shopping and transport.

A spokesperson for Big Issue North said: “This time, we expect to pay out even more, as we experienced an influx of new vendors when the first lockdown was lifted, and the bitter cold will lead to an increased need for help with accommodation and bills.”

It is estimated that they will need £10,000 to support all of the vendors through this lockdown.

However there several are ways which members of the public can support the Big Issue vendors.

A donation can be made to their hardship fund, by texting HARDSHIP to 70970 to give £5, or visiting: https://bit.ly/35kDuKR.

You can still purchase Big Issue North either in Sainsbury’s, Co-Op, McColl’s or Booths. Half of the price of each magazine will be donated to the hardship fund.

You can subscribe to Big Issue North, by purchasing a three, six or twelve month subscription package online.

Members of the public can also shop at the Big Issue North online shop, which includes their new quarterly subscription magazine.