The Big Sell-Off: In quotes, pictures & videos

30 guest vendors took part in the first-ever Big Sell-Off in Glasgow and Edinburgh, which took place as part of International Street Paper Vendor Week. The vendors took time out of busy schedules at the top of their professions to find out, just for a day, what life is like for vendors selling The Big Issue on our city streets. For all the guest vendors involved, The Big Sell-Off proved to be a very worthwhile and often surprising experience.

Alan Bissett (Photo: Jamie Simpson/Herald & Times)

“Today has made me more understanding of the vendors' everyday tasks. Especially today as the weather isn’t good, the public may not feel at their cheeriest.” - Alan Bissett, writer

Gordon Sloan (Photo: Laura Redpath)

“It made me realise how difficult it is to sell things. Everyone is pleasant enough but they rarely make eye contact with you as they walk by.” - Gordon Sloan, Chair, GHA, Wheatley Group

Greg McHugh (Photo: Laura Redpath)

"In society we see Big Issue vendors all over the place; we see homeless people and it's easy to walk by. It is worth reminding the wider public that homelessness is still a massive issue.” - Greg McHugh, actor

Rt Hon Donald Wilson (Photo: Sam Shedden)

"I think we need to keep it in people’s consciousness, keep it in the front of people’s minds because homelessness is one of the worst curses of a modern society and everybody is entitled to a home.” - Rt Hon Donald Wilson, Lord Provost of Edinburgh

“I enjoy being a Big Issue vendor because I like being out and meeting other people.” - John White, The Big Issue vendor

John White and Paul Brewer (Photo: Sam Shedden)

“INSP is not just a charity, it’s a social enterprise. At PWC we are very enthusiastic to support social enterprises that combine business skills and ability with charitable purposes and that is a sustainable model for getting funds to the right causes.” - Paul Brewer, Consulting Partner, PwC

 "Today is important because you get to put yourself in the vendor’s shoes." - Humza Yousaf MSP

Humza Yousaf MSP and Florian 'Anakin' Ciobanu
(Photo: Mark Simpson)

"Sometimes it takes over 11 hours to sell 12 copies. I think this type of awareness is great." - Florian 'Anakin' Ciobanu, The Big Issue vendor

Patrick Harvie MSP (Photo: Stewart Ross)    

“Today has certainly given me a new appreciation, it's a lot of work for just a few sales.” - Patrick Harvie MSP

Sandra White MSP
(Photo: Luciano Graca and Andrew Revill)

“I think it is very, very important to make people aware that there are so many homeless people in our towns and cities throughout Scotland.”- Sandra White MSP

Carmen Marlena and Angela McCracken
(Photo: Calum McMillan)

“Supporting The Big Issue is an excellent way of helping people who haven’t got jobs and stability, and helps them help themselves.” - Angela McCraken, Partner, Levy & McRae.

Guest vendors who had been out on the streets of Glasgow and Edinburgh on Thursday 6th February, joined The Big Issue vendors and other invited guests at Glasgow City Chambers that evening to talk about their experiences of the day and to reflect on the importance of the work of The Big Issue and INSP. A mini awards ceremony also recognised those guest vendors who really went the extra mile during the Big Sell-Off.

Thanks to our event sponsor Glasgow Housing Association (part of Wheatley Group).


Thanks also to Stephen McIlkenny, Mark Simpson, Gillian Furmage, Calum McMillan, Euan Leopold, Bobby Rae, Luciano Graca, Andrew Revill, Laura Redpath, Stewart Ross, Anne Austin and Sam Shedden from Strathclyde University's MLitt Digital Journalism course for their coverage of The Big Sell-Off 2014.

Vendor Week #INSP2014

International Street Paper Vendor Week (3rd – 9th February) was a global programme of events and activities aiming to shine a light on enterprising street paper vendors and challenge perceptions of poverty and homelessness. Vendor Week was organised by INSP (the International Network of Street Papers) – the Glasgow-based charity that supports The Big Issue magazine and over 120 other similar projects in 40 countries worldwide.

A whole host of activities took place around the world, including The Big-Sell Off in Glasgow and Edinburgh. This event, along with other similar events across Europe, Australia and North America, saw guest vendors out on city streets swapping their usual roles to experience, for a short time, what life is like for the thousands of vendors who spend each day selling street papers.

Maree Aldam, INSP’s general manager, said: “There are all kinds of brilliant events happening around the world this week – from an arts and film exhibition in Macedonia; to a vendor Skype meeting between Canada and the USA. It’s a great opportunity for our network to raise awareness of the 14,000 inspiring people who are selling street papers this week. 

"This year’s Vendor Week is particularly special to us as it’s INSP’s 20th anniversary this year, so we’ll also be celebrating the 250,000 vendors who have changed their lives by selling street papers over the past 2 decades.”

As International Street Paper Vendor Week 2014 comes to a close. We look back over an exciting seven days of events and celebration of street paper vendors.

The Big Sell-Off

For the past two days, celebrities, politicians, business leaders and media executives have been selling The Big Issue on the streets of Glasgow and Edinburgh to raise money, and experience first-hand what it's like to be a street paper vendor.

On Thursday, comedian Greg McHugh, the BBC’s Shereen Nanjiani, ex footballer Ally Dawson, Baroness Helen Liddell and Edinburgh’s Lord Provost all joined business leaders and media executives to sell the magazine in Glasgow and Edinburgh, as part of ‘International Street Paper Vendor Week’.

Yesterday, Glasgow politicians Sandra White (MSP for Glasgow Kelvin), Patrick Harvie (MSP for Glasgow & Co-convenor of the Scottish Green Party), Humza Yousaf (MSP for Glasgow & Minister for External Affairs & International Development) and Anas Sarwar (MP for Glasgow Central & deputy leader of the Scottish Labour Party) also braved the cold and raise money.

Maree Aldam, INSP’s general manager, said yesterday: “Our first-ever Big Sell-Off was a fantastic success on many levels. We raised money for INSP and The Big Issue and we raised awareness and understanding of the amazing job that the real street paper vendors do, buying and selling the magazines. It’s is a real, entrepreneurial job and it’s one of the toughest jobs out there.

“I’m so grateful to the guest vendors who took part. Many of them commented on how tough and humbling the experience was. Even the famous faces became invisible to passers-by at times, and many experienced some of the same negative treatment that the real vendors do, day in day out. I’m confident that this week will help to change attitudes to Big Issue vendors and their colleagues around the world. Whether you buy a magazine or not, it doesn’t take much to look a person in the eye and think of the courage that it takes to do this kind of work.”

The Big Sell-Off event was sponsored by Glasgow Housing Association (part of the Wheatley Group) and Chair of GHA, Gordon Sloan was one of the guest vendors who took part in yesterday’s event in Glasgow.