AROUND 350 people who sell Big Issue North are facing further hardship as the magazine is pulled from the streets, unable to be sold, due to the third Covid lockdown.

Big Issue North has not been allowed to keep selling magazines on the street, meaning hundreds of homeless and vulnerably housed people are without a source of desperately needed income.

The 350 people who sell Big Issue North are self-employed, buying magazines from offices across the North West, 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 they cannot work from home.

The charity estimates it needs £10,000 to support vendors.

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.

"We estimate that we will need £10,000 to support all of our vendors through this period of lockdown."

Big Issue magazines can still be bought in Sainsbury’s, including online, Co-Op, McColl’s or Booths, or online at https://issuu.com/bigissuenorth.

Half the price of each magazine goes directly into a hardship fund, with the rest covering production costs.

Anyone wishing to make a donation to the hardship fund and help provide support for vendors during lockdown should text HARDSHIP to 70970 to give £5, going to http://easydonate.org/HARDSHIP.