Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
News

The date for popular Big Issue vendor Paul Kelly’s funeral has been confirmed

The tragic 50-year-old Glasgow seller was found dead outside his home on June 15

Paul Kelly

The funeral for much-loved Big Issue vendor Paul Kelly will be held tomorrow.

He will be laid to rest with a graveside service at St Conval’s Cemetery in Barrhead at 10am on July 23. Paul’s family have made it clear that all are welcome and have also asked that anyone wishing to make a donation, should make it to homelessness charity Shelter.

The 50-year-old was found dead outside his home in the Kingswood area of Glasgow following a violent attack.

Since Paul’s tragic death, The Big Issue has been inundated with tributes from his regular customers and passers-by who he touched with his ‘Don’t be shy, give it a try. I don’t bite’ catchphrase on his pitch outside Sainsbury’s on Buchanan Street in Glasgow.

He also received a mention in Scottish parliament, thanks to a motion from MSP Monica Lennon, and graced the cover of the Scottish edition of The Big Issue magazine in the week following his death.

The loss of Paul has shocked and saddened all at The Big Issue and we joined scores of his customers, Sainsbury’s staff and fellow vendors on his pitch for a vigil in his memory on June 24.

Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty

As editor Paul McNamee noted in his own tribute to the popular vendor: “It just feels odd and it feels sad and a little darker that Paul Kelly isn’t in this world.”

Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty

Do you know how Big Issue 'really' works?

Watch this simple explanation.

Recommended for you

View all
We need you! Nominate who you think should be a Big Issue Changemaker in 2027
Some of our 2026 Changemakers.
News

We need you! Nominate who you think should be a Big Issue Changemaker in 2027

Should renters have a triple lock to cap sky-high rents? Zack Polanski thinks so
Zack Polanski
rent controls

Should renters have a triple lock to cap sky-high rents? Zack Polanski thinks so

Blindboy: 'If I were prime minister I'd stop billionaires buying political power'
PM For The PM

Blindboy: 'If I were prime minister I'd stop billionaires buying political power'

Aberdeen through the eyes of a former homeless person: 'I showed Prince William around the city'
Invisible Cities tour guide showing a tour group a mural by Sheffield artist Phlegm at Holborn Junction, Aberdeen
Travel

Aberdeen through the eyes of a former homeless person: 'I showed Prince William around the city'