Mumford & Sons: The nice guys who won

In this issue…Mumford & Sons are one of the biggest bands in the world right now Peter Ross travels to the Scottish mountains to spend time with the band and their fans, searching for what is at heart of their success. He finds something akin to a religious pilgrimage – a very different hammer of the gods.

Incidentally, we have quite a prize this week. To tie in with Mumford & Sons headline slot at Reading and Leeds festival, we’ve got four pairs of tickets to give away, plus camping and transport for lucky winners. There is more – winners will also be able to watch Mumford & Sons from the side of the stage. To be in with a chance of winning, all you need to do is buy The Big Issue and tweet a pic of you with it to @bigissue with hashtag #TheMumfordIssue

Two weeks ago we published the first part of James Campbell’s diary of rough sleeping. The response was huge, the praise for his insight and writing was mighty. This week we bring the second instalment. It concerns an appointment with a housing officer. It’s a little bleak, but very funny.

Odd rather than funny is Belinda Carlisle’s confession of her Peccadillo. She collects lady head vases. Yes she does. It’s all in The Big Issue.

We’ve worked in partnership with online mag Den Of Geek for several months. This week, we look at their Geek V Loneliness campaign, a simple and fantastic idea that grew out of readers’ reaction to the death of Robin Williams. One year on, Den editor Simon Brew explains why this focus on mental health is more necessary than ever.

Our Letter To My Younger Self is with actress Amanda Redman. Years bed-bound as a child made her into the character she is, she says. As always, it’s an eye-opening interview.

Our featured vendor in My Pitch this week is Gerard Short, who sells in Clifton Triangle, Bristol. He struggled for work for a number of years, fell heavily into a debt, but has used The Big Issue to work his way out of debt and get off the streets. He’s an accomplished bridge player.

Samira Ahmed returns, looking at the whether we fetishise physical books too much when technology has made things easier.

Also, as Michelle Mone takes a bit of a pasting over her role as entrepreneur tzar, we’ve got experts from Big Issue Invest picking up a little of the slack from her. They offer valuable pointers for wannabe social entrepreneurs.

If all that wasn’t enough Jack Whitehall is in fine form inside, too.