Skin in the game

Records were broken across the country as temperatures soared in the recent heatwaves. During extreme weather events, it’s the most vulnerable who are most at risk. Our special investigation into local councils’ use of Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) found a patchy response to the high temperatures, which left many rough sleepers to cope without shelter from the heat. In this issue we spotlight the postcode lottery of SWEP activation in different regions. We also take a tour of a giant laboratory in Salford putting buildings through extreme weather conditions to create the climate-resilient homes of the future; we look back at the legendary summer of ’76 to find striking similarities with how we are living today; and we visit the tech hub that’s fighting climate change, with support from Big Issue Invest.

Also inside

• How can we break down the stigma of debt so that people in financial strife can access the support they need?
• Bastille songwriter and frontman Dan Smith recalls spending years writing songs in his bedroom that he was too shy to share with anyone
• Filmmaker Oobah Butler takes satirical aim at the property ladder and generational inequality in his latest documentary
• Robin Ince turns a luggage mishap into a polyester odyssey of second-hand shirts
• BeActive Urmston is levelling the playing field to make sport open to all, regardless of fitness
• New Children’s Laureate Patrice Lawrence has a challenge for our BIG Kids
• And happy birthday to Swindon vendor Speranta, who has just turned 45!

And much more

Buy from your local Big Issue vendor each week. If you don’t have a local vendor you can subscribe online, or make a contribution to support our work with vendors every day – and help people work their way out of poverty with dignity.