The hidden heartbeat of the nation

There’s a vast, unpaid workforce of volunteers and informal carers that’s keeping Britain running. Millions of us volunteer to help our communities: in food banks, youth centres, homelessness charities, disability hubs and much more. Then there’s the unpaid carers – nearly six million of them – providing physical, practical and emotional support to those who need it every day. The labour they provide saves the NHS and social care £184 billion a year.

So what would happen if the volunteers stopped volunteering? If the carers stopped caring? We’ve looked at the numbers, spoken to experts and heard from the people who have worked on the front lines. And what we found is a system at breaking point.

Also inside

• One year on from the start of the bin strike, we went to Birmingham to find a city under siege
• In his Letter to My Younger Self, pop star Rick Astley recalls career ups and downs and his grudge with Kylie – but now he’s on a roll
• The startlingly honest account of a 28-year-old who gave up his bank card to his dad in order to beat alcoholism
• Stand by Me turns 40, and is back in cinemas. But this time around it’s a far more poignant watch
• Comedian Fatiha El-Ghorri is here to open your mind
• Prince William takes his Homewards initiative into the classroom
• BIG Kids broaches the complex topic of child poverty

And much more

Buy from your local Big Issue vendor every week – or support online with a vendor support kit or a subscription – and help people work their way out of poverty with dignity.