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We’ve reunited cycling Covid Crusader Jacob with Big Issue vendor Stevie

Jacob Hill-Gowing raised £16,500 for Big Issue vendors by cycling the distance of the Tour de France on an exercise bike in his flat. It was all because he missed vendor Stevie Taylor so The Big Issue has put them back in touch

Big Issue readers have gone above and beyond to support vendors during the Covid-19 crisis – but few have gone further than Jacob Hill-Gowing.

His Le Tour de Flat challenge saw him cycle the 2,200-mile distance of the Tour de France on an exercise bike previously used as a clothes horse in his one-bed London flat. Jacob has raised more than £16,500 for The Big Issue Foundation, our charitable arm, in an effort to support vendors through these difficult times while they are unable to sell the magazine on the streets.

It’s an incredible achievement and the challenge was inspired by one vendor in particular – Jacob missed chatting to Stevie Taylor, who sells the magazine outside Pret on Old Street, London, near to where the Covid Crusader works as an art director.

“Stevie is a massive part of my day,” Jacob Hill-Gowing tells The Big issue. “I see him four of five times a day when I nip out of the office to get stuff so it’s been a bit weird not seeing him every day and having a bit of banter with him. I’m definitely missing him and I’m sure he’s missing all of his customers.”

The pair hadn’t spoken since lockdown consigned them both to their homes and, despite plenty of coverage, Le Tour de Flat challenge had passed Stevie by. So The Big Issue has put the two back in touch – and Stevie, 47, told us that it’s already making a difference.

“It’s a very pleasant surprise,” he said. “Of all the people to do a challenge like this, I never thought Jake would be the one to do it. But I’m proud of him. So it’s great that he has pulled something positive out of this lockdown.

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“It’s been refreshing to have someone different to chat to and it’s certainly helped break up the monotony of the lockdown.”

Jacob’s fundraiser will continue running until May 22, the challenge’s original finishing date. You can donate here.

For more on the Le Tour de Flat challenge, and a whole lot more, buy this week’s Big Issue magazine.

You can buy one-off issues or subscriptions from The Big Issue app, available now from the App Store or Google Play.

You can keep us going by subscribing to the magazine to receive it every week directly to your door or device. Head to bigissue.com/subscribe for more details.

You can also get a copy in stores for the first time. Head to Morrisons, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, McColl’s, Co-op, Asda or WH Smith to grab the latest issue.

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Learn more about our impact

When most people think about the Big Issue, they think of vendors selling the Big Issue magazines on the streets – and we are immensely proud of this. In 2022 alone, we worked with 10% more vendors and these vendors earned £3.76 million in collective income. There is much more to the work we do at the Big Issue Group, our mission is to create innovative solutions through enterprise to unlock opportunity for the 14million people in the UK living in poverty.

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