Generous Big Issue vendor Kevin Collick has raised more than £1,400 for Children in Need after swapping his tabard for a Pudsey Bear costume.
Kevin dressed as the campaign’s mascot on Friday and collected donations on his pitch outside Tesco on High Street in Winchester. He sold more than 200 Big Issue magazines, raising £1,428 for charity.
The 45-year-old seller also offered his regulars chocolates after five boxes were donated by the supermarket branch.
“I was quite chuffed with the money that I raised,” said Kevin. “I was out there on that pitch from 5.30 until 5.30 and had a right laugh with everybody and a lot of people told me it was amazing what I was doing.
“The way I look at it, The Big Issue has done a lot for me and to help a lot of people and I want to give something back where I can. I’m old school and I look after my pitch and the people here so I’ll spend time cleaning up rubbish and putting the chairs out for Costa and things like that. Those values are important.”
It is not the first time that Kevin has swapped his tabard for a new look. He is regularly spotted in Winchester donning the Christmas tree costume that he wore when he last raised funds for Children in Need back in 2016, finishing with a grand total of more than £5,000.
