Tributes paid to much-loved Big Issue vendor Marc Jones, 47, found dead in hostel

A much-loved Big Issue vendor who had recently returned to sell the magazine in a bid to turn his life around has sadly died.

Marc Jones was sadly found dead at Adams Court Hostel in Cardiff on 10 December just days after speaking to the Big Issue for an interview that was due to be published in the new year.

Marc, 47, was an on-off seller of the magazine who had been back working as a vendor for a month and a half before his sudden death.

Change a Big Issue vendor’s life this Christmas by purchasing a Winter Support Kit. You’ll receive four copies of the magazine and create a brighter future for our vendors through Christmas and beyond.

As part of the progress he was making as a vendor, Marc put himself forward for the My Pitch page of the magazine to speak about his life and his thoughts on homelessness, Cardiff and his plans for the future.

Marc had been living in the hostel since January after falling into homelessness when he lost his job working on the dodgems at a fairground in Porthcawl.

“I went in there [the hostel] because I had nowhere else to go,” said Jones. “It was getting as cold at is now and I was living on the street. Rats used to chew through my tent and when they used to chew where the zip was, I couldn’t close it up at night so it was very cold.”

Marc came back to the Big Issue at a time of great need. He said previously he had sold the magazine but hadn’t “stuck it out”. The difference this time was that he “needed to get myself sorted”.

He had already made progress. He told the Big Issue: “I’ve not been in trouble now for 10 years, since 2013. I used to rob cars, rob car stereos. I was in and out of court all the time but I decided that I need to make a change.”

Originally from Bridgend, Marc said he had been living in Cardiff on and off since 1996.

He had seen a lot of Wales during his life and held a particular fondness for Aberystwyth. Marc said: “It’s got the beach, the castle and they’re right next to each other. It’s just quiet and you can even see a dolphin sometimes in the sea.”

• Find your local Big Issue vendor on our interactive map
• Read more about our vendors
• Want to earn some extra cash on your terms? Find out how to become a Big Issue vendor
• How do Big Issue sellers make money?

His big plan for 2024 was to find a home of his own and to win his battle with heroin addiction.

“Next year I want to get off everything and get my own place to be independent. It would mean a lot to have my own place,” said Marc.

Tragically, Marc’s goals will remain unfulfilled. Tom Watts, Big Issue sales and operations manager in Wales, paid tribute to Marc.

“I’ve known Marc for several years and he has always been an on-and-off vendor but in the last couple of months something changed and he seemed to be taking selling the magazine more seriously,” said Watts.

“He was very kind, easy to work with and honest and he never got angry, he was always very calm. We all liked him and had a lot of time for him. We made a great effort to support him.

“We’re all saddened by Marc’s passing and he’ll be much missed.”