Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
HEATWAVE HITS - protect vendors today. Summer support kits enable vendors to work safely in hot weather while also helping them improve their sales
Buy a kit
News

Seriously injured Big Issue vendor thanks well-wishers

Customers, family and friends rally around Karl Lamsdale after he sustained life-threatening injuries

Karl Lamsdale Bubble

Bubble spent five weeks in a coma after a suspected hit and run incident earlier this year

Much-loved Birmingham Big Issue vendor Karl Lamsdale, also known as Bubble, has thanked well-wishers for the stream of messages he’s received after being  badly injured in an incident involving a vehicle in late January.   

Bubble is a well-known part of the local community in Snow Hill and has been selling The Big Issue for more than 18 years. He suffered serious and extensive injuries and was on life support. More than a month later, he is still in hospital and unable to speak due to a tracheotomy.

Jon Hyde, Birmingham team leader, said: “Karl works every day, only taking time off on his birthday, his mum’s birthday and Christmas and Boxing Day.

“He’s a huge part of the community. We have had so many emails and phone calls checking that Karl was OK but with data protection rules we needed his permission and he was sedated until recently.”

A fundraising campaign on GoFundMe has raised more than almost £1000 to “help ensure a soft landing for Karl when he is well enough to leave hospital care and begin rehab”. Karl’s brother Sam has reported that he is now “fully awake and with it” and that messages of support from his friends and customers have given him a real boost.

West Midlands Police told The Big Issue: “The investigation is ongoing. 

Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty

“No one has been arrested at this stage.”

Our 2020 Impact Report

The Big Issue has given more than £1 million support to Big Issue vendors struggling due to the lockdown restrictions. To mark the significant milestone, we have published an impact report, documenting the seismic shift the organisation has undergone in the past 12 months.

View Report
Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty

SIGN THE PETITION

Will you sign Big Issue's petition to ask Keir Starmer to pass a Poverty Zero law? It's time to hold government to account on poverty once and for all.

Recommended for you

View all
Home Office extends 56-day refugee move-on period – but it doesn't go far enough, campaigners say
a tent on the street
Refugees

Home Office extends 56-day refugee move-on period – but it doesn't go far enough, campaigners say

Black and minority households 'forced to cut their hair and hide their accents' to get social housing
A black woman sitting on a sofa speaking to a psychologist
Racism

Black and minority households 'forced to cut their hair and hide their accents' to get social housing

DWP’s 'unhealthy' AI obsession is trapping people in poverty, Amnesty report finds
dwp
Artificial intelligence

DWP’s 'unhealthy' AI obsession is trapping people in poverty, Amnesty report finds

One in nine children hit by two-child benefit cap: 'The public will not stomach inaction'
A mother and three children.
Child poverty

One in nine children hit by two-child benefit cap: 'The public will not stomach inaction'

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know
4.

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know

Support our vendors with a subscription

For each subscription to the magazine, we’ll provide a vendor with a reusable water bottle, making it easier for them to access cold water on hot days.