First person
'I'm an amputee and the DWP reduced my disability benefits. I worried I would be homeless'
![disability benefits/ aidan](https://www.bigissue.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Aidan61-copy.jpeg?w=768)
'I'm an amputee and the DWP reduced my disability benefits. I worried I would be homeless'
Rust Bucket Workshop: Let’s change rubbish into an artisan delight
![A mouse by Rust Bucket Workshop](https://www.bigissue.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/1572_art-supp-p8-9_20230612_140739-HERO-2.jpg?w=768)
Rust Bucket Workshop: Let’s change rubbish into an artisan delight
Artist duo Snik: Our mission is to highlight abandoned spaces
![A painting of a girl with flowers for her hair by Artist duo Snik](https://www.bigissue.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/1572_art-supp-p8-9_1.GoneBeliever_@BrianTallman_Stavanger.jpg?w=768)
Artist duo Snik: Our mission is to highlight abandoned spaces
‘The DWP took away my disability benefits. I've had so many tribunal dates I've lost count'
![dwp](https://www.bigissue.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Chelsea71-copy-1.jpeg?w=768)
‘The DWP took away my disability benefits. I've had so many tribunal dates I've lost count'
Menopause at 36: 'I would wake up exhausted, dehydrated and fearful of drowning in my bed'
![Lara Roberts, a young woman in her thirties with shoulder length brown hair, looks away against a pale blue background](https://www.bigissue.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/LR-3.jpg?w=768)
Menopause at 36: 'I would wake up exhausted, dehydrated and fearful of drowning in my bed'
Junker Jane brings the 'creep factor' to reclaimed art
![strange dolls by artist Junker Jane](https://www.bigissue.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/1572_art-supp-p8-9_image_6487327-3.jpg?w=768)
Junker Jane brings the 'creep factor' to reclaimed art
I had a paragliding accident, straight into a hill. I cannot express how lucky I feel that we have the NHS.
![](https://www.bigissue.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/PXL_20201230_122116155.jpg?w=768)
I had a paragliding accident, straight into a hill. I cannot express how lucky I feel that we have the NHS.
'I'm a survivor of teenage sexual assault. Supporting such children starts with educating the adults around them.'
![](https://www.bigissue.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/eric-ward-akT1bnnuMMk-unsplash.jpg?w=768)
'I'm a survivor of teenage sexual assault. Supporting such children starts with educating the adults around them.'
It takes a lot of hard work to realise how stupid hard work is
![Image for Sam Delaney column of a scrambled brain](https://www.bigissue.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/1568_Sam-Delaney_shutterstock_193051910.jpg?w=768)
It takes a lot of hard work to realise how stupid hard work is
'I got a letter saying I had a six-year-old son I knew nothing about. One of us had to grow up'
![Si Mack performs his new show, kid, at BEAF Festival in Bournemouth.](https://www.bigissue.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Si-Mack-Tattoo.-Image-©️-Roz-Pike-jpg.webp?w=768)
'I got a letter saying I had a six-year-old son I knew nothing about. One of us had to grow up'
‘I was terrified I would be sent to prison for being gay in the armed forces. I had a mental health crisis’
![Craig Jones/ Gay in the military](https://www.bigissue.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/VwHv3WKY-jpeg.webp?w=768)
‘I was terrified I would be sent to prison for being gay in the armed forces. I had a mental health crisis’
‘I was forced to leave the navy six weeks after kissing a woman for the first time’
![Tilla Brook/ Gay in the navy](https://www.bigissue.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/TILLA-2-jpg.webp?w=768)
‘I was forced to leave the navy six weeks after kissing a woman for the first time’
Sam Delaney: I'm not just angry at the king, I'm angry at everything we've become
![Coronation](https://www.bigissue.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/shutterstock_editorial_13901620hf.jpg?w=768)
Sam Delaney: I'm not just angry at the king, I'm angry at everything we've become
Diary of a food bank manager: People don't have enough for essentials, so what chance for hope?
![](https://www.bigissue.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20230313_160847.jpg?w=768)
Diary of a food bank manager: People don't have enough for essentials, so what chance for hope?
The new Big 5 project shoots wildlife 'with a camera, not a gun'
![Polar Bear by Graeme Green](https://www.bigissue.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/1560_Big-5_Hao-Jiang.-Polar-Bear.-Status-Vulnerable.-Wapusk-National-Park-Manitoba-Canada.jpg?w=768)
The new Big 5 project shoots wildlife 'with a camera, not a gun'
Clean Break: A theatre company for women in the criminal justice system
![Deborah Bruce and director Róisín McBrinn in rehearsal for Dixon and Daughters](https://www.bigissue.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/deborah-bruce-nt.jpg?w=768)
Clean Break: A theatre company for women in the criminal justice system
I couldn't find a book with a Black British romantic heroine, so I wrote one
![Frances Mensah Williams illustration in green and gold](https://www.bigissue.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/1560-books-crChrisBentham-RGB.jpg?w=768)
I couldn't find a book with a Black British romantic heroine, so I wrote one
Robin Ince: My Dad is gone, but our shared love of books remains
![Robin Ince's bookmarks](https://www.bigissue.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/1560_Robin-Ince.jpeg?w=768)