Hamish Scott, Vision Express/Boots, Abergavenny: ‘I was homeless. I’d sleep on the bus to Ilford’

I came back to Big Issue in October. But I have had stints before, going back to Cardiff around 20 years ago. I sold it for 10 years, then. I had Penarth, which is a good pitch.

I’d had a good job. I was a sales rep for a French company. But then I had a nervous breakdown and had to leave. 

I was homeless in London for a while after my breakdown. I used to sleep on the 25 bus that goes to Ilford and back in the early 2000s. 

I’d tell my younger self that employment is the main thing. You’ve got to be employed to have a good life. I was very well off as a sales rep, so it was a bit of a shock. In London, a lot of people become homeless, and some of them are like me and have had good jobs. It’s a tough place. I was shocked by how quickly it happened.

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There were some good day centres in London. I used to go to one off Brick Lane. The people there were really helpful. Then I came back to Wales, where there was less pressure on housing and started selling Big Issue. It was an interesting experience, to be honest. The Big Issue money helped a lot, I got a flat and stuff. And I’m OK now, which is the main thing. 

I think as a magazine, it’s socially useful. It has a social conscience. And I always like what John Bird has to say. You get to meet people, you are out in the open, so I do enjoy it. And I want people to read the magazine. It looks into really important areas of society.

I married a Welsh girl and she passed away four years ago, but I stuck around in Wales. I’ve got a daughter in Cwmbran and a son in America, so my daughter keeps me here, really. 

I’m one of the lucky ones. I’m pretty safe. I have a private pension, which helps. So I have quite a good living. I go down to Marseille quite a lot. I love it down there. And I have a nice Monmouth Housing Association flat, which is a really good place, an over-60s block. But I enjoy selling Big Issue as something to do. It really suits me.

I’m also a music fan. I like The Stranglers and Lou Reed, David Bowie. I saw a lot of them when I was younger. The best gig I went to was probably Knebworth, when The Rolling Stones played there [in 1976].

When I’m not working, I love dinghy sailing. I’m a qualified sailing instructor and there is a reservoir nearby where people can sail. I grew up in Poole, which is a great place for sailing. I’m not out on the water much at the moment. But I love to travel. I like the French way of life, I like French philosophy – Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre. And I like the weather. But Abergavenny is better.

In the future, I’d like to buy a place in Sicily. I’ve had a look around Messina and Catania, and you can get a nice place for not much money there. I’m Italian by blood but I can’t speak the language yet.

I’d like to say thank you to my regular customers. They help to keep me going. Welsh people tend to be very kind anyway, and that’s what I’ve always found. There’s beautiful countryside for walks; people always stop for a chat. And I’m very grateful to the people who buy a magazine.

Interview: Adrian Lobb

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Vision Express Opticians - Abergavenny, Frogmore Street, Abergavenny, UK