Josh Clarke, Co-op, Henleaze Road, Bristol

Image: Hattie Greenyer

I’ve been selling the magazine here seven, maybe eight years. It’s a lovely community and they don’t want to lose me. I’ve always been there for people. The Co-op are good to me, they appreciate everything I do for them. I help the older people to their cars with their shopping when needed, and also if they need a basket picked up to give to them in their hand then I also do that for them.

I also keep an eye on the store for the manager who’s based there, because I’ve got a good pair of eyes. If I see a person about to shoplift or something like that, then I give them a heads-up for the safety of other customers that could be in the store. They appreciate me on all of that.

I also keep the community very tidy. I don’t leave my mess behind me and also they’ve seen in the last few months that my kindness has just got better and better. I seem to be a bit more positive at times when I’m selling and I’ve managed to chill out a little bit and not bring my problems to my pitch.

I keep mostly happy, but sometimes back in the day they used to see me a bit down because I had no one to really talk to about anything. I had to manage things myself and that sometimes got a bit frustrating if someone said the wrong thing to me. I now blank all the ones that don’t talk to me and I keep to all the ones who appreciate having me. I don’t know why I’m more positive, maybe it’s just circumstances and I’m learning to cope with them.

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I’ve been living outside but there is a temporary thing that is coming up for 12 months to get me to learn a few things to see if I can manage my own place. I don’t actually find sleeping rough to be that bad really. You’re not having to pay anything out, your money’s your own. You get to do whatever you want with it, near enough. The hardest thing about being homeless is you don’t get a lot of sleep, and you’re having to keep your eyes on form at all times to make sure no one does anything or gets the better of you. You’ve got to keep yourself in a good spirit.

I’ve been sleeping rough for a couple of years, but at Christmas I’ve had hotels because that’s what the community has given me, so I’ve got to thank them for that because that’s not cheap, obviously. It shows that they respect me for who I am. I was in there for 10 nights this Christmas, and the year before I was in there for two weeks I think, with breakfast included. They give me money for evening meals and other things that I may need. 

It makes me feel quite positive and happy. I enjoy seeing everyone once a week when they come down to buy the magazine. It’s good to be in with a community that stands up for you and wants you there.

I go out there and try to make my own trade from scratch. And that’s a lot better than not doing anything. It’s like the experience I’ve had of going to festivals – Big Issue has gone a long way for me. It’s got me into that big wide world of seeing a lot more people. I’m already down for [selling the magazine at] Forwards Festival at the end of August. I’ve been put down for both days, which I was very impressed with.

I said thank you to Hattie in the office for it. I was there last year and the year before, and I think the year before that when it was Madness [on the Downs in 2019]. One year I did security there too. I like the music and the people, it’s just a good atmosphere.

Interview: Liam Geraghty

Tesco Express, High Street, Upper Weston, Bath, UK