Simon Thorndike is a Big Issue magazine vendor in Norwich. He's 38 years old and has been homeless for seven years after developing a drink problem. "Mostly it was down to alcohol. I was drinking a litre bottle of vodka a day. My boss gave me the sack because I could hardly stand at work," he said. Once he lost his job, everything else in his life started to ebb away too. "I lost my family, my two sons, I lost my accommodation and went from hostel to hostel, from city to city right across the UK."  | | Big Issue sellers pick up the magazines |
Like all Big Issue vendors, Simon buys the magazine for 70p and sells it for £1.50. He stands on a pitch close to The Forum in Norwich. All the vendors sign up to a code of conduct and wear an ID badge. "People in Norwich are very friendly," he said. "Occasionally people are rude and swear at you, but it doesn't happen very often." Simon has just found himself a flat to rent in the city and is hoping to find another job soon. "When I get back into full-time employment again, I will buy the Big Issue because I know how it does help the people who are on the streets. "Even if you don't buy the magazine, stop and talk to a Big Issue vendor because nine times out of 10 you'll find they're really nice people. They've just had a bad run of luck." | 
