Big Issue vendor thanks town for its support

A man who lived on the streets of Weston-super-Mare and became a local celebrity selling the Big Issue in a top hat and tails, has thanked local residents for helping him get back on his feet.

Graham Walker, who initially experienced harassment and insults from passers-by, said he used humour to help change people's perceptions of the homeless.

After acknowledging his thanks, Mr Walker said he had received more than 6,500 comments from people who remembered him.

"It was the start of my life that has been the most rewarding and gave my life a sense of purpose and something I can look back on with pride," he said.

"I'm thin-skinned, so to begin with, it was the hardest thing for me to do because people often looked at me as a sort of alien, as far distant from a human being as they could imagine.

"I had to combat that, so I started having a board in front of me with amusing signs like 'Please queue in an orderly fashion' or 'Free pair of staples with every issue' and that suddenly changed everything," said Mr Walker.

"I made a connection with people passing by me, which obliterated the insults," he added.

"One day this gangly man walked up to me, quite dishevelled, and said my board was the funniest thing he'd seen that day and gave me a £5 note, and it was John Cleese.

Mr Walker started placing notes inside each copy of the Big Issue sharing details about his difficult childhood; his violent, alcoholic father, his mother who turned to prostitution in desperation to feed her children, and his years being moved from one children's home to another.

"It fast-tracked me to friends," Mr Walker explained, "because people would read these stories and get to know me.

"People would smile at me and say good morning.

"I dressed in top hat and tails to be the smartest guy on the street, who's selling the Big Issue.

"I was living in the back of a car, so sometimes I had to Tippex my collar because I couldn't wash it, but on the surface it looked pristine."

Mr Walker sold the Big Issue throughout his 50s and early 60s in towns across Somerset including Taunton, Wells, Glastonbury and Minehead.

He said he soon started to feel guilty for earning a living from other people's generosity, so he began to fundraise in order to give something back to the communities he worked in.

He set up The Beacon Project, which serves hot food and drink, and offers support, to 50-70 homeless or "vulnerably housed" adults.

Now aged 70 and despite a cancer diagnosis, Mr Walker has raised nearly £150,000 in total for local charities, including the Children's Hospice South West.

"The Big Issue was a fantastic vehicle for fundraising. It was really powerful to actually change someone's preconception of who the vendor was and increased the trust towards me from the local community," said Mr Walker.

Mr Walker has written about his experiences as a Big Issue seller in his book, called Unsettled, and fondly recalled standing outside a book shop selling the magazine and frequently being called inside by the manager to sign copies.

He is now settled with a partner in Devon, where he continues to fundraise.

"I'm not totally comfortable indoors because I've spent most of my life as an itinerant, but that's tempered by the fact that I still stand most days on the streets, now just simply fundraising for local charities.

"I have enough memories to see me through the rest of my life," he said.

"It warms me up and makes me feel good about myself. I look back now and think, well, I've had a constructive life and a life I'm proud of."

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