The Big Life group

What is The Big Life group?
The Big Life group are social businesses and charities working together to provide support and opportunity for people to change their lives.

Where is The Big Life group based?
The Big Life group is based at a number of sites across the North West and Yorkshire.

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The Big Issue in the North

How much is The Big Issue in the North?
The Big Issue in the North is £1.50

Do vendors get The Big Issue in the North for free?
No. Vendors buy the magazine for 70 pence from one of The Big Issue in the North’s sales offices and sell it for £1.50, keeping the 80 pence profit that they earn.

Is The Big Issue in the North written by homeless people?
No, a team of journalists write The Big Issue in the North. A page called Street Lights which is in the magazine each week contains information about the latest vendor projects, and sometimes has short stories or poetry written by vendors.

Is the magazine just about homeless people?
No. The magazine covers news stories from the UK and abroad, often focussing on subjects not covered in the mainstream national press. It also has interviews with, among others, people from the worlds of music, art, politics and film.

Where is The Big Issue in the North sold?
The Big Issue in the North is sold from Stoke on Trent to the Scottish borders and coast to coast. There are magazine sales offices in Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and Sheffield. There are also sub-offices in some towns outside the main cities which are run by different organisation who sell the magazine to local vendors on our behalf.

What research has The Big Issue in the North carried out?
The Big Issue in the North carries out an audit of its vendors each year. The audit pinpoints who vendors are, how they became homeless, their education and employment history, housing situation, the problems they face, information on the health services they need/have access to and their perceptions. For a copy of the most recent audit click here.

I’m studying at college/university and would like to do a project on homelessness. Can I interview a vendor?
The Big Life group has a strict research policy. We don’t ask any vendors to take part in interviews, unless there is a direct benefit to them or the services which support them in moving on in their lives. We get a huge number of requests from people wanting to interview and photograph vendors. Taking part in this would take time away from a vendor earning a legitimate income.

Our first priority is to protect the rights of the individual vendor or service user and their anonymity while they are working to change their life. Please respect vendors as you would any other individual and do not approach them about your projects. Why not download The Big Facts Pack which gives you an insight into the way The Big Issue in the North supports homeless people and a vendor audit which will help you create a profile of who Big Issue in the North vendors are. For a copy of the most recent audit click here.

Does The Big Issue in the North offer any services to vendors?
Most vendors selling The Big Issue in the North magazine take part in The Big Life Plan: an individually tailored package of support created for each person selling the magazine. The plan provides support and guidance to help people make progress in all areas of their life.

The plan works flexibly to help vendors make progress, at their own pace, in the areas they want to and in the areas we know will help them to move on. The Big Life Plan provides:

• Education, Training and Employment support
• Financial Advice
• Health services and advice
• Drugs and Alcohol Support
• Projects and Personal Development Opportunities
• Accommodation/housing support

The sub-offices, which are run by organisations other than The Big Issue in the North, may offer different services to our vendors.

Can I advertise in The Big Issue in the North?
Every week The Big Issue in the North provides both regional and national advertisers with opportunities in display, classified and recruitment sections. With more than seven pages of recruitment every week, The Big Issue in the North is a valued source of jobs information for employers and employees.

To download The Big Issue in the North media pack click here.
If you’re interested in advertising nationally in The Big Issue magazines across the country click here.

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The Big Issue in the North Trust

What is The Big Issue in the North Trust?
The Big Issue in the North Trust is a registered charity (number 1056041) which supports vendors of The Big Issue in the North magazine to get the services they need to improve their lives.

The people The Trust works with often have a range of complex difficulties: some have had a relationship breakdown and have lost their home; some have problems with drugs and alcohol; some aren't able to get a job or anywhere permanent to live; some are migrants or people new to the country.

The Trust helps people who aren't in touch with statutory services get the services they need - whether that's permanent accommodation, drug or alcohol treatment, a GP, English Language courses or other training.

What does The Trust fund?
The Trust funds The Big Life Plan, an individually tailored package of support created for each person selling The Big Issue in the North, and pays for the staff who work with vendors to help them move on.

How can you support The Trust?
Regular giving is vitally important to The Big Issue in the North Trust because it enables us to make a long-term commitment to helping homeless people. Making a gift every month helps us to make promises we can keep, to people who need someone to stand by them. To find out about ways to support The Trust click here.

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Kath Locke Centre

Where is the Kath Locke Centre?
The Kath Locke Centre is on Moss Lane East in Moss Side, Manchester.

What is the Kath Locke Centre?
The Kath Locke Centre offers a holistic health approach to well-being. It was the first non-statutory organisation to be contracted to deliver NHS services and now combines the best in conventional NHS healthcare services with complementary therapies.

Can anyone go to the Kath Locke Centre?
Services at the centre are available to the whole community giving everyone the opportunity to take control of their health. Last year over 32,000 people visited the centre and 23,000 people made phone enquiries.

What services are available at The Kath Locke Centre?
Click here to find out what's available...

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Aisha Childcare

What is Aisha Childcare?
Aisha Childcare has a childcare centre in Longsight, Manchester. For the past 12 years it has provided a flexible, high-quality, childcare service catering for the needs of local families with busy lives. Aisha Childcare prides itself on catering for and reflecting the diversity of the local neighbourhood

How do I register my child with Aisha Childcare?
Call our centres to find out if a place is available. See contacts for the telephone number.

What services are available at Aisha Childcaring?
Aisha offers a range of childcare services:

• Day-care for children aged between six months and four and a half years
• An after school club for four to eleven year olds
• Play-schemes for four to eleven years olds during the Christmas, Easter and Summer holidays and some half-terms
• Drop-in sessions for the children of people using The Big Life group’s services, or attending our training courses
• A mobile crèche provision which works in partnership with Big Life Employment to offer on site sessional crèches
  

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Summergrove

What is Summergrove
Summergrove in Liverpool is a unique project set up to help families recovering from drug or alcohol addiction. Summergrove is a safe place for parents, who have been affected by drugs, to live with their families and be supported in rebuilding their lives.

Who is it for?
Summergrove is for parents who are recovering from a drug or alcohol addiction and their families.

What does Summergrove offer to families who stay there?

• a 6 -12 month tenancy for families
• self-contained two bedroom flats
• key worker/advocacy support
• parenting skills
• counselling
• complimentary therapies
• courses and employment opportunities
• advice
• family support
• additional support for children from experienced staff

What happens when a family leaves Summergrove?
When families are ready to leave Summergrove, staff support them into their new accommodation. Families will continue to receive support from the Summergrove team for up to six months

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Therapeutic Services

What is Therapeutic Services?
Therapeutic Services is a collection of services that aid well-being. We follow a holistic approach with services to cater for the different aspects of your life so you can improve and maintain your health.

Where is Therapeutic Services based?
Therapeutic Services is based at the Kath Locke Centre. However it can offer a service to businesses in the Greater Manchester area and has recently started a counselling service in Liverpool.

What services do Therapeutic Services offer?
Therapeutic Services offer a Counselling Service, Homeopathy, Keeping in Touch course (basic hand massage and listening skills), Massage Service, Men’s Group, Reiki, Relaxation Group and a Women’s Group. For information about these services click here.

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Self Help Services

What is Self Help Services?
Self Help Services is a network of user-led self-help groups which provide support and advice about an issue common to all group members. In a nutshell, a self-help group is about a community of people tying to help one another with some of life's hard problems.

Where are Self Help Services based?
Self-help Services office is based in the Zion Community Resource, Hulme. However their services run in different locations across Greater Manchester and beyond.

What services are on offer?
Self Help Services run over 25 support groups focusing on issues including anxiety disorders, eating disorders, self-harm, and anger management.

How do I find out more about Self-help Services?
Log on to www.selfhelpservices.org.uk

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Zion Community Resource

What is the Zion Community Resource?
Zion Community Resource was set up by local people in 1991 and since then has been working with, and for, people of Hulme. It offers support and resources, encourages self-help and helps to develop new services wherever they are needed.

What services are on offer at the Zion?
The Zion Community Resource houses a range of services including Self Help Services, a therapeutic garden project and a specialist midwifery service.

Where is the Zion?
The Zion is on Stretford Road in Hulme, Manchester.

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Big Life Employment

What is Big Life Employment?
Big Life Employment offers a range of training and employment placements, training opportunities, mentoring and support to create a tailored package helping every individual reach their goal - whether that be mainstream employment or accessing specific training. Its long-term aim is to help people secure employment, by supporting them through the transition from exclusion to mainstream employment.

Big Life Employment also run the Giving a Lift project which provides paid training and employment placements in garden and outdoor maintenance for young people in the Partington area of Greater Manchester.

Who does Big Life Employment work with?
Big Life Employment offers its training and employment opportunities to people who are overlooked by mainstream employers. This can be as a result of disability, ethnicity, mental health problems, long-term illness, homelessness, drug or alcohol dependency.

Where is Big Life Employment based?
Big Life Employment works with people in Greater Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds.

How can I find out more about Big Life Employment?
Simply call BLE for more information on 0161 834 6300.

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Sure Start Longsight Children's Centre

What is Sure Start?
Sure Start is the Government's programme to deliver the best start in life for every child by bringing together early education, childcare and health and family support.

How does The Big Life group work with Sure Start?
The Big Life Company is the lead partner agency in Sure Start Longsight Children's Centre: a 10-year programme to improve opportunities for children in the Longsight area of Manchester.

What does Sure Start do?
The project works with children under four and their families. Parents and children are at the heart of Sure Start Longsight, and they are involved in deciding what services they would like locally. The project builds upon the diversity of its local communities, working with families to improve health, social and emotional development, children’s ability to lean and to strengthen communities.

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Well Being Centre

What is the Well Being Centre?
The Well Being Centre offers a range of services to people in Stockport to aid good health and well being. Services include music and art workshops, courses to enhance your well being and self-esteem and advice on other services available locally.

Where is the Well Being Centre?
The Well Being Centre is the centre of Stockport on Chestergate. Phone 0161 474 7713 for more details.