The Lord Provost the Rt Hon Donald Wilson took to Princes Street today to help boost sale of the Big Issue as part of the first-ever Big Sell Off.
He joined other high-profile individuals, including celebrities, business leaders and government ministers, as a guest vendor to support The Big Issue in Scotland and Scottish-based charity INSP (International Network of Street Papers).
The Big Sell-Off aims to raise awareness of homelessness, boost Big Issue vendor morale and sales, raise the profile of INSP and The Big Issue in Scotland and also raise funds for both organisations through guest vendors’ individual JustGiving fundraising pages.
The Lord Provost said: “It’s wrong that in 2014 people in Scotland are still living on the streets and don’t have a place to call home. That’s why it’s important people and organisations do everything they can to raise awareness of homelessness in Scotland and work together to make it a thing of the past.
“I am delighted to be involved in The Big Sell-Off this year and to do our bit helping raise funds and awareness for such an important cause.”
INSP’s General Manager Maree Aldam said: “The ‘Big Sell-Off’ and ‘Vendor Week’ events are a way to celebrate the 14,000 inspirational street paper vendors there are around the world at any one time. They all work hard buying and selling street papers, like The Big Issue, to earn their own income and lift themselves out of poverty.
“Our Scottish-based charity, INSP, has been at the heart of the street paper movement for two decades and we now support 120 different titles in 40 countries. These events are part of our anniversary celebrations.
“We’re delighted to have this fantastic group of guest vendors supporting INSP and The Big Issue and we’re also grateful to our sponsor, the Wheatley Housing Group, for their help in making this happen.”
To support the Lord Provost’s efforts as part of the Big Sell-Off campaign visit:http://www.justgiving.com/Donald-Wilson
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
