The Big Issue has announced five new “ambassadors” to help champion the magazine’s drive to tackle homelessness and break the cycle of poverty.
Environmental campaigner and broadcaster Chris Packham, comedian and actress Michelle de Swarte, business leader Mike Soutar, financial influencer Rotimi Merriman-Johnson and housing campaigner Kwajo Tweneboa will advise the Big Issue on different issues affecting people facing poverty.
The Big Issue Group is working to reduce the impact of issues which keep people trapped in poverty, including lack of learning and earning opportunities, substandard housing, poor health and wellbeing, financial and digital exclusion, and the threat posed by the climate crisis.
Packham will highlight the impact of the climate crisis on people in poverty and the need for grassroots community organisations to unite and drive change.
He said: “We’re in a fight, and one of the things that’s not being joined up at the moment is how poverty is intrinsically entwined with climate breakdown.
“The impacts are being felt more severely in countries where there is more widespread poverty.”
“I want to bring that conversation to the Big Issue.
“At the moment, we tend to partition and silo these things.
“But they are all related.
“And until we address inequality we’re not going to deal with the other issues.”
Lord John Bird, founder of the Big Issue and crossbench peer, said: “These ambassadors aren’t just lending their names, each of them brings with them real expertise and passion which we need in the fight against poverty.
“It’s good to have them on board and championing our work at this critical moment.”
