“It’s quite enterprising, I liked the control over what I was doing, being your own boss. For me it was a vital stepping stone. The Big Issue played a big part in my rehabilitation and looking back on it I should have taken up more of their offers of support.”
Greg turned to selling the magazine after a chance encounter years earlier with then-vendor James Bowen and his now-famous cat companion Street Cat Bob, who died last week.
And Greg wouldn’t be the first person who has been touched by Bob’s tale.
He added: “It goes back to a family day out in London in around 2006/2007 and we were in Covent Garden and suddenly this guy pops up with his ginger cat. He told me what had happened to him and when I met him it struck me that there was something unique about him. He had a middle-class accent and came from a middle-class background. That made him stick out a little bit.
“That’s the only time I had ever bought a mag off a vendor before and then James Bowen and Street Cat Bob ended up being famous. I just remember meeting that guy and twigged a little bit of inspiration with me.”
The 39-year-old, originally from Slough, decided to write the book last year as a way of sharing his own experiences and shedding light on some of the people he met along the way.
But, as Greg continues to live in a disused council building, it was no easy feat penning The Wanderer.
After being encouraged by a friend, Greg went back through his journals and started writing them up on paper before entering his drafted copy on to a laptop.
I wanted to make people aware of the camaraderie that you feel on the streets too
He initially found the experience “emotionally draining” but it would later prove to be cathartic. After working for 50 hours a week on the book over a six-month period while supporting himself through construction work, Greg was able to self-publish the book through Amazon.
And he insists that he is keen for it to be seen as a portrayal of the realities of homelessness rather than a “sob story”.
“I really liked writing and it was something to do, something to give me structure and a reason to get out of bed,” said Greg.
“It was cathartic and I didn’t just want it to be all about me. I met a lot of different characters and it is telling their story too and making them human. There is always a story behind every one you see on the street and they have their own unique traits that I wanted to bring out. I always wanted to show that a lot of homeless people do work.
“I wanted to make people aware of the camaraderie that you feel on the streets too, I never wanted the book to be a sob story.”
The Wanderer: From the streets of Bristol to the Cambodian Jungle is available now in ebook or paperback format from Amazon
Images: Greg Lynn
