Gheorghe Ardeleanu, M&S Finsbury Park Station, London

Image: Isabella McRae

I started selling Big Issue North in 2012, when I lived in Liverpool.I moved straight from Romania to Liverpool. After more than 10 years over there, I moved to London. I started selling Big Issue here in May last year. 

I think Big Issue is good for me.It doesn’t cause me stress. No one controls my time and I’m my own boss. 

My pitch is different to any other pitch in London. I know what time is best to sell because people go to work in the morning and come back home in the evening. Sometimes I have regular customers. I sell because for me it’s very good. 

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I’m new to London.I know it’s too expensive to pay rent for a house. Some people are paying £2,000 or even £3,000 for rent. That’s not good for people.  

I camp.I like it. I’m not scared. Sometimes I don’t like to sleep on the road, and I’ve made friends and I sleep in their house sometimes. But mostly, I don’t have stress. I’m not scared of the dark. I can protect myself. I’ve learned from my family. My dad was a very strong man. I lost them when I was very young. I was 22. 

I have met lots of different people on my pitch.It’s nice when people tell me I am very friendly, even though I have never met them before. 

I was just told that a customer posted a picture of me on Instagram (left) because I bought dog treats for their dog, and they said: “Is this the nicest, kindest Big Issue seller in London?”

I can’t believe that. I don’t believe that I’m the best. I’m just a normal man. I’m a normal seller. I just love dogs. I have done since I lived in my home country. 

I love football too. It’s my favourite. My team is not here in London. It’s my first city in England: Liverpool. Before that, I was a fan of Bayern Munich, but not as much as Liverpool. It makes a difference in my life. 

I hope to start a new job, maybe. I have an interview for a job as a cleaner in an office building near my pitch. The manager is a local customer and she could see that I’m not just a homeless guy. I do not make rubbish and I’m not dangerous. She can see I’m a different person and I try to look after myself. I might keep selling Big Issue as well.We’ll see what happens. 

If I didn’t sell Big Issue, there would never have been a chance for me in this country. If I didn’t sell Big Issue, I would never have had a chance to speak English. It has helped me open my mind and given me options. I learned a little bit of English at school, but when I came to Liverpool, I spoke nothing. 

I think people sometimes don’t understand that we buy the magazine, we are making our own money, and our own business.It’s much better than begging. 

If I was going to give my younger self advice, I would say: “Keep going. Keep trying. Life is life. It needs struggle. You will struggle in your life. It will be dangerous and you will have problems sometimes. You need to find calm.” 

For Big Issue sellers, I would encourage them to talk to people. Ask them: “How are you?” When you speak to people, it’s very nice and it’s very good. I’m very happy with Big Issue. Big Issue is very kind. 

Interview: Isabella McRae

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M&S Foodhall, City North Place, Finsbury Park, London, UK