Paul Efdenoiu, 50, New Street Station, Birmingham

I’m lucky enough to have a special new pitch inside New Street station, arranged with Network Rail. It’s a great place to sell the magazine, with so many people coming and going. It must be one of the busiest places in the country but there is still time to have nice little talks with some of my customers.

Birmingham is a great place, full of impressive buildings.

I used to sell the magazine at the Paradise Forum, close to where the big new library was built. I’ve been inside the library a few times now. It’s a very grand place, I like it a lot. I’ve always liked libraries, ever since I was a boy.

I’m from a place called Craiova, a city in the south of Romania. I’ve been in the UK for over five years now.

I wanted to come here to try to make a better life. When I first came to Birmingham I struggled to find work. I had nowhere to stay, nowhere to even wash. After about six months of trying to find jobs, I started to sell The Big Issue.

Things began to improve. I earned some money and began going to English classes once a week at The Big Issue office. And I began to feel more at home here, more like I was part of the city.

For a long time I was staying with a friend of mine, sleeping on his sofa. Before that I was sleeping rough outdoors. But I have recently been told I have a room in shared accommodation, organised by one of the housing associations. I am very happy about that. It will be a big change for me to have a room of my own, I hope I can adjust.

I used to play football with some other Romanian guys but I’m getting too old now.

I would like to find a job working in construction, or doing painting and decorating, carpentry – anything related to building a home

I still like to keep fit and active, though. When I was younger I was in the Romanian army for almost two years, when the country had compulsory military service. We used to do a lot of training and parachute jumps. I liked it a lot.

I would like to find a job working in construction, or doing painting and decorating, carpentry – anything related to building a home.
For a time I was able to live by that kind of work back at home. It would be wonderful to do the same thing here in Birmingham.

My secret skill… I practise karate. I’m not any specific belt level – it’s just something I like to do for pleasure.

My favourite place… The Library of Birmingham. The new library is very nice. I go there to admire it, and also to look at the books, as I’m trying to improve my English.

Chamberlain Square, Birmimgham, West Midlands, B3 3HJ, United Kingdom