Steve Newcombe, Nottingham railway station

Photo: Exposure Photo Agency

I was in a bad state last time I appeared in My Pitch in 2022, but I’ve been in detox since then and my life’s changed a little bit for the better. I was in detox last September, got off drugs and came out basically. I’d been trying to get off drugs for quite a while and it wasn’t easy but I’ve done it. I feel better for it.

I’m just living one day at a time. I’ve got no plans to do anything because you never know what’s around the corner. I was working five years ago, then the pandemic came along and put me in the situation I’m in now. I had been working in door-to-door sales selling household items in Grimsby when Covid started. 

I’d only been in Grimsby for a year when my mate got me a flat, but I returned home to Nottingham after I lost that. I made plans five years ago and they went up the spout. So obviously I’m not going to plan again. 

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I was begging outside shops in Nottingham and one of the Big Issue guys came up to me and asked: “Why don’t you try selling the magazine?” Things are all right on my pitch. But you never know when you’re going to sell one. It’s impossible to tell. You might sell three in the morning and then go six hours without selling one and sell three in the afternoon. Nobody knows. It’s a random thing. In the next minute anything could happen on my pitch but I can’t see into the future, that’s how bad it is sometimes. You never know what’s going to happen. 

There are beggars around here, there are fights all around here, there’s shoplifting around here, there’s every single thing that you can think of that happens. [There’s the sound of swearing and commotion in the background] You can probably hear some of it now.

I’ve got a few regular customers, and they usually just buy the magazine but I do get the odd meal deal and stuff like that. I just stand here with my tabard on and anyone who wants a magazine, they want it and they let me know. I don’t push it. I just wait here and people can see what I’m doing. 

I’ve been here long enough that people know what I’m doing. If they buy it, they buy it, if they don’t, they don’t. I don’t need it as bad as what I did before. I mostly do it for something to do to stop myself from being bored. But thanks to all the customers who support me.

I’ve got my pension now and Dave in the Big Issue office helped me set all that up so he’s been helpful in that way. I do get the odd voucher for Asda or Tesco from Big Issue and, of course, that helps too. I saw Dave the first day I came out of detox when I had my certificate.

I don’t do a lot with my spare time now, I just watch telly really, that’s all. I still support Notts County and they’re doing all right, second in the league at the moment. I reckon they should go up this year.

I know what it’s like on drugs. Every penny goes on drugs. They’ll shout, they’ll scream, they’ll fight, they’ll do anything to get hold of the crack. I’m only three or four months off heavy drugs, I’m on the doctor’s medication. I went down to about seven stone when I was in that place, but I’m back up to about 10 stone now. 

I’ve just gone back to normal but I’m not making plans. You never know what’s going to happen in the next five minutes. You just have to stick it out.

Words: Liam Geraghty

Nottingham Railway Station, Carrington Street, Nottingham, UK