IT was a day of family fun when staff of the Big Issue celebrated their 25th anniversary.

The Big Birthday Bash saw children with their parents at the Triangle for a range of playful activities, held in line with half-term.

There was a fact-finding treasure hunt, badge-making, face-painting and a colouring competition for children to design a Big Issue front cover.

There was also information on micro-volunteering giving information on 25 ways people could make a difference to homelessness.

Adults were encouraged to take part in their own competition to try and sell as many copies of the magazine in an effort to learn first hand what vendors experience every day.

Sales and outreach worker Claire Devaney said: “It’s really good because it makes people realise what vendors have to go through in order to sell the Big Issue.

Kirsten Thomson, team leader, said: “There are so many misconceptions about what we do. People think we are just a charity and tend to think that vendors get given the money but that’s not what we do. Vendors are their own boss - they are business owners.

“The most important message, for us, is trying to get across what the Big Issue is all about.”

The Big Issue Foundation was set up by Lord John Bird. It aims to help homeless people take control of their lives and earn a legitimate income while offering livelihood.

Their celebration was held on the same day that the Government pledged “full and unfettered” support for a bill which could force councils across England to do more to tackle homelessness.

The House of Commons yesterday heard from several MPs over the Homelessness Reduction Bill which included such issues as the lack of housing across the country.

Lord John Bird said: “Twenty-five years ago we had not a snowball in hell’s chance of effectively starting a social business and lasting 25 weeks, let alone 25 years. It was utter madness. The Big Issue had no right to start and to continue, to thrive and then be spread. Yet it did, and 25 years later, here we are still fighting to dismantle poverty.”