SHOPPERS in Prestwich may have seen a familiar face on the pages of the Big Issue North last month.

A man known by locals as Alan was the featured vendor in the magazine, which is sold by homeless and long-term unemployed people.

Alan has sold the publication outside Aldi in Bury New Road for five years, after moving from Yorkshire to Manchester 17 years ago.

The seller spoke openly about his life for the interview, which was conducted by Big Issue journalist Christian Lisseman and was printed in the January 25 to 31 edition.

Alan, aged 59, said: "I was living in Yorkshire. My kids had grown up and there were problems between me and my wife. So one day I just put two bags of clothes in the car and left. I picked a place on the map, it was Manchester, and I drove here and slept in the car for three weeks in the city centre. That was 17 years ago and I've been here ever since.

"I couldn't afford to keep the car so I got rid of that and ended up living on the streets for three and a half years. I remember waking up one Christmas Day with snow on me. It's not a nice situation to be in and I swore that when I did get finally get a place of my own I'd never ever hit the streets again. I learned about the Big Issue North from a friend and I started selling it five years ago."

In the article, Alan praises the kindness of locals who have supported him.

He said: "When I first started selling the magazine outside Aldi the manager at the time knew someone who had bedsits for rent and he helped me get one without a deposit.

"I don't sell the magazine [now] for the money. I mean, the money helps but it's not the main reason why I sell it. It is for the company really. You get people from all walks of life who come here and chat.

"I'm 60 this year so I'm hoping to retire one day. Although I think I'll still do Big Issue North anyway because I like the people here. I'll stay until I can't do it anymore.

"I can't thank them [customers] enough. People have been so nice — the public and the staff at Aldi."

To read the full article, visit bigissuenorth.com/2016/02/alan-prestwich/16912.