The Big Issue

STEVEN FRAYNE

f034-01.jpg

When I was 16 my dad was in jail, so I didn’t really see him. My mum got pregnant when she was 16, and had me when she was 17. So she was always a really, really young mum. She was an older sister type. She was still growing and becoming a young adult herself. I remember she set up her first hairdressers and when I was a kid I spent loads of time in the hairdresser showing my magic to all the customers.

At school I was getting beaten up every day by these two guys. I was a very skinny kid, I probably weighed about five stone when wet, so the bigger kids could just throw me around. My grandpa used to pick me up from school on Friday nights. One day, he got there early and saw me get beaten up.

When we were walking, he said, “I want to

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Big Issue

The Big Issue2 min read
My Big Year
This year, he was given the keys to the justice system. He also bagged Oasis tickets Are you more or less hopeful than at the start of 2024? Definitely more hopeful. We inherited a justice system in crisis but it’s already beginning to stabilise. We
The Big Issue3 min read
The Year In My Pitch
I like him [Rishi Sunak who visited Frank’s pitch in November]. I liked how he conducted himself when he was in office. I told him I liked what he’d done; he just smiled. I said when people put you down, you just have to get up. It makes us stronger.
The Big Issue3 min read
Quizmas & Puzzles
Our resident trivia enthusiast and Pointless winner tests your knowledge The following are all lyrics from UK Christmas number ones. Name the song, artist and the year they topped the festive chart. 1. “Although he’s unconventional in hue, his philos

Related Books & Audiobooks