I am originally from Constanta, which is a very big city in Romania. I have worked as a Big Issue vendor for a few years and I also work at Horwich recycle rubbish plant and make some money doing that to pay the rent for my apartment. I'm currently saving up to insulate the apartment to make it easier to heat. The secret to sell magazines is to have a good physical condition and stay a long time on the street and to have a smile for everyone.

I am very happy to be able to run for the Big Issue North Trust, in May 2015, I  joined staff from Big Issue North on the Manchester 10k to raise money for The Big Issue in the North Trust charity. I beat all the staff taking part, crossing the finish line in under 42 minutes.

I am running in a half marathon as part of the Simply Health Greater Manchester Run on 20th May 2018 to raise money for Big Issue North Trust.

For more on Stefan's story visit the following Big Issue North article:  http://www.bigissuenorth.com/features/2016/01/head-strong

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