North Wales Housing and the Big Issue

Published by Julie Jones NWHA for North Wales Housing Association in Housing and also in Communities, Health

In a recent interview for the Big Issue magazine, a Caernarfon man credited North Wales Housing with helping him back to full fitness following a very serious illness.

39 year-old Big Issue seller Shane Kersey featured in the July issue of the magazine as part of its regular ‘Vendor’s View’ feature, and described his experience of undergoing treatment for acute liver disease while living at North Wales Housing’s Pendinas homeless hostel:

“Curing the problem involved both chemotherapy and the sort of tablets you use to treat horses! I lost three stone in weight and ended up looking like a greyhound – you could see my ribs!”

Fortunately, the staff at Pendinas hostel were there for Shane every step of the way, and he has now made a full recovery. Shane cannot praise their efforts highly enough:

“Lord knows what I would have done without the great support from all the staff at Pendinas – they were always there for me and genuinely cared.”

Since his ordeal, keen saxophonist Shane has been able to move out of the hostel, and now makes a living by busking and selling the Big Issue at his pitch outside WHSmiths on Pool Street, Caernarfon. With an eye on the future, he has also enrolled on a motor mechanic’s course at college, and hopes to pursue his passion for motorbikes in a professional capacity.

Things are certainly looking up for Shane, at least partly because of the support he received from North Wales Housing. As he puts it:

“Overall I’m quite happy with my lot in life.”