JOHN BIRD

Early Life

Bird was born in a Notting Hill slum to a poor Irish family in London. He became homeless at the age of five and found himself in an orphanage during the following years, regularly being kicked out of school. After the orphanage he resorted to stealing as a way of generating income as well as being hired as a butcher's boy. His petty crimes would be the catalyst for his writing career, as it was in prison where he learned to read, write and gained a very basic knowledge of printing. He would go on to attend an art school but found himself homeless again at the age of 21. In the 70s he would use his education to open a small printing and publishing business in London.

The Big Issue

In September 1991, Bird launched The Big Issue with Gordon Roddick and the big issue foundation in 1995 to support the papers venders .The paper intended to tackle the growing problem of homelessness that had a big stigma in Britain at the time and gained political influence after its rapid growth. The paper began selling solely in London but eventually grew and found its way to other cities and eventually countries. In 2001, The Big Issue invest was founded and in 2009 it launched a social investment fund.

Political work and awards

Bird was a member of the Workers Revolutionary Party in the 1970s. In March 2007, Bird announced his intention to stand for election to the post of Mayor of London as an independent candidate but later withdrew to pursue other ventures. Bird revealed in 2010 that "my secret is that I'm really a working-class Tory. I'd love to be a liberal because they're the nice people, but it's really hard work. I can't swallow their gullibility. I know this may destroy my reputation among middle-class liberals but wearing the corsetry of liberalism means that every now and then you have to take it off."

He accepted the UN-HABITAT Scroll of Honour in 2004 from Mwai Kibaki, President of Kenya.

Bird was the British Society of Magazine Editors’ Editor of the Year in 1993 and was awarded The Revd. Marcus Morris Award from the Professional Publishers Association in 2000. In 2018, Bird was also inducted into the Professional Publishers Association hall of fame. In 2008, Bird was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young.