John Anthony Bird, Baron Bird, MBE was born on January 30th 1946 and is the founder of the magazine "The Big Issue". He is a British social entrepreneur and sits as an independent cross bencher in the House of Lords.
Bird had a troubled childhood from birth, born into a poor London/Irish family. At the age of 5, in 1951, he become homeless and lived in an orphanage from the ages of 7 to 10. Up to this point in his life, he'd been sent to a Borstal youth detention centre, faced probation and had several fines.
He met Baroness Barbra Wootton at aged 10, who was a sociologist and reformer and who helped Bird make changed to his life. He said that she, "was a marvellous woman who, when [he] was 10, put me on probation; when [he] was 12, made [him] a ward of court; when [he] was 13, put [him] in a remand home; when [he] was 14, sent [him] for a short, sharp shock; when [he] was 15, took [him] from a boys’ prison".
In adolescence, Bird learnt to read and write at aged 16 and spent a brief time as a begger in the city of Edinburgh whilst on the run from the authorities. He criticises the homeless support in his times of need as having a lack of help to get homeless of the street, and in to work. Now he says, although there is 501 organisations in London tackling homelessness, one thing they do not do is give the homeless opportunity to make money.
Bird was a member of the Workers Revolutionary Party in the 1970s, a political group in Britain with Marxist and Socialist ideologies. In 2007, he planned to stand for election of Major of London as an independent candidate however in 2008, after reviewing his manifesto decided to opt against the stand and instead begin a a movement against social injustice. He also revealed that in 2008, he had been asked to stand as the Conservative Party candidate in place of Boris Johnson but although he revealed in 2010 that he's secretly "a working class Tory", he declined the offer. In terms of his modern political ideologies, Bird says that he has, "been hurt by the left, and helped by the left. Just like I've been helped by the right and hurt by the right."
His political work can be described as strictly non-partisan, meaning in not in favour of one party or person, yet with a focus on "dismantling the root causes of poverty in the UK with an emphasis on the well-being of future generations, early intervention and prevention."
This video shows a his introductory speech to the House of Lords:
John Bird met Gordon and Anita Roddrick, founders of The Body Shop and, with Gordon, set up The Big Issue in 1991. The Body Shop, is a cosmetics, perfume and skincare company founded in 1976 in Brighton.
The company is an avid social activist, an element first highlighted in 1986 when the company worked with Greenpeace to save whales in the UK. The Body Shop regularly launch other promotions tied to social causes, leading to much public and media interest. Posters are often featured on shop windows and sponsorship of local charity and community events. Moreover, in 1997, Roddick launched a global campaign to raise self-esteem in women and to fight against the media stereotyping women. The company are heavily focused on ethics, ensuring they pay a fair wage to workers and pay a good price for natural ingredients used in their products. This includes being complexity cruelty free and against animal testing. The Roddicks founded The Body Shop Foundation in 1990, which supports innovative global projects working in the areas of human and civil rights and environmental and animal protection.
Both The Body Shop and The Big Issue place heavy focus on ethics and social activism, both aiming to make a difference to the world with the running of their companies. Whilst TBI focuses nationally on a fight to end poverty, TBS focuses on a wide range of issues such as animal rights, the environment and rights of workers both in the UK and abroad. It is clear to see why Roddick was keen to assist Bird in the founding and launch of The Big Issue as it seems as though their ideologies align well.
In Summary
- John Bird born in 1946 to a poor British/Irish family and had a troubled start in life, becoming homeless at aged 5
- His childhood included a stint in a youth detention centre, probation and had several fines.
- He met Baroness Barbra Wootton at aged 10, who helped him to change his life
- He learnt to read and write at aged 16 and spent a brief time as a begger in the city of Edinburgh whilst on the run from the authorities.
- He criticises the homeless support on offer as having a lack of help to get homeless of the street, and in to work
- He has been very politically active, yet non-partisan.
- He met Gordon and Anita Roddrick, founders of The Body Shop and, with Gordon, set up The Big Issue in 1991.
- The company is an avid social activist fighting for a wide range of issues such as animal rights, the environment and rights of workers both in the UK and abroad.
- It is clear to see why Roddick was keen to assist Bird in the founding and launch of The Big Issue as it seems as though their ideologies align well.
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