The history of London is full of success stories in various spheres of life. A large number of the city’s residents are known worldwide for their artistic, scientific and entrepreneurial talents. London hosts various forums, conferences, meetings and presentations every day. People participating in such events become the driving force of many processes. One of such influential personalities is John Bird. He is a social entrepreneur and politician. Why did his childhood affect his professional activity and how did this person manage to achieve success in different spheres? Learn more at londonski.
A difficult childhood and the impetus for professional activity
John Bird was born in London in January 1946. He faced the first life difficulties in his childhood. His family were poor immigrants from Ireland. The boy lost his home at the age of five. Then he lived in an orphanage for a while and had problems with studying at school. The boy acquired basic reading and writing skills in prison, where he ended up several times as a teenager. He often committed thefts and other petty crimes after leaving the orphanage. Perhaps, his life story seems rather sad and unfair, but in prison, John received the fundamental knowledge in printing. Later, it became the basis for professional activity. In the 1970s, he managed to open his own small printing and publishing house in London. These were the first steps towards his successful career. However, they weren’t too easy. The man had to work very hard to get such an opportunity. In 1991, John Bird co-founded The Big Issue. This street newspaper covers important topics related to helping the homeless and other social problems.
Success in politics and the social sphere
John Bird is known primarily for founding The Big Issue. After all, this paper is different from many other similar publications. Its articles are created by professional journalists and the main goal is to provide the homeless with the opportunity to earn the necessary funds and integrate into society. In 1995, the entrepreneur launched The Big Issue Foundation to ensure continued support for the newspaper. Later, he created the International Network of Street Papers, which is a kind of association of similar papers published in 34 countries of the world in 24 different languages. The activity of the social entrepreneur has become known in many parts of the world. He received the Beacon Fellowship for raising awareness of homelessness and helping such people. In 2004, The Big Issue was awarded the UN-HABITAT Scroll of Honour.
In addition to his success in social entrepreneurship, John Bird also realised his potential in politics. In 2007, he released a pre-election manifesto and declared his desire to run for Mayor of London. However, he reversed his decision soon after. Instead, he decided to continue his political activities to address social injustice. Thus, the government ran the social entrepreneurship awareness programme from 2007 to 2010. It is also interesting that John Bird was officially recognised as a non-partisan political figure in 2015. His activities in the parliament involved solving the problems of social mobility, population literacy and art. In general, his contribution to the development of the social sphere of the city is extremely important.