John Bird (entrepreneur)
Encyclopedia
John Bird MBE
(born 1946) is a British
social entrepreneur. He is best known as the founder of The Big Issue
, a magazine that is edited by professional journalists and sold by street vendors affected by homelessness
.
, London
to a poor London Irish family. He became homeless at the age of five, resided in an orphanage between the ages of seven and ten, and went into prison in his teenage years. He slept rough on the streets of London and returned to prison a number of times in his late twenties.
with Gordon Roddick and in November 1995 he launched The Big Issue Foundation
to further aid the homeless. He is currently on the Board of Directors for the company and the Board of Trustees for the foundation. The Big Issue magazine started as a local London venture, but expanded with specific editions and services to other British cities, and then to other countries.
In 2001, with Big Issue Chairman Nigel Kershaw, John helped found The Big Issue Invest, a provider of finance for businesses with the aim of creating social change. Initially just dealing in loan finance, in 2009 The Big Issue Invest launched a social investment fund.
In June 1995 Bird was awarded the MBE
for ‘services to homeless people’ and in 2006 he received the prestigious Beacon Fellowship Prize for his energy and originality in raising awareness of homelessness and his support of homeless communities worldwide.
In 2006 he set up the Wedge card, an internet-based affinity card system designed to support small business and local enterprise, with the slogan "Think local. Shop local".
as an independent candidate. In May 2007 he unveiled his election manifesto for the 2008 poll.
However, in October 2007 he announced that he had decided not to stand for election, and was instead going to launch a movement that was "going to try and do what the CND did over the bomb, but over social injustice."
In December 2007 he controversially agreed with Westminster Council who declared that they were opposed to the presence of soup kitchen
s on the streets of London. He said:
In 2010 he helped to launch the writers website abctales.com
In the early 21st century, Bird became a Social Enterprise Ambassador. Social enterprise
s use a business to address a social or environmental need. The Social Enterprise Ambassadors programme is led by the Social Enterprise Coalition and is supported by the Office of the Third Sector, part of the UK government's Cabinet Office
.
Bird revealed in 2010 "My guilty secret is that I’m really a working class Tory. There, I’ve said it. 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 and I think their ideas are stupid. I’d love to be someone who wanders around in a kind of Utopian paradise seeing only the good in everybody but I just can’t. I support capital punishment for a start. I know this will destroy my reputation among middle-class liberals but I’m 64 now and I should be able to breathe a bit. Wearing the corsetry of liberalism means that every now and then you have to take it off."
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
(born 1946) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
social entrepreneur. He is best known as the founder of The Big Issue
The Big Issue
The Big Issue is a street newspaper published in eight countries; it is written by professional journalists and sold by homeless individuals. It was founded by John Bird and Gordon Roddick in September 1991...
, a magazine that is edited by professional journalists and sold by street vendors affected by homelessness
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
.
Early life
Bird was born in Notting HillNotting Hill
Notting Hill is an area in London, England, close to the north-western corner of Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to a poor London Irish family. He became homeless at the age of five, resided in an orphanage between the ages of seven and ten, and went into prison in his teenage years. He slept rough on the streets of London and returned to prison a number of times in his late twenties.
The Big Issue and work with the homeless
In September 1991 he launched The Big IssueThe Big Issue
The Big Issue is a street newspaper published in eight countries; it is written by professional journalists and sold by homeless individuals. It was founded by John Bird and Gordon Roddick in September 1991...
with Gordon Roddick and in November 1995 he launched The Big Issue Foundation
The Big Issue Foundation
The Big Issue Foundation is a registered charity in England working with vendors of The Big Issue, a street newspaper. The foundation provides vendors with information, advice, guidance and support.- History :...
to further aid the homeless. He is currently on the Board of Directors for the company and the Board of Trustees for the foundation. The Big Issue magazine started as a local London venture, but expanded with specific editions and services to other British cities, and then to other countries.
In 2001, with Big Issue Chairman Nigel Kershaw, John helped found The Big Issue Invest, a provider of finance for businesses with the aim of creating social change. Initially just dealing in loan finance, in 2009 The Big Issue Invest launched a social investment fund.
In June 1995 Bird was awarded the MBE
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
for ‘services to homeless people’ and in 2006 he received the prestigious Beacon Fellowship Prize for his energy and originality in raising awareness of homelessness and his support of homeless communities worldwide.
In 2006 he set up the Wedge card, an internet-based affinity card system designed to support small business and local enterprise, with the slogan "Think local. Shop local".
Political Aspirations
In March 2007 he announced his intention to stand for election to the post of Mayor of LondonMayor of London
The Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London. Conservative Boris Johnson has held the position since 4 May 2008...
as an independent candidate. In May 2007 he unveiled his election manifesto for the 2008 poll.
However, in October 2007 he announced that he had decided not to stand for election, and was instead going to launch a movement that was "going to try and do what the CND did over the bomb, but over social injustice."
In December 2007 he controversially agreed with Westminster Council who declared that they were opposed to the presence of soup kitchen
Soup kitchen
A soup kitchen, a bread line, or a meal center is a place where food is offered to the hungry for free or at a reasonably low price. Frequently located in lower-income neighborhoods, they are often staffed by volunteer organizations, such as church groups or community groups...
s on the streets of London. He said:
We have to stop supplying people with the means of being emergency refugees on the streets... no one has ever got off the streets simply because they've been fed a good bowl of soup.
In 2010 he helped to launch the writers website abctales.com
In the early 21st century, Bird became a Social Enterprise Ambassador. Social enterprise
Social enterprise
A social enterprise is an organization that applies business strategies to achieving philanthropic goals. Social enterprises can be structured as a for-profit or non-profit....
s use a business to address a social or environmental need. The Social Enterprise Ambassadors programme is led by the Social Enterprise Coalition and is supported by the Office of the Third Sector, part of the UK government's Cabinet Office
Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the United Kingdom....
.
Bird revealed in 2010 "My guilty secret is that I’m really a working class Tory. There, I’ve said it. 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 and I think their ideas are stupid. I’d love to be someone who wanders around in a kind of Utopian paradise seeing only the good in everybody but I just can’t. I support capital punishment for a start. I know this will destroy my reputation among middle-class liberals but I’m 64 now and I should be able to breathe a bit. Wearing the corsetry of liberalism means that every now and then you have to take it off."