The Hub in partnership with Clownfish are delighted to invite you to the second installment of the Hub Guest lecture series. We will be inviting John Bird to offer a reflection on the challenges of setting up a social enterprise. John Bird was a poor boy, orphan, thief, inmate, artist and poet before going on to found the ground-breaking social initiative that is The Big Issue. He was born shortly after the Second World War to a London-Irish family into slum-ridden Notting Hill. Homelessness, orphanages, crime and prison characterised much of his early life until his metamorphosis into a successful small businessman occurred in the 1980s. Since setting up The Big Issue magazine and foundation to help the homeless help themselves some seventeen years ago, John has become an authority on motivation and the ascendancy to achievement. The UN Scroll of Honour, an MBE and the 2005/6 Beacon Prize for Creative Giving are just three of the many accolades and awards he has received. Since the inception of The Big Issue in 1991, it has grown into the UK's most successful social enterprise, stretching from Tokyo to Totnes and helping thousands of homeless people worldwide. Tickets are available for members and their guests. To book a place, please email dermot.egan@the-hub.net, subject- Booking: John Bird lecture