In September 1991, Bird launched The Big Issue with Gordon Roddick, co-founder of The Body Shop.
Bird was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for "services to homeless people" in the 1995 Birthday Honours;[REF] and, in 2006, he received the Beacon Fellowship Prize for his energy and originality in raising awareness of homelessness and his support of homeless communities worldwide [REF].