The Big Issue founder, John Bird, helped out with the launch of a new Christian civic centre in London that will support young people who have been excluded from school.

|PIC1|It is the third such centre to be opened by alternative education provider The Lighthouse Group, which has a 90 per cent success rate of reintegrating young people back into mainstream education.

Bird, who was himself excluded from school as a teenager, said in his address that it was important to educate not only children, but also the parents "so that parents know the power of education".

"It was a real lack of belief in the power of education that held me back," he said. "One of the things we need to do with our children and parents is get behind them...support them, show them by example what can be done when you actually get the chance of using education.

"I'm really committed to the idea that we build communities of sensibility and sensitivity and that we use education as a part of that."

Bird, who comes from a Catholic background, said ahead of his address that it was important for Christians to practise what they preach.

"Christians should be out there doing Jesus," he said.

"I've lived amongst too many lukewarm Christians. We would have a very good social society and justice if people actually used Christianity as a day to day thing rather than something you roll out on a Sunday."

He added, "It's very, very important to remember the lessons of Jesus and I try to do that."

Explaining the motivation behind founding The Big Issue, he said, "You've got to give people the opportunity because hope's not enough."