From rough sleeper to Bristol Lord Mayor

BRISTOL'S new Lord Mayor has shared the story of his journey from the city streets to City Hall.

Paul Goggin is a former rough sleeper who has battled mental health issues and now champions speaking out on mental health issues.

The Labour councillor, who represents Hartcliffe & Withywood ward, promised to “recognise the unrecognised” during his year in the historic, ceremonial role as the city’s first citizen.

He was sworn in during Bristol City Council's annual meeting on May 9, and, during the interval, proposed to his girlfriend of 17 years, Deborah Griffiths, in the Lord Mayor’s Parlour before returning to the chamber to tell colleagues she had said yes.

In an acceptance speech full of selfdeprecating, wry humour, Cllr Goggin said he had been asking himself how he got to the position and outlined his chequered life, from growing up in London and dropping out of school to sleeping rough in Bristol.

He said: "In no particular order, I’ve built motorbikes, sold investment grade diamonds, been a croupier in a smoky casino and gone door-to-door selling carpet cleaner.

“I moved to Bristol in 2003 but in 2005 I became homeless, through no fault of my own, and had to sleep on the streets and sofasurf with friends.

“Then Bristol City Council stepped in to help me.

“I lived in emergency accommodation for six months, alongside refugees, asylum seekers and other unfortunate Bristolians.

“It was a difficult time to say the least, and I saw things that would make the devil blush.”

Cllr Goggin said local mental health charity Second Step helped him find temporary accommodation before he moved into a council bungalow in Knowle West, where he still lives.

He added: “As some of you know from my previous speeches in this room, I live with bipolar disorder and complex PTSD.

“In a way they don’t hamper me, they enable me to think slightly differently from most others – my secret superpower.

“I also have chronic anxiety, and I can’t put into words how difficult this is today, because I’m talking about myself.

“But we must keep speaking out about our mental health issues, not be ashamed or embarrassed – own it, normalise it to fight against the stigma so many suffer from.”

Cllr Goggin said he was a humanist – the first sworn into the office of Lord Mayor –rejected the idea of an afterlife and believed in “science, reason and evidence”.

He said: “The basic tenets are this – we treat all around us with warmth, understanding and respect regardless of their beliefs or backgrounds.

“I will of course still champion all the faiths in this wonderfully diverse city but also the increasing number of those with none."

By Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service