John-Paul Sweetmore: Life is for Living

Some guests turn up with notes. John-Paul Sweetmore turned up with a mission statement. Before we’d even reached the studio, he said, “We’re gonna keep it positive.” And he absolutely meant it.

One look at the photo and you’ll agree he’s not a man to mess with. I certainly won’t be picking on him. But he’s one of the warmest, most motivating guests I’ve had on Phil In The Morning.

Born in London, raised in the Peak District

John-Paul is 43, mixed race, and was adopted by a white family in 1983 at six weeks old. He was born at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, and I’ll hold my hands up: I’d assumed he grew up in London. Wrong again, Phil.

He was actually raised in Buxton and Chapel-en-le-Frith, before moving to Macclesfield about five years ago. London is still part of his story, though. His birth mother was a Londoner, his Nigerian birth father spent a lot of time there, and his half-sister Siobhan (seven years older, age not disclosed, he’s a gentleman) raised her four children there. He visits all the time.

“He’s Black.” “Yes, and he’s our son.”

John-Paul grew up in the church, where nobody batted an eyelid that his mum had two mixed-race children. One moment, though, has become family legend.

His mum, Anne, bumped into a woman on the high street who asked to see the new baby. Back came the pushchair cover. “He’s Black,” said the woman. Anne didn’t miss a beat: “Yes, he is. He’s adopted. He’s our son. And it really doesn’t matter.”
His parents were quietly ahead of their time.

Gratitude, and getting up to live

John-Paul became a dad young. His daughters, Kiera, Taisha and Amaya, are now 22, 19 and 12, and his eldest has just finished university and is starting a master’s.

The lesson he passes on from his own story? “Gratitude. That’s the most important thing. Don’t feel too sorry for yourself. Get up and live.” It’s what his parents and grandmother taught him, which is why his girls have heard plenty of “go and get that paper round.”

Adoption is open to more people than you think

Thinking around adoption has shifted over the decades. For a time, there was a strong push to place Black and mixed-heritage children only with families of a matching background.

In 2014 the law in England changed so ethnicity was no longer a specific requirement when matching, partly because children from minority backgrounds were waiting longer for a home. For John-Paul it’s simple: if a child needs a home, they need a home.

He now shares his experience with Adoption Counts, the regional adoption agency based in Wythenshawe that covers Cheshire East, Manchester, Salford, Stockport and Trafford. He works with social workers, clinical psychologists and adoptive families, and a recorded interview with him is used in their training.

His message? Gay, straight, single, Black or white, it makes no difference. If you’re the right kind of parent and you’ve got room in your heart, step forward. Adoption Counts is especially keen to hear from people who could adopt children aged four and over, brothers and sisters, and children of Black and mixed heritage.

Walking, cycling and keeping grounded

So what does this relentlessly positive man secretly worry about? His daughters, his parents, his loved ones. “We can only influence things,” he said. His answer is to get moving.

His walking group, JP Walks, has now branched out into cycling. There’s a community bike ride on Sunday 4 October, meeting at 10am at Station South in Levenshulme and setting off at 10.30am for around 20 miles. If you can ride a bike, you’re welcome.

The following Sunday, 11 October, there’s a prostate cancer awareness event for African Caribbean men at Heaton Mersey Village Cricket Club in Stockport. It matters: according to Prostate Cancer UK, around one in four Black men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime, roughly double the risk for other men.

“Life is for living”

What drives him? His parents and grandparents, his three daughters, and some words from Father Higgins at the Catholic church in Buxton: “Life is for living. Live it.”

People push him, he pushes them. As he puts it, “each one teach one.” I love that.

Get in touch with John-Paul: Instagram: @jpwalks_83

Catch Phil In The Morning, Monday to Thursday, 10am to 1pm on Cheshire’s MIX56.