Magic Magid strikes an iconic pose for his new role as Lord Mayor of Sheffield (Picture: Twitter/Magic Magid)

Sheffield has a new Mayor and he might just be the coolest man you’ve ever seen.

Although only 24 hours into his new role, Councillor Magid Magid has already achieved many firsts.

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At only 28, he is the youngest Lord Mayor the city has ever seen and he is the first Green Party Councillor to take on the role.

He and his family moved to Sheffield from Somalia when he was just five-years-old and he payed tribute to his ‘great city’ as he took on the new job.


‘Fast forward to today and I am honoured and privileged to have been given the highest honour that can be bestowed upon any citizen in this city,’ he said.

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He became the first Mayor to swear during his inauguration (Picture: Mark Howe)

He added: ‘I am not arrogant enough to think that I made it here all by myself. I want and need you all to know that today is as much of a celebration about you as it is about me.



‘Regardless of how minor or major, you have played a role in shaping into the person I am today. Whether we met in Sheffield, Hull, worked together, met in a random place or had a fleeting encounter.

‘I am eternally grateful. Thank you and God bless.’

He signed off his address as ‘the Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Cllr Magid (or just Magid to you)’.

The Councillor, also known as ‘Magic Magid’ is the first Lord Mayor to have a degree in marine biology and he is well travelled, once spending a year trekking in the Amazon.

He has even been on Channel 4’s The Hunted, where he tried to evade being captured for a month (Picture: Channel 4)

See if you can spot him (Picture: Channel 4)

He became the first Lord Mayor to swear during his inaugural speech, when he thanked his mother ‘for putting up with all the shit’ he’d caused her over the years.

Magid threw away tradition and played the Imperial March from Star Wars before the Superman theme tune as guests took to their seats, The Star reported.

And his official portrait included just as much humour.

He chose to crouch on top of the staircase in Sheffield Town Hall, leading to many dubbing him ‘the new Batman’.

The 28-year-old said breaking the stereotypical image of the ceremonial role is something he hopes to carry through his year in the post.

‘I hope by the fact I am a black, Muslim immigrant – everything the Daily Mail probably hates – people will look and say “In Sheffield we’re proud of doing things differently and celebrating our differences”,’ he said.

Magid hopes to use the role to raise awareness for issues close to his heart.

In April 2017 he ran the Sheffield half marathon dressed as a tree and ran the London Marathon later that month in 3 hours and 49 minutes to raise money for the St John’s Ambulance.

When he is being Lord Mayor or one of the Hunted, he loves a good Victoria Sponge (Picture: Twitter/Hunted)

Sheffield’s new Mayor (Mark Howe)

He has also had a taste of the limelight once before, as a contestant on Channel 4’s reality show The Hunted, where people try and avoid being caught by hunters for a month in order to win £100,000.

But tragedy struck when he was caught after popping into a Subway shop wearing a bright blue poncho and convinced another man to wear it and run away.

Some of his highlights on the show included posting photos of himself on Twitter enjoying a cup of tea and then sending a letter to Hunted HQ written in Somali calling them ‘large teacups’- although this was mistranslated and he was in fact calling them mugs.



His three chosen charities during his Mayoral year in Sheffield are the mental health organisation Flourish, Sheffield Women’s Counselling & Therapy Services and the Unity Gym Project.

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