Excitement ahead of the World Curry Festival in Bradford is hotting up with the official announcement of the June event including two new initiatives.

And Yorkshire poet Ian McMillan was in City Park today to read a poem called Curry World he has penned for the June 21 to 23 event.

The poem, which the Telegraph & Argus can exclusively reveal, is described by organisers as a “touching” piece of poetry looking at how the curry dish has broken boundaries in society.

The two new initiatives for the festival this year are a food-themed writing competition for young people and a community project encouraging the public to grow food and learn how to make a curry.

Mr McMillan was today announcing details of the writing competition which involves writing a short story or poem about food.

Well-known chef Stephanie Moon, who is also a consultant to food providers across the north of England, was also at the event to talk about locally-grown produce and about making Yorkshire-inspired curries.

Mumtaz Khan, founder of Mumtaz chain, was there talking about how to make an authentic curry.

Students at Bradford College will be involved throughout the festival enjoying work experience opportunities with the chefs.

Young people involved in the running of the City Farm, which is part of a community, environmental and educational project offering individuals the opportunity to manage the day-to-day running of an inner city farm, will also be involved.

One of the organisers of the event, Zulfi Karim, of Bradford Council for Mosques, said: “This is a special year because Bradford is the Curry Capital. The event is getting bigger every year, there are more and more chefs involved.

“The poem Ian has written for us is very touching and is just amazing that he has done it for us in itself.”

The three-day event in City Park will feature cookery demonstrations, poetry, street food, pop-up restaurants, markets and celebrity chefs whose names will be announced in weeks to come.

Bradford re-claimed its Curry Capital of Britain title last year and it was described by organisers as a city that “seems to eat, breathe and even export curry”.

More details of the competition and other events will be featured in the coming weeks. Visit worldcurry festival.com for more information.

Ian McMillan's poem

It’s history and culture on a plate,

It’s diversity served with rice

You can eat it early or late

And it’s never the same thing twice;

Because curry is an endless delight

An old dance of flavour and spice,

A new experience night after night

And it’s never the same thing twice

And the world should run on curry

Now wouldn’t that really be nice

Although you might have to move in a hurry

Because it’s never the same thing twice

And the globe should turn and spin

On curry. Take my advice:

Live in a world that’s got curry in

And it’ll never be the same world twice!