The Bradford district will play a crucial role in a four-year cultural and educational programme to accompany the 2012 Olympic Games, it has been revealed.

The district has been chosen to lead the Yorkshire region's contribution to the nationwide Cultural Olympiad, starting at the Liverpool City of Culture opening ceremony next year.

Performers from Bradford will travel to Merseyside to give various displays and performances at the launch event, with a strong emphasis on their cultural heritage.

Jane Glaister, Bradford Council's strategic director of culture, tourism and sport, said: "One of the Bradford district's strengths is leading on big cultural events and it's great to have the opportunity do so again.

"The Heritage Lottery Fund has invited us to participate in the Liverpool Capital of Culture opening ceremony, then there will be all sorts of programmes over the next four years.

"We aim to engage young people to showcase their history and heritage in relation to the Bradford district."

One of the plans is to link Yorkshire with each of the continents over the next four years, starting with a Yorkshire and Asia year, then a Yorkshire and the Americas year.

The Cultural Olympiad programme is part of a newly-launched blueprint, called Yorkshire Gold, drawn up to ensure the region gains maximum benefits from the London Games.

The strategy, launched yesterday by the Yorkshire Committee for the 2012 Games, aims to use the event to help deliver and speed up the region's existing strategic priorities for economy, sport, tourism and culture. One such project, the Odsal Sports Village, is now being re-examined in terms of its viability and possible design. A working group is due to report back with recommendations in September.

The possibility of creating a basketball centre of excellence in Bradford is also being investigated.

Clayton Heights resident David Gent, regional director of Sport England, said the aim was to ensure every community in Bradford could eventually look at an improved or new facility in their area and say that wouldn't have happened without the Olympic Games.' With that in mind, Sport England, through lottery funding, has invested in better changing rooms and pitches, more coaches and more volunteers for sports clubs such as the Ben Rhydding Hockey Club, Bradford and Bingley Canoe Club and Bradford Hockey Club. And it has just launched another major £4.3 million club and coach investment programme in Yorkshire to boost existing clubs.

Meanwhile, a scheme has been launched to officially recognise the work done by Bradford's sporting volunteers, who can now be accredited for the voluntary work they do. The accreditation scheme will allow volunteers to develop their skills and use them in other parts of the county if they wish.

Yorkshire businesses have also been urged to get a slice of the pie in the run- up to the Olympics, with Bradford firms being encouraged to think outside the box to win contracts or gain clients from the 2012 extravaganza.

Terry Hodgkinson, chairman of Yorkshire Forward, said: "The Olympics present a vast array of opportunities for companies in the region. There's tremendous domestic potential for supply and we want to see companies who don't already do business in London getting involved."

e-mail: will.kilner@bradford.newsquest.co.uk

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