A 30-YEAR-OLD hopes to breathe new life into an old institution by reaching out to the next generation of Bradfordians.

Journalist Si Cunningham is believed to be England’s youngest Civic Society chairman, after taking the reins in Bradford last week.

Mr Cunningham said it was fitting for the city to be the voice of youth within the Civic Society movement.

He said: “I think it has been a very traditional organisation and has traditionally attracted older members, but you know, Bradford is the youngest city in the UK and by 2020 is forecast to be the youngest in Europe as well.

“It seems only appropriate we have a Civic Society that reflects that and is able to be a voice for the younger generation.”

But he said Bradford Civic Society now needed to attract more younger members, as well as those from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, giving a frank warning that “if that doesn’t happen, it will die out”.

“We do need younger people,” he said.

“We also need more people from Bradford’s diverse communities as well, because they are very under-represented I would say within the civic society movement in general, not just in Bradford.

“You look at some of the pictures of civic societies and it’s almost always older, white people.

“There are very few younger faces and almost no Asian or black faces. I think that is something in Bradford we certainly should be addressing.”

Mr Cunningham, who lives in Saltaire with his wife and eight-month-old baby daughter, said he also had grand plans for tapping into Bradford’s burgeoning creative scene and finding new ways of celebrating and encouraging good design within its built environment.

He said his two key aims for the Civic Society were to campaign for the preservation of Bradford’s architectural heritage while also calling for “better design” within modern developments.

He said he hoped to start a Bradford Design Awards, which could recognise excellence in major developments, shopfronts or other new projects.

He said: “Bradford has been plagued by mediocrity in recent years and really bad design, because I don’t think anyone has been speaking up and saying Bradford deserves a lot better.

“Because Bradford has been starved of investment, we have just got into the habit of accepting any old thing.”

Outgoing chairman Alan Hall has decided to step down to enjoy more of his retirement, but will continue to be involved in the society as vice-chairman.

Anyone interested in joining Bradford Civic Society can visit bradfordcivicsociety.co.uk.