Bradford's City of Culture bid launched today and spotlight is on district at London event too

The same-day North and South celebration of Bradford sees civic, business and community leaders join forces with a diverse range of cultural figures to position Bradford as a place to live, invest, visit and work.

The City of Culture bid is launched at Kala Sangam Arts Centre today with the premiere of a new short film by Bradford-based film-maker Jack King which puts the spotlight on the district’s cultural heart.

Called We Are All Bradford, it is the first commission by Bradford 2025 and features more than 70 people from the district, including young activists Speakers Corner, Shipley-based photographer Tim Smith, Punjabi Roots Academy, the Cathedral Choir, Bradford City Women’s Football Club and Bradford Modified Car Club.

Bradford is experiencing a resurgence of confidence which is reflected in our cultural, tourism and business offerings... We have an energy, a spirit, a charm and an offering like no other city in the UK" - David Baldwin, chairman of The Bradford Economic Partnership

The film also will be screened at London’s Southbank Centre later today at the Bradford Champions Modern British Culture event hosted by Bradford’s Economic Partnership, for an invited audience of cultural and business leaders, including ITV chairman Sir Peter Bazalgette, Lynette Huntley, Channel 4 Chief of Staff, and Lister Mills developer Tom Bloxham of Urban Splash.

Both events are heralded as instrumental in communicating Bradford’s confidence, its results and its diverse business, cultural and tourism offering to attract further investment into the city and wider district.

Fun in the Mirror Pool, a still from We Are All Bradford. Picture: Jack King

David Baldwin, chairman of Bradford Economic Partnership, said today’s events represent “two crucial moments in the national repositioning of Bradford”.

He added: “Community representatives, our business and civic leaders and our supporters are gathering at home and in London to showcase and share exactly what today’s Bradford is and who tomorrow’s Bradford will be.”

Today’s event at Kala Sangam, which will be live-streamed from 8.30am on the Bradford 2025 Facebook page, sees cultural, business and council leaders announce the support of key bid partners including Bradford Council and the University of Bradford, which will host the bid team and support the marketing campaign.

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Bradford Council is to pledge £400,000 of support towards the bid as part of a £1.4 million package for other cultural investment in the city. The investment will support staffing, marketing and an advanced programme of activity with the aim of engaging the whole district behind the bid.

Bradford Council leader Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe said: “Our success in attracting over £3million Arts Council England funding for Creative People and Places and a performing arts hub, led by Theatre in the Mill, has laid strong foundations for making a bid. This will be a districtwide bid with social and economic benefits for the whole of Bradford.”

Bradford Cathedral Choir in the We Are All Bradford film. Picture: Jack King

University of Bradford Vice Chancellor Shirley Congdon said: “The University of Bradford is delighted to play a key role in Bradford’s City of Culture bid. Bradford has a very strong cultural heritage and we are excited to play a role in showcasing this to the world.”

The Bradford 2025 bid will be led by interim chairman Mary Dowson from Bradford Community Broadcasting and supported by a steering group which includes Kamran Rashid of 30 Chapel Street, a hub for arts, enterprise and tech based in Littler Germany; artist Nabeelah Hafeez; Alex Croft, creative director of Kala Sangam; and Anne McNeill, director of the city centre’s Impressions Gallery. Dave Baldwin, chairman of Bradford Economic Partnership, will also join the initial steering group, along with Syima Aslam, director of Bradford Literature Festival.

“Bradford’s bid will be all about pride and resilience, innovation and creativity, and the stories of a city that is beyond definitions of diversity,” said Mary Dowson. “We need to change the narrative about Bradford and challenge perceptions of a city that has laid the foundations for modern society in Britain.

A still from We Are All Bradford. Picture: Jack King

“Bradford is four times the size of previous title holder Derry and twice the size of Hull, which held the title in 2017, yet it has some of the lowest levels of cultural engagement in in the UK. The title would make a real difference to cultural opportunity for our communities.”

The UK City of Culture competition will be managed by the Department of Digital Culture Media and Sport. Other cities and areas bidding include Medway, Kent; Tees Valley (Stockton, Middlesbrough, Darlington, Redcar and Hartlepool); Lancashire; Luton and Southampton.

Later today, at the Southbank Centre, the Bradford Champions Modern British Culture event will be opened by Bradford Economic Partnership chairman Dave Baldwin, who will look at progress 18 months on from the launch of the 12-year Bradford Economic Strategy. He will reflect on success in business, employment, closing the skills gap and announcing to national and regional guests Bradford’s bid to be City of Culture 2025.

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The event will include speeches from Sir Peter Bazalgette, non-executive chairman at ITV and chairman of online retailer LoveCrafts, who recently led an independent review into the UK’s creative industries on behalf of the Government; Madani Younis, a Bradfordian, founder of the city’s Freedom Studios and now creative director at the Southbank Centre, and Lynette Huntley, Channel 4 Chief of Staff.

The Bradford Economic Partnership was launched in 2018, to set out a strategy to add £4 billion to the district’s economy, generate 20,000 new jobs and improve the skills of nearly 50,000 residents by 2030.

To a national audience today we will demonstrate how Bradford is the epitome of pride, ambition, confidence and potential and we will be calling for some of the country’s most influential thought leaders and investors to join us, visit us, invest in us and shape their future with us” - David Baldwin, chairman of The Bradford Economic Partnership

Chairman David Baldwin said: “Today represents two crucial moments in our national repositioning of Bradford. Community representatives, our business and civic leaders and our supporters are gathering at home and in London to showcase and share exactly what today’s Bradford is and who tomorrow’s Bradford will be.

“Bradford is experiencing a resurgence of confidence which is reflected in our cultural, tourism and business offerings and seen in the success of the figures I will be announcing today.

“We have an energy, a spirit, a charm and an offering like no other city in the UK. We are attracting national brands and leading financial, retail and professional service businesses to our city.

“We are chosen by more entrepreneurs than anywhere else in the country as the place to start a business and we’re leading the drive to reinvent and reposition manufacturing - the very lifeblood of the UK economy - to the next generation of employees.

“This week Bradford starts its bid to become the UK’s City of Culture and, through our ambitious economic strategy, we will continue our journey as one of the pioneer cities in the UK through job creation, skills development, investment and cultural partnerships. To a national audience today we will demonstrate how Bradford is the epitome of pride, ambition, confidence and potential and we will be calling for some of the country’s most influential thought leaders and investors to join us, visit us, invest in us and shape their future with us.”

Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, who will be speaking at both of today’s events, added: “Bradford is the youngest city in the UK which gives us real creative energy. But we also have a centuries-old cultural heritage which makes us stand out from the crowd.

“We will be talking to audiences at home and in the capital today to promote the Bradford bid to build on the growing confidence the district has, as we start this next exciting chapter of Bradford’s cultural and economic growth.”

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