Launch of 10-year culture plan to help put Bradford on "national and international stage"

Yesterday saw the launch of "Culture Is Our Plan" - a strategy to get more people involved in cultural activities and give Bradford more recognition on the national, and international, stage.

And the authors of the new strategy hope that the strategy will provide the push to help Bradford become City of Culture for 2025.

The launch took place at South Square in Thornton, one of the District's many cultural organisations.

Kick-starting the decade long strategy will be Summer Unlocked - a series of events across the District that will re-introduce arts and culture after over a year of lockdown restrictions.

The cultural plan has been developed over much of the past year - with online sessions involving hundreds of people helping shape the document.

It sets out aims to involve more people from all backgrounds in the District in cultural activities, as well as developing a new programme of events to put Bradford on the cultural map.

It replaces the Council's existing cultural document, which expires soon.

Ten year culture plan could help "rewrite misconceptions and myths about Bradford"

The launch was attended by leaders of the main three parties on Bradford Council, and featured performances by singer Premaura and poet Nabeelah Hafeez.

At the event Kersten England, Chief Executive of Bradford Council, said: "This is a plan to bring culture to the centre stage in the District.

"Culture makes life worth living, and will be hugely important to how we go forward as a District."

She assured people at the launch that the document would not "sit on the shelf" like many plans have done in the past.

Writer Kirran Shah said: "This will be a living, breathing document - subject to change. We have worked with hundreds, if not thousands, of people to put this together."

Alex Croft, Director of Kala Sangam, said: "I've been involved in the arts for decades, and this really feels different. We have to make sure we get this into the hands of people in Keighley, Ilkley, Manningham, so people across the District sign up to this."

Darren Henley, Chief Executive of the Arts Council, spoke via Zoom and said the funding group was eager to work more with Bradford. He said: "We need to think what we can do differently, what we can do to take the Bradford name to a national and international stage."

The first programme that will take place since the adoption of the plan is Summer Unlocked. Earlier in the year Bradford Council asked arts and cultural groups to apply for funding to run a events in the District over Summer.

Council Leader Susan Hinchcliffe said: "There were over 170 applications, some from around the world. 24 have been successful, and these will be taken across the District. After the Pandemic it will be wonderful for people to experience cultural events again."

The full details of the 24 projects have yet to be announced, but will include a partnership between the Bronte Parsonage Museum and Neon Studio called Another World, a Bradford "Buskerval" run by local singer Premaura, a new family film festival and a partnership between South Square, Raven Staging and Bradford College looking back at the Centre's beginning as a Community Art Space - and the re-creation of Titanic, one of the centre's most popular events.

It was also announced during the event that funding of £207,400 has been received from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to support the delivery of a "heritage action plan" for the District, to help build skills and capacity among community groups to develop  "a more diverse grassroots-led heritage."

One of the goals of the plan is to create up to 3,000 jobs in the District through cultural events and attractions, as well as boosting visitor numbers and visitor spend.