Work begins on new £3m church in Bradford city centre

Sunbridge Road Mission will move from its current site on the street to a new, purpose-built modern church on a large, vacant site between Sunbridge Road and Thornton Road.

Earlier this month, hundreds of members of the church family attended a groundbreaking ceremony where Kieren Leach, from the construction team taking on the project, Whitaker and Leach, used a jackhammer to start work on the site.

Construction is expected to last around a year – with the church opening in late 2025.

Funding for the project has come from a mix of grants and fundraising efforts – the most recent of which saw some church goers climb the three peaks.

Sunbridge Road Mission has been based in Bradford for over 130 years – and was set up in what was, and remains, one of the most deprived areas of the city.

A planning application for the church, which will double as a community facility, were approved last year.

Construction work on the Sunbridge Road Mission site (Image: T&A)

The site has most recently been used as car storage, and has been blighted by drug taking and anti-social behaviour.

When the church opens, the current building will be sold.

Matthew Pilkington, from the mission, said: “We’re around 75 per cent fundraised and we’ll continue fundraising as the build goes on. The other option was to take a loan, but that is something we’d rather not do.”

He said the church community had been hugely supportive of the fundraising, pointing out that at one point the community helped raise £40,000 needed for one step of the project in a short amount of time.

Mr Pilkington said: “There are three key aims with the new church – making a space for growth, investing in future generations and creating something for the community. We’d love to have an open door, community café.”

It is hoped that the new church will continue to host groups that already use the mission, including women’s groups and refugee support groups.

He added: “We hope this will encourage further investment in the area.”

When the church was built, the Sunbridge Road area was home to neighbourhoods of back to backs. Now much of Sunbridge Road is returning to residential – with many office and industrial buildings being converted into flats.

This has led to Sundbridge Road Mission becoming the local church for a number of people arriving in Bradford.

Mr Pilkington said: “There is a big mix of people who come to the church, we have families from Nigeria and India. We want the church to be a place where people feel welcome.”

For more information visit https://sunbridgeroadmission.org.uk/makingspace/