With the new century barely off the starting block, Bradford has a story to tell which offers further evidence that the district is ready to rise to the challenges of the future.

The last century saw the old industries peak and fade. The wool textiles and engineering on which so much of Bradford's fortunes were based, and which provided the bulk of the jobs in and around the city, found themselves overtaken by global competition, particularly in the second half of the century.

So Bradford had to look around for industries to replace them. The old technology made way for the new, and in the last few years the district has established quite a reputation in that area with the success of companies such as Pace and Filtronic.

Now comes the news that another Bradford hi-tech enterprise is making its mark. Congratulations to Mitsui Advanced Media, of Tetley Street, on winning the contract to provide the CD-Roms on which the sounds of Britain's past are to be stored at the National Sound Archive in London.

It says something for Bradford that Mitsui Advanced Media chose to base its European division in this city in preference to London. Now the products manufactured here by Bradford people have been chosen as meeting the requirements of the National Sound Archive because of the high quality of their reproduction and their 100-year guarantee.

It is a further boost for a city which has shown itself more than willing to move with the times. Bradford is making a major contribution to preserving the sounds of yesterday, but its sights are firmly set on tomorrow.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.