Bradford Civic Society needs to involve local communities to help preserve the city’s rich heritage, its chairman said last night.

Alan Hall said the society needed to “engage with people, not only buildings” as he spelled out the future of the society at Bradford’s Midland Hotel.

The society currently numbers about 100 members but Mr Hall said new blood was needed to encourage more members and secure the future of the group.

That could include reaching out to youngsters in primary schools in the “heartland” of the city, he said.

“We need to have a regard to the built environment but we need to engage more fully in terms of local communities, in terms of people, not only buildings.

“We want to set up junior branches in four or five local primary schools, with youngsters from a variety of ethnicities to make them more aware of the city they love and its heritage to make them proud to be Bradfordians.”

The group secured a £5,000 Grassroots grant from the Government last year, which paid for an exhibition of photographs taken by Bradford schoolchildren to celebrate the city’s architecture.

It may be able to secure similar funding this year to extend its work into schools.

Mr Hall also told members it needed to continue exerting influence on Bradford Council on controversial issues such as retaining the Odeon and a proposed Crossrail link between Bradford’s two stations.

“We need to get access to other groups, to try to influence them and work as a ‘critical friend’ to the Council,” he said.

“I have spent a year banging the drum for Bradford Civic Society and Bradford to Rotary groups, businesses and community groups and it is important that we carry on this networking to get our message across.”

Anyone who wishes to join the society should contact secretary Many Oates by e-mailing amandaoateshall @aol.com or calling (01274) 569795.

For further information about the group visit bradfordcivicsociety.co.uk.

  • Read the full story in Wednesday's T&A