Latest news with #CityofCulture2025
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Visitor numbers to Bradford rise - but are they spending money?
After a year of severe disruption in Bradford city centre, the number of people visiting to shop or eat is going up. There has been a 25% increase in footfall in the first quarter of 2025 compared to 2024, according to the Bradford Business Improvement District (BID). The organisation, which represents 600 firms, said last year's figure was severely impacted by roadworks to pedestrianise parts of the centre, and the unexpected closure of the main bus station. But has this resurgence translated to increased spending in independent businesses? The BBC asked traders whether they have seen the high street start to recover. Amy Berry manages The Cake'ole cafe in City Park. She says: "I think it's been a lot better. The buses coming back (into the Interchange) have fixed a lot of the problems. "And then especially with all the events that City of Culture 2025 has brought in. We've had a lot of footfall, it's been pretty good." Ms Berry, 27, has worked in the cafe since it opened in 2019. "We were still trying to come back from Covid. A lot of people were still a bit scared to come out. "It's definitely a lot busier than we were then. "But I think we're now maybe back to where we were pre-Covid, maybe even a bit busier." The pedestrianisation work was part of a £48m Transforming Cities investment which was supposed to be completed before the start of Bradford's City of Culture year. It was only finished in May - five months after the cultural showcase's opening night. The Interchange was closed for safety reasons in January 2024 after a chunk of concrete fell from an underground car park, and only fully reopened this month. Ibrahim Eryatmaz runs Benim furniture shop on Market Street. He says: "I think more people are on the street because Market Street is open for pedestrians. "I can see there are more people but business is still low. "For us it's very low now but if you sell coffees, maybe small items, maybe for them it's potentially better. "But we are a furniture shop and who's passing along this street doesn't have a big effect for us." The 52-year-old did praise Bradford Council, which has halved business rates to encourage more traders to set up in the city centre. But he says many Bradfordians are still cautious when it comes to spending their money on bigger items. John Varey opened his florist's shop with his wife Lisa at the start of the year and has had a promising first few months of trading. "I've seen massive growth from when I first moved in. "Obviously we moved in in winter so we can't really gauge it compared to last year apart from figures. "We got the sales figures from the shop from last year and we've kind of almost doubled what they were doing." Mr Varey, 58, says the high rents being charged by private landlords who are often not based in Bradford does not help businesses thrive in the city centre. Elsewhere, Leeds and Wakefield have seen increases year-on-year in the number of people coming into their centres while Halifax, which is undergoing a £64m town centre improvement project, has seen a fall. Jonny Noble, chief executive of Bradford BID, says the 25% footfall boost has to be viewed in the context of a very low starting point last year. "There is no doubt that 2024 was a tough year for city centre businesses due to ongoing roadworks and the sudden closure of the Interchange. "However we're now seeing strong signs of recovery. "We know there's still work to do, and we're under no illusions - regenerating the city centre takes time and continued effort." He highlights events like the BID's recent Soapbox Challenge as well as those organised by the UK City of Culture 2025 team and the council as reasons why more people are coming into Bradford. Mr Noble adds that he is "optimistic about further increases in footfall, dwell time, and overall business confidence." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. City centre regeneration plans take step forward People urged to return to city centre as works end
BBC News
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'Magical' 36-hour musical journey takes over Bradford
An unbroken 36-hour long musical parade through Bradford and its surrounding countryside, which has taken two years to plan, has got under event, known as The Bradford Progress, part of the City of Culture 2025 celebrations, began at dawn with the ethereal sounds of the Paraorchestra echoing across the famous Cow and Calf Rocks at Ilkley Progress aims to celebrate the district's diverse music with performances staged in unexpected places, including mills, museums, cemeteries, and even on boats, buses and Harper, the Paraorchestra's chief executive officer, said the start of the event had been "beyond our imagination" and "magical". The Bradford Progress, which is due to conclude on Sunday afternoon at the Mirror Pool in the heart of the city, was created in collaboration with the Paraorchestra, Charles Hazlewood, artist Jeremy Deller and people in the Bradford Harper said: "The whole point of it is to have unfamiliar music in unfamiliar places, creating this journey across the districts."You might hear a Ukrainian choir on a train, perhaps, or you might be passed by an open top bus with a brass band on it." Later on Saturday, the Progress took to water for a four-mile mobile performance along the Leeds-Liverpool Canal from Bingley to featured artists such as Liza Bec, the Toby Brazier Quartet, Ey Up Klezmer, Flash Cassette, Steve Varden, Dean McPhee and Vijay the narrowboats, onlooker Sharon Rae said: "It's really interesting and a good use of the canal."We all know it's wonderful, but to bring other people here is a really special thing." Meanwhile, Janet and Keith Wilson, who said they lived nearby, also enjoyed watching part of the free said it was good to see the canal being put to use, adding: "It is great to see so many people have turned up." The Bradford Progress is expected to feature a variety of musical styles, including folk, punk, Bhangra, gospel, baroque, Bassline, brass band, electronic, Sufi, Indian Classical and well as Paraorchestra, a range of other musicians are taking part, including the Bingley Ukulele Group, Bradford Cathedral Choir, City of Bradford Brass Band, Bradford Accordion Band and the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Harper said: "Music is such a great, powerful unifier."I'd encourage people to get out and come to one of the events." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New promotion push for city's former textile hub
An area of Bradford filled with Victorian buildings which once formed the thriving hub of the city's wool industry is to be promoted in a new campaign. Little Germany is home to 55 listed sites, but several businesses have moved out of the area, leaving many of the 19th Century buildings to be converted into flats. A spokesperson for Impact Hub Bradford said a team had been set up to encourage more businesses, visitors and investment into the area. James Mason, chair of the Little Germany Steering Group, said: "If this was anywhere else in the world, it would be revered, promoted and celebrated." Heritage trails, film tours, regular cultural events and the roll-out of a series of blue plaques would all be used to promote the area, Impact Hub Bradford said. A new website had also been launched to highlight the area, its history and buildings, and new Little Germany branding had been produced to be used on signs and promotional material. Meanwhile, two empty buildings on Chapel Street would be brought back into public use in the coming years, according to a spokesperson for the organisation. The campaign would have the motto "This is the story of Bradford in stone." At a launch event on Thursday, Mr Mason said the area "might have lost a bit of its soul over the years". "Depending on which time of year you come, you will see the area in a different light – quite literally. "People in Bradford don't often shout about the city's successes. It is not that they hide their light under a bushel, it is that they hide that bushel under another bushel. "It is time we celebrate Little Germany as an important part of Bradford's regeneration." Mr Mason, who is also chief executive of West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, said the new campaign coincided with "palpable momentum" to improve Bradford, spurred on by the City of Culture 2025 celebrations and the promotion of Bradford City's promotion to League One. Kamran Rashid, who founded Impact Hub Bradford, said the success of the venture showed Little Germany was a good base for business and creative groups. Impact Hub had plans to expand into 30 Chapel Street – a long derelict building that would offer much more space, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS). Last year, a planning application to convert the building into office and co-working spaces, complete with cafe, workshops and a conference space, was approved by Bradford Council. Mr Rashid pointed out that Little Germany was built by European immigrants, adding: "Bradford is seen as a city of immigrants, and many say that in a negative way. "But if you look at history, German migrants came and built this area and helped Bradford become the great city it became." Si Cunningham, chair of Bradford Civic Society, said there was "a lot of optimism" around Bradford, but he added that promoting the city could be "exhausting and character building". "A lot of people don't want to give up on Bradford because there are so many opportunities," he said. Mr Cunningham explained that there were plans to refurbish existing blue plaques in the area, as well as rolling out new ones marking the area's history, such as the foundation of the Independent Labour Party there in 1893. There would also be a number of heritage days, he said. David West, former director of Little Germany Action, said: "It is a stunning place, but it could be so much better." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. 'It's cheaper but it's a great place to be' Why is there a Little Germany in Bradford? Plans approved to restore Victorian shop fronts Impact Hub Bradford LDRS
BBC News
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Drive-in cinema event to bring Bollywood to Bradford
A drive-in cinema in Bradford is bringing Bollywood to the big screen this event at Cannon Mills will include modern movies and comedies, and all will be shown in Hindi with English car will be given a speaker to allow passengers to listen to the soundtracks.A DJ will play sets before films start and there will be food and drink stalls serving classic cinema snacks. The drive-in is part of City of Culture 2025, in partnership with the National Science and Media Museum as well as the British Film Institute. Aman Dhillon, curator for the Bollywood titles, told the BBC how she picked the movies being said: "I looked at what would be popular titles, did some community engagement to find out what titles would be favourites."I tried to programme something for everybody, families, couples, classic films and some newer releases." Dhillon added: "A drive-in cinema is different to the typical screening you would have in a cinema venue."It's a real immersive experience. You can sit in your car and feel like you're immersed in the film, but you're having a dance." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
