Latest news with #YorkshireAirAmbulance
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bradford Soapbox race to show off new city centre
A go-karting race showing off Bradford's new £43m pedestrianised city centre is set to attract some 20,000 tourists to the city over the bank holiday weekend. Jonny Noble, chief executive of Bradford Business Improvement District (BID), hopes the Super Soapbox Challenge event on Sunday 4 May will bring record crowds to Bradford this spring. "With the new pedestrianised areas and the new layout of the city centre, we feel it's an ideal opportunity for people to have a fantastic day - but also have a wander round," said Mr Noble, who represents 400 firms in the city. More than 25 local businesses entered last year's race, with an estimated 15,000 spectators over the course of the day. "Usually we get about 15,000 people on average; the biggest year so far was 17,000," said Mr Noble. "Weather allowing, we're expecting - with Bradford being the UK City of Culture and the feel-good factor - to get towards the 20,000 mark this year. " Mr Noble said the event played an important role in supporting city centre businesses, with spectators spending in shops, cafés and restaurants. He said: "The event's held on a Sunday purposefully to drive that much-needed footfall. He conceded "the Transforming Cities work going on last year... was quite disruptive", but suggested the newly pedestrianised city centre could make this year's event more popular than ever before . He said the starting point for the race track would remain at the top of Kirkgate, continuing on to Bank Street. But instead of turning back along Tyrrel Street, this year it will run towards Market Street - one of the key pedestrianised thoroughfares - towards a new finishing line. There will also be a slalom section, he added, urging any last-minute participants to sign up to the race. "We are still welcoming karts. We've still got a few places left. Go on to the BID website and have a look on the events page," he said. The first Soapbox Challenge was held in Bradford in 2022. "It's great news we'll be returning to Bradford for a fourth year," said Andrew Pearson, marketing director for the event for which Yorkshire Air Ambulance is a charity partner. "It's all about team spirit, raising money for great causes, and enjoying the excitement of the race." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. 'Pedestrianisation means more people walking - that means more money' 'Quite an upheaval': Is there an end in sight to Bradford's roadworks? People urged to return to city centre as works end
BBC News
14-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Bradford Soapbox race to show off new pedestrianised city centre
A go-karting race showing off Bradford's new £43m pedestrianised city centre is set to attract some 20,000 tourists to the city over the bank holiday weekend. Jonny Noble, chief executive of Bradford Business Improvement District (BID), hopes the Super Soapbox Challenge event on Sunday 4 May will bring record crowds to Bradford this spring. "With the new pedestrianised areas and the new layout of the city centre, we feel it's an ideal opportunity for people to have a fantastic day - but also have a wander round," said Mr Noble, who represents 400 firms in the city. More than 25 local businesses entered last year's race, with an estimated 15,000 spectators over the course of the day. "Usually we get about 15,000 people on average; the biggest year so far was 17,000," said Mr Noble."Weather allowing, we're expecting - with Bradford being the UK City of Culture and the feel-good factor - to get towards the 20,000 mark this year. "Mr Noble said the event played an important role in supporting city centre businesses, with spectators spending in shops, cafés and said: "The event's held on a Sunday purposefully to drive that much-needed conceded "the Transforming Cities work going on last year... was quite disruptive", but suggested the newly pedestrianised city centre could make this year's event more popular than ever before . He said the starting point for the race track would remain at the top of Kirkgate, continuing on to Bank Street. But instead of turning back along Tyrrel Street, this year it will run towards Market Street - one of the key pedestrianised thoroughfares - towards a new finishing line. There will also be a slalom section, he added, urging any last-minute participants to sign up to the race. "We are still welcoming karts. We've still got a few places left. Go on to the BID website and have a look on the events page," he said. The first Soapbox Challenge was held in Bradford in 2022."It's great news we'll be returning to Bradford for a fourth year," said Andrew Pearson, marketing director for the event for which Yorkshire Air Ambulance is a charity partner."It's all about team spirit, raising money for great causes, and enjoying the excitement of the race."Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
18-02-2025
- BBC News
Burnsall: Man died in 12ft of water while swimming in river
A father-of-one drowned while enjoying a riverside picnic with his family, an inquest has Mohmed Chanda, 33, disappeared while playing in an inflatable dinghy with relatives on the River Wharfe at Burnsall in the Yorkshire Dales National Park on 11 Yorkshire Coroner's Court was told on Tuesday that 1,000 people were in the vicinity enjoying a family fun day on one of the hottest days of the summer.A firefighter who was one of the first at the scene said the depth of the river could vary from knee-high to 12ft (3.36m) and that Mr Chanda's body was recovered from the latter section. Mr Chanda and his wife Shezmeen Khalid Munshi had been visiting the area from Blackburn with their family when he got into difficulty, the inquest was said her husband had been "extremely happy" before entering the water, was fit and healthy and had learned to swim the previous Munshi said she felt "uneasy" when she saw the boat he had got into with his cousin and nephew return to the bank without him, and alerted emergency Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service crew manager Benjamin Rymer told the hearing that 15 firefighters had been called to the incident. The Yorkshire Air Ambulance also landed. A witness statement read out to the inquest detailed how a "splash and a shout for help" had been heard before other swimmers tried to rescue Mr Rymer said the fire service had arrived within 10 minutes of the 999 call being made and they located Mr Chanda's body on the opposite side of the river from where he had entered the water.A postmortem established the cause of death as asphyxiation due to immersion in coroner Jonathan Leach recorded a conclusion of death by misadventure and said there were no suspicious to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.
