The celebrations of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture come to all parts of the District this month with around 80 events aiming to bring people together of all ages, religions and backgrounds.
Bradford Global Village is a packed programme of events, arranged by local community groups, throughout July for each of the District’s five constituency areas – Bradford East, Bradford South, Bradford West, Keighley and Ilkley and Shipley. They include:
- A Bengali food festival at the Frame 2 Complex in Barkerend on 8 July, organised by ISSE
- A community get-together for all ages at Queensbury’s Albert Road Community Hub on 9 July
- A women and girls only intergenerational daytime disco, organised by Budhay Buddies at Grange Interlink on 30 July
- A football tournament at Marley Stadium, Keighley set up by Keighley Community Support over the first weekend of July
- A photograph exhibition celebrating the friendships Ilkley and District Good Neighbours’ older clients and volunteers from mid-July in both the Clarke Foley Centre and Manor House
- A ‘Wandering Words’ poetry trail in Shipley throughout July.
Further details on the above and a full listing of all the events can be found at https://www.bradford.gov.uk/arts-and-culture/bradford-global-village-summer-2025/bradford-global-village-summer-2025/ – simply click on each area for its programme of events.
These events have been made possible by the Culture is Cohesion Fund, a combination of grants from both Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture (run by Bradford Culture Company, a separate charity organisation) and the council’s Area Committees. Community groups were invited at the start of the year to apply for grants of up to £500 to support local projects and events that would bring people together, regardless of age, religion or ethnicity.
Cllr Kamran Hussain, Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods and Community Safety, said: “This is a packed programme of events and activities which we hope will bring more of us together and hopefully help us learn more from each other. It also underlines the commitment and creativity of community organisations across our District to put in the work and planning to make these events happen. I hope they are well attended and supported.”
