BRADFORD is one of ten areas in the UK chosen for a community transformation programme run by a High Street chain.

Marks & Spencer’s programme will be run as part of its Plan A 2025, which aims to support 1,000 communities, helping ten million people.

The company will work with Councils and charities to support communities and help them live more positive lives.

Bradford is one of town and cities chosen for the scheme’s pilot project over the next two years. It aims to tackle a number of issues including unemployment, skill shortages and poverty.

Successful schemes will then be rolled out to a further 100 places by 2023 and its learnings will also be shared with 1,000 sites by 2025.

Bradford will begin its work on the scheme at an events to transform a communal garden on Friday, June 9, used by patients and staff at Heaton Grange Residential Home, Toller Lane.

This aims to create a safe place for patients suffering with dementia.

The launch will be attended by M&S head of region, Andrew Crooks, representatives from Bradford Council and staff from the chain’s store in Bradford.

It is one of more than 700 projects held across the UK, with more than 7,000 staff members from the national chain’s 650 stores and offices taking part.

The scheme includes a partnership between M&S and Power to Change. In each of the ten pilot locations, a £50,000 prize will be handed to a community business in a Dragons’ Den-style event.

This new investment will complement nearly £1m already spent in Bradford by Power to Change, which has been awarded to groups including Bradnet.

The other areas for the pilot scheme will be in Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Derry, Merthyr Tydfil, Middlesbrough, London Borough of Newham, Norwich and Rochdale.

Steve Rowe, M&S chief executive, said: “We’ve looked at what matters to communities, which are issues like access to work-placed skills, social inclusion, support for mental health problems and believe we can play a key role and make a real difference to community life.”