One of the co-founders of Positive Bradford, JANE VINCENT, tells us why it’s so important.

Positive Bradford came about in 2011 when a number of entrepreneurs had given up their day to be Dragons in a Dragons Den Event.

The event was being hosted at Seabrook Crisps and children from around Bradford came to pitch their enterprising ideas to the Dragons.

That morning on GMTV, they quoted a survey which had been carried out by Travelodge, which said that Bradford was the least-safe city in the UK to visit.

A number of the Dragons started talking about this before the start of the day, and vowed they needed to do something about it.

They felt that Bradford was negatively targeted by the national media and we needed to start shouting out about the great things going on within our district.

As the managing director of my own recruitment company, Candelisa People, and being Bradford born and bred, I got together with Saleem Kader, whose family started Bombay Stores, the huge Asian retailer, and we decided to take action.

We started not really knowing what needed to be done but having the drive and determination to make something happen.

The first thing we did was hold a meeting at the Midland Hotel and invited people from every sector across Bradford. We knew it had to be totally inclusive with representation from every aspect of Bradford.

The event was a major success, with hundreds attending. From this steering group Positive Bradford was formed, with the sector heads SMEs, Large Organisations, Community/Charities, Education, Arts and PR & Marketing. Volunteers ran each of these areas so everyone could have a voice.

The branding was developed by children in schools and Bradford artist Darren Baker judged the competition.

The website and PR was provided free by This is Chemistry.

The strapline was developed and became “speaking up for the city we love”.

The passion, commitment and dedication to make Positive Bradford a success without any funding was immense. Everything was done free by people passionate to change the perception of the city.

The main aim was firstly to give the people of Bradford reasons to be proud again.

The first Positive Bradford day took place on September 28, 2011, prior to City Park being completed. Thousands came together to showcase the brilliant things going on in and around the city.

Every sector was represented, with marquees filled with businesses, community groups and schools showing the people of Bradford everything positive they are doing in the city.

A stage was filled with multicultural acts from people from around the city. The event was free to attend and free to be involved in.

Thousands have volunteered for Positive Bradford from every sector.

Positive Bradford is now a community interest company. We want to apply for funding so we can drive Positive Bradford forward and make a more positive impact.

This year, Positive Bradford Day is this Saturday in City Park and Centenary Square.

The event is going to be another amazing diverse day. From 11am to 6pm there will be entertainment, parades, pop-up theatres, competitions and much more.

Interns from the University of Bradford help organise the event and are essential to the running of the day.

So speak up for Bradford and be there!