MORE of Bradford’s empty buildings could be temporarily brought back into use thanks to a new collaboration between two arts groups.

Bradford based arts group the Brick Box has already found success bringing empty buildings in the city back into use on a short term basis, with its Wild Woods events in the former Marks & Spencer building on Darley Street attracting thousands of revellers, and the Old Crown Pub being transformed into a hub for music and performance events.

The group is now working with East Street Arts, a Leeds based charity that works with creative groups to open up long empty buildings.

Through the new collaboration, the group hopes to bring new life to more vacant city centre buildings, having them house art exhibitions and theatrical performances, all part of a bid to revitalise the city centre and bring in more footfall.

It will see The Brick Box, based on Ivegate, coordinate the use of empty city centre space for creative charitable use.

The Wild Woods evenings attracted more than 5,000 people across eight events and brought thousands of pounds of extra spend into the city centre. And more recently immersive theatre show This Space is Occupied rehearsed in an empty shop on Ivegate to prepare for the performance in the former Crown Pub on the same street. Young female-led organisation Speakers Corner took over an empty cash for gold shop at the bottom of Ivegate for social events.

The group will match up creative practitioners with available spaces, finding the right home for each project and giving them an introduction to the city and local arts scene.

Rosie Freeman, one of the directors of The Brick Box, said: “As retail becomes more concentrated in specific areas of the city centre, there is a need to reconsider how we use empty space in the city in a way which both attracts new visitors and helps the city to develop its own strengths. By giving some of Bradford’s empty spaces to creative practitioners, Bradford is able to build on its Producer City status by offering artistic talent in the area some of the resources it needs to grow and develop.”

Ella Cronk, temporary spaces coordinator at East Street Arts, said: “We’re really excited to have formed this new partnership to help us coordinate activity in our spaces across Bradford.

"We are passionate about making space for artists to explore and enhance their practice and, having worked with The Brick Box previously, feel confident that they are dedicated to the same cause and well equipped to bring some brilliant things to the spaces. We’re really looking forward to this collaboration.”

Anyone wanting to find out more about getting a space can attend a public meeting at the Brick Box bar at 21 Ivegate on June 26 from 6pm-8pm. Any creative use will be considered, as long as it’s not for profit.

Another arts charity, Skippko, has recently taken on a number of spaces in the city centre, including the former Costa on Kirkgate.

The group also plans to re-open the former WH Smith and Thomas Cook units in the Kirkgate Centre in the coming weeks to be used by arts groups.