BRADFORD Literature Festival has secured a five-year partnership with Provident Financial.

The deal, which festival organisers hope will help grow the event further and make Bradford a “cultural destination of world renown”, builds on the link-up between the two for 2016 and 2017.

Festival co-director Syima Aslam said: “The investment from Provident Financial has already enabled Bradford Literature Festival to become an event of national and international significance.

“By making this remarkable commitment to the next five years, the city can build on the opportunity to become a cultural destination of world renown, a development that goes hand in hand with its economic regeneration.”

Peter Crook, chief executive at Provident Financial, said: “We have been hugely excited to see the growth of the festival, which has quickly become a flagship event for Bradford.

“Not only does it transform the city for ten days each year, it also delivers an exceptional programme of social inclusion and educational outreach, which complements Provident Financial’s work with communities in the region.

“We are delighted to continue our support to enable the festival to develop further over the next

five years.”

Festival co-director Irna Qureshi added: “Bradford’s diverse and dynamic community offers a unique opportunity for creating a festival of literature and ideas.

“Provident Financial’s long history of positive engagement in the community make it the ideal partner for the festival, and we are thrilled to be continuing the relationship for another five years.”

Bradford-based Provident’s involvement has helped grow the festival, said organisers.

The festival was founded in 2014 by Syima and Irna, and it is driven by the belief that cultural engagement through literature has the power to change people’s lives.

A spokesman for the festival said: “Bradford has long been a hub for literature, diversity and culture. The richness of its communities, drawn from so many different countries, is a key inspiration behind the festival, igniting events that bring guests from around the world to Bradford and providing an opportunity to showcase the heritage and landscape of Bradford to the world.”

Last year, more than 200 events took place across ten days, bringing together 415 authors, poets and artists from around the world.

The festival’s audience grew threefold between 2015 and 2016, when more than 31,000 people attended events.

Festival highlights include a Bronte Heritage Weekend featuring talks and tours, a comics convention with comics from many different cultures, and a schools initiative.