A GOVERNMENT minister has praised the work being done by young people to bring Bradford’s diverse communities together.

And she had strong words for people who criticise the district’s diversity and try to divide the city, saying: “You won’t succeed.”

Baroness Susan Williams, Minister for Equalities, was in Bradford yesterday to celebrate the Bradford: Make It Your City campaign.

It has been running since March in partnership between Bradford Council and Building a Stronger Britain Together, a Government programme to tackle extremism.

It calls for young people to take ownership of their communities, creating opportunities for people that may have previously been passed by by society.

The event celebrated a number of Bradford “heroes” who have worked to make their society a better place.

They included Qasim Akhtar, 22, who coaches the Bradford City Girls team and Molly Rumford and Katie Mahon who set up Bloomin’ Buds Theatre Company.

After watching a video of the work the young people have done, Baroness Williams said the heroes show the “very best of Bradford.”

She added: “Bradford is a welcoming place. Unfortunately some people are opposed to this. They think Bradford’s rich history of welcoming people from other parts of the world is a bad thing.

“They think diversity should not be celebrated. They want to divide communities.

“This sends a message to those people loud and clear - you won’t succeed. Bradford welcomes people from all walks of life and from all over the world.

“There are plenty more people who are against extremism in all its forms. The work these young people are doing will build a stronger Bradford and a stronger Britain.”

Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe praised the work going on in the city, saying: “Unfortunately social media often magnifies negative messages from negative people. This amplifies the positive. These young people represent the good in all of us.”

The Bloomin’ Buds Theatre company was started by Molly Rumford and Katie Mahon from the Thorpe Edge Area. They said many people from their community felt a detachment from drama and the arts, and they wanted to fix that.

Mrs Mahon said: “At the moment there is so much going on that is divisive - pitting people against each other. Bradford is good at getting people together and celebrating differences.”

Mr Akhtar said most younger people looked past their differences, saying: “It is normal to mix with people, children do it all day at school.

“I think sport is the most powerful way to bring people together - when you’re playing you don’t really care who is stood next to you as long as they’re a decent player.”

Baroness Williams told the Telegraph & Argus: “There are so many positive things about Bradford.

“Often the perception of a place by people from the outside is not borne out of fact. The people who live here are doing a variety of things to improve their city.

“I’m really optimistic about the future of the city, the leadership these young people have shown is brilliant.

“It is easy to put a place down, but people just need to lift their heads up to see there are lots of people doing lots of good.”