Bradford’s cutting-edge live escape room is set to expand thanks to business support funding from Bradford Council.

Time Trapped has been awarded a £40,000 capital grant from its City Centre Growth Scheme, allowing the company to move into larger premises in Hustlergate.

The company offers fun, challenging and exciting live escape games for birthday parties, office worker team days, hen and stag parties.

The business will also receive small business rate relief funding from the national scheme, which benefits many small independent traders in the District. Authority funding will help the business to fully refurbish the empty property and equip four specially themed escape rooms which will offer high quality immersive and interactive experiences. The grant will allow the company to grow and employ five additional staff over the next two years.

Time Trapped will move from 5 Piccadilly in Bradford to 1 Hustlergate which had been vacant for almost 10 years.

Aamir Nasir from Time Trapped, said: “The City Centre Growth Scheme has provided us with an opportunity to take our escape rooms to the next level, as we look to cement our place as the best leisure activity in the region.

“We have created high-quality, immersive and interactive escape rooms that will be popular for birthday parties, school trips and corporate team-building.”

Time Trapped joins several other thriving companies in the area including Nightrain Bar in Queensgate, Brick Box rooms on Ivegate, Rabbit Hole in Westgate and Tiffin Coffee on Hustlergate, all of whom have been helped by the City Centre Growth Scheme.

Bradford Council’s City Centre and District Growth schemes provides businesses with financial incentives to invest, expand, create new jobs and bring empty and heritage buildings back into use.

Since launching in 2012 the schemes have supported 240 businesses, brought 100 empty commercial spaces including retail and office back into use and generated over 660 jobs.

Fifty-two new start-ups have been created under the schemes.

The initiative is one of a number of growth-stimulating measures included in the Bradford District Economic Growth strategy.

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, portfolio holder for regeneration, planning and transport, said: "We are thrilled to see businesses like Time Trapped make use of our City Centre Growth Scheme.

“Leisure companies draw people into the city centre and create additional demand for surrounding businesses.

“The growth schemes support a range of measures outlined in our economic strategy designed to drive investment, growth and job creation across our district.”