WEIRD and wonderful characters will be taking to Bradford city centre on Saturday to help bring some festive fun to Christmas shopping.

Bradford’s Business Improvement District (BID) will be animating the streets with the cast of larger-than-life figures, including giant penguins, stilt-walkers and shiny “bauble-men and women.”

The entertainers will be in key footfall areas of the city centre between 11am and 3pm each Saturday for the next three weeks, on December 5, 12 and 19.

The BID has also teamed up with Bradford’s People Can initiative to recruit a team of local volunteers from the Council’s Covid Response Hub to hand out free face masks to ensure people who may have left theirs at home are able to shop safely.

The street animation is all part of the BID’s campaign to improve the Christmas shopping experience which has already included the installation of a stunning new LED Christmas tree and starlight canopy in New Market Place, at the junction of Bank Street, Tyrrel Street, Hustlergate and Queensgate.

The BID also announced this week that it had appointed a team of street marshals to make afternoon and evening gift shopping more welcoming for city centre residents and visitors.

BID manager Jonny Noble said: “The run-up to Christmas so far has understandably been a little bit grim because of the restrictions forced on us all by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Even though the national measures have been lifted and non-essential shops have been allowed to re-open, we are acutely aware that the risks of passing on the virus are still very high and we must do everything we can do minimise them.

“But that doesn’t mean we have to abandon the Christmas spirit and we wanted to do something to make the city centre more welcoming and festive to encourage people to come back here to shop and help support our local businesses.”

BID chairman Ian Ward said: “Local retailers have been hit hard this year and they need to be able to recoup some of what they’ve lost in the shortened Christmas shopping season they have left.

“The extension of opening hours means that shoppers don’t have to rush to do everything in a small part of the day so they should be able to spread out their shopping a little, which will help everyone to maintain social distancing and shop safely without putting themselves or others at risk.

“We’re encouraging everyone to give our retailers and others the business they need to help them survive the winter and we’re hoping to make it a more pleasant experience by providing some fun to go with the fabulous Christmas lights, which we’ve set out to improve year on year!”

He said the help of the People Can volunteers in giving out free masks also meant that anyone who can wear one will be able to play their part in keeping their fellow shoppers safe, even if they’ve accidentally left home without their own face covering.

“Safety and protection from the virus must be uppermost in our minds at all times,” said Mr Ward. “But that doesn’t mean to say we can’t have fun and enjoy the Christmas shopping experience. I suspect even those who don’t normally enjoy it will just be happy to be able to be out and about – and I can say for certain that our shops will be incredibly pleased to see them!”