It goes without saying that ‘heritage’, in its many forms, will play a big part in our City of Culture bid, as you would hope for a place with such a rich and fascinating history as Bradford.

In a recent survey about Bradford’s cultural offer, heritage was highlighted as being very important to folk around district who picked out the likes of Saltaire World Heritage Site, Cliffe Castle, Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, Ilkley Manor House, Bradford Industrial Museum, Lister Park (and many more heritage assets) as places they’re proud to tell ‘outsiders’ about.

There were calls to shout more about Bradford’s hidden histories too - stories of migration and settlement, among other things, that are ripe for sharing on a bigger stage as part of our bid. While we’re all rightly proud of magnificent City Hall, how much do we know about the Irish labourers who carved its bricks with their bare hands? Why are some of Bradford’s street names in German? What makes Bradford the spiritual home of the FA Cup? And how did the city’s mosques evolve from humble Victorian terraced houses to grand Yorkshire stone landmarks?

These are just a few of the hundreds of questions that will form the basis of many fascinating conversations to come over coming months of this City of Culture bid period.

We must not overlook the power of Bradford’s incredible built heritage too. We will make sure that areas of huge historical significance, from Little Germany to Haworth Main Street become more than photo opportunities for the bid. The groundbreaking work taking place by our strategic partners at the University of Bradford’s School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences will help us preserve, celebrate and ultimately find a future role for Bradford’s numerous historic nooks and crannies.

But our final thought this month is of the thousands of people in the district who care for and maintain its enviable heritage assets day in, day out. From the voluntary engineers who keep the KWVR running, to the dedicated grafters who maintain Undercliffe Cemetery in all weathers, these volunteers are the backbone of Bradford’s heritage community. We salute your work and look forward to involving you all in this journey.

All these stories and conversations, everything we do to celebrate Bradford’s unique heritage as part of this City of Culture bid, will all seek to ensure one thing: that our proud past can inspire an equally bright future.

* Visit bradford2025.co.uk / info@bradford2025.co.uk