Bradford BID – and a bunch of friends – have been going MAD in Little Germany!

The Business Improvement District (BID) teamed up with a variety of organisations and a group of volunteers to stage its first Make A Difference (MAD) Day since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The action days are part of the programme of activities run by the BID, the limited company funded by levy-payers to help promote and develop the city centre, to help improve the streetscape and make it more attractive and inviting for visitors, residents and workers.

The first one took place in 2019 in the area between the University of Bradford and Bradford College but the programme was stalled by the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown restrictions.

BID project officer Leanne Holmes said: “It’s great to be able to get these Make A Difference days going again because they do just that – they really help to smarten up the areas involved.

“We’re really grateful to everyone who turned up to help, especially those who have given up their own time to come and join in with the cleaning up activities.”

As well as the BID team and their Bradvocates, those who took part included Bradford Council cleansing staff and city centre ambassador, Bradford city centre NPT officers from West Yorkshire Police, AB Jetting, who hot-washed some of the pavements, and James Dunn, of JD Cleaning Services, who removed graffiti and repainted street furniture.

They were joined by City Ward councillor Aneela Ahmed and volunteers from Bradford Civic Society and the Friends of Bradford Beck, who helped with weeding and litter-picking.

Officers from Operation Steerside also carried out speed awareness and car detail checks on Stott Hill.

BID manager Jonny Noble said: “Obviously, we can only scratch the surface with events like this because Little Germany is a big area but it’s amazing how much of a difference towards making the area look fresher and tidier that a few enthusiastic volunteers can make.

“Activities such as cleansing, weeding and graffiti removal just make the area more pleasant for those who live, work and spend their leisure time here and we also want the area to look its best for all the many visitors who come to Bradford to see the renowned Victorian architecture and impressive streetscape that Little Germany offers.

“These improvement action days, affectionately known as ‘MAD’ days, will form an ongoing part of our partnership working with services from the other key stakeholders in the city centre and we hope to continue the programme as and when we can now that the restrictions have eased and people feel more confident about coming along and joining in. The more the merrier!”

Ian Ward, the BID chairman, added: “The cleanliness of the city centre was one of the key concerns identified by the BID’s levy-payers when they voted for our first five-year term.

“We’ve made some huge inroads already with our ongoing programme of street cleansing, deep cleaning, chewing gum and graffiti removal in key footfall areas and partnerships like this, working with people and organisations who really care about their local environment, are key to ensuring that our efforts will have long-lasting impact.”