Blooming Buds Theatre Company, Bradford & Airedale Youth Choir and Spin Arts are finalists in the Outstanding Arts and Cultural Award category at the Retail, Leisure & Hospitality Awards 2021

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: A previous event run by Bloomin Buds Theatre CompanyA previous event run by Bloomin Buds Theatre Company

BLOOMING BUDS THEATRE COMPANY

They created wonderful arts and crafts kits for working class families during lockdown. The bags helped families come together and made a positive impact on the community.

Since Katie Mahon launched the company in 2014 she has worked to deliver her mission: to increase access to opportunity and to the arts for working class communities.

When the pandemic hit, Katie knew that the families she works with experience digital poverty, and would not have access to the facilities, activities and education that many other families do.

Katie and her team immediately turned their energy and resources to delivering arts and creativity packs to provide families with fun, cultural activity to do at home.

They started out making 35 packs, but word rapidly spread and by April 2021 they had made and delivered over 2000 packs.

But they didn't stop there - as they delivered the packs they were struck by the wider impacts of the pandemic - increased food poverty and isolation: they began delivering food parcels, sanitary products, and making sure that isolated older people had door-step visits and support.

As soon as the restrictions lifted earlier this year they immediately returned to delivering their activities at Rockwell Community Centre, including community choirs, mum and baby groups and a children's drama club.

Bloomin Buds were also dealing with the impacts of the crisis on their own company - they experienced complete loss of paid work, and were frantically writing and submitting funding bids to make sure they could survive and continue their important work, and at times came very close to closure - but this didn't stop them.

And if this is not enough, at the start of the March lockdown in 2020, Katie gave birth prematurely to her baby boy Jacob, and was doing all this work from his bedside in hospital - Jacob wasn't able to come home until he was over three-months old.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: The Bradford and Airedale Youth Choir are back in full voiceThe Bradford and Airedale Youth Choir are back in full voice

BRADFORD AND AIREDALE YOUTH CHOIR

Emma Bradnum and Becs Leighton, like directors of choirs everywhere, had to change the way they ran BAYC overnight, and they did it with energy, passion, creativity and absolute commitment to keep singing going, and spirits up, for their 70 members aged six to 26.

BAYC was only a year old when Covid struck, and in that short time Emma and Becs had built three BAYC Choirs, with a clear commitment to make high-quality music education and opportunities accessible to all young people, without cost being a barrier.

With the government restrictions preventing live rehearsals for over a year, BAYC had to reinvent itself to keep those opportunities available and to keep bringing the health benefits of singing to their singers. In a time when the mental health of young people was so challenged, BAYC became a lifeline to many families.

The levels of effort, creativity and determination shown by Emma and Becs, as well as their warmth and genuine care for the well-being of their singers, was evident in the incredible range of musical opportunities and actives they provided over lockdown:

- Rehearsals moved online within a week, and the first term was delivered free.

- Every week was a different theme, with songs and vocal warm-ups to fit, and Emma and Becs wore a different themed costume every week, much to the amusement of their singers, many of whom also dressed up! There are photos of most of these, which have formed a brilliant visual memory of lockdown!

- To keep spirits up, Emma and Becs also kept in touch with their singers individually, hand-delivering postcards, sending cards and badges on the choir's second birthday, and delivering Christmas party packs to every member so that a virtual Christmas party could be held online.

- A new Facebook group was created so singers could post videos and photos of things they had been up to, and Emma and Becs set musical challenges every week. A favourite was the Choir Meme competition.

- Additional musical opportunities were sought and funded, all online: a Gospel Workshop, an A Capella Workshop, Bucket Drumming Sessions and a Beatboxing Workshop.

This extended the skills and experiences of the singers, whilst providing new and inspirational activities that were so needed for children stuck at home.

- Local partnerships were built: the choirs collaborated with a local British Sign Language Interpreter and Vogue Dance Studios to create a 'Rise Up' video to promote inclusive arts

- Funds ran low as Emma and Becs strove to provide everything possible for the young people in their choir, so they hosted a 12-hour music concert online, which featured talented singers and musicians from across the UK.

Choir members were given the opportunity to host their own half hour set, giving them a platform to showcase what they can do and to be proud of themselves. They were inspired to watch sets from professional and semi-professional singers and musicians, including Jen Stevens, a singer from the Northeast who recently reached number 1 on the iTunes singer-songwriter charts.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Horse and cart carnival highlights Holme Wood Traveller community Keira Martin and Sonia Sabri with Rambo the horse. Picture: Joe Armitage/Boneshaker PhotosHorse and cart carnival highlights Holme Wood Traveller community Keira Martin and Sonia Sabri with Rambo the horse. Picture: Joe Armitage/Boneshaker Photos

SPIN ARTS

Spin Arts is a small arts organisation that produces diverse/under-represented artists to make work and tour it around the world.

During the pandemic, Spin Arts shifted their attention to contributing to arts and culture in Bradford. They have done this by:

- Earth Mothers - an online well-being residency delivered in partnership with Kala Sangam during the 1st lockdown - reached in excess of 27,000 people.

- Dance in an envelope - distributed 500 'dance packs' to families across Bradford that were self-isolating or had little to no access to online learning, encouraging them to move together.

- Horse & Cart - worked with the traveller and Holmewood community to create an Indian and Irish dance show that toured on a real Horse & Cart to some of the most culturally deprived neighbourhood in the district.

- Bull and the Moon - Created a new outdoor family friendly show that was presented in Bowling park and Lister Park, exploring gender identity within South Asian communities.

- Persian Paddleboarder - a outdoor show that was presented in Lister Park, City Park, Apperley Bridge, Saltaire and Baildon - a fun floating spectacle that challenges stereotypes of Muslim/Islamic communities.

- Presented the first Bharatnatayam version of The Rite of Spring with an award-winning International cast at City Park.

- Supported two under-represented artists based in Bradford to secure £25,000 from Bradford Council and Arts Council England to deliver Bradford Fringe and Inter-cultured festival

- Moved into The Thornbury Centre (a community centre on the verge of closure) to start the process of creating an exciting arts & culture hub in BD3, at a time when most businesses are moving to working at home.

- Worked across Bradford to build meaningful connections, hear stories, and facilitate arts activities such as:

Meditation sessions, Storytelling for children, Yoga and wellbeing classes, Disability accessible movement sessions, Move and play workshops for nursery groups, Dance in park sessions, Arts and craft

Colouring in, Dance in Envelopes Packs

- The team regularly volunteers at pond cleaning days in BD3, supporting the wider community to look after and appreciate Bradford.

ALL ACTIVITY HAS BEEN FREE TO THE PUBLIC.

Post-pandemic these projects will all tour nationally and internationally. Putting Bradford on the map across England!

They have just launched a new season of projects that continue to contribute to Bradford, and will be made at The Thornbury Centre, an area of Bradford that has had little arts & culture engagement.