EIGHT projects celebrating Bradford’s heritage – which are further reminders of how the district is a “place to be proud of” – have been featured in a new film.
The film – titled Community-Led Heritage: People-Powered Projects – shares stories of so-called ‘rag-and-bone men’ from Holme Wood, South Asian children affected by the controversial Bussing Out policy and other tales close to home for many in the district.
Created by local arts organisation The Leap, the film also explores the contributions of people from Bradford’s minority communities in Britain’s war efforts.
Made with support from Bradford Council and funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, it is the culmination of a year-long project which saw more than 120 applications for funding.
Zulfiqar Ahmed, The Leap Director, said: “The Bradford district is rich with heritage.
“We set out to enable communities to share their heritage, in their way.”
Helen Featherstone, Director for the North of England at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, added: “These amazing projects are perfect examples of why Bradford is a place to be proud of.”
The projects include ‘Any Old Rag ‘n’ Bones’ – an insight into the world of ‘rag-and-bone men’, as they are sometimes called.
The Leap claims that Holme Wood is home to the largest population of ‘rag-and-bone’ people in the country.
“They’re growing up in one of Bradford’s most economically disadvantaged areas and have very low engagement with the mainstream heritage sector,” The Leap argued.
“The ‘Any old Rag ‘n’ Bones’ project challenged that by empowering young people from the community itself to tell their own story.”
Also featured is Bussing Out – an audio-visual installation by Shabina Aslam about the controversial policy of the same name.
The policy, which ran from 1965 to 1976, saw children from ethnic minority backgrounds living in inner-city areas put on buses and sent to schools in outer-lying, largely white British areas.
It was done in a bid to improve integration, but some argue that it actually had the opposite effect – for example, it was reported that South Asian children were sometimes put in the special needs department or left in classrooms away from the main building.
Also featured is Bradford Book Project, where pupils from Bowling Park Primary School created an immersive picture book, and ‘Special’ Histories, led by participants with learning disabilities.
Scones and Samosas, Pitch and Pair, Palay dey Khan and Commonwealth Contribution Military Memories are the other projects included.
Community-Led Heritage: People-Powered Projects will be available to watch on YouTube and on social media.
Click here to see it.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here