Bradford today welcomes the judges charged with the task of selecting Britain's choice for European Capital of Culture in 2008.

Like all the other contenders, the district has just one message to get across to the judges: pick US.

All of the rival bidders have a case to make and all of them are worthy contenders. So what is it about he Bradford district that marks us out for special attention?

If the competition was just about culture in the Arts sense, Britain would need to do no more than write London's name on the entry sheet every time it was our turn. But this is about culture in a wider sense, about community culture as well as about the community's cultural life.

Everyone knows Bradford is a multi-cultural city, a city which has embraced many cultures, a city which opened its arms to the world and met its new arrivals with warmth and humanity.

But, with the decline of the wool industry, the district lost much of its confidence. The last decades of the twentieth century were a difficult period for the district but now Bradford is starting to believe in itself again.

There's a genuine feeling that the old "it'll never 'appen" city is being replaced by a "can do" city or even, perhaps, a "'course we can" city.

Some of that new spirit emanates from the Capital of Culture bid itself. It has presented Bradford with the opportunity to examine itself closely and to realise that the district already has an enormous amount to offer and the potential to achieve far more.

What makes Bradford's bid particularly special is that this district has the most to gain from being chosen. Being European Capital of Culture will give us the chance to build on that new-found belief and to take gigantic steps forward.

With this kind of impetus, Bradford can show not just Europe but the world how powerful and successful a genuine multi-ethnic, multi-cultural society can be.

Capital of Culture is the push that Bradford needs to make it great again and to turn it into a beacon of hope for all the world.

We believe in Bradford - and we believe, once they've experienced the flavour of the place, the judges will too. We wish them a great day!

On This Is Bradford's Capital of Culture site: 100 reasons why Bradford should be chosen