BRADFORD's City of Culture bid team has announced another major partner - Bingley-based global publishing company, the Emerald Group.

The partnership is the latest to support the bid to be UK City of Culture in 2025, following our announcement that the Telegraph & Argus is the Bradford 2025 Media Partner.

The new partnership is supported through the Emerald Foundation, the charitable arm of Emerald Group. The Foundation, established in 2008 to support charities in West Yorkshire, supports four main areas - performing arts, sport, animal welfare and education.

Emerald Publishing provides a range of publishing services and "champions fresh thinkers and helps them make a difference".

Chief Executive Vicky Williams said: “As a business that was founded in Bradford over 50 years ago, we are very proud of our roots in a city that is creative, inclusive and rich with culture, as well as being unashamedly itself.

“Emerald was launched by a group of academics at the Bradford Management Centre back in 1967 with an ethos to change lives through research and learning, and that ethos is still at our heart today. We are passionate about supporting education and employment in the city, with partnerships including the One in a Million Free School, CentrePoint and the University of Bradford.

“We are excited to see how the city is working to bring together the diverse voices of everyone who lives here, to show the rest of Europe what makes Bradford special and a real destination. As a local employer, we see firsthand the talent and potential in the city. Winning the bid would be a complete gamechanger for Bradford's future, we're extremely proud to be a founding partner."

Mick Chandsoor, Head of Partnerships at Bradford 2025, added: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome the Emerald Group as a Founding Partners for the Bradford 2025 Bid. The Foundation’s aims are very much aligned with so much of what we're trying to achieve across the district with culture, performing arts and education at the heart of the bid. We have an incredibly strong line-up of founding partners emerging with a breadth of businesses from across the district supporting the bid.

"There is real momentum building now and the recent 'Culture is Our Plan' launch for Bradford is huge and shows the city’s cultural vision and ambitions for the next 10 years, which we're very excited to be part of.”

Bradford 2025, based in a City Park hub, recently announced its first founding partner: Yorkshire-based property investors Rushbond Plc. Bradford's City of Culture bid will be submitted later this year. Awarded every four years by Government, the title has had a significant impact on previous host cities, securing millions of pounds of investment and stimulating creative regeneration. Other places competing for the title include Lancashire, Medway, Gloucester and Southampton.

* Businesses and organisations of any size can get involved and support Bradford 2025 in a variety of ways, including sponsorship and partnership packages. To find out more email mick.chandsoor@bradford2025.co.uk. Visit bradford2025.co.uk, Twitter: @Bradford2025, Facebook: /bradford2025