A collage showing the type of street entertainment people can expect in Bradford city centre BRADFORD S main shopping streets will be brought to life with a riot of weekend colour and fun this summer. Bradford Business Improvement District (BID) is laying on a host of street animation starting this week and running for the next seven Saturdays, with a variety of entertainment. The professional entertainers will provide a memorable experience for children and adults as they roam the streets, providing opportunities for photos and selfies. Leanne Holmes, project officer for the BID, the limited company funded by levy-payers to help promote and develop the city centre, said the lifting of Covid restrictions had provided a great opportunity to bring some fun back to the city centre.
Bradford BID branches out to keep the city centre blooming
BRADFORD BID has a new recruit in its campaign to brighten up the city centre – a glorious sunshine-yellow water bowser. Bradford Business Improvement District (BID), which has just finished installing 168 hanging baskets – bringing a vibrant splash of colour to many of the city’s most important thoroughfares – has invested in the giant water carrier to help keep the blooms in tip-top order throughout the summer. The new bowser, purchased with the help of The Broadway shopping centre, will be out every week throughout the summer keeping the magnificent floral displays watered.
A brilliant burst of summer colour is on its way to Bradford city centre. Work has begun on preparing more than 160 hanging baskets which Bradford Business Improvement District (BID) will be installing across key streets next month. Canal Road-based ACW Garden Centres are busy potting-up the baskets with vibrant and colourful plants which will adorn city centre lampposts throughout the summer. They are being prepared by the team at ACW’s Woodbank Nurseries, in Harden Road, Harden, before being delivered to the city centre in June. Bradford BID manager Jonny Noble said: “With the likelihood of Covid restrictions being further eased from May 17, we are encouraging more and more people to come along and ‘Rediscover Bradford’ and we want it to look its best for them.
BRADFORD had its busiest week since the pandemic took hold as restrictions eased and shoppers rushed back to the city centre. April 12 saw shutters roll up and life take a step closer to ‘normality’ as non-essential retail, plus salons, gyms and the hospitality sector, were given the go-ahead to re-open after months of closure due to the Covid-19 lockdown. Jonny Noble, manager of the Bradford Business Improvement District, said footfall in the city centre was more than double that of the previous week.
Top from right to left: Ian Ward; Jonny Noble and Catherine Riley “We recorded an increase of 106 per cent week on week, which was the highest footfall in the city centre since March last year,” he said.