The Bradford Way

What is The Bradford Way?

Building existing and potential cultural sole traders and micro businesses. Through a joined-up support network made possible by the Consortium. We want to use this way of working to encourage new and different people and culture to flourish.

We are agile, networked, resourceful. Greater than the sum of our parts, we are working collaboratively to support our beneficiaries wherever they are in their development, shift where power sits, elevated voices less heard, and change how leadership and collaboration are done. We promote inclusivity, wellbeing and care. We support our communities, our freelance creative sector, our events and organisations in order to make sure Bradford is a vibrant and creative District for the long term.

The consortium of four partners have established an ecology of complimentary, strategic remits:

• CVF: networking and connectivity for everyone, the independent voice of the sector. Celebrating the sector, advocating at every level, embedding inclusivity. CVF is the inclusive home for all the new people we are encouraging into the sector. Several sub network groups have also been set up. Contact: Bradford Cultural Voice Forum website.
• The Leap: place-focused, asset-focused approaches that build community capacity and skills. Grassroots connectivity and innovation through grants and SEND programmes.
  Contact: The Leap website. 
• Bradford Producing Hub lead on the creative sector’s needs with skills, talent and career development for creatives. Contact: Bradford Producing Hub website.
• Bradford Council has led on: Festival Funds, Sustainability in Culture Programme and BD Toolkits.
  • Festival Funds: Supporting festivals and events through the festival fund.
  • Sustainability in Culture: Supporting arts and Culture organisations and Creatives with Peer training sessions and reached over 30 people with sustainability mentoring development of Sustainability Action Plans.
  • 21 organisations have received grants funding to support implementation of their grants programme.
  • BD Toolkits: supporting people who want to run their own events. Industry leaders provide key insights into planning your event.

Coming up

• BD Toolkit session on 24 April 2026
• Sustainability in Culture Peer Sessions: 14 April 2026, 2pm to 3.30pm. Hybrid session, online and Unit 2, Merchants Quay, Ashley Lane, Shipley. Book tickets on the Ticket Tailor website.

Bradford doubles down on culture as a driver for change at packed Connecting Culture conference

On Wednesday, 25 March 2026, around 200 artists, freelancers, producers, funders, policymakers and cultural leaders from Bradford district, Yorkshire and the wider UK came together for Connecting Culture: The Bradford Way; a conference created to explore the power of place-based collaboration.

Delivered by The Bradford Way consortium - an Arts Council England-funded ‘Place Partnership’ uniting Bradford Producing Hub, Cultural Voice Forum, The Leap and Bradford Council – the conference was a significant moment to build on Bradford’s year as 2025 UK City of Culture.

Peg Alexander, Chair of The Bradford Way, opened the event with a call to arms: “Over the last year, the creative community of Bradford has delivered the most successful UK City of Culture yet, we have a lot to be proud of, but the work has only just started. The Bradford Way is an ethos and a way of working. It’s collaborative and plain speaking, radical and diverse, and it has always been here. Bradford’s strength lies in how we all work together and we’ve seen and heard today just how important it is that we continue this relationship-driven process. Bradford has always had swagger; it’s always aimed high and just got on with it. Now we can make Bradford the best place to be a creative”

Other keynote speeches during the day included:

• Bradford Culture Company’s Shanaz Gulzar and Dan Bates in conversation with Pete Massey, Arts Council England on how hyperlocal creativity shaped a significant national event - Bradford 2025 - and how culture is no longer “nice to have”, it’s central to policy and growth.
• Members from The Bradford Way consortium, including Lisa Mallaghan (former Exec. Director of Bradford Producing Hub), Cultural Voice Forum’s Alice Withers, Jo Hinchliffe (Assistant Director of Culture, Sport and Leisure at Bradford Council) - on the shift seen from siloed working to a connected cultural ecosystem through working in partnership.
• An inspiring conversation between members of the Bradford Cultural Voice Forum Youth Sub-Network, representatives from Rotherham Children’s Capital of Culture 2025 with Alex Willans (Skills House); Beth Sidwell (Brit School); Gaby Lees (Bradford Council Economic Development) and Adam Brennan (Bradford Council)
• ‘Ten Minute Tales’ were presented throughout the day by artists and organisations who have delivered projects that highlight the role art plays in social change as well as the kindness, collaboration, dynamism, straight talking, and DIY spirit synonymous with The Bradford Way.

Peg Alexander concluded: “We’ve heard from so many people about the spirit of Bradford, our DIY attitude and willingness to collaborate so we can move forward with confidence that our strengths lie together, the activism and bravery, the everyday and the extraordinary. Together, we’ll keep making culture a priority.”