Happy New Year and welcome to Bradford 2025: UK City of Culture - we’ve arrived!
First it was the months of pulling together our bid, then that riotously joyful moment in City Park I remember so well when we heard that Bradford had been selected.
Bradford 2025 kicks off on January 10 with “Rise” a spectacular opening event with Steven Frayne, (formerly known as Dynamo) and continues through the year and across the District.
“Earth and Sky”, for example, invites us to walk with Opera North’s immersive music on Haworth’s Pennistone Hill; “Draw” invites us to pick up our pencils with David Hockney, and “Sing, Dance, Leap” invites school children to do just that in a major programme with the Royal Ballet and other national partners.
We will be in the national spotlight, where we and others can examine the narratives that have shaped us with honesty, humour and love.
It’s not just about the arts and “high culture”. It is about economics and investment, about development and jobs. National and international businesses will want to come to Bradford if they hear stories of confidence, youth, creativity and entrepreneurial energy.
The story of God’s people in the Bible is told as story of grace. We learn that our real value lies not in our achievements or the suffering that we have endured, but simply in the fact that we are loved by God and called to follow in the way of love shown to us in Jesus Christ.
Such knowledge then gives us the deep confidence to create new stories and new futures for ourselves, our families and our communities. I hear these stories often as I travel around the Bradford District as bishop.
So, here’s an invitation to everyone across our diocese, whether you’re reading this in Bradford or further afield. Come and take part in our UK City of Culture and join in with this year’s opportunity to re-frame Bradford’s narrative. What about “Bradford: heaven on earth”?