 Bradford 2025 - Makes the shortlist
Your weekly news update is a little late this week as we wanted to be able to tell you some fabulous news which had to be kept under wraps until late last night!
The district's bid to be the UK City of Culture for 2025 has made it through to the final stage of the competition.
It's been tough, with a record 20 entries, so it's great that we're through to the final four and we are representing Yorkshire, as the only bidding city from the region left in the contest.
Information about the Bradford 2025 bid for the district can be found here.
Or follow on social media @Bradford2025 or #Bradford2025 #CityofCulture2025
Register to Vote
 On Thursday 5 May residents in Bradford District will go to the polls to have their say on who represents them at a local level.
In order to vote in this election, residents must be on the electoral register. The deadline to make sure you’re registered is under a month away and Bradford Council is urging residents who have not registered at their current address to make sure they are registered in time.
The deadline to register to vote is Thursday 14 April. Anyone can apply online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote it takes just five minutes.
We are delighted to be shortlisted for the LGC Awards
 Innovation and involvement are at the heart of five entries that we have been shortlisted for in the respected Local Government Chronicle Awards which recognise exceptional work and people in local government.
We have been shortlisted in the following categories following a competitive process, which saw record numbers of entries: community involvement, diversity and inclusion, public health, climate response and large team of the year.
The work recognised among the shortlisted entries includes the Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) Programme for children, the Stronger Communities Team’s efforts to improve opportunities and participation, the health and care system hospital discharge model helping people return to home and the district’s climate response via the Clean Air Plan.
The LGC Awards are open to all councils in the UK and authorities entering them must submit detailed evidence to demonstrate their excellence, which are then scrutinised by a panel of experienced judges. The awards received a record 715 entries this year. The winners will be revealed at a ceremony in July.
Bradford District COVID-19 test centres to close
 The COVID-19 test centre located at Centenary Square, Bradford will be closed from Sunday 20 March 2022 and the last day of testing is Saturday 19 March 2022. The Centenary Square test site has been a fixture in City Park since 28 September 2020 and has carried out over 48,000 COVID-19 PCR tests since opening.
Other testing sites will remain open until the end of March with the last day of testing on 30 March 2022:
- Victoria Hall, Hard Ings Rd, Keighley BD21 3JN
- Shipley Pool (car park) St. Paul’s Road, Shipley BD18 3DZ
- Flockton Road car park, Bradford, BD4 7RH
- Burnett Street car park, Bradford, BD1 5BJ
Visit the Government booking service to book an appointment for a PCR test (www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test), if you cannot use the online service, call 119.
60 trees planted as part of Bradford Council's Tree for Every Child project
 Staff, children and volunteers at Strong Close Nursery School planted 60 trees to become the first nursery in Keighley to join Bradford Council’s Tree for Every Child project.
YORgreencic, one of our Tree for Every Child partner organisations guided and assisted the planting session with a mix of native trees, including Hazel, Birch, and Dogwood with climbers and a box hedge being planted in the nursery grounds.
The planting session is part of a huge surge forward for the Tree for Every Child project which started in November 2020 – a pledge to plant 55,000 trees over a four year period, which is the equivalent of one per primary school child in the district.
Planting is planned for 46 primary schools across the district. Schools and nurseries will get either fruit trees, natives trees or shrubs, or a combination of these on their school grounds.
There are four partners working with the council’s Trees and Woodlands team and Trees for Cities to deliver the project: Fruit Works Co-operative, Bradford Environmental Action Trust, Forest of Bradford (part of Bradford Environmental Service) and YORgreencic. #TeamBradford
COVID-19 memorial and commemorative events consultation
We are asking you to have your say on ways to commemorate the loss and sacrifices experienced by Bradford district residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact for many of our residents in the district and now we are asking for views on how we can work with communities, organisations, groups and individuals on developing ways to commemorate and how we can come together to mark this period in our history.
To take part and have your say visit letstalk.bradford.gov.uk/covid the survey will only take a few minutes but it is important to get as much feedback as possible. There is also an interactive map where residents can pin where memorials or events could take place.
Looking to lose weight? Choose what works for you, with Living Well
 Living Well has launched an entirely free offer inviting all adults who are above a healthy weight and living in Bradford district to sign up for 12 weeks’ completely free membership to a weight loss programme of their choice to work towards achieving a healthier weight.
The offer which has already seen over a thousand Bradford residents sign up in its first week, includes four options that people can choose from: Weight Watchers (WW), ShapeUp4Life, Slimming World and GetSlim.
Living Well is an initiative led by our Public Health team and NHS Bradford and Craven Clinical Commissioning Group, working to make it easier for people living in Bradford district to live healthier and more active lives. This latest free offer has been funded using dedicated money from central government’s Department of Health and Social Care to help reduce the number of overweight adults as part of a national effort to improve outcomes from COVID-19.
To find out more please visit www.mylivingwell.co.uk and choose the option that works for you, then follow the easy instructions to get started.
Exciting day of witches and wizards in Haworth
 Dress up and join in with a spellbinding day packed with fantastical magical fun in the famous village of Haworth, as the atmospheric streets become home to some familiar faces.
Haworth’s Day of Witches and Wizards is a free family event taking place today (Saturday 19 March) 10am - 4pm throughout Haworth Village centre, at the Keighley Worth Valley Railway and in Central Park.
Featuring shows, workshops and a whole host of look-a-like performers this is a must for any family who love the books of Harry Potter.
The event is being organised by Q20 Events, a Bradford-based events company, in collaboration with us and the Keighley Worth Valley Railway as part of our Spring Back 2022 campaign.
Sup - Bingley
 The Sup Shipley beer festival held at the weekend was a fantastic success with over 3000 pints estimated to have been supped.
Crowds flocked to Shipley Market Square last Saturday (12 March) for the festival which is part of our Spring Back 2022 campaign aimed at encouraging people to rediscover their local high street.
If you missed it or want to relive it - we've got Sup Bingley, which takes place today Saturday 19 March in the square in Bingley from 12noon until 10pm.
District’s play areas to get £1.6m refurbishment boost
Bradford Council is announcing a £1.6m refurbishment programme for the district’s playgrounds and playable spaces.
The investment will ensure repairs and improvements are made to equipment and facilities across the district which will make sure children and younger people have a place they can play and use their imaginations.
Work has already started at Riverside Park, Ilkley; Central Park, Haworth; and Myrtle Park, Bingley with the remainder to go on site over the coming months.
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