Schofield Sweeney’s legal expertise & office space boosts Bradford 2025

Bradford-headquartered commercial law film, Schofield Sweeney is named the latest official partner of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture.

The firm joins a growing network of corporate sponsors including Morrisons, Yorkshire Building Society and PwC, as the district’s business community continues to play a vital role in harnessing the long-term impact of its UK City of Culture year.

The firm, which employs over 170 people across its three offices, has come on board to support the city as it delivers its ambitious cultural programme in 2025, having also been an official champion of the district’s winning bid campaign.

The firm, which also has offices in Leeds and Huddersfield, has provided pro-bono legal expertise and guidance to the Bradford 2025 team since 2020, throughout the crucial programme development years. It will continue to support the charitable trust during 2025, as the district welcomes millions of visitors to enjoy more than 1,000 events which celebrate its diverse cultures and communities.

As well as offering expert legal advice, Schofield Sweeney has welcomed Bradford 2025 into its Church Bank House building in the city centre, offering a floor of dedicated office space as a second ‘hub’ for the more than 100-strong Bradford 2025 team, in addition to its UK City of Culture headquarters at City Park.

Graham Sweeney, Managing Partner at the firm, commented: “Bradford 2025 is a pivotal moment for Bradford. It has already ignited a spark, accelerating investment and regeneration projects that otherwise may not have been possible. This is a significant opportunity and at the core

of it is placemaking. The more vibrant, attractive and appealing a place is, the greater the long-term impact on local businesses as more people want to live and work here. Culture adds vibrancy to the economy a whole, and it’s important for us to play our part in building confidence in Bradford from inside and outside of the district.”

The partnership will also see Schofield Sweeney staff offered the opportunity to use their dedicated annual ‘volunteering’ days to support Bradford 2025, becoming part of a network of 3,500 volunteers representing the district and spotlighting everything Bradford has to offer.

Schofield Sweeney’s backing in this milestone year for Bradford builds on its long-term investment into the cultural sector in city – having also supported the Little Germany Sculpture trail; Kala Sangam and Marcus Levine’s David Hockney installation. The firm also acts for a number of cultural and creative clients, advising them on how to protect their interests, scale-up and deal with the challenges of growing their business.

Daniel Bates, Executive Director of Bradford 2025 adds: “Schofield Sweeney has been fantastic in their support, not only through expert legal advice but welcoming our team into their building – a true reflection of the district’s community spirit which also shines through its corporate sector. This year is about creating more prospects for people in Bradford, young people in particular. As our cultural sector grows – so too do opportunities in other industries that will support this growth including legal, admin, IT support and financial services. We welcome the firm to our growing alliance of business champions – another brilliant, home-grown organisation that further cements Bradford’s reputation as one of the best places to do business in the UK.”

Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture is supported using public investment from HM Government, City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, West Yorkshire Combined Authority and through National Lottery funding from Arts Council England, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, National Lottery Community Fund, British Council, Spirit of 2012, as well as private investment and donations from a number of trusts, foundations and corporate sponsors.

For more information on the Bradford 2025 cultural programme go to www.Bradford2025.co.uk

Businesses and organisations of any size and location can still get involved and help to support Bradford 2025 in a variety of ways including sponsorship and partnership packages.