The wonderful Johnny Vegas was our guest host in November for DRAW!, our nationwide drawing programme supported by David Hockney. Johnny invited us to draw something that makes us happy – and hundreds of you did, as you can see in our online gallery (coming soon)…

November saw the publication of a beautiful cookbook spotlighting the diversity of cultures across Bradford District. Through a rich engagement programme  Meet Our Mothers brought together more than 40 stories and family recipes from Bradford residents – everything from Nigerian banga soup via Ukrainian marble cake to pie ’n’ peas from Keighley. The book has sold out, but you can still explore the project and the communities we worked with via our website.

Meet Our Mothers also inspired two schools to create their own family cookbooks, with a full day’s cooking session and photoshoot planned – more news soon…

Built by Sound took an immersive trip through British South Asian youth culture in the ’70s and ’80s – a moving mixed-reality experience created for Bradford 2025 by No Ghost and Dialled In.

Using archival footage, personal testimonies and a stirring soundtrack to recreate a momentous era for South Asian communities in the UK, Built by Sound stood as a tribute to the power of collective memory as a force against racism and erasure.

BD: Is LIT, Bradford’s much-loved annual light festival, returned on 7–8 November, the same weekend as Broadway’s Christmas Light Switch-On. The city centre was adorned with more than 20 light artworks, including two specially commissioned by Bradford 2025: Sonic Swirl & Silence, Zohaib Kazi’s immersive journey into Sufism; and Lighthouse, a euphoric performance piece by Jez Colborne.

Two special free events at Bradford Live offered a glimpse of the future of culture in the district:

• The Creative Careers Festival invited young people interested in a career in culture to a day of workshops, mentoring, networking and more – and it was all organised by the wonderful Bradford 2025 apprentices.
• The Bradford Made Conference, brought together educators, cultural practitioners and heritage organisations for a rich and inspiring day of professional development – and also saw the launch of Local Stories for Learners, a new collection of free activity packs on culture and heritage in Bradford.

BBC Radio 1 Anthems Live in the city for Bradford 2025? It was written in the stars. Tinie Tempah and Pixie Lott brought the hits to Bradford Live on 15 November, joined by BBC Radio 1 personalities Charlie Hedges, Dean McCullough and Lauren Redfern for the latest instalment in our year-long partnership with our pals at the Beeb.

New artworks supported by Bradford 2025 Artist-Led Project Awards continued to arrive thick and fast in November:

• Wyke Dragons saw a pedal-powered parade of dragons descend on the Wyke Cycle Circuit, directed and choreographed by Summat Creative.
• Smoke-Blackened Walls & Curlews was a tribute to cult British jazz musician Graham Collier at The Underground, performed by Matthew Bourne, Ben Cottrell and Keeley Forsyth with an outstanding band.
• Love. Unite. Freedom saw Bradford singer Sinead Campbell take a musical journey from the heartbeat of reggae and rocksteady to the energy of drum ’n’ bass and grime.

Our Patch, Bradford 2025’s community creativity programme, accelerated towards the end of the year with another month crammed with cultural activities – including…

• The DRAW! Tour presented free artist-led drawing workshops in Bingley, Queensbury, Silsden and Woodroyd.
• The Repair Patch continued its own Bradford tour, with Duncan Burnett hosting free pop-up textile workshops in Eccleshill, Holme Wood and Shipley Libraries.
• Keighley Chorus were back for the last singalong of the year at Airedale Shopping Centre in Keighley for the Christmas lights switch-on.
• Heart & Hands Studio was a series of three free community creativity workshops hosted by artist Emma Bairstow at St James’s Community Hub in Baildon.
• Us Girls made a safe space for girls to move, play, be creative and build confidence.

• Intergenerational Play drew to a close with two final pairings of primary schoolchildren and care home residents – bringing the total number of pairings in this inspiring programme to 20.
• We started delivering more than 1,700 books to schools – all of them donated by Authors Abroad following our fantastic poetry slam partnership earlier this year.
• PLAY: Common Ground made more creative connections between mainstream schools and learners in SEND settings.
• Our friends at Penguin Books donated copies of Charlie Mackesy’s new book Always Remember: The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, The Horse and The Storm – with every primary school in Bradford eligible for a free copy.
• Drama adventures from Alive & Kicking reached eight schools with a total of 14 interactive storytelling sessions.
• Green Opera presented Bertha Speaks, tailor-made dance and movement workshops, for two primary schools at the Brontë Parsonage Museum.
• Creative Briefs brought a four-day skills development and inclusive learning programme to two SEND Settings and one alternative-provision education organisation.
• As part of our Bradford on Foot cultural learning programme, we hosted a full-day CPD session for educators to support professional development in outdoor learning.

• We Are Still ASAFO saw Bradford’s own Theatre in Flow bring their warrior spirit to Loading Bay for three powerful performances.
• REPLAY, The Herd’s recycled ‘playground without limits’, continued welcoming families of all ages – with special sessions for schools, SEND pupils and EYFS settings. It’s all part of PLAY, our year-long programme for children and families.
• Tech Styles 10 brought together Bboys, Bgirls, DJs, rappers and more with Tech Styles International for a two-day celebration of hip hop culture.
• Holding Space: Arts, Refugees and Mental Health National Gathering, a collaboration between Bradford 2025 and Counterpoint Arts, brought together artists, activists, community groups and health and wellbeing professionals to explore the role of art and creativity in supporting the wellbeing of refugees and asylum seekers.
• Common Wealth celebrated Bradford’s young people at the 29% Festival, with live performance, music, dance, art and workshops with young artists.