Latest news with #SarahFerriby
BBC News
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Bradford theatre audiences surge in City of Culture year
Bradford's two main theatres have seen a surge in visitors during the UK City of Culture 2025 celebrations, according to the Alhambra Theatre and St George's Hall, both managed by the authority, had each seen a rise in the number of people attending performances, a Bradford Council spokesperson 340,000 visitors headed to the Alhambra in 2024-25, up from 248,000 in 2023-24, while numbers at St George's Hall were up from 84,000 to 86,000 in the same Ferriby, portfolio holder for healthy people and places, said: "We are delighted to see so many people enjoying Bradford's incredible cultural offer." "The spotlight is on the city and district during this special year, and we are exceeding expectations," she added. The latest figures also revealed that the four museums and galleries managed by Bradford Council saw a 12% increase in visits during the first six months of this total, there were 97,368 visits to Bradford Industrial Museum, Bolling Hall Museum, Cartwright Hall Art Gallery and Cliffe Castle Museum and Park between January and June this year, compared to 86,992 in the same period last to the Cartwright Hall Art Gallery were up by more than a third, from 23,603 to 31,447 during the same period, according to the said: "The impressive growth is testament to the diverse and vibrant cultural offering during Bradford's year as the designated UK City of Culture."Bradford being chosen for the prestigious title had played a "pivotal role" in attracting both local and international visitors to the city who were "eager to explore the rich heritage and diverse exhibitions", she said."Bradford's theatres, museums and galleries will all be building on this momentum with more impressive listings designed to engage and inspire audiences, and we are committed to continuing our efforts to make culture accessible to all." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Council to 'naturalise' city's green spaces
Parts of Bradford's parks and green spaces are being left to grow naturally to "attract wildlife and encourage biodiversity" over the spring period. Bradford Council said naturalising specific areas of green space would allow wildflowers to grow and create habitats for pollinators. Signs have appeared to indicate the sections being naturalised as "Nature Friendly Areas" which support bees, butterflies, birds, frogs and hedgehogs. Councillor Sarah Ferriby said: "Whilst the vast majority of the 15.5m sq metres of grass the council cuts every year will continue to be maintained as usual, there are some specific areas which will be naturalised." A spokesperson said the authority's green spaces were divided into various types according to the differing maintenance regimes they required. They said the council cuts areas around cenotaphs and at ornamental areas within parks every week. Ten cuts per year were also carried out on highway verges and at parks, open cemeteries and recreational grounds, with weekly cuts for community sports pitches. Ferriby, the council's portfolio holder for healthy people and places, said: "Loss of wildlife and biodiversity is a national problem, and we want to do our bit to halt or reverse this trend." She said the council managed more than 80 parks, green spaces and woodlands across the district and where feasible, "defined Nature Friendly Areas" would be included "to benefit local wildlife and residents". The council has not said yet which parks and green spaces would be included. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. City centre park opens after major works completed Council to reduce grass cutting for 'biodiversity' Bradford Council
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Council to 'naturalise' city's green spaces
Parts of Bradford's parks and green spaces are being left to grow naturally to "attract wildlife and encourage biodiversity" over the spring period. Bradford Council said naturalising specific areas of green space would allow wildflowers to grow and create habitats for pollinators. Signs have appeared to indicate the sections being naturalised as "Nature Friendly Areas" which support bees, butterflies, birds, frogs and hedgehogs. Councillor Sarah Ferriby said: "Whilst the vast majority of the 15.5m sq metres of grass the council cuts every year will continue to be maintained as usual, there are some specific areas which will be naturalised." A spokesperson said the authority's green spaces were divided into various types according to the differing maintenance regimes they required. They said the council cuts areas around cenotaphs and at ornamental areas within parks every week. Ten cuts per year were also carried out on highway verges and at parks, open cemeteries and recreational grounds, with weekly cuts for community sports pitches. Ferriby, the council's portfolio holder for healthy people and places, said: "Loss of wildlife and biodiversity is a national problem, and we want to do our bit to halt or reverse this trend." She said the council managed more than 80 parks, green spaces and woodlands across the district and where feasible, "defined Nature Friendly Areas" would be included "to benefit local wildlife and residents". The council has not said yet which parks and green spaces would be included. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. City centre park opens after major works completed Council to reduce grass cutting for 'biodiversity' Bradford Council
BBC News
04-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Bradford Council to 'naturalise' city's green spaces
Parts of Bradford's parks and green spaces are being left to grow naturally to "attract wildlife and encourage biodiversity" over the spring Council said naturalising specific areas of green space would allow wildflowers to grow and create habitats for have appeared to indicate the sections being naturalised as "Nature Friendly Areas" which support bees, butterflies, birds, frogs and Sarah Ferriby said: "Whilst the vast majority of the 15.5m sq metres of grass the council cuts every year will continue to be maintained as usual, there are some specific areas which will be naturalised." A spokesperson said the authority's green spaces were divided into various types according to the differing maintenance regimes they said the council cuts areas around cenotaphs and at ornamental areas within parks every week. Ten cuts per year were also carried out on highway verges and at parks, open cemeteries and recreational grounds, with weekly cuts for community sports the council's portfolio holder for healthy people and places, said: "Loss of wildlife and biodiversity is a national problem, and we want to do our bit to halt or reverse this trend."She said the council managed more than 80 parks, green spaces and woodlands across the district and where feasible, "defined Nature Friendly Areas" would be included "to benefit local wildlife and residents".The council has not said yet which parks and green spaces would be included. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Bradford culture group hopes £3m revamp will boost footfall
A Bradford charity has been awarded £3m to transform its building into an arts and culture African Caribbean Achievement Project (ACAP) received a capital grant from Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, partly funded by Bradford cash will go towards renovating ACAP's building on Claremont, in the Great Horton area, to provide space for music, dance, visual arts and McFarlane from ACAP said the group hoped to create "somewhere really visually pleasing" to attract more people through its doors. She said: "Although the state of the building doesn't put people off accessing it, with a newly refurbished space you can see how much more appealing that would be."Ms McFarlane said the revamped facility would help "put our culture on the map".She said: "As African and Caribbean people, we have contributed a lot to the city in terms of arts and culture so it's an opportunity for us to highlight some of the things that we've been doing in that space." 'Momentous year' Councillor Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council's executive member for healthy people and places, said: "It's clear that this funding is going to have huge benefits for ACAP's current users and attracting new visitors and audiences."We look forward to the scheme being completed and flourishing."Dan Bates, executive director of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, added: "It's thrilling to see the growth of Bradford's creative infrastructure as we progress through this momentous year for the city and district."The work that ACAP do with communities of African and Caribbean descent across Bradford will be able to expand even further with this renovation, and we're proud to be a part of this next chapter in their journey." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
