Funding to ensure City of Culture has a legacy

Bradford is set to receive a further £1m in government funding to help keep culture "low cost" and accessible, it has been confirmed.

Following its tenure as UK City of Culture 2025, the money will go towards a "lasting legacy" and will include making a major pop-up venue permanent and investing in a museum.

During the year-long celebrations, the region hosted 5,000 events - 75% of them were free - and more than 87,000 residents took part.

Speaking about the additional funding, culture minister Ian Murray said: "We know that investing in culture is so important both in terms of helping to boost local economies but also to create opportunity and make people feel proud of where they live."

The funding will be divided into two main projects, said the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

The first is to make the Loading Bay a permanent "mid-scale" city centre venue, art gallery, 200-seat theatre and performance space.

It is a former warehouse located on Piccadilly and hosted stars such as Steven Frayne, formerly known as magician Dynamo.

The Loading Bay is due to reopen in May 2026 and its programme includes free exhibitions like the return of Bill Bailey's "Extraordinary Portraits".

Dan Bates, executive director of Bradford Culture Company, said: "Loading Bay can now continue to be a vibrant cultural hub for Bradford voices, as well as artists from across the UK and beyond, complementing and strengthening the district's rich and growing cultural offer."

The second project is providing investment for The Peace Museum, which relocated to Salts Mill in Saltaire in August 2024.

The museum offers a free day out to local residents and showcases the history of peace movements and the "often untold" stories of peacemakers.

It is also the country's only accredited museum with more than 16,000 objects exploring the heritage of peace.

The DCMS estimated that as a result of the move and UK City of Culture, visitor numbers increased from 3,000 annually to more than 60,000 last year.

Rachel Julian, chair of the board of trustees at The Peace Museum, said: "This transformational investment safeguards our nationally significant peace collection, increases access to our gallery allowing us to welcome 15,000 additional visitors annually, and ensures a lasting legacy of cultural engagement, pride and participation for Bradford's year as UK City of Culture in 2025."

Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford Council, added: "Both venues will benefit hugely from this additional investment meaning residents and visitors can continue to have the opportunity to experience these for themselves."

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