The Bradford district celebrates the Platinum Jubilee

The Bradford district celebrates the Platinum Jubilee
The Bradford district is gearing up for a once in a lifetime celebration for Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

There will be events and activities for people of all ages across the whole district so that residents can really make the most of the extended bank holiday weekend and celebrate this exceptional moment in history.

The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Martin Love invites people from across the district to the Bradford Great Jubilee Tea on 2 June 6.30pm-9.45pm. This family friendly event in City Park aims to feature the biggest free cake stall in the north. It will also have free food, music and entertainment and will also have the lighting of the official Platinum Jubilee Beacon at around 9.45pm to coincide with the beacons that are being lit across the UK and the Commonwealth in celebration.

Official Platinum Jubilee flags will be flying in Centenary Square and in the town centres of Keighley, Bingley, Ilkley and Shipley. The bells of City Hall will be playing the National Anthem at 3pm, 6pm and 9pm on the 2 June and the clock tower will be lit up in purple and white the official colours of the Platinum Jubilee for the whole of the bank holiday weekend.

Bradford Council is holding five family fun events in parks across the district between 2 June and 5 June. The activities at these events include a climbing wall, inflatables, dance and craft and will run from 11am to 3pm in Cliffe Castle Park in Keighley on 2 June, Wibsey Park on 3 June, Lister Park in Manningham on 4 June and in Roberts Park in Saltaire and Peel Park on 5 June.

The council has also supported residents, organisations and community groups to arrange over 170 events. This means that people in communities and neighbourhoods can get together and share in the celebrations to mark this historically significant event, and reconnect after two years of pandemic restrictions.

The council’s Residential Resource Centres and Extra Care Services have also organised events in their homes including tree planting, cake baking, the burying of a time capsule, tea parties, singing, quizzes and dressing up in 1950s vintage clothing to relive, share and create special memories with family friends and staff.

Schools across the district have been learning about the coronation in history classes and holding their own events to celebrate.

The council’s libraries and museums services have also been helping people to relive happy memories of the coronation and also the Silver Jubilee in 1977 with displays of mementoes and events.

To celebrate the platinum jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, Bradford District Museums and Galleries have put together four displays across their sites using objects in their collection and photos from Bradford District Photo Archive. Bradford Industrial Museum will be holding a street party on 4 June with outdoor games, a 1950s band, print and weaving demonstrations with visitors welcome to come in 1950s fancy dress.

Preparations are in place and decorations are going up across the district. In Bradford city centre bunting, flags and red, white and blue umbrellas have gone up. In Silsden the pavement balls, which were decorated for the Tour de France Grand Depart in 2014, have been given a makeover and painted like Union Flags. A giant land art installation is being created in Haworth depicting two Buckingham Palace Guards and Her Majesty the Queen. An unused bowling green in Harold Park in Low Moor has been mown with the design of the Union Flag.

A special official toolkit has been created with bunting templates, playlists, recipes and children’s activities so that people can get involved and trim up. This can be downloaded from the government website https://platinumjubilee.gov.uk/toolkit/

The Lord Mayor of Bradford Councillor Martin Love, said: “This is a momentous event in our history with Her Majesty the Queen being the first British monarch ever to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee. It’s a great opportunity for everyone to have fun and get together after what has been a long two years.”

Information about how the Bradford district is celebrating the Platinum Jubilee can be found on the council’s website www.bradford.gov.uk/platinumjubilee

Ends

Notes to Editors

Please contact Alice Marshall [email protected] in Bradford Council’s Marketing and Communications Team if you would like further information about any of the events below.

Council events
2 June (6.30pm-9.45pm) – FREE Braford Great Jubilee Tea in City Park FREE cakes, world food, brass band, choirs, community street party feel with the lighting of beacon
FREE Family fun in parks 2-5 June 11am -3pm – inflatables, climbing wall, dance and crafts etc aimed at families and children:
2 June Cliffe Castle – Keighley (also has the In Motion: Transport Festival)
3 June Wibsey Park
4 Lister Park (Manningham) (also has a Mind The Gap performance)
5 Peel Park and Roberts Park (Saltaire)
Libraries – almost 30 FREE events including tea and cake parties, book club, films, teddy bears picnic, knit and natter sessions, children’s royal brunch
Museums – all four sites have displays related to the Jubilee. Cliffe Castle and Industrial Museum are probably the best. (Memorabilia etc). All FREE
Care homes – Residential resource centres & extra care services – time capsule burying, tree planted, bunting making, dressing up in 50s clothes, singing, trips down memory lane etc

School Events
Schools in the Bradford district have now closed for the half term holiday so the majority have already had their jubilee events. However:
15 June – Strong Close Nursery (Keighley) – garden party with commemorative coin for children, new tree and seating area in memory of a governor who died during the pandemic.

Community events
We provided small grants to help people get together in their neighbourhoods to celebrate. There are over 170 events but some of the most interesting are:
1-4 June – Jubilee Spinathon Fundraising Event nonstop for 70 hours to mark the 70 years jubilee
2 June – Picnic organised by Asian Men’s Health Group
2 June – teddy bears picnic
2 June – Bradford African Caribbean Elders event celebrating diverse commonwealth countries, afternoon tea, tree planting, street party
2 June – Tea party organised by Bradford people with visual impairments group
2 June – Bradford Deaf Centre – picnic bringing together women and children from diverse refugee communities
2 June – Celebration for ESOL Students
2 June – Gymkhana, games and afternoon tea at riding for the disabled club
3 June – event with parade by local Army Cadets
3 June – Bringing Homeless Together event for clients of Quays Housing – multiple support needs ranging from mental health, substance misuse and domestic abuse. Many don’t have a support network and are alone.
3 June – Crossing the boundaries: A Jubilee Garden Party at Bowling Old Lane Cricket Club — targeting young people, especially girls and women; from all backgrounds, particularly BAME, Asylum Seeker and Refugees
3 June – Event in St Wilfred’s church organised by Anand Milan Centre for group of Gujarati elderly, sharing photos and memories
3 June – Hindu association holding a gathering at the Ukrainian Centre, singing, dancing, games, talks, food and sharing photos and memories
3 June – “Picnic and Print – bake/cake sale with refreshments and print you own jubilee flag / design raising money for local Trussell Trust Foodbanks
4 June – Jubilee Celebration Service and Lunch at Bradford Synagogue
4 June – Park party organised by the New Libya Society
4 June – Street Party Event at allotment
4-6 June Dementia Friendly Keighley memories of jubilee
5 June – Hindu Cultural Society community picnic, flag making, face painting
5 June – Free2B-Me (LGBT group) –BBQ at their allotment
5 June – Baking session with elderly members of the community in BD7
6 June – Dementia Friendly event organised by Wrose Dementia Friendly Community Support Group
6 June – Hindu association – Games and children preparing short speeches about the Queen and the Royal Family. Elders narrating stories of their experience of meeting the Queen or other members of the Royal family
6 June – Art project designing and painting crowns
6 June – Celebration party for homeless service users
8 June – Carlton Bolling College. ‘Culture Day’ and ‘Big Jubilee Lunch’
11 June – Event organised by Haworth Riding for the Disabled
11 & 12 June – Dominica Association celebrations – painting session, food fusing Dominica culture and English tea party, dominos, quadrille dancing
11 June – Ilkley Pride & Diversity Group holding a sewing day to produce a Jubilee Flag of Diversity.
11 June – Italian Community event in Keighley
12 June – Milan Centre (multi-cultural centre in Manningham )– circus sessions for children, best dressed Queen / Consort (King) competition encouraging dressing up from where they feel their heritage is from, spoken costume drama including history of Manningham Mills.