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Thousands flock to City Park for carnival event By Ashley Grint ashley@asianexpress.co.uk
As the sun returned to Bradford for perhaps the last full weekend this year, thousands of sun dwellers embarked on City Park to partake in the third annual Positive Bradford event. Set up in 2011 to celebrate everything good about the city, the day played host to tens of acts from Punjabi dancers to opera singers, jiu-jitsu performers to cheerleaders. Local businesses also had stalls spread across the Park, including the likes of the National Media Museum and a number of local charities. Jane Vincent, co founder and director of Positive Bradford, was thrilled to see the event draw in such a large crowd and explained how the whole initiative came about. “Today has just been absolutely fantastic,” she said. “We actually came up with the idea about two years ago. Saleem [Kader] and I both
have business in Bradford and we heard on the television and the radio that Bradford was the least safe city in the country to visit and we just couldn’t believe it. “We both said look, we need to start doing something. Instead of just taking it, we need to stand up for ourselves. “What we have done is bring communities, together education, businesses, PR, marketing and the arts, to do a showcase of all the great things that are going on in the city and say ‘look everybody, we might not be perfect, no city is, but look at the great things we have got’. “This is the third time we’ve done it and we are absolutely packed, we had a waiting list of people, a multi-cultural stage full of events, it’s great.” Fellow co-founder and director, Saleem Kader, added: “This is Bradford based businesses and individuals telling people what is great about the city. “It is amazing, look at the day today. If you go through
October 2013 - 2nd Edition
Positive
the crowd you will see people from all different backgrounds and nationalities just enjoying themselves. “It is all about getting people together and that is why people are here. Let’s forget about all the things we may not have, and focus on the things we have.”
FANTASTIC: Local gym owner, Huggy Osman with Television star, Rashid Khan and nephews
BHANGRA: A host of dance acts performed on the main stage