Award-winning, Saltaire-based architects Rance Booth Smith has pledged to hold staff charity fundraising social events. Director Linda Hollings said: “Although we are now operating a hybrid working model, it’s important we keep staff motivated, active, involved and connecting. We know from our pre-Covid charity days just what a powerful tool fundraising is to focus the team and be part of a collective effort to make a difference. In this new era of fundraising, we wanted to use the Chamber’s ‘Make a Pledge’ campaign to share our experiences and our ideas with other businesses to help encourage more of the same in all corners of the business community.”

Meanwhile, Bradford-based accountancy firm Naylor Wintersgill has pledged to provide 30-minute weekly term time reading sessions.

Sandy Needham, West and North Yorkshire Chamber Chief Executive, said: “The pledges campaign is helping to get social responsibility back into business conversations and we are delighted that many local businesses have already made a pledge.”

Sponsored by Provident Financial and HSBC, Raising the Bar is in its sixth year and has historically helped businesses accrue over 20,000 hours in donated time and more than £150,000 in funds raised. The Raising the Bar programme and Make a Pledge campaign are available to all businesses, irrespective of Chamber membership.

More information about making a business pledge as part of the Raising The Bar initiative can be found at www.raising-the-bar.org.uk or by emailing info@raising-the-bar.org.uk. All pledges submitted before October 15 will be considered for formal recognition by a panel of judges who will conduct telephone interviews with the businesses involved.

Prof Sankar Sivarajah, Head of the School of Management, said: “This is great news for the School and our University. Even to be shortlisted is a significant achievement, given the level of competition for this award. The last year has been particularly challenging, for students, graduates, staff and businesses. At the School of Management, we stepped up to and met the challenges created by the pandemic, offering extra support to our students, launching new courses and extending help to local businesses. We are pleased and proud our hard work has resulted in this shortlisting and everyone in the School should feel proud. We would also like to congratulate all those nominated at the awards and we look forward to celebrating the fantastic achievements by all in these difficult times.”

Prof. Vishanth Weerakkody, Chair of Bradford Business and Social Enterprise Board, said: “The School of Management is a shining example both at the University and in the region. It has won numerous prestigious awards. It is very much part of the community, having excellent links to businesses, regionally, nationally and globally. This shortlisting reflects its pioneering spirit and its vision to change people’s lives for the better.”

Vice-Chancellor Prof. Shirley Congdon added: “Staff in our Business School exemplify the University of Bradford’s caring approach and commitment to social inclusion. They look for innovative ways to attract students from all backgrounds and then support them in reaching their potential. The result is graduates who are fully-prepared for meaningful careers, whether that’s with regional employers, international brands or their own business start-up. Being shortlisted for this award is an achievement in itself and deserved recognition for everyone involved.”

Winners will be revealed at an in-person ceremony in London on 25 November 2021.

Street Angels is a project that provides care and practical help to people who are out enjoying the city’s nightlife. Lorraine Betts, co-chair of Bradford Street Angels, said: “Street Angels is a voluntary organisation that relied on funding grants and donations to rent a ‘base’ for volunteers whilst working. We’re delighted to be able to alleviate this pressure and are so grateful to The Broadway for its kind offer. We have a wonderful team of volunteers that work very hard from early evening right through until the early hours of the morning. It is fantastic that we are able to have a warm and safe base at The Broadway to store our personal items and to provide space for rest between patrols.” The Street Angels patrol in teams of three or four and provide a listening ear to those who need to talk or provide support to the more vulnerable people they come across.

Ian Ward, general manager at The Broadway, said: “We firmly believe that The Broadway is at the heart of the local community. When we heard about the space required by the Street Angel volunteers to rest and recuperate whilst conducting their voluntary work, The Broadway management team came together to decide how we could help.  The Centre has ample space, particularly during the hours retailers are closed.  We have a private space that is relaxing and spacious, plus safe and protected.  We decided this was the ideal location for the Street Angel team particularly with its easy access to the streets of Bradford where the night economy is located.  The work the Street Angels team conduct is truly admirable and we’re delighted to provide the space free of charge to the organisation.” 

Bradford Street Angels are part of a wider national network of Street Angels. The first team started in Halifax in 2005 and there are now more than 100 across the UK. There are currently 20 volunteers on the Bradford Street Angels active list, but the team is actively searching for more so that patrols can take place on a Saturday evening as well as a Friday. Many of the volunteers come from local churches, though as long as the ethos is respected, volunteers may come from any faith or non-faith background.

For anyone wanting to get involved in Bradford Street Angels or to find out more information, contact the group through Facebook @BradfordStreetAngels

Research carried out by Care Specialists New Care Homes has revealed the Best Museum Days Out to head out and explore this summer. The Bradford museum scored 77.5 points out of 100 in the study, the same amount as the World of Beatrix Potter in Cumbria and the National Space Centre in Leicester. The British Museum tops list of best museums to explore this summer. The Imperial War Museum in Manchester is second, while The Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds is third.

The team compiled information on some of the UK’s most popular museums, and scored them out of a possible 100 to find out which could offer the best days out for older people across the UK. In instances where venues received a similar score, they were then ranked on value for money. Key criteria that was scored included cost of admission for kids and adults, cost of parking, the number of onsite cafes and/or restaurants and average time it takes to tour the entire venue.

Rated as the top water company in England, Yorkshire Water also came fifth in the list of all UK utilities and scored particularly well in the ‘experience’, ‘customer ethos’, ‘emotional connection’ and ‘ethics’ categories. Yorkshire Water’s score improved by 4.2 points since July 2020.

Business engagement officer Nikki Chadburn said: “Brews With The BID are exclusive networking meetings which will occur around four times a year. There are more than 600 BID member business and organisations – all the key players in the city centre – and these meetings are a great opportunity for any or all of them to come together, share good practice and hear news and updates from Bradford BID. Our aim is to create strong partnership working between all our member businesses and members and to help them feel part of a special club all working together in the city’s interests, with access to exclusive benefits, updates and, importantly, a voice. The BID belongs to the members who pay into it via the annual levy and it’s vital that their priorities, suggestions and concerns regarding the aspects of the city and it’s day-to-day life that the BID can deliver on are heard and incorporated into our plans.”

The first of the Brews With The BID events will take place next week, on Wednesday, July 21, and will start from 8.30am. There will be an overview presentation from Bradford BID, including updates about city centre plans, as well two guest speakers from LoyalFree, who operate the BID’s smartphone app for trails and offers, and from the Darley Street Market development. Each meeting will have a particular topic or theme with a variety of guest speakers.

Bradford BID manager Jonny Noble said: “We’re really pleased to be able to start holding events like this again after the restrictions brought about by the pandemic. Creating opportunities for networking is an extremely important part of the BID’s role, bringing people together to talk about the challenges the city centre is facing and listening to their ideas about how we should be tackling them and what our priorities should be is vital. The last 18 months have been tough for all businesses and it’s great to be able to meet up with some of those people who make Bradford such a great place in which to live, work, shop and spend your leisure time. But it’s also a brilliant chance for business in every sector to talk to each other about how they have been coping and to share their experiences, their hopes and their plans as we work to get Bradford fully back to normal and moving ahead.”

To register to attend the first Brews event, businesses need to fill in the form on the BID website at bradfordbid.co.uk.

Helen Milner OBE, Chief Executive of Good Things Foundation, added: “We’re delighted to be working with Yorkshire Building Society on this pilot partnership, providing people in Bradford from ethnic minority backgrounds digital skills training – in turn driving the recovery and ensuring that everyone is healthier, happier, and better off.”