Another View

This is the view across Bradford from my office; if you look at the blip from yesterday you'll see some of the same landmarks, as well as the Cathedral and the Cross.

It was really interesting to read different perceptions about Bradford on yesterdays blip. Some people who live near and know the place, others who've never been and had either preconceptions or no conceptions at all. All good and valid views and I'm grateful that they chose my blip to comment on.

Sometimes people have a blind love for a place and won't hear a word said against it, and others times people will be ashamed of where they're from and will try and leave at the earliest opportunity. Or sometimes economic reasons will force a hand.

Bradford alongside many other cities has tended towards all of these in the past.

When I first moved here when I was about 11 or 12, I was the first Southern voice that many people in Bradford had heard outside of TV (in Bradford then, the Fens were 'Southern'). Now you walk into any office in any part of the country and you'll hear a broad spectrum of accents and voices.

I took a lot of stick for my accent, some in jest and some in vitriol, but it did introduce me to regional pride, which is something I hadn't really experienced in the Fens.

I got asked a lot, "What do you Southerners think of us up North then? Bet you think we're all flat caps and whippets don't you?" I think I gave the most honest, but probably most hurtful answer when I said, "Actually I'd never even considered it!"

But this was all part of Bradfordians protecting their regional identities and being proud of where they came from. As a boy I obviously didn't understand this and grew quite resentful towards the constant jibes at anything South of Derby. It's no different in any other city.

I've also heard people from Bradford saying they're from Leeds, or Yorkshire when asked, maybe due to events in recent history such as the riots and failed projects.

I've since lived all over the country, but have been back in Bradford for quite a while now so I've lived in other cities and regions and think I can give fair comment.

I think there is definitely a place for regional pride as long as it isn't blind. Bradford used to have tendancy to think it would be OK, just simply because it was Bradford. That means nothing really. You would sometimes find campaigns to give it a boost with slogans with no substance ('Bradford's Bouncing Back', or the bizarre 'Bradford City of Culture? Just ask Gareth').

But lately people have started to ask more from where they live, but they have to prepared to put something back in. Nothing is successful without support, but it has to work both ways.

A couple of years ago Bradford put up a German Market before Christmas. Leeds has had a great one for ages and people from Bradford were asking why we never get anything like that. So one was organised and although it wasn't very good, no-one turned up (at least not what I could see.) Myself and some colleagues went along at lunchtime to show some support (I can be a bit holier than thou can't I) but it ended up closing early because it just wasn't getting visitors.

Catch 22 - if the market had got visitors it would have been back bigger and better than ever next year, but no visitors meant no economic viability. But as it was a bit rubbish to start with it was never going to attract the crowds. But maybe if people had given it a chance to start with and pledged support...

But - things are looking better and I think they're getting the balance right finally. I know a lot of people including me are buying into the new vision of the city.