Thackley Primary School pupils gear up in school Race for Life Event

Pupils at Thackley Primary School took part in the school’s second, very own Race for Life for Cancer Research UK this week as part of the Race for Life’s schools programme.

The school hosted a special event at Thackley Football Club on Wednesday, 21 June.

Around 495 youngsters aged three to 11 joined teachers, parents and friends to challenge cancer and walk, jog or run in aid of Cancer Research UK’s life-saving work and dressed in pink, red and purple to brighten up the day!

Head of School, Annette Patterson said:

“We are really looking forward to the race. The children are really excited and have been busy raising money.

“The whole school is supporting the event so it will be a real team effort and a great day for our parents, pupils and staff while raising money for an important cause.

“Sadly, most of us know someone who has been touched by cancer and we all have our special reasons for taking part and wanting to help more people survive”.

Bradford Council’s Portfolio Holder for Education, Employment and Skills, Coun Imran Khan said:

“Race for Life is a great addition to the wonderful events that take place at Thackley Primary School.

“Good Luck to all the pupils who are taking part this week and congratulations to the school for organising the event, who clearly have a desire to make a difference”.

Follow Thackley Primary School on Twitter: @ThackleyPrimary

Each pupil wrote a special message for Race for Life

Free arts and entertainment to be held in city centre

A series of free events is coming to Bradford city centre this spring, including parades, talent shows and live entertainment.

The Creative Streets programme features colourful costumed parades, a quirky talent quest, an innovative indoor ‘art and performance park’ and an entertaining and interactive treasure hunt.

Bradford city centre will come alive with Bhangra, Bollywood and African drumming dance acts, cycling activities and a range of creative costume-making workshops.

Bradford’s cutting edge arts company, The Brick Box, will stage a follow-up production of their highly successful, Wild Woods ‘indoor woodland’ and performance space.

The Wild Woods in Bloom will put the spring back into Darley St and celebrate the new season with colourful and interactive installations, live performances from a host of exciting local talent, amazing workshops, family fun and games, and delicious food.

Local master mask and puppet makers, Cecil Green Arts whose workshop was destroyed in the Drummond Mill fire, will run a flamboyant Puppet Parade featuring huge colourful papier mâché pieces created by local people at special workshops.

The vibrant Puppet Parade will celebrate everything about Bradford and be accompanied by local musicians from Punjabi Roots Academy and Moseke Music.

There will be opportunities for budding cyclists to take part in Spring Flower and Shamrock Cycle Parades, and special workshops will be held to help people make costumes and decorate their bikes.

There will be chances for people to try out a range of ingenious and innovative adaptive bikes designed to cater for all ages and abilities and compete in various Tour de Yorkshire inspired activities at Bradford Capital of Cycling.

Shipley-based arts company, Q20, is teaching local school children costume design and construction, and street theatre skills so they can perform at a colourful Pirate Parade, complete with a mobile galleon.

Hundreds of young recruits will join local artists, John and Charlotte Lambert and Scott Vipond-Clarke, to rampage through Bradford city centre’s streets showing off their newly acquired buccaneering skills at a Pirate Parade.

The Pirate Pirade finishes with a swashbuckling picnic at Oaster Square.

Q20 will also stage a quirky talent quest, Top of Town’s Got Talent on 1 April.

Local people are being encouraged to ‘make an April fool of themselves’ by showcasing their special talents which could include anything from acrobatics, poetry, plate spinning, clog dancing to ear wiggling.

The fun continues with the April Fools’ Wacky Cycle Challenges where families can try out a range of unusual bicycles including reverse bikes which go backwards when you pedal forwards, tiny ‘monkey bikes’, tall ‘over-sized’ and companion bikes.

People can also try hand-cranked and recumbent cycle challenges.

Families will enjoy an interactive and dramatized treasure hunt where they will meet some larger than life characters, performed by Bradford Adept artists, Shanaz Gulzar and Steve Manthorp.

Participants of the In for a Penny Treasure Hunt will solve a series of clues to win a specially minted ‘Yorkshire Penny’ which can be kept or exchanged for discounts in selected  Bradford stores.

Lovers of Bollywood and Bhangra will enjoy an explosive performance from Bradford’s South Asian arts school, Punjabi Roots Academy in Balle!! Balle!

Punjabi Roots Academy will stage, The B3ats, a pioneering fusion music event featuring eastern and western instruments and a professional DJ.

The Academy will also run drumming workshops along with African drummer, Moses Ekebuisi.

Creative Streets runs from 11 March to 30 April in the ‘top of town’ area of Bradford including Darley Street, North Parade, Kirkgate Market and Oastler Market.

All events and workshops are free of charge.

Coun Alex Ross-Shaw, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: “Creative Streets will be lots of fun and we’re inviting everyone to come into Bradford to enjoy the free workshops and entertainment.

“This project is part of our on-going support designed to attract more people into the ‘top of town’ area of Bradford city centre and support the businesses in that area.”

For further information visit: www.facebook.com/CreativeStreetsBd

 

 

New boxing academy launched at Bradford school

The new Carlton Police Boxing Academy was launched last week in a partnership between a Bradford school and a popular boxing club.

The state of the art facility was unveiled at Carlton Bolling College, in Undercliffe Lane.

The school has refurbished the former Duke of Edinburgh Awards Centre on its site to turn it into a community boxing gym.

The new facility is to provide a new home for the Bradford Police Boys Amateur Club, run by Julian Cyprien, which is moving from its Nelson Street base in the city.

The partnership came about after Carlton Bolling College’s Headteacher Adrian Kneeshaw visited the Bradford Police Boys Amateur Club and was impressed with the commitment of the young people involved.

Carlton Bolling College hopes that the boxing gym will prove to be a popular asset for both pupils at their school and for the wider community.

There has already been a big interest among pupils wanting to sign up at the academy ahead of today’s launch.

Mr Kneeshaw: “We are delighted to be able to provide this state of the art facility for our community in partnership with Julien Cyprien and the Bradford Police Boxing Club.

“As a school we are all about raising aspirations and promoting excellence and the Boxing Academy supports this ethos.

“We are looking forward to seeing future champions emerge from the Carlton Police Boxing Academy gym who can help to put Bradford firmly on the map.”

Coun Imran Khan, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Education, Employment and Skills said: “I am very pleased to see the new Carlton Police Boxing Academy being launched at Carlton Bolling College.

“This is a great example of one of our schools working in partnership with a sports club in Bradford to benefit both pupils and the wider community.”

British & Commonwealth Lightweight Boxing Champion, Bobby Vanzie at the official opening

BCFC Community Foundation Spring Bank Football Camps

Bradford City FC Community Foundation are pleased to be hosting their ever-popular football camps this Spring Bank Holiday.

Children will need a packed lunch, drinks and to be dressed ready for football and appropriate to whatever the weather is like on the day!

All our camps are for girls and goys aged 5-13 years of all abilities, and run from 10am-3pm daily, and are being held at the following venues and can be found on the below:

Children will need a packed lunch, drinks and be dressed ready for football and appropriate to whatever weather we are having on the day!

All our staff are minimum FA Level 2 qualified, trained in emergency aid and hold an enhanced DBS check.

The 3-day courses are £36 and the 2 day courses are £24 and can be prebooked. Turn up and pay on the day for £13 per day.

To book a place please visit www.bradfordcityfitc.org.uk or telephone 01274 706850.