Remembering the past in Bradford

Bradford city fire memorial is one of the most well-known in the city

Did you know Miriam Lord was the head of Bradford's first open air nursery school or that Bradford MP Norman Angell was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize?

They are just a handful of many local and international personalities who have been commemorated for their contribution to the city.

With over thirty different memorials to people and events just in Bradford and Manningham, do people know they exist?

And more importantly, do people know why these memorials exist at all?

Brenda Thomson has spent years working on the Bradford Peace Trail to make sure the city's memorials stay in the forefront of people's minds.

Bradford received the Hindu (Peace) Marathon in October 1997

She explains: "Bradford is an amazing place. When you look into the history, the start of the Trades Union Movement and the Independent Labour Party; great bravery, Bradford's Pals and a whole generation of young men lost to war and the 3000 of their women folk who were prepared to go against the manners of the time and protest at its futility. I am only picking out a few strands of our inheritance but they are enough to inspire our young people to stand up, speak out and make a difference as their forbears did."

She explains how it came about: "With a group of local people I set up Bradford: City for Peace in 2003 to coordinate, support and develop Bradford as a City for Peace, celebrating and promoting peaceful relationships of justice, equity and respect.

"Ideas for sites for the trail were collected at the Bradford Peace Festival peace market and worked on by myself and Peter Nias from The Peace Museum, Bradford.

"We launched the first edition of 4000 copies of a booklet in 2006 and a revised edition of twice that number a year later.

"The trail was then put on to the website. It has inspired cities across the globe to work on their own peace trails: Atlanta, USA, has recently produced their version and Leeds launched its trail last month."

The plaques and memorials along Bradford's Peace Trail commemorate a vast array of historical and world events, as well as local and international personalities.

She adds: "Some of the sites in the trails have stories attached but no plaque as such. There are others recorded in the Bradford Heritage Trail and Sculpture Trail."

So what have people been saying about the memorials?

Brenda says: "Local feedback is hard to glean. We do know that we have given out about 10,000 copies of the trail, that people have come from across the UK to follow the trail, and people say on reading the booklet: 'I never knew that' or: 'I didn't realise that so much good work has been going on in Bradford' or: 'It is great to hear good news about Bradford for a change'."

Centenary Square in Bradford has eight memorials A number of plaques need renovation due to weather damage

Brenda says she is now planning to encourage Bradford Council to look at incorporating a peace garden in the plans for regeneration of the city centre for some time now - just working away at it reminding those concerned that there is much to remember and celebrate.

With the creation of a £24.4m park in the centre of Bradford, Brenda's plan could soon turn into a reality. The six-acre City Park is to include one of the UK's largest water features, public art displays and relaxation and play areas.

Construction work on the site is expected to start in autumn, and will include a separate area for the memorials. The park, which will be next to City Hall, will have a water feature will be in the form of a mirror pool with a series of fountains.

Ian Day, Head of Parks and Landscapes from Bradford Council, says some of the memorials around Centenary Square will be placed close by in a more suitable setting.

He says: "There is a long term ambition to redesign the area and we're looking at creating a memorial feature within the project. This will become a reflective and quiet garden for people to come and sit and pay their respects."