Culture group hopes £280k revamp will boost footfall

From left to right: Aston Knight, Makeda Reid, Beverley James, Candice Bia and Claudia McFarlane, who run ACAP

A Bradford charity has been awarded £280,000 to transform its building into an arts and culture centre.

The African Caribbean Achievement Project (ACAP) received a capital grant from Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, partly funded by Bradford Council.

The cash will go towards renovating ACAP's building on Claremont, in the Great Horton area, to provide space for music, dance, visual arts and drama.

Claudia McFarlane from ACAP said the group hoped to create "somewhere really visually pleasing" to attract more people through its doors.

She said: "Although the state of the building doesn't put people off accessing it, with a newly refurbished space you can see how much more appealing that would be."

Ms McFarlane said the revamped facility would help "put our culture on the map".

She said: "As African and Caribbean people, we have contributed a lot to the city in terms of arts and culture so it's an opportunity for us to highlight some of the things that we've been doing in that space."

'Momentous year'

Councillor Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council's executive member for healthy people and places, said: "It's clear that this funding is going to have huge benefits for ACAP's current users and attracting new visitors and audiences.

"We look forward to the scheme being completed and flourishing."

Dan Bates, executive director of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, added: "It's thrilling to see the growth of Bradford's creative infrastructure as we progress through this momentous year for the city and district.

"The work that ACAP do with communities of African and Caribbean descent across Bradford will be able to expand even further with this renovation, and we're proud to be a part of this next chapter in their journey."

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