'Our new exhibition tells our families' stories in Bradford'

The young curators have uncovered the social history of Bradford

Their grandparents, many of whom migrated from other countries, made Bradford into the multicultural city it is today.

Now a group of "Generation Z" curators have been sharing material from their families' histories to create an archive telling the social history of Bradford.

The Bradford Family Album is a digital project developed by 18-25-year-olds, supported by the New Focus programme at Impressions Gallery.

Ramlah Qureshi, one of the Bradford Young Curators, said: "It was important to have my grandparents and their story in the album.

"Their migration is part of the wider story of what Bradford is and how Bradford is now."

Ramlah Qureshi is grateful that her grandparents documented their lives in Bradford

The Bradford Family Album is a showcase of community-sourced photographs that capture the everyday lives of people across the city.

It is part of a wider project, Make Yourself at Home, which aims to preserve family histories and celebrate Bradford's heritage.

For the past 18 months, the Bradford Young Curators have been working closely with communities to gather personal photos and stories to build the archive.

For Ramlah, it offered a powerful way to present an authentic view of Bradford, both past and present.

The archive includes photos from her own family and images of her grandparents, who moved to the UK from Pakistan.

"My grandparents are no longer with us, so I think that pushed me even further to sort of have their images in this long-lasting archive. I think my grandparents' story is one like that of many other South Asian families."

She added that she hoped their inclusion in the project would encourage other families with her heritage to reflect on the experiences of previous generations.

"There's some anxiety around sharing history and sharing personal information. But I think having the story last beyond my grandparents' lives is the biggest positive for my family."

Ramlah Qureshi's family photo album and her grandfather's old passports

Through the project, Lauren Waldron's love for her city has grown deeper

Lauren Waldron grew up in Bradford and feels a deep connection to her roots in the city.

"I was born and bred in Bradford. I went away to uni and rushed back home."

She said she wanted to take part because of the importance of family and home to her, and found that people often forgot to place value on everyday surroundings.

"Often we can overlook what we've been sat on for years and years, living under beds and couches, and in reality, there's such rich histories in our family photos that everyone should share.

"I think storytelling is really important, and learning the history of the city that we live in, it's just really important."

Through Make Yourself at Home, Lauren has been able to connect more deeply with her community and form new bonds.

"A lot of the stories that people have been sharing haven't always been happy ones, but they've been a part of the fabric of our city, and they're really important to hear and to cherish.

"It's been really nice to build connections with the communities and just learn a lot about their histories and what we can build from that."

Zara Ashraf is excited for the generations to come to have this piece of history

Zara Ashraf is also part of the group, and feels the project will put a spotlight on "all the diversity and different cultures and communities" that exist within Bradford.

She credits her grandmother's legacy as a big part of her family's history. She moved from Pakistan to Bradford in the 1960s, and the family have remained there ever since.

For Zara, the archive is a way to "cherish memories."

Scanning in the photos from her own family album, as well as those from other families, as, at times, an emotional task for Zara.

"Family is a personal subject. I think it's lovely that they've trusted us with these photos and all of their stories."

She described the process as "preserving memories" and creating a time capsule for future generations as well.

Scanning in all the photos for the digital album has been a labour of love

Make Yourself at Home will be a combination of new photography with rich archival material to present a vivid portrait of life in Bradford.

Created as part of UK City of Culture 2025 celebrations, it highlights the power of Bradford's people to shape their identities.

The archive will be available to view in an exhibition at the Impressions Gallery from 13 September until 20 December and is free to visit.

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