Leaders back Great Exhibition of the North bid for West Yorkshire city

LEADERS in the business community are backing Bradford’s bid for the Great Exhibition of the North in 2018.

Bradford Chamber of Commerce is the latest to back the bid which would bring two months’ worth of events to the city, showcasing art culture and design in the North of England.

The Government has promised to contribute £5m towards the exhibition itself and a further £15m into a legacy fund to attract further cultural investment in the Northern Powerhouse.

Bradford Chamber President Andy Caton, a senior director at Yorkshire Building Society, said: “This is a great chance for Bradford to place itself not only at the heart of Yorkshire, but also as a key contributor to the Northern Powerhouse.

“There’s obviously a place for business at the exhibition, highlighting the trail-blazers we keep producing and celebrating Bradford’s entrepreneurial heartbeat.

“We are a Producer City and we’re happy to work with Bradford Council and local businesses on making this happen.

Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe said: “A team is hard at work developing our proposal ahead of the June 30 deadline.

“We don’t want to give too much away at this stage, but it will include mass participatory events, both physical and digital, that everyone will want to be part of.

“Our city is the ideal place to illustrate the enormous potential that is awakening across the North.”

The team has started an online support movement with the hashtag #bradfordGXn.