Linda proud to be part of city's vision

From the archive, first published Thursday 7th Dec 2006.

Celebrity interior designer Linda Barker is backing Bradford's regeneration and has urged its people to "believe" in the city's future.

The former pupil of The Girls' Grammar School, Bradford, shot to fame presenting BBC1's Changing Rooms.

She was speaking at yesterday's annual meeting of Bradford Vision - a partnership which aims to improve the quality of life for the district's people, especially disadvantaged communities.

Linda, who was born and bred in Bradford and has now moved back to Yorkshire from the south, said: "In 2020, with a bit of luck, people will look back and realise that the new Bradford was built on belief - our belief in a city that deserves better.

"I will be very proud to say that I was a little part of that vision."

For the last year, Linda has worked closely with key figures in Bradford's regeneration and has now pledged to "wholeheartedly support" the birth of a new city vision.

She returned to Bradford earlier this year to unveil Asquith's prestigious Gatehaus development in Leeds Road and, on her next visit, was given a tour of the city by Maud Marshall, chief executive of Bradford Centre Regeneration.

"Maud has a passion for Bradford and after one of her tours you cannot help but be a devoted fan of Bradford," said Linda.

She admitted the next few years were not going to be easy for the city. She said: "For the regeneration to reach its critical mass, there's still a huge amount of people to convince."

She talked about the way in which the city was a buzzing, dynamic and energetic place when she was growing up and said it was time to regenerate not only the buildings but the pride and confidence of the people.

She said: "The test of a thriving community is whether or not the taxi drivers give you a running commentary of what's going on and whether residents plan to make their homes better rather than make their homes somewhere else."

She drew parallels between the pride Bradford people show for their home city and that she witnessed from the residents of Dubai on a recent business visit to the Middle East.

Bradford Council leader Kris Hopkins, chairing the meeting, said: "It's about time we started shouting from the rooftops just how promising the future is looking for the Bradford district, its residents and the thousands of people who travel to Bradford to work.

"Business owners and managements say they have noticed a change in the way their customers and suppliers perceive the Bradford district. Tower cranes on building sites are powerful symbols of investment and confidence."

e-mail: will.kilner@bradford.newsquest.co.uk