the city of bradford featured in a special series. these are some of the highlights of we are bradford. this is we are bradford! we are bradford. doesn't it look fantastic? over the next half an hour, we are going to be exploring the issues that really matter to the good folk who live here. the people of bradford are driving the news agenda. they're helping us make the decision about what we cover. and the stories reflecting

all of the city's life are being broadcast across the bbc, on tv, on radio, online and on social media. already we have received hundreds of stories and i promise you this — every single one of them will be looked at. but how did we get here in the first place? david sillito can explain. can i ask you a quick question? is that 0k? can you say hello to the camera? hello. hello, i'm will from the bbc. will has been making a little film in bradford. that is brilliant, thank you very much. and he's had all sorts of responses. hello. ciao. sannu. as—salamu alaykum. czesc. hello — it's the same! brilliant, thank you very much. one more time for me, please? oh, come on! one thing he had to do was reassure people that this wasn't once again

the media knocking bradford. so many unique stories and unique people, and that's what we're going to be pushing for a week in bradford in march. when i see bradford on the news, i often see poverty. crime. the grooming gangs, the rape. it's never anything to do with our achievements. my name is rosemond. josh. my name is farah. jack. this is we are bradford and it began with a meeting at city hall. the bbc's editorial director and a group of young people talking about the news and bradford. there's hundreds of people in this city that have incredibly positive stories to tell. there are so many things that have changed my life in bradford which i would not have been able to do in london. i'm not moving out for uni. i'm staying in bradford. i am going to show these people what i'm made of. and this is just the start of the conversations. coinciding with an exhibition on the topic of the city's science and media museum, bbc news is setting up

shop in bradford to try a new approach to news. so what's happening is that the bbc is bringing its resources here to help local people tell their own stories. this isn't about sugar—coating the truth or being a pr exercise for the city. it's simply an attempt to paint a broader and perhaps a fairer picture of bradford. are you from bradford? where are you from? this is sabiya. she's from bradford, and she and others want to help people paint the bigger picture. when you think of bradford in the news, what do you think? we are doing a project called bbc we are bradford. we're shifting the news narrative. we want to make sure that people from bradford get to tell their own stories. i love the diversity, and how there are so many different cultures in bradford. the buildings, the music, some overlooked part of bradford life, whatever people come up with, is what we are bradford will be.

we're in little horton, and this is where i grew up. i remember these streets really fondly. my aunt lived down the road, and i lived two streets across. my dad used to have a corner shop two streets down. and that corner shop was the hub of the community, and that was really important growing up. because without knowing it, i was being exposed to so many different people and so many different cultures and that's what bradford is about. it's a melting pot of so many amazing people who have so much to offer. bradford has its challenges, like every other city, but unfortunately it has become infamous for those challenges. but really this city is made up of so many amazing people doing so much to tackle those issues.

reading and writing levels in bradford are consistently below the national average. i went to see one project that is trying really hard to boost literacy and aspirations. the gift of a book. what have we here? arriving through the post every month from a charity aiming to improve literacy here in bradford. a little boy is testing out... each story they read is a building block for their imagination and vocabulary. there's a shark in the park! their mum sadaf grew up in pakistan. her parents didn't read to her, but story time is now a staple part of her life. when i started getting the books from imagination library, then to see how good the books are and somebodyjust giving me these really good gifts, so then i started to read regularly. in bradford, only half of five and six—year—olds reach

the expected reading standards, which is well below the national average. the number of issues linked to poverty, which present themselves inter—generationally. so why would you blame a child in those circumstances to believe that reading, writing, doing well at school and all these sorts of things will make a difference to them, because they didn't make a difference to their parents and grandparents. hi, this is ana maria. at this school, in a bid to boost literacy and aspirations... b—e—s—t, best. ..pupils are partnered up with mentors who read to them via the internet. it is rewarding for me because i am helping a child learn how to read and it's seeing her improvement. at school i enjoyed reading and helping a child read and developing their reading skills is very rewarding. for the past five months, ana maria and nazim have been reading together but this is the first time they are reading side by side.

there are still huge challenges with literacy in bradford but the future of the students here is yet to be written and, with help, it can only improve. may 11th, 1985, is a day no bradfordian will ever forget. valley parade, the home of bradford city, was the setting for one of the worst disasters in football history. 56 people died when a wooden stand caught fire during a match. stephen place was a police officer on duty at the time. it was like a wall of heat that we just kept running back into to grab people, because they were losing their breath in here, and they were obviously smoldering and some of them were on fire and we were just pulling them out. those that were on fire, putting them out, going back in for more.

it wasn't a normal day because bradford had won the league and were being presented with the cup. so it was a bigger crowd, i suspect, than normal but a good atmosphere. we literally ran across the pitch and were pulling people over the wall. above our heads it was raining black bitumen that was burning, and the smoke was shocking, really thick black smoke. and it shot across the roof. and at that time we were told by the radio operator to get out. i didn't sleep quite well for a long time afterwards. but some of them were affected quite badly. some of them just brushed it off and got on with it. i can still remember now, walking around that corner into that turnstile. and that was grim, pretty grim. there was a charity thing set up and i remember being told money was pouring in, pouring in. and there were vigils outside the ground, and we went

to a few of those and stood and talked to people. they would literally come and put their arms around you, give you a cuddle and things, which was lovely. it was nice. i think we looked after each other and there is a good community spirit, isn't there? you're watching we are bradford. the bbc have been looking at a more fuller and fairer way of portraying this incredible city, with the stories coming from those who live here. you have all heard, i'm sure, of a pop—up restaurant. ta—da! this is a pop—up broadcasting centre. already many arms of the bbc have successfully broadcast from here. we have been inundated with hundreds and hundreds of story ideas and we made a pledge. we promised to look at every single one and hopefully we are going to get to cover quite a few in the weeks ahead.

but for me, the hallmark has really been the fact that we've met some proper bradford folk. come with me, because i'm going to introduce you to james and chris, who are doing just a little thing, they will row across the atlantic. why on earth are you doing that, james? it's a challenge. we want to inspire others to do a challenge, basically. it is a great thing to do because when you set off on your crossing, you're really going to be celebrating bradford as well, aren't you? that's the plan, a good news story for bradford. it doesn't get enough good news and that is exactly why we do it. you do know what you are putting yourself up against. you won't be home for christmas, you'll be up to 100 feet of waves etc, etc, and it will be a tough challenge for you ? absolutely, and we took all of that into consideration. we started in 2015 with this, and we are well aware of everything that is involved and we are prepared for it. james, chris, all the very best. go for bradford!

they're described as the jewel in the social mobility crown, supporting some of the country's most disadvantaged children, but current funding for maintained nursery schools in england is due to end in 2020. i went to see canterbury nursery school and centre for families in bradford. his speech wasn't that good and he wasn't that confident but since being at nursery he has really come along. every day, three—year—old levi looks forward to going to nursery school with his mum. how useful is the nursery for you? it's really useful because it's not too far and they have so many facilities. like, on wednesday, i take the baby for a baby clinic and get her weighed and stuff and he loves nursery. it's in the heart of the canterbury estate in bradford, one of the most

deprived areas in england. children here are offered free places from the age of two. we have a much, much higher percentage of children who come from areas of higher deprivation and who have special educational needs, so often children will come to us because other settings are not able to fulfil their needs. it's notjust about getting children ready for school. the centre provides a one—stop shop to help those living in difficult circumstances. for a lot of our families, this food is a lifeline. often parents will go without food to feed the children, so we look after the whole family. in fact, parents say they have been offered a range of support. when he started nursery, he wasn't talking and i was worried about his speech and everything. they helped him develop his speech and sent a speech therapist at home as well.

she was coming for about six weeks and now, bless him, you can't shut him up. does he like the nursery? at first i was upset because we are really alone here. we don't have any people. so now he is really happy. they have really helped me. the government has pledged more funding for maintained nursery schools but, despite that, their future is farfrom certain. if this closes, i think it is a huge loss to the community and a huge loss to these children, who you can see are ripe with potential. if we give them the best, we can level the playing field, and they will succeed in their schooling and through their adult life. closing the social mobility gap for children like these could become much harder. in the rest of the programme, we will look at more of the stories you've given us. we have published many already on the bbc website or on social media. from a hijab—wearing boxer

to nursery school children learning about the trees, here's a flavour. 99,100! ready or not, i'm coming. some of our children have not seen many trees. some of the children we bring haven't even played out at nursery. when we bring them here, it's a whole new world for them. it doesn't feel like we are just ten minutes away from nursery. i think one thing you find about rap music, there is a certain connection you find, regardless of anybody's race or where they come from. if someone is vibing to the music, you will make friends with many people.

# it's about that time. # spinning mc on grime. # you need to calm your hype. # that's not good for your mind. # yo, bro, don't punch above your weight, i mean you can't fight a bantamweight. # madman ting. # i be comin' on a madman ting. # these haters wanna chap man's ting. # but he ain't us so wanna cap man's ting. # stories, something like a rap man's ting. culture—wise, look at how many cultures are in this room right now, do you get what i'm saying? you don't really see that elsewhere, bradford it is one of them places where people can chill and have vibes. different races come together and hang out together, and chat normal. when people think of bradford, you think of food or riots and it is different now because back then you could feel there was a divide and a lot of tension. we don't have that any more. there is no tension, just life. unless it's beef. cars is one of the biggest things here. you might see cars that you won't see anywhere else in the uk. car culture is massive here. personally, i like taking pictures of cars because it's been a hobby

since i was a child. we had nice cars so we decided to meet up on a sunday and check out each other‘s cars. just decided to put an event on and say "car meet" and see what happens. people started coming down and since then it's gone crazy. a lot of people looked at me and said, "you're a hijabi girl, you can't box." sometimes i let my actions speak louder than my words. i'm like, "0k". i am really lucky that we have something like this because we didn't have this before and now that i do, i'm grateful for it. honestly, i could have the worst day in the world, but when i walk through the doors, ijust forget. it's changed my life. i want to break a lot of stereotypes, take risks. just do what makes me

happy, i guess. you can see those stories and many more if you visit us on bbc.co.uk/wearebradford. we are bradford. this is bradford city football club, nestled among the streets where the asian community made its home. but during the ‘80s and ‘90s, many asian families were so concerned about racial abuse that they wouldn't let their children come to watch a match here. i went to meet the ladies from the bangla bantams supporters group who are hoping to bring more inclusivity and diversity to these stands. when we first went with the ladies, they were praying, saying "we want bradford to win." and when bradford did win,

the excitement on their faces, they were jumping up and down, the elderly ladies were jumping up and down. the thing is, they went to about three matches and bradford won all three matches. they said, "it's because we've been praying for them. that's why they won." we never came out of the house. our parents wouldn't let us come out at that time. they'd say there's a football game on the weekend, and all the football supporters are coming. our parents would say, "stay inside, there's football today. " i don't feel scared. i feel proud and can stand up straighter and walk with all the people.

i feel like i am part of bradford and this area. asian women, usually on a saturday afternoon, would be at home cooking or looking after the family because the children would be at home. so it's important for them to get out and come and watch a match and have food with their friends and family or whoever they come with. loads of people have been in touch since we first broadcast these stories, including the next one. margaret firth has lived in one of the tower blocks on manchester road for 31 years, but for ten years she's has not been able to afford to turn on the electric central heating, and this is her story. almost every day there's a removal van coming and people are moving out and you wonder where they're going.

it's just quite sad to see. when you walk past the blocks, there might only be ten windows that are lit up at night. i've been here half my life. i moved here 31 years ago. i like my own company and my flat and i have plenty to keep me occupied. being in an all—electric flat, it's too expensive to heat. you've never had your heating on in ten years? no. none of the heaters have been put on. in ten years? no. i get up, get dressed orjust put a dressing gown on, whatever. sometimes the actual

thought of getting dressed, you don't want to have to go through that cold. to keep warm ijust put plenty of clothes on and fill a hot water bottle, get under the duvet and keep warm like that. and do that on and off all day. the flat tends to warm up at around 10pm at night and then ijust go to bed. you don't expect to have to do that when you've worked for a0 years. worked full time. where do you go for a night out in bradford if you don't drink? there has been a surge of young people visiting a new destination that doesn't require drinking alcohol or eating a curry. take a look at this.

there's loads of dessert places in bradford. dessert's become a really big thing. we just head out in our pyjamas, go for a drive and just get dessert. it's quite popular because it's a trend, an image that everyone likes to portray on social media. i've put it on snapchat, yeah. obviously we don't drink so we'll go out for dessert and mocktails, and this is our way of socialising as well. we create a vibrant atmosphere and you could say it's a pub without alcohol, yeah. that's what we want to create, create that happy environment, atmosphere and feeling. i love the mocktails.

it gives you an excuse to get dressed up and meet up with your friends and have a bit of a social evening. bradford's quite a small place so you catch everything in here. before, it was more like going to each other‘s houses for a cup of tea and catching up. back then it was mainly guys that went out. now we're all out. so many things we can do as well. back then, there wasn't much. i know what you're thinking — we've done all this hard work and we'lljust clear off like nothing has happened, but this is not the end. it's not. we will continue to tell your stories across bbc news in the coming weeks and months. and we will leave you with an image that sums up our time in bradford. it comes from a group of young girls. they composed a poem. from all of us here, goodbye.

i come from shadow and bone and the hands of god that made me. i come from clay and mud and leaves. i come from the streaks of light, sharp against the dark of clouds. i come from the distant memories of pakistan, partition. i come from the family's curry and the smell of spice. i come from the oiliness of kebabs and samosas. i come from a warrior's milk. i come from new range rovers and rickshaws. i come from the seven o'clock weather forecast and the unbearable heat and tranquil rain. i come from the tree i used to climb, now wrapped in flowers of grief and memory. i come from the road, now a showroom ofjob—seeking boards and empty coffee cups. i come from homemade swings and brothers pulling my hair. i come from mugs and brown sofas.

i come from blue—stained staircases. i come from a place where it snows in spring. i come from two potted plants full of small seeded berries. i come from the galaxies that fill my mind. i come from the spark and the flash of a storm. i come from the world i can only see in my dreams. i come from concrete and bricks, holding the love of my family together. i come from a solar system ready to change the future. i come from peace. a place where friendship is built every day. i come from the hatred of geography. i come from the periodic table and chromatography. i come from the smell of cheap tobacco. i come from the clueless plans of politicians. i come from my mother's womb and the pain of birth. i come from the teddy and blanket, toy dolls and horses. i come from green grass that is now grey concrete. i come from black asphalt.

i come from hope. all: i come from bradford. this is the sort of picture you would be expecting me to show you. that came in from west kirby. equally, wherever you are spending it, you are labouring away with your lion of whitewashing there, grandpa very proud, but a very good drying day. glorious weather around. very proud, but a very good drying day. glorious weatheraround. it very proud, but a very good drying day. glorious weather around. it is not like it everywhere. this weather front tempering things. it is miserable, fair across the north—west of scotland and nowhere near the sort of 2a degrees we have seenin

near the sort of 2a degrees we have seen in bournemouth and west sussex. making it the warmest day of the year thus far. somebody is going to get to 25 before the day is out. plenty of sunshine around this evening. overnight the thicker cloud across the north and west of scotla nd across the north and west of scotland and a fair amount of rain. elsewhere, frost free but a chilly night to come for parts of east anglia. a bit of fog first thing. just along the lines of the a1 but that will pop away quite swiftly. not a lot of change. a decent day today and tomorrow. the chance of sunshine on the marie firth. the temperature is probably a degree back or so. what will not change for the hay fever sufferers amongst you, the hay fever sufferers amongst you, the pollen levels. high with the notable exception of the north—eastern part of scotland. for many of us, not a deal changes on

sunday and monday. that front still seems perilously close to the north—west of scotland but the good news is, at this stage we are hopeful that it will pull into the atlantic. sunshine to report in that neck of the woods. temperatures responding, especially in that north—west and quarter. highs on the day around 23, possibly 24. when does it change? next week. more u nsettled does it change? next week. more unsettled certainly as we get through the latter part of tuesday into wednesday and it will turn back from the dizzy heights of upper teens, low 20s, back closer to the seasonal norm. all the way down from aberdeen to swansea it will turn u nsettled aberdeen to swansea it will turn unsettled as we move into the second half of the forthcoming week. enjoy the weather while you can.

this is bbc news i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines at three: police in londonderry investigating the murder of thejournalist, lyra mckee — have arrested two teenagers. this is the live scene in oxford circus — where climate change protests contiune into their sixth day. police say they've now arrested more than 700 people. nearly one in ten heart attacks and strokes in england and wales could be prevented — according to new research. much of britain basks in an easter heatwave — retailers are hoping for soaring sales of food and drink and manchester city beat tottenham with a single goalfrom phil foden — overtaking liverpool and go back to the top of the premiership. and click takes a look at how social media is being used