The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2026.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's Memorandum & Articles of Association, the Companies Act 2006 and "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)" (effective 1 January 2019).
The details on the information page form part of the trustees report.
The charity's objects are:-
To advance the education of the general public in the arts and artistic and cultural heritage of the City of Bradford and in particular the arts of performance, music, drama, poetry reading, sculpture, painting, handicrafts and all associated arts;
To advance the arts in particular the arts of performance, music, drama, poetry reading, sculpture, painting, handicrafts and all other associated arts, by encouraging public participation in the said arts and by the presentation of performances, exhibitions and festivals provided that the promotion of such festivals and events is undertaken solely for the public benefit; and
To promote the arts and heritage for the benefit of the public within the City of Bradford in particular but not exclusively by supporting the arts and heritage sector through promotion, representation and development.
The charities activities include: -
Making grants to individuals
Making grants to organisations
Providing services
Providing advocacy, advice and information
Sponsoring or undertaking research
Acting as an umbrella or resource body
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
Achievements and performance
During the year ended 31 March 2026, Bradford Culture Company completed the full programme of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture.
More than 5,000 events and activities took place across all 30 wards of Bradford District, attracting over three million attendances and engaging more than 100,000 people as active participants. Delivery was supported by over 800 partner organisations, more than 2,000 creative practitioners and a substantial volunteer workforce. The charity's youth training and skills programme also engaged over 2,500 young people aged 16 to 25.
Independent evaluation and audience research demonstrated strong public impact. Audiences rated their experience highly, while resident surveys indicated increased civic pride and a stronger perception of culture as a positive contributor to community life and wellbeing.
The programme combined major cultural events, community-led activity, educational engagement, volunteering, creative health initiatives and capital investment projects, creating both immediate public benefit and a lasting cultural legacy for the district.
This report, for the year ended 31 March 2026, covers a full nine months of delivery of the UK City of Culture programme which formally ended on 31 December 2025.
Programme & Activities
From April The Beacon (a new touring venue supported by the DCMS capital programme) ensured communities across the district had access to an array of events. Travelling to Wibsey Park, Bowling Park, Cliffe Castle Park and Lister Park in 2025, it offered weekday shows and weekend festivals with a professional progamme as well as clubs, classes, family activities and neighbourhood get-togethers, created in collaboration with residents in the park areas.
In spring Wild Uplands brought sculptures by British, Brazilian and Pakistani artists to the Brontë moorlands, while Earth & Sky featured new music inspired by the landscape and the work of Bradford- born composer Frederick Delius. Saad Qureshi’s 15-metre Tower of Now was unveiled in April, and Ann Hamilton’s large-scale installation We Will Sing transformed the top floor of Salts Mill with the first UK exhibition of work by the artist in 25 years.
The Bradford Progress was a 2-day event created in collaboration by Paraorchestra, Charles Hazlewood, Jeremy Deller and the people of Bradford District. Over 11,000 attended the weekend and 400 musicians performed, bringing the district to life with free performances, concerts and happenings in parks, mills and malls, and on boats, buses, trains. The three-day festival, The Big Brass Blowout, celebrated an array of brass bands with local musicians from across the district.
Spring also saw a visit from Their Majesties, the King and Queen, where they met members of the public, community and business leaders, school children and artists from the Bradford 2025 programme, during a series of City of Culture engagements across the district.
Highlights of the summer programme included The Great Adventure Build with children building their own playground and the globally renowned RedBall Project popping up in unexpected locations across the district, both part of the PLAY programme. Large-scale outdoor works including A Good Yarn by Luke Jerram and Bloomin’ Buds, and Zee and the City, a puppet-led performance which were both part of CBMBC’s BD: Festival.
At the Alhambra, Akram Khan Company collaborated with Bradford-based Dance United Yorkshire for Memories of the Future bringing a 70-strong intergenerational cast who rehearsed over a 6-month period for a special dance performance. Sing, Dance, Leap was commissioned with Royal Opera, Opera North and Northern Ballet, working with thousands of students at schools across Bradford District, teaching them classical performance skills no longer in the curriculum - the students were the first to grace the stage at the newly restored Bradford Live.
The Railway Children opened in July in a unique site-specific production, with audiences travelling by steam train to Oxenhope station to witness the play staged in an engine shed.
German artist Stephanie Lüning filled Centenary Square with oceans of rainbow-coloured FOAM, which drew huge crowds to the city centre to watch, marvel and then dive right into this kaleidoscope of colour.
Tu i Tam/Tyt i Tam (‘Here and There’) brought together dozens of photographer's Tim Smith evocative images of Bradford's Polish and Ukrainian communities with unique objects and rare archival materials. Ilkley Lido was transformed to mark Bradford: A City of Film, a celebration of the district’s cinematic past, present and future with an Open-Air Cinema season featuring immersive cinema screenings presented on a big screen under the stars.
In September the Turner Prize opened taking place at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, with 83,000 visitors from the District and across the UK attending this exhibition and the BBC Proms came to Bradford for the very first time, in St George’s Hall.
Shipley Market Place reopended with BLOOM, a spectacular aerial performance based around the famous Shipley Clock Tower, featuring hundreds of people in the choir and performing in the skies.
The Javaad Alipoor Company presented Elmet, a stage adaptation of Fiona Mozley’s award-winning novel at Loading Bay. Also at Loading Bay British Asian style past and present took the spotlight with Nisbet Road Tailor Shop, an immersive recreation of South Asian tailors in the ’70s and ’80s.
Outdoors STRIKE, a spectacular sound and light show, explored a landmark moment in the history of Bradford and the modern labour movement – the Manningham Mills Strike of 1890.
In November; artworks from David Hockney were portrayed by 600 drones in collaboration with SkyMagic, a cookbook brought together more than 40 stories and recipes from Bradford residents, and the Bradford Made conference brought together educators, cultural practitioners and heritage organisations for a rich and inspiring day of professional development.
Steven Frayne: Back Home and Magical saw the superstar magician return to Bradford in residence at Loading Bay. The venue also played host to Bradford Art Show, with an exhibition of artworks from local artists curated from an open call.
A huge community cast of all ages joined forces with dancers, poets and choirs for Brighter Still, the closing show of Bradford 2025, with audiences in their thousands in attendance.
Thousands of people took part in the year-long nationwide drawing project DRAW!, taking inspiration from the likes of Johnny Vegas, Rose Blake, Adébayo Bolaji, Harry Hill and Dame Zandra Rhodes to create their own drawings on 12 monthly themes. In January and February 2026, a selection of the DRAW! submissions were exhibited in the public realm across the North.
The trustees are particularly proud that over 100,000 people participated in the programme, as performers, musicians, singers and dancers to help develop their skills and potential career opportunities.
Community & schools engagement
During the course of this year, our community development programme Our Patch continued to grow and develop. Our 75 creative practitioners collaborated with grass-root groups and individuals in neighbourhoods across the whole of the district to foster creativity in hundreds of projects, based at libraries, hospices, playgrounds, cafes and community centres.
The Cultural Learning Programme engaged 186 schools and more than 25,000 children and young people, connecting learners with creativity, culture and place through an ambitious programme of artist-led workshops, performances, exhibitions and curriculum-linked learning.
Highlights included Bradford Slam Poetry, which engaged 1,816 learners in workshops before talented young performers took to the stage for the project finals at The Beacon. The Intergenerational Play Programme, delivered with The Linking Network, brought children and older generations together through creative activity, while Bradford on Foo supported Key Stage One learners to explore the natural and built heritage of their local communities.
Through Sound of Bradford, secondary learners from eight schools created original digital soundscapes using field recordings and music production techniques, while two primary schools took part in immersive artist residencies exploring music appreciation through visual art, collage and mark-making. Together, the programme engaged more than 1,000 learners across 10 schools, encouraging creative expression, wellbeing and new ways of experiencing Bradford's landscapes and cultural heritage.
Bradford Digital Creatives was delivered in six schools, with digital artists working alongside more than 1,800 young people to develop creative digital skills. Their work culminated in a public exhibition at the National Science and Media Museum, showcasing the creativity and imagination of Bradford's young people.
The launch of Bradford Made: Local Stories for Learners created a lasting legacy for schools across the district, providing curriculum-linked resources that celebrate Bradford's people, places and stories and enabling schools to embed Bradford's heritage and culture into everyday teaching.
Bradford was the first City of Culture to become a Cultural City of Sanctuary – an organisation-wide initiative to open up opportunities for Sanctuary Seekers as participants and audience, artists and volunteers as well as us sharing, through our creative programme and our communications, positive stories of Sanctuary Seekers in Bradford. This work included Stand and Be Counted Theatre Company as Associate Artists creating a sound scape and storytelling around The Railway Children, participatory sessions creating a welcoming Big Blue House inspired by the Moomins.
In partnership with Mind and Healthy Minds - and as part of our commitment to ensuring our events were accessible to all - we launched a new scheme for people living with long-term mental health challenges- offering free tickets, creative trips out, support with transport and a warm welcome. This allowed us to work with hundreds of people to our creative programme and took Bradford 2025 into two psychiatric hospitals; Lynfield Mount Hospital and Airedale Centre for Mental Health.
Volunteering
By the end of the year, 2,456 people had signed up to volunteer and of these, over 1,000 completed a full induction with over 90% completing at least 2 shifts during the year. Volunteers collectively contributed 46,704 hours delivered across 9,870 shifts to support the programme.
The volunteer programme strengthened existing partnerships with Participate, Shipley College and Equality Together as well as developing new partnerships with other training providers including: Guide Dogs Trust - Sight Assisted Training, Community Action Bradford & District - Introduction to Safeguarding, West Yorkshire Police - ACT (anti-terrorism training), Alzheimer's UK - Dementia awareness, Mind - Self Care Toolkit, Living Well - Mental Health First Aid & SAIL - Carbon Literacy Training. All training provided was free for all registered volunteers.
Working with Participate Projects, a local organisation with expertise in delivering CSR volunteer programmes, 51 businesses delivered projects to 79 centres such as youth clubs, community halls, etc. 1,132 team volunteers were engaged during this delivery period. In addition, 295 skills-based volunteers delivered advocacy, bid writing, accountancy and legal advice to the cultural and VCSE sector.
Marketing & communications
At the heart of the Audience’s strategy was Bradford 2025’s overall purpose - ‘To make the people who live here proud to Be Bradford – and to make everyone else want to join us here in the UK’s most dynamic city’.
Throughout the year we continued to maximize the Bradford 2025 brand to raise awareness across Bradford District and across the UK. A Ticket and Info Hub welcomed people to the district, with the help of 100s of volunteers wearing branded uniforms, lamppost banners lined the streets, The Broadway shopping centre dressed its interior and exterior, and the Bradford 2025 brand was proudly displayed in entrances and foyers at Leeds Bradford Airport, Leeds Train Station and Gatwick Airport, to name just a few examples. Partnerships were also key to ensure we took Bradford 2025 to as many people as possible – three branded wrapped First Buses, a University of Bradford branded tuktuk and a Bradford Community Broadcast branded mobile studio toured the district, whilst Bradford City AFC, Bradford Bulls and Keighley Cougars branded kits and stadiums to engage sports fans.
Tourism campaigns were delivered to encourage day and overnight stays. This included a takeover at London’s Kings Cross train station in partnership LNER, with all day performances and branded trains on the day extra routes from London to Bradford were announced, curated 24-hour cultural itinerates, commissioned Blue Badge Guide walking tours, a district-wide cultural ‘things to do’ map, hoteliers and business briefings with tool kits in how to get involved, a partnership with JCDecaux ensuring Out Of Home advertising and exhibitions with 100s posters in train stations as far and wide as Birmingham, Edinburgh, London and Newcastle, and a Visit England Instagram takeover reaching their 516,000 followers.
Bradford 2025 employed 10 Networkers whose roles were to connect and promote Bradford 2025 events and activities to communities across Bradford district. Already embedded in the community the Networkers they were an extension of the Audiences team who would be seen as well-known trusted voices - advising, connecting, meeting, greeting, translating and promoting. They delivered day-to-day advocacy in their areas, attending in-person events such as community meetings, meet and greets, and local events and festivals, sharing key messages and marketing assets, reaching over 250,000 people. And to make Bradford 2025 as accessible as possible over 75% of tickets were free and community trips were offered to 1000’s of people who may not otherwise have been able to attend Bradford 2025, including free transport and free tickets.
There was sustained media attention throughout the year with written, audio, and visual editorial content balancing major moments with everyday creativity and long-term legacy messaging built in, attracting funders, artists and audiences to Bradford’s long-term cultural regeneration.
Paid and in-kind media partnerships maximised national and local reach. Over 70 BBC programmes came from Bradford, reaching 26.1 million individual unduplicated viewers. Our company invested in hyper-local radio touring infrastructure with Bradford Community Broadcasting’s mobile radio hub, and built strategic partnerships with specialist South Asian outlets (Asian Express & Asian Standard), embedding Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture within trusted and diverse community platforms and live events.
National & international journalist trips to and across the district were arranged around key programme peaks to maximise impact. After January 2025’s focus on city-centre activity encompassing the opening event, the emphasis in spring was on the rural district taking in Haworth and Saltaire, and autumn brought 50+ visual arts media and influencers to the Turner Prize.
Media outcomes included 25,000+ items of coverage between January and December 2025 across 2,600+ different outlets, with media spread across regional (23%), national (57%) and international (19%).
Developing cultural assets with capital investment
Across the whole life of the UK City of Culture programme – that is before, during and after this reporting year, a capital programme of £10m will have been delivered. The capital investment programme is almost completed with the last project opening in July 2026 in Keighley.
Over 50 projects have been supported leaving a lasting legacy across the district funded by City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council (Bradford Council), the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) and the DCMS. In many cases, Bradford Culture Company’s role was to decide, in collaboration with funders, which organisations and projects received capital grants, and to support and oversee implementation of the projects, and act as the conduit of funds. In other cases, the capital projects are owned by the company.
Evaluation of the UK City of Culture 2025
The Evaluation team is now in the final phase of data analysis, synthesis and writing up of findings for the final evaluation report due to be published in December 2026. An interim evaluation report was published in May 2026 on our ‘Story of Change’ webpage which also includes information about evaluation and research activities undertaken with and by the Universities of Bradford and Leeds. A selection of data visualisations has also been published on our Data Dashboard site, developed in partnership with Open Innovations.
A comprehensive Economic and Social Value Impact Assessment in partnership with Amion Consulting and Making Impact Matter is nearing completion. Final reports due November 2026. We have completed three Household Surveys across the district and, in partnership with Bradford Producing Hub three surveys of Bradford’s creative and cultural sector workforce.
Governance focus
Trustees have been fully engaged supporting the team in delivering the programme of events and ensuring that we were delivery the impacts as outlined in the Story of Change.
The trustees have considered the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit. The activities undertaken during the year directly supported the charity's objectives by increasing access to arts, culture and heritage, promoting learning and participation, and contributing to social cohesion, wellbeing and economic regeneration across Bradford District.
Trustees were particularly focused on monitoring the certainty, value and timing of fundraising, and the associated decisions to approve expenditure plans. Expenditure was incurred on projects and activities delivered directly by company staff, supported by volunteers; but often the programme was supported by artists, freelancers, and creative organisations. Trustees were constantly mindful of the need to deliver a high- quality, impactful and affordable programme.
The Board supported an Executive team jointly led by Dan Bates (Executive Director) and Shanaz Gulzar (Creative Director). The Board met six times a year, with three subcommittees meeting bi-monthly. The committees were reviewed for the delivery year and covered Corporate (finance and governance), Strategic delivery (programme, audiences, volunteering) and Evaluation. These expert subcommittees had a mixture of Trustees and associate members who brought wider experience and expertise to the subcommittees to ensure we maximised the impact of the UK City of Culture across the entire district. They included key stakeholders and representatives from University of Bradford and Bradford Council, plus representatives from the arts and heritage sector and local cultural leaders.
At the formal end of the delivery, we had six resignations from the Board. Our thanks go to all Trustees, and associates for their support over the course of the year and for their due diligence.
Alongside the Trustees sat a Youth Panel made up of 17 young people aged 16 – 22, appointed to shape Bradford 2025's activities and build skills in creative decision-making and charity governance by attending Board and subcommittee meetings.
The company maintains a risk register, which was reviewed regularly at each subcommittee. Risk management was very dynamic, with the profile of risks changing over the calendar and financial year, as the delivery of the programme ensued and many of the planning and preparation risks ebbed.
The Trustees and management also approved and implemented a suite of policies that regulated conflicts of interest, safeguarding, procurement, people management, expenditure approvals, health and safety, data security, complaints, and other operational matters.
The Trustees wish to record their thanks to all our funders, sponsors, supporters, audiences and of course the staff team that have delivered an incredible UK City of Culture across the district.
Fundraising
The year saw a continuation of successful fundraising for the City of Culture project, with new relationships and funding established with trusts including the Rayne Foundation, and significant sponsorship agreements including with Allwyn, Amplitude, and Bradford and Craven MIND. Other sponsorship was secured from local branches of Santander and Strike Fitness. Fundraising activity included the delivery of contracted benefits, such as brand acknowledgement and hosting at events. A celebration event was held in February 2026 to thank funders, sponsors and stakeholders for their contributions.
Section 162a of the Charities Act 2011 requires charities to make a statement regarding fundraising activities. While Bradford Culture Company does not undertake widespread fundraising from the general public, the legislation defines fundraising as "soliciting or otherwise procuring money or other property for charitable purposes". We can confirm that all solicitations are managed internally, without involvement of commercial participators or professional fundraisers or third parties. The day-to-day management of all income generation is delegated to the Executive and Leadership teams, who are accountable to the Trustees. Bradford Culture Company is not bound by any regulatory scheme, but the charity is registered with the Fundraising Regulator and does comply voluntarily with the Fundraising Regulator's Code of Practice.
In compliance with the Fundraising Regulator's Code of Practice, we have procedures in place to prevent complaints and address them should they arise. There were no complaints received in 2025/26.
Financial review
The income for the year was £11,133,493 (2025 £26,834,031) with expenditure being £24,430,063 (2025 £14,501,614) resulting in a deficit of £13,296,570 before taxation (2025 £12,332,417 surplus). Funds at 31 March 2026 were £3,392,177 (2025 £15,668,255).
The deficit for 2025/26 reflects the timing of the financial year compared to the operational year. The surplus reported for 2024/25 meant that we carried forward income recognised in that year as funds at the start of 2025/26 to finance the delivery of City of Culture programme from April 2025 onwards. The deficit for 2025/26 reflects our utilisation of those carried forward funds. The restricted and unrestricted funds carried forward at the end of 2025/26 allow us to complete our evaluation of the City of Culture, fund our transitional legacy programme and our satisfy our reserves policy.
The Trustees’ going concern assessment as at August 2026 is informed by three material factors, two financial and the other strategic. The two financial factors relate to taxation:
VAT: Since spring 2025, the company has been in protracted dialogue with HMRC about whether VAT incurred on input expenditure can be fully recovered, or whether a partial exemption method will be applied – and if so, what level of partial exemption. With the support of our tax experts PWC in this matter, the company has asked for a review by HMRC of its initial decision which led to a partial exemption restriction. These accounts have been prudently prepared to reflect the partial exemption. HMRC have informed us that their review will require additional internal policy advice to take into account a recent Court of Appeal decision, which will extend the deadline for the review until 30 October 2026. The potential outcome of the review creates a material uncertainty in the company’s financial outlook.
Cultural Tax Reliefs: the company submitted a claim to HMRC for cultural tax relief for events which occurred in the previous reporting year and was successfully received. In addition, the company will submit a further cultural tax relief claim for the events which occurred in the 2025/26 reporting year. These accounts have been prepared prudently for the expected income from the 2025/26 claim. The potential unknown outcome of this claim creates a further material uncertainty in the company’s financial outlook.
The strategic uncertainty which affects the going concern assessment stems from the fact that agreements with key funders are in place until the end of March 2027, staff and lease arrangements are completed by the same date, before a year on from these financial statements. The company is currently in active discussion with its local, regional and national funders and stakeholders, about its role in safeguarding the legacy of City of Culture, its status in the further cultural development of and programming for the District, and hence the longevity of its operations.
Taken together, these financial and strategic factors create material uncertainty for the company’s future.
Reserves statement
Funders and stakeholders typically expect the company to convert resources into cultural activity. At the same time, the charity needs to hold unrestricted funds not designated for specific uses at a level sufficient to ensure continuity of operations across funding periods, to mitigate unforeseen risks and to provide potentially for closure.
Following the completion of the City of Culture Year, the Trustees consider it appropriate to hold reserves amounting to potential closure (principally redundancy) costs of 3 months staffing costs, with 3 month overheads and a sum for the programme delivery and have set this reserve at a minimum of £500,000 (2025 £6,339,948). The trustees consider that reserves at this level will be sufficient if the charity decides to close.
At the end of the reporting year, unrestricted funds stood at a surplus of £808,588 sufficient to meet the reserves policy requirement.
Plans for future periods
In December 2025 Bradford Council announced a key part of its legacy plan for Bradford 2025 would be the ongoing support for Bradford Culture Company enabling it to continue producing high-quality cultural events, attracting national partners and securing funding until March 2027. This transition year will work in collaboration with local and national partners to create opportunities for local artists and cultural organisations, building on the momentum of the UK City of Culture year.
Bradford Culture Company has used its best endeavours to raise further funds to support the legacy year and we secured an extension of the grant period for our NLHF-funded Heritage Programme to end March 2027, and we solicited and secured an uplift of £200,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund This was matched by an approach to the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation for £90,000. Significant support was also secured from the ACE Place Partnerships fund, with £1.5m awarded towards creative programme in 2026/27.
A smaller and more focused operation is now in place, and with the support of Bradford Council and the DCMS, the office will be based in the Loading Bay from July 2026.
The Our Patch programme which puts artists into the heart of communities, inviting the people of Bradford to learn skills, make connections and unleash their inner artist will continue until December 2026 with a focus on themes and a focus on support for community orgs and artists building the skills and capacity to make this work sustainable. Our thanks go to the National Lottery Community Fund.
The Creative Health partnership led by our company will also continue with projects supporting young people waiting for CAMHS services, helping improve wellbeing, confidence and connection – in addition to further strengthening the sector, developing the workforce and building on the steering group established for the year of culture.
Loading Bay reopened in May with a new exhibition of artworks from the upcoming series of Bill Bailey’s Extraordinary Portraits, continuing the media partnership with the BBC. Loading Bay will also present a programme of events in the theatre space, and funding from the DCMS made continued improvements to the infrastructure of the building to enhance its longevity. The venue will reopen in Autumn following the building works with an exhibition celebrating Bradford’s outdoor arts heritage, plus theatre, dance, live music and cabaret.
Working in partnership with Bradford Council, Bradford Culture Company will deliver a summer programme on their behalf, consisting of West Yorkshire’s only outdoor arts festival Bradford Festival (July 2026) bringing the best in outdoor performance to the city centre. Seasons of Nature, the first in a 4 year-programme which is part of West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Seasons of Culture series, will link nature and art in large scale, free outdoor events in the city centre, Bradford South and on the moors across August and September.
The Beacon will return to Wibsey Park throughout August with a programme created in collaboration with residents of Bradford South, building on the learning from touring the venue across the district in 2025.
A nature programme supported with continued investment from the National Lottery Heritage Fund will help connect people to Bradford District's vast landscapes. Local artists will take undertake residencies within the Bradford Pennine Gateway National Nature Reserve, a new 18- mile Bradford Pennine Gateway Trail will be launched in September, and local filmmaker Matt Radcliffe will create a documentary about Bradford’s rural spaces.
Local artists and creatives will continue to be supported through commissions, awards, skills development and marketing support.
Images by photographer Victor Wedderburn will be published in a book released in November, published by Trolley Books and distributed by Thames and Hudson, exploring Bradford’s African Caribbean communities in the ’80s.
Following a sell-out event at St George’s Hall, Bassline Symphony will transfer to Bradford Live with focus on repeat audiences and driving tourism to the centre from other cities with a strong dance music heritage.
Artist Awards will financially support artists to develop and create new work, in collaboration with Give Bradford community groups will be given awards to support creative activities within community settings across the district. A new talent development programme for West Yorkshire’s Global Majority identifying creatives will upskill in performance producing and creating.
International exchanges between Ghana and Nairobi will continue, supported by British Council in partnership with local organisations and individuals, building Bradford’s industry connections and skills across music and literature.
The next phase of our cultural learning programme will further embed local stories, heritage and creativity into learning environments from September. It will offer free creative workshops in schools and learning settings, facilitated visits and trips, educator support sessions and networking opportunities.
The volunteer programme continues to support the events programme and during the year will test out options for its future.
The Trustees are considering the future of the Company during this year, whilst the final evaluation of the City of Culture is completed and exploring longer term funding opportunities.
Sasha Bhat
Trustees would like to pay special tribute to the contribution of our dear colleague Sasha Bhat, who sadly passed away in June 2026. She will be greatly missed, and fondly remembered.
David Hockney
The trustees were saddened by the passing of the Bradford-born artist David Hockney, who was a great supporter of, and collaborator with, Bradford Culture Company through Bradford 2025 projects such as DRAW! and Painting the Sky.
The charity is a company limited by guarantee incorporated on 25 November 2019 and registered as a charity on 26 May 2021 and is governed by its memorandum and articles of association.
The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
Any person who is willing to act as a trustee, and is permitted by law to do so, may be appointed to be a trustee by ordinary resolution or by a decision of the trustees. Trustees are appointed for the skills and experience they bring to the charity. Training will be given if needed.
None of the trustees has any beneficial interest in the company. All of the trustees are members of the company and guarantee to contribute £1 in the event of a winding up.
The charity's decisions are made by the Board of Trustees, with the Executive and their teams being responsible for the day to day running.
In accordance with the company's articles, a resolution proposing that Azets Audit Services be reappointed as auditor of the company will be put at a General Meeting.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
The trustees, who are also the directors of Bradford Culture Company Limited for the purpose of company law, are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that year.
In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the charity and financial information included on the charity's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.
Opinion
We have audited the financial statements of Bradford Culture Company Limited (the ‘charity’) for the year ended 31 March 2026 which comprise the statement of financial activities, the balance sheet, the statement of cash flows and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
In our opinion, the financial statements:
Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
Material uncertainty related to going concern
We draw attention to the management basis of preparation disclosure included within the going concern accounting policy note 1.2 in the financial statements which discusses the future trading position of the entity. This indicates that a material uncertainty exists that may cast significant doubt on the entity's ability to continue as a going concern. Our opinion is not modified in respect of this matter.
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
Other information
The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
the information given in the financial statements is inconsistent in any material respect with the trustees' report; or
sufficient accounting records have not been kept; or
the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records; or
we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor's report.
Extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above and on the Financial Reporting Council’s website, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud.
We obtain and update our understanding of the entity, its activities, its control environment, and likely future developments, including in relation to the legal and regulatory framework applicable and how the entity is complying with that framework. Based on this understanding, we identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. This includes consideration of the risk of acts by the entity that were contrary to applicable laws and regulations, including fraud.
In response to the risk of irregularities and non-compliance with laws and regulations, including fraud, we designed procedures which included:
Enquiry of management and those charged with governance around actual and potential litigation and claims as well as actual, suspected and alleged fraud;
Reviewing minutes of meetings of those charged with governance;
Assessing the extent of compliance with the laws and regulations considered to have a direct material effect on the financial statements or the operations of the entity through enquiry and inspection;
Reviewing financial statement disclosures and testing to supporting documentation to assess compliance with applicable laws and regulations;
Performing audit work over the risk of management bias and override of controls, including testing of journal entries and other adjustments for appropriateness, evaluating the business rationale of significant transactions outside the normal course of business and reviewing accounting estimates for indicators of potential bias.
Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.
Use of our report
This report is made solely to the charity’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with Part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity’s trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charity’s trustees as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
Investments
Raising funds
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.
All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Bradford Culture Company Limited is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Church Bank House, Schofield Sweeney, Church Bank, Bradford, BD1 4DY.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's Memorandum & Articles of Association, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) and the Charities SORP "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)" (effective 1 January 2019). The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
These financial statements are prepared on a going concern basis. The Trustees have conducted a going concern assessment, which has identified material sources of uncertainty relating to the financial and the strategic position of the entity that may cast significant doubt on its ability to continue as a going concern, and therefore that it may be unable to realise its assets and discharge its liabilities in the normal course of business. The uncertainties arise from the following events and conditions:
1 . Tax status of the entity: The Value Added (VAT) status of the entity has been challenged by HMRC, resulting in a contingent liability that has been disclosed in note 23 of the financial statements. The contingent liability relating to the VAT status of the entity amounts to £1.3m and, if realised, would result in the VAT debtor included within other debtors in note 15 of the financial statements being irrecoverable and VAT due to HMRC. In assessing whether to recognise a provision, the directors have considered the VAT treatment of similar entities and concluded that there is not enough evidence to suggest the HMRC challenge will be successful, and, whilst the outcome is currently uncertain, does not materially impact the going concern of the entity.
2 . Entity’s strategy: The company is currently in active discussion with its local, regional and national funders and stakeholders about its future role in safeguarding the legacy of the Bradford 2025 City of Culture, its status in the further cultural development of and programming for the District, and hence the longevity of its operations. As a result, the future of the entity is currently uncertain, but the directors expect the company to continue in operation for at least the foreseeable future.
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors or grantors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources where appropriate. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges are allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.
Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.
Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:
The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the statement of financial activities.
At each reporting end date, the charity reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any).
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
The charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Financial instruments are recognised in the charity's balance sheet when the charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.
In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
Premises costs
Insurance
Bookkeeping
Office Costs
Subscriptions
Staff training and recruitment
Travel
Sundry
Legal and professional
Travel
No other trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration or benefits from the charity during the current or prior year.
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
Redundancy and termination payments totalling £46,981 were made in the reporting period.
The remuneration of key management personnel was as follows:
The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or section 252 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects.
The charity is anticipating a second claim for Theatre Tax Relief for productions in the year. Accordingly, the financial statements include an additional debtor and taxation income receivable of £911,104 (2025 £300,000) in relation to the claim. The taxation amount shown in the SOFA includes a prior year tax adjustment relating to the first claim for 24/25, which has been received in full from HMRC after the reporting date and was more than the prior year provision.
Tax note reconciliation 31 March 2026 31 March 2025
£ £
Cultural tax relief claim 911,104 300,000
Prior year adjustment inc. interest 109,388 -
Total taxation credit included in SOFA 1,020,492 300,000
In-kind services provided to Bradford Culture Company Limited in the year are:
Pro-bono legal services provided by Schofield Sweeney of £10,000 (2025 - £10,000)
Accountancy services provided by Azets of £20,000 (2025 - £10,000)
Office rent provided by Schofield Sweeney of £nil (2025 - £27,000)
Branded bus wraps provided by First Bus West Yorkshire £25,000 (2025 - £55,000)
Crisps from Calbee Group Uk of £44,200 (2025 - £3,800),
Packaging from Emballator Packaging UK of £nil (2025 - £7,000)
Telecom Solutions of £3,000 (2025 £3,000)
Prove Privacy of £nil (2025 - £20,000)
We Will Sing Project (wool) from William Halstead of £nil (2025 - £40,170)
Paint from Crown Paints of £2,324 (2025 - £17,362),
Energy pods for Beacons from Power Saving Solutions of £nil (2025 - £5,000) and
Planters from Palmer Landscapes of £2,000 (2025 - £5,000)
Visitor support infrastructure provided by Amplitude of £50,000 (2025 - £nil)
Training provision provided by High Speed Training of £5,030 (2025 - £nil).
Deferred income is included in the financial statements as follows:
The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charity in an independently administered fund.
The income funds of the charity include restricted funds comprising the following unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust for specific purposes:
Fixed Asset Funds Expenditure on fixed assets has been transferred into the fund along with depreciation deducted to show the net book value of the fund at the year end.
Capital DCMS |
Has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. |
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The UK City of Culture 2025 Project Start Up Funding was received from the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to fund a successful launch of the UK City of Culture 2025. The grant funded the recruitment for new leadership roles and an interim fundraising team.
Social Prescribing This project has been funded by the NHS CCG transferred via the CBMDC. Social Prescribing sees an innovative approach to community-based activities prescribed to individuals as an alternative to medical prescriptions, including a range of methods to improve wellbeing including walking in nature, arts and crafts, canoeing and meditation.
Railway Children This programme was funded by The Shears Foundation.
Bassline This project has been funded by The Foyle Foundation and The Karlsson Jatival Charitable Foundation. The Bassline project showcased the Bassline music genre, integral to Bradford's musical heritage, in a innovative and world-exclusive musical experience that saw top Bassline DJs perform backed by Opera North Orchestra.
Young Creatives Programme and Cultural Learning Young Creatives Programme is funded by The Harry and Mary Foundation and The Charles and Elsie Sykes Trust with the objectives of helping young people under the age of 25 engage in creative and cultural skills development. Cultural Learning has been funded by The Charles & Elsie Sykes Trust and comprises activities including work in schools, development of learning resources and activity packs, and the Slam Poetry project. Creative Health Engagement This programme was funded by The Lindbury Trust.
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Sanctury Seekers Engagement This was funded by the Rayne Foundation.
Film programme The project relates to funding received from the British Film Institute for cinema activity across Bradford.
BD: Is LIT Partnership Award This project has been funded by CBMDC. BD: is Lit is a Biennial light festival featuring a range of light installations and performances by local, national and international artists.
BD:Walls Programme This project has been funded by CBMDC and the Morrisons Foundation. BD:Walls is a series of murals commissioned across the Bradford District, accessible to all, supported by a digital map and audio description.
BD Festival Nespoon installation Is funded by CBMDC for an installation that is part of BD Walls, see above.
Heritage Action Zones Project This project has been funded by CBMDC and the National Lottery to deliver Heritage outcomes in the Heritage Action Zone.
District Readiness This project has been funded by UKSPF via CBMDC to support District Readiness for the Delivery year.
International delivery programme The project has been awarded by the British Council for the purposes of International Research and Development. The project has been awarded by the British Council for the purposes of a Project Here and There - Tu I Tam which is chosen during the UK/Poland Art Scoping Grants 2023 contest. The project was carried out in Poland and explored the shared heritage of people and place in Bradford and Lodz through photography.
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Inspiring Communities Project This programme has been funded by The National Lottery Community Fund and comprises the innovative Our Patch programme engaging communities across the Bradford District with art and culture relevant to them and their communities, and the Targeted Youth Provision project which supports the skills development of young people in the Bradford District. Our Patch This project has also been funded by the Esmee Fairbairn, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, CBMDC and the National Lottery to deliver grassroots activities in local communities. Heritage Programme This programme is funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund. It comprises a number of diverse projects from installations to skills development programmes and volunteering opportunities to preserve, highlight and enable people to engage with the heritage of the Bradford District. Volunteering Programme The project is funded by: Spirit of 2012, Garfield Weston, CBMDC and the National Lottery Community Fund and the National Lottery Heritage Fund to provide engagement, recruitment and training pathways for volunteers with the aim of engaging over 3,700 volunteers across the whole Bradford District, both as individual volunteers and through a corporate volunteering programme. Box Office Welcome Hub The project is funded by City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council to create a BD25 welcome hub through the repurposing of a space below the main BD25 offices. The hub acts as a BD25 public facing centrally based touch point for engagement, promotion and project coordination. Head Office Establishment The project relates to fixed assets capital expenditure funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Earth & Sky was funded by the Delius Trust, it was a commissioned soundwalk from Opera North, part of the Wild Uplands Project within the Heritage Programme Brass Blow Out was a three-day festival taking inspiration from the rich brass band heritage of Bradford. It was partly funded by Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Strike is a light projection event and schools / community engagement programme to celebrate the radical women who made Bradford funded by Historic England. Wild Uplands commissioned four new contemporary visual artworks by national and international artists to explore and invite audiences to reimagine Bradford's moorland heritage. It was funded by Natural England, and The Lindbury Trust. Fighting to be Heard was and exhibition of Islamic art, calligraphy and boxing culture presented at Cartwright Hall funded with The British Library. Accessibility Programme was funded by We are Unlimited. |
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Incoming resources
Resources expended
Transfers
Incoming resources
Resources expended
At the reporting end date the charity had outstanding commitments for future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases, which fall due as follows:
The charity is currently subject to an on-going HMRC enquiry relating to VAT. Included in other debtors is VAT recoverable of £477k which is currently withheld by HMRC. On-going communication with tax advisors has identified that should the charity be unsuccessful with the enquiry it is a probable that the VAT debtor will not be recoverable and the charity could also be potentially liable for a further VAT payment of £835k. This would have a potential impact of £1.3m on the charity's net asset position once the outcome of the enquiry is determined.
During the year the charity entered into the following transactions with related parties: