Two new friendly faces have joined the team urging visitors to “Rediscover Bradford” now lockdown restrictions have been eased.
The city’s Business Improvement District (BID) has appointed two new “Bradvocates” to help provide a welcoming face for the city centre, greeting visitors, liaising with businesses and patrolling the area to help keep it clean and safe.
Jo Carruthers and John Berry – both Bradfordians – will act as brand ambassadors for the city centre, helping to ensure the best experience for visitors, be they tourists, day-trippers, shoppers or people who live and work in the city’s core central area.
Nikki Chadburn, the BID’s business Engagement Officer, said: “We’re really excited to welcome our new Bradvocates to the team and to have them providing a friendly face out on the street, meeting and greeting people, now that some of the lockdown restrictions have been eased.
“They’re also a really important part of our engagement with businesses as they start to re-open, allowing us to have face-to-face meetings to help support and advise them and give them a boost as they work towards their recovery.”
BID Chairman Ian Ward added: “We call them ‘Bradvocates’ partly because we wanted to be different to other towns and cities but mainly to insure that we attracted the right kind of people to the post.
“Our Bradvocates must be genuine advocates for Bradford, people who are really passionate about their city and enthusiastic about telling others how great they think it is, and we think John and Jo are perfect for the role.
“They’re both Bradfordians who love the city and we’re sure they will play a big part in helping people to Rediscover Bradford, to come back to the city and look at it with fresh eyes, visiting shops they may never have been in, using services like hair salons and nail bars they’ve not tried before and walking down streets they may have got into the habit of bypassing.
“Wherever they go, they’ll get a warm welcome and we’re proud and pleased that our new Bradvocates can be a part of that.”
Jo Carruthers, who was born in Bradford and has spent much of her life living in Haworth after being educated in the city and the Worth Valley area, has a wealth of experience in dealing with tourists and visitors.
She has previously worked as an assistant at Bradford Museums – where she still volunteers – Leeds Metropolitan Art Gallery, at the National Science & Media and Museum and at Saltaire Tourist Information Office.
Jo, who is married to a Bradford Museums Assistant, said: “I love Bradford’s heritage, its architecture, its multi-cultural character and its rich arts and cultural history and I think I have a pretty good insight into what it has to offer residents and visitors alike.
“I really care about Bradford. It’s a very genuine place; authentic without airs and graces. I think it has been a bit of an underdog in some ways and I’d like to help change that. I love meeting people and I love promoting Bradford and all it has so it’s the perfect job for me!
“I really enjoy the meet and greet role and I recognise the importance of those little actions that can help make someone’s day and help them go home with an even better image of the city.”
Her fellow Bradvocate John Berry was also born and bred in the city, in Lower Grange. He studied at Thornton Grammar School and now lives in Queensbury.
He planned to join the military after school and was six months along the recruitment path when he discovered he wouldn’t be able to continue because doctors found tears on his spinal cord.
“That was my hopes and dreams shattered and I didn’t really have a back-up plan,” said John. “But I was lucky that my partner’s mum offered me a job at her estate agency until a friend asked me to join her in a new business working with young people in different schools, teaching them life skills.”
After two years he left to become a pub landlord at the Hilltop, in Thornton, but just a few months later the pandemic struck, the pub was forced to close and he found his way into the care sector.
“I’m a proud Bradford lad and I’ve always wanted to give something back to my community,” said John. “So when I saw the Bradvocate role advertised I just thought ‘this is the job for me.’
“I can’t wait to get out there and start interacting with businesses and the public. I’m a real people person and I love the idea of being able to go out and promote the great work the BID is doing and supporting people.
“Bradfordians are prone to undervalue their city but it’s a fantastic place and there are lots of good things to look forward to coming up.
“The work the BID is doing – the street cleaning, the promotion, working with projects like Bradford 2025 – is having a really positive impact and we need to get more people to see the city in a positive light and I’m looking forward to helping make that happen!”
