Bradford's Centenary Square Sings for Peace

By Edward Watson


Hundreds of school kids gathered in Centenary Square over lunchtime to celebrate peace and community in Bradford.

The highlight of the Big Sing for Peace saw pupils from Thornton Grammar School collaborate with musician Roger Davies.

They performed the final three songs to kids from a host of Bradford schools who enjoyed over an hour of music as a grand finale to three months of the Routes for Peace season.

The project has run since March aiming to bring Bradford communities closer together and tried to celebrate its heritage and future.

The Head of the Peace Museum, Diane Hadwen, helped organise the Big Sing for Peace. She felt that even though it's only in it's first year the Routes for Peace season has had positive effects.

She said: "It's brought together people from lots of different backgrounds and with lots of different interests and it's recognised the fact there's loads of good work going on in Bradford.

"The impacts it's had is bringing organisations and community groups together.

"Instead of them doing things in isolation everybody knows what everyone else is doing and there's been a great sharing of good practice."

Mr Davies co-wrote the song 'City of Dreams' with the Thornton Grammar Schools pupils. He said: "It's a song written from the point of view of the pupils.

"I put myself in their shoes and they told me all about what life was like for them and we just wrote it like that.

"It's a celebration of what it's like to be young with a positive outlook and feeling good about who you are, where you come from and what you want to do with your life.

"And that all happens in this city of dreams of course - Bradford."