ORGANISATIONS in Keighley and Bradford have been awarded funding totalling £200,000 to deliver new arts and culture projects.

The seven recipients will form part of the Creative Place Partners initiative, which aims to enable communities to create activities geared to what their areas want.

Also, the partners will work on schemes designed to address social issues and nurture young talent.

Amongst those involved are Keighley Association Women & Children's Centre – with Keighley Creative – Bradford and District Senior Power and Common Wealth Theatre.

The venture has been developed by The Leap – the official Arts Council England-funded Creative People and Places programme for the district – in conjunction with Bradford Council and Born in Bradford.

A spokesperson for The Leap said: "As well as receiving individual funding, participants will be offered tailored non-financial support to either begin delivering new – or increase their current offer of – arts and cultural activities.

"We will provide each Creative Place Partner with a dedicated community development manager who will offer training, resources and tools as well as support to embed community-led decision-making around arts and culture. This unique package has been co-created through extensive consultation, with community networks and sector partners having a direct say in designing the kind of support most valuable to them.

"The organisations are located across Bradford and Keighley and between them already know and work with a range of communities through their service delivery. It’s hoped this additional funding and support will help develop the Creative Place Partners into a dynamic collective that is truly representative of the cultures and communities of the Bradford district."

Kay Wright, service co-ordinator at Bradford and District Senior Power, welcomed the organisation's involvement.

She added: "Being part of the programme will allow us to engage with a broad number of voluntary sector groups and senior adults by putting together creative works through activities like dance, poetry, songs, prayers and come-dine-with-me events. The creative works will allow participants to express their understanding of their local community’s heritage and contribute to reinforcing the perception that Bradford is a welcoming place.

"We'll provide grants for groups and individuals to stimulate creative activity celebrating the district’s cultural heritage, especially of that seen by the older generation. We want to showcase those who arrived in Bradford district in the 1950s and 60s, such as the Windrush generation and migrants who came from Pakistan, Bangladesh and India."