How Yorkshire is reaping the rewards of nurturing culture: Pete Massey

In Bradford, years of careful groundwork culminated in a UK City of Culture programme delivered with ambition and reach.

This was not culture confined to the city centre or a handful of flagship venues. More than three million people attended over 5,000 events across all 30 wards of the district, from play spaces in our mills to sound walks across our moors.

With over three million attendances across 5,000 events delivered by over 650 local artists and organisations, this year delivered on a grand scale. More than 65 per cent of suppliers were Yorkshire-based, making sure that the economic impact was felt right across the region. Eight in ten residents said the year made them feel proud of where they live.

That pride translated into confidence. Tourism and overnight stays rose. City centre footfall increased by more than a quarter. The district hasn’t simply been hosting culture; it has been reshaping how the country sees Bradford - and how Bradford sees itself.

In Rotherham, the focus was different but no less transformative. As the UK’s first Children’s Capital of Culture, the borough placed young people centre stage. More than 95 per cent of local schools took part. Nearly 30,000 young people achieved an Arts Award qualification - leaving with skills and credentials that last far beyond a single year.

Opportunity followed. A traineeship scheme created 138 paid roles for 16 to 25-year-olds. Many have since moved into permanent positions in organisations such as Channel 4, FLUX Rotherham and Leeds Playhouse. As one young participant put it: “2025 hasn’t been about one epic year for Rotherham - it’s created something to last".

The programme also attracted almost £10 million in new investment – backing belief with resource.

None of this happens by chance. Since 2022, Arts Council England has invested £31 million in culture and creativity across Bradford, including £5 million of National Lottery funding during the City of Culture year itself — a reminder that every Lottery ticket helps support projects like these.

That investment is designed not just for headline years but for long-term strength.

We now provide multi-year funding to 12 Bradford organisations, three of them new to our portfolio. In Rotherham, six awards totalling more than £1.35 million helped underpin the Children’s Capital of Culture programme and build capacity for the future.

And that capacity is increasingly evident across Yorkshire and the wider North. From Liverpool’s Eurovision celebrations to the Mercury Prize in Newcastle, the MOBO Awards in Sheffield and Newcastle and the BRIT Awards in Manchester, the North has shown to the world what it is capable of.

At the same time, those skills and knowledge are now creating the conditions for deeper collaboration. Initiatives such as Great North Creative are bringing together mayoral combined authorities to act as a springboard for pan-regional work on culture, creative industries and major events and sporting activity.

By sharing expertise, the North can strengthen its creative industries and attract further investment – not as isolated places, but as an assured collective. It sends a simple message: great art and culture happen here, by us and for us and for anyone else who wants to join the party.

It’s against this backdrop that applications are now open for the next UK City of Culture and the new Towns of Culture scheme. And Yorkshire and the North have every reason to step forward again.

As the self-initiated years of culture in Leeds, Wakefield, Calderdale and Kirklees have shown, championing creativity can bring social and economic benefits with or

without a national title. Even the process of bidding can galvanise a place, build networks and unlock opportunity.

What 2025 demonstrated is clear: when culture is nurtured, communities flourish.

Now, as we move through 2026, we do so grounded in what has been achieved – and ready for what comes next.

Pete Massey is director of the North for Arts Council England