£49m Better Start Bradford initiative sees revamp of city’s community centres

To help deliver the £49m Better Start Bradford initiative, two of the city’s community centres are to undergo refurbishments costing a combined six-figure sum.

Karmand Community Centre, Barkerend Road, and St Stephen’s Community Hall, Newton Street, will be upgraded under the Better Start Bradford initiative, a community partnership led by Bradford Trident.

Bradford Trident, a community-owned and run company, was advised on its agreements with the venue owners by Nick Chamberlain, a partner in the commercial property team of Yorkshire law firm Gordons, based at its offices in Bradford’s Duke Street.

Better Start Bradford is a 10-year portfolio of over 20 projects, which aims to support parents in Bowling, Barkerend, Bradford Moor and Little Horton to give 20,000 children, aged from before birth to three-years-old, the best possible start in life.

The scheme was made possible after the Big Lottery Fund awarded Bradford’s partnership the largest share of the national £215m Better Start investment in June last year.

Michaela Howell, Better Start Bradford Programme Director at Bradford Trident, said: “We’ve been a Gordons client for about 15 years and have been advised by Nick before, so knew we were in safe hands. He was working on the documentation for about six weeks and it had then to be approved by the Big Lottery Fund.

“This sign-off was provided within hours, which in our experience was unprecedented and had to be down to the quality and clarity of the agreements he created.”

There are high rates of infant mortality, child poverty, domestic violence and child protection orders, plus low school readiness, in the Better Start Bradford target area, where over 1,400 babies are born each year. The programme will include activities aimed at improving children’s social and emotional well-being, communication and language skills, diet and nutrition.

Bradford Trident provides support for people in the BD5 postcode district, which is part of the BetterStart Bradford target area. Its partners in delivering the scheme include Bradford Metropolitan District Council, parent and community representatives, Bradford Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust and Bradford District Care Foundation Trust, Bradford City and Bradford District Clinical Commissioning Groups, Bradford District Assembly, West Yorkshire Police, the Born in Bradford medical research study and the private sector.

Mr Chamberlain said: “It’s a privilege to help Bradford Trident get the Better Start Bradford programme off the ground. There’s strong evidence that what happens in pregnancy and the first three years of life can profoundly affect children’s futures.

“The project aims to prevent costly health problems, such as obesity poor mental health, plus difficult social issues - including neglect and low educational attainment - and everyone at Gordons wishes it well.”

Gordons has offices in Leeds and Bradford, employs 235 people and has a turnover of £22.9m. Clients include Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc, construction and high performance materials manufacturer Saint-Gobain, international brewers Molson Coors and the world’s largest electrical heating business Glen Dimplex.

Looking to promote your product/service to SME businesses in your region? Find out how Bdaily can help →