First Bus welcomes Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture volunteers aboard for celebration
First Bus joined in the celebrations as hundreds of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture volunteers gathered for a special event to share experiences and meet collectively for the first time.
The bus operator is an Official Travel Partner for the year-long celebration taking place across the city, towns, villages and greenspaces. Its team, including nearly 400 drivers, will be providing a friendly face and helpful advice to the millions of residents and visitors making trips to attractions through the year.
Network of 3,500 volunteers
The volunteer group, part of a network of 3,500 volunteers who will be representing the district and spotlighting everything Bradford has to offer, met at the Cedar Court Hotel – which is also an official Bradford 2025 supporter. Many travelled there from the Bradford 2025 HQ at City Park on an exclusive trip aboard the specially branded bus in the First Bus fleet carrying the message “Be Bold. Be Bradford.”
First Bus is providing support to enable UK City of Culture volunteers to travel to venues and events to assist visitors.
John Roxburgh, Head of Operations for First Bus for North & West Yorkshire, said: “We were delighted to welcome volunteers onboard and help them get together.
“Our team and our fleet will be a living, moving billboard for the UK City of Culture, helping to keep this once-in-a-lifetime spectacle in the minds of local people and newcomers to experience the brilliant entertainment and diversity in communities throughout Bradford.”
All ages across district signing up to be volunteers
John McMahon Director of Skills, Volunteering & Wellbeing, said: “It is fantastic that our wonderful volunteers were able to travel in style aboard our very own branded First Bus.
“We have had people of all ages from across the district sign-up to our volunteer programme, and this event was the first opportunity to get them all together to share their personal stories and get excited for everything we have coming up in 2025.
“Our volunteers are the welcoming faces of our City of Culture year, and many have already had first-hand experience at events including our opening show ‘RISE’ at City Park. There is so much more to come – and there is still an opportunity for people to sign-up and be part of this very special year for the district.”
Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture runs from January 2025 to December 2025. It will showcase the rich history of the area and spotlight its dynamic contemporary culture in all forms; dance and theatre, music and film, visual arts and crafts, food and sport.
You can sign-up to be a Bradford 2025 volunteer here: https://bradford2025.co.uk/take-part/volunteer/
For more information on the Bradford 2025 cultural programme go to www.Bradford2025.co.uk
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Notes to editors
NOTES TO EDITORS
About First Bus
At First Bus, we’re on a mission to grow bus usage – so we’ll get behind initiatives that move people out of cars and onto the bus.
We’re one of the UK’s largest bus operators, transporting more than 1.5 million passengers a day. Our local bus services serve more than 25% of the population of Great Britain and over half of the UK’s top 15 most populated urban areas.
We are a leading operator in the majority of our local areas, including major urban centres such as Glasgow, Bristol and Leeds.
We have proudly launched our First Bus London operation and now operate 83 routes in west and central London from 10 garages serving 180 million passengers annually.
The combined operation now manages a fleet of over 5,750 buses across the UK.
Transforming our business for the better, we’re putting our people and customers at the heart of everything we do. That’s why we’re the UK’s largest national bus operator to achieve real Living Wage employer status, cementing our position as an employer of choice in the sector.
First Bus is committed to operating a zero-emission bus fleet by 2035. We will have over 1000 zero-emission buses in operation across our UK fleet by the end of 2025.
We’re passionate about giving back to the communities we serve, which is why we’re helping local businesses to progress their decarbonisation journeys – giving them access to our charging hubs while our buses are on the road.
We also operate, Specialist Passenger Solutions, First Travel Solutions, York Pullman Bus Company, Lakeside, Ensignbus, Anderson Travel - and the Aircoach network and Matthews in Ireland.
First Bus is a division of FirstGroup.
Find more information on our website here: https://news.firstbus.co.uk/
About Bradford 2025
Bradford became the fourth UK City of Culture in January 2025. The district was selected by the UK Government in May 2022 from a record-breaking 20 bids, following Derry~Londonderry (2013), Hull (2017) and Coventry (2021) to take on one of the most prestigious and transformative titles in UK culture.
Bradford 2025 takes place throughout Bradford District, which covers 141 square miles across West Yorkshire. It features performances, exhibitions, events and activities inspired by the extraordinary variety of this landscape, from the city’s historic centre to the breathtaking countryside that surrounds it. It pays homage to Bradford’s potent heritage as everything from a former industrial powerhouse to the world’s first UNESCO City of Film. Most of all, it celebrates the people of Bradford, from local artists and creative organisations to the diverse communities who call Bradford home.
Bradford 2025 is created for, with and by the people of Bradford – and it has young people at its heart. With more than a quarter of its population aged under 20, Bradford is one of the UK’s youngest cities. Bradford 2025 is proudly reflecting this youth across all aspects of its programme, from education, skills and training projects to new artistic commissions centred on the lives, concerns and ambitions of young people today.
Bradford 2025 is set to spotlight Bradford’s dynamic contemporary arts and culture, from dance and theatre to film, music and even food. At the same time, it will cement Bradford’s reputation as one of the most welcoming places in the UK for artists, producers and creative entrepreneurs, with international exchanges, development programmes and new cultural investment benefiting the entire district.
The impact of UK City of Culture will continue long after the end of next year. The district’s designation has already brought significant investment to the region, and Bradford 2025 is set to serve as a catalyst for development, regeneration and change – reshaping Bradford for the benefit of future generations.
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