After an uprising in 1070 against the Norman Conquest, Bradford was laid waste but slowly began to grow again over the next 200 years with the woolen trade playing a large part in its development. It grew in prominence due to the use of the river Aire as the ideal spot for washing and processing raw wool and for driving the water mills along its banks.

Bradford was one of the first cities in the UK to establish a Baha’i community. The Faith was introduced in 1937, when a talk was given at St. John’s Church, Great Horton by an actor called David Hofman who was appearing in a play at the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford. David Hofman being a well-known celebrity due to his fame as a wireless announcer on BBC radio advertised that he was giving a talk on his life and philosophy at a local church. This drew large crowds and David informed his audience of a new approach to living in harmony together no matter what faith or belief one had. So successful was this talk that very shortly after, a group of Theosophists and other church members became Baha’is. One of the first believers from Bradford was the late lamented Philip Hainsworth, a highly revered Baha’i, who has brought hundreds of people to the Faith, particularly during his extensive travels in Uganda. His influence has motivated members of Bradford community to follow his lead and this has resulted in many more local people becoming Baha’is.

Bradford community has thrived since those days and now consists of families from as far afield as Mauritius, Pakistan, Iran, and also local Yorkshire families. Its community members are involved in many different forms of community activities including: membership of SACRE (Standing Advisory Committee for Religious Education), and Concord Inter-Faith Society on which a Baha’i sits as a committee member. Maintenance of inter-community dialogue is of great importance in Bradford, particularly because of the variety of different religions and cultures. The Baha’is are also very active in charity work for third world countries and on the home front, regular participation in Samaritan fund-raising and weekly charity shop work.

There has been Baha’i influence on the compilation of the Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education for schools which is printed every 5 years in order to give pupils a wider understanding of other religions. In a city like Bradford, with such a diversity of faiths and customs, the Agreed Syllabus is absolutely indispensable. There is even a junior version of SACRE which play an important role in informing their senior colleagues of what the younger generation would like to see implemented in future school Syllabi.

Contrary to popular belief, Bradford is a thriving and progressive city with forward-looking plans to become recognised as an international city. In fact the city council have already submitted plans to enable Bradford to be considered as a contender for the award of City of Culture. Bradford’s slogan is “One City Many Views” we Bradfordian Baha’is just say, Thas’ reet welcome!