Get yerselves out and about and into Bradford has been my mantra on You Can Take the Girl Out of Bradford since I moved back to the city three years ago. I’ve made it my mission to promote all the good things that are going on in the district. I’ve written a monthly list of what’s on in the city: the best events, exhibitions, films, gatherings. We’re now over a month into lockdown, so I’ve tried to find the best of what’s on online in Bradford to keep us entertained in our isolation. And Bradford yer doing us proud! I’ll be adding to the list, so any suggestions please do share. I’ll also post new events and activities on my Facebook and Twitter pages.

Best of Bradford:

• BCB Radio is doing sterling work keeping us up to date with all things Bradford, they’re keen to hear from you too with your experiences in these strange times. Find BCB at 106.6fm or online.
• The team at Visit Bradford has put together a huge range of activities and things to do on their regularly updated website.

Events in date order:

• Bradford City of Film is releasing its series of Screen Talks online. Friday 1 May it’s the turn of Bradford writer Michael Hirst talking about his TV series Vikings and the Tudors. Every Friday from 11am and then available online.
• Join Mindful May at the South Square Centre in Thornton with Tai Chi, mindfulness, guided relaxation, baking demos, foraging and creative writing workshops.
• Queer Down Instagram live ‘mouthy’ chat with host Kafayat Adegoke on 1 May at 3.30pm. Part of Kafayat’s regular series on “avoiding the covidiots”.
• Tenx9 bring their storytelling night online via zoom on Friday 1 May at 7.30pm.
• The Live Room in Saltaire presents a weekly live online gig every Friday at 8pm. Tickets on the website.
• Bradford Cathedral’s Faith Tour Online visits five places of worship in real time on Saturday 2 May from 10am to 3.30pm.
• Beatbox Adventures for kids with Bradford Fringe Thursday 7 May at 2pm and every Thursday after that. Check out their Facebook page too for loads of online activities, shows and events as the Bradford Fringe goes digital.
• Virtual Bradford Pride 2020 in your own home on 9 May from 5pm with live stream videos from some amazing entertainers, DJs, quizzes and more.
• Groovers in the Heart Bloomin May Lockdown Special disco 9 May from 9pm.
• Watch Freedom Studio’s live recording of 2016 play North Country what happens when plague sweeps through Bradford? Available until 21 May.
• See Mind the Gap’s epic production of Zara live in your living room. Watch until 11 May.
• Join the new online Bradford Street Market every Thursday from 9am with the best of Bradford’s independent makers, producers and artists sharing their wares.
• For T’ Culture, Social Unity evening every Thursday with the best of live poetry, music, spoken word, and theatre from traditionally underrepresented artists across West Yorkshire.
• Dave the Quizmaster  hosts his regular Bradford quizzes online Tuesdays and Thursdays and can deliver bespoke quizzes to your mailbox too.
• Online Happy Hour at the Rose and Crown Saturdays from 6pm. The pub now has a beer delivery service and their regular Craft and Draught sessions will be moving online too.
• Doorstep Drinks, step away from the laptop, sit on your step and have a drink with your neighbours at 6.30pm Saturday organised by the Brick Box Rooms and Hidden Bradford.
• Front Room Disco DJ Wil Oddsox brings an eclectic range of music to your living room via youtube and Spotify every Saturday from 8pm.
• Watch No Guts, No Heart, No Glory, the stories of female Muslim boxers by Bradford’s Commonwealth Theatre Company shown on BBC4.
• Join the Thornwood Alpacas and Care Farm in Oxenhope for Facebook live videos, virtual zoo and their animal care online classes.

Places to visit:

• Take a tour of Bradford’s blue plaques with Bradford Civic Society and find out more about the city’s history, people and places.
• The British Press Photographers Association’s exhibition at Cartwright Hall is now online. Some fantastic photos of a year in British photography.
• Take a tour of Bradford’s Peace Museum or try some of their online and downloadable activities and resources for children.
• Educating Bradford is a new virtual exhibition that celebrates 150 years of education in the city, including the pioneering Bradfordians whose influence is felt to this day.
• Take a look at the Impressions Gallery’s online exhibition Forget Me Not, a project exploring family history and heritage.
• Bradford Film Heritage online walking tour Discover the sites of some of the city’s most famous film locations.
• Visit Cliffe Castle  from your living room.
• If you’ve never been to Bradford’s beautiful Cathedral, take a tour here.

Activities:

• The Bradford Literature Festival has launched a range of online groups and meetups including poetry nights and a book club. Take a look at the website and sign up to the newsletter for regular updates.
• Bradford-based theatre company Bloomin Buds has been delivering arts and crafts activities and music to isolated people and those without access to the internet. It’s also in the process of putting some of its performances and activities online too.
• Take part in the Impressions Gallery’s Family Archives project, share your stories, photos and heirlooms during lockdown.
• Cook with Luigi from Emporio Italia restaurant in Ilkley, sharing his favourite Italian recipes.
• Join Us Move Play has a new website full of simple, fun activities and games to keep kids active during the lockdown.
• Check out ICLSEducation on Instagram with creative ‘how to’ videos from origami, drawing, stress balls to face masks.
• Cecil Green Arts has a weekly creative arts challenge #Bradfordconnects using objects around your home.
• Hive Community Arts Bradford has a creative hour of classes via Facebook. Choose from Arabic calligraphy, painting, printmaking, pottery and woodwork.
• Stories Alive has daily live stories for children on its Facebook page at 3pm.
• East Riddlesden Hall in Keighley is organising a weekly drawing challenge of objects from around the estate.
• Artist Claire Kearns is looking for Bradford sounds recorded from people’s daily exercise, or even just out the window, for a sound project. Nature, lawnmowers, supermarkets anything you fancy. Send 20-60 seconds on mp3 with your postcode to ckearns@live.co.uk
• The Yorkshire Film Archive has over 100 years of Bradford on film to watch for free.

Classes and learning:

• Don’t miss Kala Sangam’s morning dance exercise classes. If you’re working from home, take a break at 10.30 every weekday with a super mini dance routine to stretch those limbs.
• Liberty Arts Yorkshire has launched its dance classes online from tap to adult dance fit, 80s and even 50s jive. See the website for payment details. It also has free bedtime stories for children on its Facebook page.
• Join Lloyd Thompson on Tranquil TV for his online breakdance lessons.
• Lisa Kate Health & Fitness has moved her yoga, pilates and barre classes online. Pay weekly or monthly for different classes every day.
• Lucy Yoga will be putting her dru yoga classes online soon. In the meantime, try out her recent youtube class.
• Future Learn has hundreds of free short, online courses covering everything from screen writing, work skills, coding, history and psychology.
• Be a student at one of the best universities in the world for free, Yale University has dozens of its lecture series online from astronomy, economics, politics and languages.

Bradford Podcasts

• For a very Bradford view of the world, my new podcast Know Your Place Bradford features good people doing good things in the city.
• Novameets is presented by musician David Nowakowski speaking to the great and good of Bradford often with a sporting focus.
• So This Works  is a podcast about work and life balance with film maker Marcus Lee of Reel Street Productions.