September is my favourite month. Not only is it my birthday (8th), autumn is on the way and Strictly is back! Cosy nights, fires, better clothes and you feel better about staying in.

I’d hoped to have some more real-world events to bring you in September. I’m increasingly fed up with the Covid restrictions and many events this month have been cancelled (including my own planned pop-up Bradford Street Market!) But, we have some positive signs – shops and bars are re-opening and new businesses are suddenly springing up – Plant One on Me Yorkshire, Mean Old Scene, Crafted Bradford and Boar and Fable are bringing new life to the top of town. There are lots of people working really hard to raise the city’s profile. So let’s do what we can to spread the word, get involved and rediscover Bradford.

There are still lots of online events and some outside activities in Bradford to keep us entertained too.

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:

• For T’ Culture, Social Unity evening every Thursday with the best of live poetry, music, spoken word and theatre. The 3 September chat features Bradford filmmaker Pishdaad Modaressi at 8pm.
• Tenx9 bring their storytelling night online via zoom on Friday 4 September from 7.15pm – this month’s theme – bravery.
• Bradford Cathedral’s Faith Tour Online visits five places of worship in real time on Saturday 5 September from 10am to 3.30pm.
• The outdoor Skipton Artisan and Farmers Market and Real Food Ilkley farmers markets take place on Sunday 6 September.
• Front Room Poetry hosted by Kirsty Taylor featuring Amerah Saleh and followed by an open mic with Bradford’s best poets on 9 September at 7pm.
• Haworth Outdoor Cinema on Haworth Moor showing The Full Monty on 11 September and the Railway Children on 13 September.
• The annual Heritage Open Days return 11 – 20 September. Be a tourist in your own city with a self-guided heritage walk around Bradford City Centre or Manningham.
• This year’s Saltaire Festival has gone online. Visit the website for details of their arts, music and theatre events from 11 to 20 September.
• Celebrate the reopening of the Pictureville Cinema with a showing of Bradford on Film with clips of 120 years of the city on film. Thursday 17 September at 4.30pm and 7pm.
• Cafe Scientifique returns with an online discussion “Is it possible to live well with dementia?”  in conjunction with the Science and Media Museum on 24 September at 6.30pm-8pm.
• Fright Night at Bolling Hall. Go on a ghost hunt at one of Yorkshire’s most historic houses 26 September at 8pm.
• Don’t miss Bradford Cathedral’s Eco Extravaganza a four day environmental festival of live chats, top tips, children’s events, a harvest service and much more to be announced. All on the theme of ‘What on earth are we going to do?’
• Take a guided walk across the moors in the footsteps of the Bronte sisters with Bronte Adventures in Haworth every Saturday in September at 9am.
• Not Quite the Record Café Music Quiz  on 3/10/17/24 September at 8pm. Dave hosts his regular Bradford quizzes online Tuesdays and Thursdays and can deliver bespoke quizzes to your mailbox too.
• The Live Room in Saltaire presents a weekly live online gig every Friday or Saturday at 8pm. Tickets on the website.
• Join the online Bradford Street Market every Thursday from 9am with the best of Bradford’s independent makers, producers and artists sharing their wares.
• Ursula from Plant One on Me Yorkshire hosts a plant care Instagram live every Sunday at 4pm with tips on a different plant each week.
• Front Room Disco DJ Wil Oddsox brings an eclectic range of music to your living room via youtube and Spotify every Saturday from 8pm.
• Join the Thornwood Alpacas and Care Farm in Oxenhope for Facebook live videos, virtual zoo and their animal care online classes. The centre reopens 4 July.

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 their new creative art challenge.
• 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.
• 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.

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.