Vote for Bradford Cathedral in the Heritage Open Day Anniversary Gallery

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Heritage Open Days, in which we have participated since 2018, a new online gallery is being created, to remain on the Heritage Open Days site for the foreseeable future as an important record of their history.

30 stories will be showcased, highlighting the sites, stories and people that have made Heritage Open Days so magical over the years.

Out of all the stories and images submitted from across the UK, ours has made it to the shortlist, but we need your help to be included in the final 30 stories that will form the Heritage Open Days Gallery.

Voting is straight forward - all you need to do is:

• Go to the voting page on the Heritage Open Day website: https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/resource/anniversary-gallery-vote-now.html
• Click 'Yorkshire and the Humber' to expand the menu
• Click 'The Cathedral' to find out more
• Pick your 1st and 2nd choice and press 'submit'

Voting closes on Sunday 30th June 2024. Bradford Cathedral is the only Cathedral in the shortlist, and the only entry from Bradford.

Our entry reads:

“On Heritage Open Days we are a place and space where everybody feels welcome and where those who visit, of whatever age, faith or background, see it as their Bradford Cathedral. For many years though, the Cathedral was an under-visited and little-known destination, even within the local area. This changed after we began participating in the festival and new engagement posts were added to the team in 2018. Running free events that inspire wonder, deepen knowledge and spark questions, have helped us to change people’s perceptions of the city, both locally and beyond. They’ve given us opportunities to test things out and highlight that Bradford’s story goes much further back than the Industrial Revolution.

In 2019, inspired by the festival’s ‘People Power’ theme, we explored the little known history of a local Civil War skirmish and its link to the woolsack icon on our Cathedral crest. It really resonated with visitors, so we have built on this to include the story on all educational visits and guided tours. We look forward to continuing this work, showcasing the Cathedral as a treasure trove on people’s doorsteps, ripe for exploring.”

Maggie Myers, Director of Education and Visitors, says:

“Being part of the Heritage Open Days' Anniversary Gallery will make us eligible for a small grant to help with the cost of putting on this year's Heritage Open Day on the 14th September, but more importantly it will ensure that even more people, from all across the UK, get to hear about our wonderful Cathedral that we all love so much.”