Saturday 23 January 2010

Forthcoming Events and Thanks

The museum would like to offer our sincere thanks to City fan Steve Whittaker who has made another generous donation to the museum funds. As is well known, the museum receives no direct funding and is reliant on donations and the work of its volunteers, so every penny we receive is vital and extremely welcome.

We are planning an event to celebrate the life of the first chairman of Bradford City Alfred Ayrton (pictured right). His granddaughter recently donated a magnificent illuminated address that was presented to her grandfather when he retired as City chairman in 1907. The illuminated address is housed in a solid silver case and has therefore been signed over to the Bradford Industrial Museum. At the forthcoming event we will have the address on show for the first time since the centenary exhibition in 2003. David Pendleton will give a talk on Alfred Ayrton’s significance to the club. He saved Manningham Rugby Club from closure when he became their president in 1900. He later drove through the conversion to football and the birth of Bradford City. Alf negotiated, and later became an active opponent of, the proposed merger with Bradford Park Avenue in 1907. In the 1920s he became president of the Bradford City Supporters’ Club and remained a committed fan until his death. We will announce the date of the event shortly.

Friday 1 January 2010

Valley Parade and Manningham Memories

Prior to Saturday’s game against Cheltenham, bantamspast volunteers will be capturing people’s memories about Valley Parade and its environs over the last fifty, or more, years. It’s the first matchday session where we hope to interview people about their memories of living around the ground and also memories of Valley Parade itself. The event is part of a wider project for which we have received Heritage Lottery Funding. It will form part of an exhibition which will open in the bantamspast museum in 2010.

Whether you have memories large or small we want to hear from you. Perhaps you have old photographs? Everything is welcome in our bid to put together a snapshot of life in and around Valley Parade over the last fifty or so years. Our volunteers will be in the museum from 12.30pm. As ever the cafe will be open, so why not bob in for a bowl of warming soup as well?