BRADFORD Council has launched a small grants scheme to encourage local community groups and organisations to get involved in decorating the route of the 2019 UCI Road World Championships.

There are ten small grants of up to £250 available for people from across the district to get involved in things like making bunting and land art, painting bikes or organising activities to celebrate the prestigious cycling event.

The UCI Road World Championships comes to Yorkshire September 21 to 29. On Saturday, September 28, City Park in Bradford city centre will see the start of the Women Elite Road Race, which goes through Lister Park, Shipley, the bottom of Baildon and Hollins Hill. The Men Elite Road Race comes through the district via Ilkley and Addingham on Sunday, September 29.

Councillor Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Healthy People and Places, said: “Dressing the routes of cycling races has become very popular in Yorkshire since the Tour de France Grand Depart came in 2014. Residents and organisation from across the Bradford district really went to town with their decorations for this and the subsequent Tour de Yorkshire races and I’m sure the creativity sparked by the coming of the UCI Road World Championships will be no different. Bradford will ‘welcome the world’ for this event, as people from across the globe will come to the district and even more will follow the event on television.”

Saira Ali who is co-ordinating route dressing and land art for the event in the district, said: “We want people to bring out their creativity and come up with quirky things they can make to dress the route, to celebrate this wonderful event coming to our part of the world. It could be things like sewing or knitting bunting, painting old bikes in the UCI colours, planting up some tubs or hanging baskets along the route or even yarn-bombing.

“Previous grants have included for people making giant bobble hats for the Saltaire lion statues and sewing together material to make a giant t-shirt for the side of Bradford Cathedral.

“The colours for the UCI are blue, red, black, yellow and green, so we’d like people to use these colours. The small grants don’t have to be for the full £250 and can be for groups to buy paint or materials or to help organise a community event to celebrate the race coming to the district.”

For more information about the race in the Bradford district and how to apply for a small grant to celebrate, visit www.visitbradford.com/UCI2019

Visit www.yorkshire2019.co.uk for more about races.