Bradford StoryHub launches to champion community storytelling

On my very first day at Bradford Community Broadcasting (BCB), I met someone from the Race Equality Network who asked me a simple but important question: “Where are you from?”

“I’m a fellow Yorkshire native, from Sheffield,” I replied, proudly. I didn’t see people like me in media growing up, and that absence still fuels my passion for community-led storytelling.

But he remained wary. His colleague explained that often projects in Bradford are led by outsiders – people who don’t stay, don’t listen, and don’t reflect the communities they aim to serve. I welcomed the honesty, and resolved to earn their trust.

By the end of that chat, he said something that stayed with me: “We trust you, as we trust anyone working here at BCB. You wouldn’t have come through these doors otherwise.”

It struck me that his words weren’t just a gesture of welcome — they revealed something deeper about the kind of relationship people here expect and deserve. This was our first time meeting, so it wasn’t that I had earned his personal trust then and there. Rather, his comment reflected a wider sense of trust in the process — that I’d shown up, listened, and was working alongside people he already trusted, like those at BCB. In Bradford, there’s a quiet scrutiny — especially from those who’ve seen projects parachute in with good intentions but little staying power.

What stood out to me was the contrast it implied: between extractive, short-term engagement, and something more rooted. I wasn’t just here to “report on” the community — I was here to be part of it. That kind of trust doesn’t come from one conversation. It begins with how you show up, and it’s built gradually — through consistency, presence, and staying around after the launch events and press releases have faded.

Though I’m not a local, this vibrant, community-minded city feels a lot like my hometown. With my Yorkshire background and journalism training, I hope to build something lasting – by listening first, and remaining open to learning as well as leading.

This is the mission of Bradford StoryHub, a community journalism pilot launched this week by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism in partnership with BCB. It’s perhaps the first time that an investigative newsroom is partnering with a community radio station in the North of England.

As Bradford takes centre stage as the UK City of Culture 2025, this project is part of a growing movement to put Bradfordians in control of their own narratives — not just as subjects of stories, but as storytellers, editors, and producers. Through StoryHub, we’re working in partnership with BCB to support local people in Bradford to develop the skills and confidence to tell their own stories, explore the issues that matter to them, and hold power to account.

This isn’t just about creating content — it’s about growing community capacity for investigative storytelling. We're running collaborative sessions designed to introduce residents to tools like fact-checking, research techniques, interviewing, and ethical journalism.

The goal is to amplify unheard voices, build local trust in media, and help nurture a new generation of civic storytellers rooted in place.

At our launch party, the scent of samosas wafted from the buffet table, as conversation flowed between residents, journalists and funders, including from the BBC and Bradford 2025. Everyone present was united in the belief that Bradford is full of stories and perspectives that deserve space in the national conversation.

And this work couldn’t be more urgent. Just recently, Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice minister, made the false claim that half of central Bradford’s residents were recent migrants, fuelling division and scapegoating Bradford’s sizeable Muslim population for many of the problems Britain faces today.

In reality, more than 80% of Bradfordians were born and raised here, but this kind of misinformation regularly goes unchallenged in British media. That’s why local, fact-based journalism matters more than ever.

In the months ahead, we’ll run free workshops open to anyone in Bradford who’s curious about journalism, has a story to share, or simply wants to learn more about how media works. Whether you're a complete beginner or want to learn more about investigations,, you’re welcome. Bradford is full of powerful voices and untold stories. The StoryHub exists to listen, build trust, and support people in telling their own truths.

This isn’t “outreach”.
It’s truth-telling.
It’s narrative-changing.
It’s partnership.