Crime writer Amit Dhand shares his experiences of growing up in Bradford in the 1980s. His family actively integrated with the local community.
“We simply had to integrate; to talk to the locals, to create friendships. Sharing language and food was a key part of this process. It wasn’t optional – it was vital and it is how Bradford succeeded in creating a new future.”
But Amit argues some of that willingness to mix has now been lost. In recent times an abandoned redevelopment project known locally as the “hole in the ground" dominated Bradford city centre for years and he says it set life in the city back. Different communities no longer had a space to congregate. Integration is, he argues, an "active process" and in this talk Amit offers solutions from sports, arts and health to get it back on track.