Bradford Lit Fest strikes five-year sponsorship deal with Provident Financial

Bradford Literature Festival has secured a further five-year title partnership with Provident Financial plc.

The company has been partnered with the festival for the past two years, supporting the 2016 and 2017 editions of the festival.

The support of Provident Financial has helped the festival grow "rapidly", according to the organisers. In 2016 over 200 events took place across 10 days, bringing together 415 authors, poets and artists from around the world. The audience grew threefold between 2015 and 2016, when over 31,000 people attended events.

Formed in 2014 by directors Syima Aslam and Irna Qureshi, the festival is driven by the belief that cultural engagement through literature has the power to change people’s lives. Annual festival highlights include a Bronte Heritage Weekend featuring talks and tours, and a comics convention with comics from many different cultures.

Aslam said: “The investment from Provident Financial has already enabled Bradford Literature Festival to become an event of national and international significance. By making this remarkable commitment to the next five years, the city can build on the opportunity to become a cultural destination of world renown, a development that goes hand in hand with its economic regeneration.”

Qureshi added: “Bradford’s diverse and dynamic community offers a unique opportunity for creating a festival of literature and ideas. Provident Financial’s long history of positive engagement in the community make it the ideal partner for the festival, and we are thrilled to be continuing the relationship for another five years.”

Peter Crook, chief executive at Provident Financial, added: “We have been hugely excited to see the growth of the festival, which has quickly become a flagship event for Bradford. Not only does it transform the city for ten days each year, it also delivers an exceptional programme of social inclusion and educational outreach, which complements Provident Financial’s work with communities in the region. We are delighted to continue our support to enable the festival to develop further over the next five years.”