Bradford Civic Society member Nathalie Tolmie-Thompson is on the hunt for Bradford’s most beautiful doorway, and is asking people on social media to share a ‘door a day’ to be in with a chance of winning a coveted Civic Society pin badge. In a guest blog, Nathalie explains what inspired the competition idea and how it will work:

“November is upon us and Winter is coming in Bradford as it is much of the Northern hemisphere. As we return to the curled-up positions as dark envelops our days and the cold sets in, it is a momentous time for reflection and reminiscing on the good things we have in our lives.

And if you’re fortunate enough to be a Bradfordian, no amount of family drama or work stress need get in the way of having a mindful moment with your city, and in this spirit, I have collaborated with the Bradford Civic Society to launch this month the A Door A Day campaign – designed to bring us together and appreciate the great entryways that Bradford has hiding away, but also in plain sight.

How is this going to work?

To add a sprinkle of fun to the reverie this campaign is also a competition, a photo competition to be exact and the best entry will receive one of the highly-prized Bradford Civic Society pins that you can proudly sport upon your breast or trilby or whatever.

The rules are simple: Your entries are limited to one photo per day for each individual, but you can use all the platforms Bradford Civic Society use (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram). You must @ them in and use the hashtag #ADoorADay to be in the running. The photo must be of a door within Bradford, and you must also provide a brief description of the location of the door. Bradford Civic Society will be liking and retweeting notable door photographs throughout the month and will announce an overall winner on the 1st of December.

Why doors?

Bradford Civic Society are big on their buildings and spaces, and we as a city are very fortunate that so many of the beautiful ornate doorways of the Industrial era (and before and since) are so remarkably well preserved they deserve to be shouted about. On a more symbolic level, doors are a poignant representation of change – be that the turn of the seasons and the dawning of the upcoming festival of light period (Diwali, Hanukkah, Yule, Christmas, or Bodhi Day), or the personal metamorphosis of new relationships, business ventures, or changes in circumstance. Doors provide us with the opportunity to walk through them and embrace the ambience of something a bit different but also the opportunity to walk away in the light that it is not yet your time or maybe it just isn’t worth it.

Whatever doors mean to you, for their aesthetic offerings and for their structural integrity they are something we take for granted but benefit a great deal from so the time has come to adore a door and get snapping: are you in or are you out?”

Follow Nathalie on Twitter here and don’t forget to find Bradford Civic Society on Twitter and Instagram too.