Forty years ago, Bradford City were playing Lincolne City in the final game of the 1984-5 season, and Bradford were about to receive the Third Division Championship Trophy. Tragedy occurred when fire swept through the Valley Parade ground killing 56 fans and injuring as manay as 258.

From September 2025, Bradford PhD student Mia Coe will speak to survivors of the May 11, 1985 fire, friends and families of those who lost their lives, the emergency service workers who treated the injured and those who lived near Valley Parade, who opened their homes following the fire.

The findings may be used as tools and comfort for people living with dementia and historical trauma.

Mia said: “The fire is still felt so deeply in the community today. I was moved by going to the annual memorial service in Bradford.

I want all the participants to be at the heart of my research, and what it will look like. It is using heritage and archaeology as a therapeutic means

“I also want to understand how Bradford has changed over the last 40 years since the fire.”

From May 2026, she will recruit participants, who will then attend focus groups/workshops or one-to-one sessions to share their recollections of the fire.

MIa will run a series of workshops which will be designed as a space to discuss potential personalised future care plans based on their experiences with trauma.

Participants will also be encouraged to share objects important to them and offer their memories of what Bradford was like when they were growing up.

Mia started studying BSc Archaeology at the University of Bradford in 2019, staying on to complete a MA Archaeology and Identity, and is now carrying out her PhD as part of the White Rose Social Sciences Doctoral Training Partnership, the work will be carried out in partnership with the University’s Centre for Applied Dementia Studies, Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit (PSBRU) and the School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences.

Dr Kirsten Riches-Suman, Associate Professor of Biomedical Science at the University of Bradford, said: “The PSBRU is delighted to be supporting Mia with this important work.

“While the clinical research in our unit is dedicated to improving burn and wound care in the here and now, this project will help us to understand how we can further advocate for the people who were affected by the tragedy 40 years ago.

“We are very grateful for the continual support from the people of Bradford, and this project provides another way in which we can give back to the community.”

Karina Croucher, Professor of Archaeology, Heritage and Wellbeing at the University of Bradford, and Mia’s principal supervisor on the project, said: “We are delighted to support this important research which feeds into the growing use of archaeology and heritage for wellbeing today, exploring how the past can be used to positively impact communities.”

For further information on the tragic event see – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3r8r1408jro#:~:text=270%20seconds%2C%2056%20lives%20and,of%20the%20Bradford%20City%20fire&text=Forty%20years%20ago%20this%20weekend,the%20lives%20of%2056%20fans.