Bradford Literature Festival (BLF) is deeply saddened to learn of the death of Mark Garratt. We celebrate the life of a longstanding friend and steadfast supporter of the festival, and a passionate champion for Bradford and its people.
Mark was part of the Bradford Literature Festival story from its start, as one of our original Advisory Board members, and played a pivotal role in establishing the relationship between the festival and the University of Bradford, where he served as Director of External Affairs. The strength of the partnership that exists between our two organisations today owes a great deal to his belief in what the BLF could become, and to his determination to bring people and organisations together for the benefit of the city.
Mark was, above all, a great connector of people. He understood instinctively that strong partnerships are built through relationships, trust and a willingness to share ideas. He was extraordinarily generous with his networks, his knowledge and his support, and was always looking for opportunities to connect people who could make something happen together.
He also shared one of the principles at the heart of Bradford Literature Festival: the importance of creating spaces in which people can come together to debate, discuss, and understand different experiences and perspectives. He declared that BLF was “a model of how society should be”.
He did not simply support that from the sidelines; over the years, Mark took part in festival panel discussions himself. At a particularly memorable 2016 event ‘Adoption and Care: The Secret of My Success’, where he joined Lemn Sissay, Kit de Waal, Naz Shah and Ralph Dartford to speak candidly about his own experience of the care system. It was characteristic of Mark that he understood the importance of creating spaces in which personal experience, difficult questions and different perspectives could be openly shared and discussed.
Just this year, he joined Robert Nisbet, Naz Shah MP and former First Minister for Scotland Humza Yousaf, to discuss the topic of ‘What does Britain think it is now?’.
His belief in Bradford, its cultural life and its potential never diminished, and neither did his willingness to advocate for the festival and the city. Mark understood that culture, education and civic life are stronger when organisations work together rather than apart. His contribution helped lay the foundations for a partnership that continues to grow, and his impact on Bradford Literature Festival will be felt for many years to come.
We will remember Mark with enormous affection and gratitude: as a friend of the festival, a champion of Bradford, a generous supporter of others and someone who always understood the power of bringing people together. We are proud to continue that legacy through the partnerships he helped to build, and by continuing to create spaces for connection, debate and discussion across the city he cared so deeply about.
Our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues at this very sad time.
Mark Garratt: 4 August 1965 – 4 August 2026