Young Bradford artist's winning design takes pride of place on LNER train

Khyreece, aged 13, from Oastlers School, impressed the judges with a bold and colourful design inspired by Bradford Live. Reopened in 2025, the iconic venue has quickly become a landmark addition to the city's cultural landscape. The winning artwork has now been transformed into a bespoke moquette – the distinctive patterned fabric traditionally used on train seats. 

Twenty-six seats on an LNER InterCity 225 set have been reupholstered using the winning design. The train travelled to Bradford Forster Square station today, giving Khyreece the opportunity to see their artwork installed onboard for the very first time. 

The competition, delivered in partnership by Bradford 2025, Community Rail Lancashire, LNER, Camira and Diamond Rail Services, encouraged children and young people aged 16 and under from across the Bradford district to celebrate local pride, creativity and Bradford's cultural heritage through a unique train seat design. 

More than 500 entries were received following workshops held in schools and community venues, with the winning design selected by a judging panel of representatives from all the competition’s partners.  

The winning moquette has been manufactured by West Yorkshire-based Camira, which produces transport fabrics used across the UK and internationally, before being expertly fitted to the train seat cushions by Diamond Rail Services. 

Karen Bennett, Community Rail Education Development Officer, said: “The standard of entries was exceptional and really demonstrated the creativity and imagination of young people across the Bradford district. It has been fantastic to see so many schools and communities embrace the project, and seeing the winning design transformed into a real train seat has been a wonderful way to celebrate everyone's hard work.” 

Stuart Thomas, Communications Director at LNER, said: “This has been a brilliant partnership that has brought together creativity, community and the railway in a truly unique way. Seeing Khyreece's design brought to life onboard one of our trains is incredibly special, and we're delighted that thousands of customers travelling to and from Bradford and many other destinations will be able to enjoy the design. As Bradford's official travel partner during its UK City of Culture year, we're proud to help showcase the talent and creativity of the city's young people.” 

Jenny Dempsey, Managing Director of Diamond Rail Services, said: “Transforming a young person's artwork into a finished railway seat has been a fantastic project to be part of. Our team has taken great care in installing the bespoke moquette, and it's wonderful to see the finished seats on board. We hope customers enjoy travelling on them and appreciate the creativity behind this fantastic project.” 

Honor Clough, Area Business Manager – Rail UK & Western Europe at Camira, said: “Camira has a long history of producing transport fabrics that combine performance with great design, so we were delighted to be involved in this special project. It has been inspiring to work with such a creative winning design, and we're proud that the finished moquette will become part of the travelling experience for passengers visiting Bradford and beyond.”