MORE than 100 guests packed into the banqueting suite at City Hall for the inaugural Bradford Pride Awards which recognises work carried out in the LGBT community.

The event was hosted by Bradford Council in partnership with local groups with winners announced in seven categories.

Organiser, Councillor Richard Dunbar said: "Tonight is a night of celebration in which the Bradford district says loudly and proudly that the LGBT community do matter and along with our allies we do make a great contribution to making this city the warm, vibrant and friendly place people are starting to recognise us for.

"This event, I'd argue, is very much a showcase event of our LGBT History Month programme of events. At the beginning of November we had zero events planned, by January we had 109."

Speakers included writer, artist and activist Nicola Field, who was the original member of Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners group, which supported the striking British miners in the 1980s.

Award categories were: LGBT Group, sponsored by West Yorkshire Police; Young Active Citizen, presented by Tom Doyle, chief executive of Yorkshire Mesmac; LBGT Community Champion, presented by Ann Kendal, Equity Partnership; Incommunities LGBT Volunteer Award, presented by Dave Forrest, director of Bradford Volunteering Centre; The Scene Award, presented by Jason Courcoux, general manager of Flares; Outstanding Contribution to the LGB Community, presented by Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe and Outstanding Contribution to the Transgender Community, presented by Councillor Abdul Jabar.