A PROJECT will tell the story of the role played by Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) people on the day of the Bradford City fire disaster - thanks to money from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Bradford City Community Foundation will use the £40,100 grant for Unheard Voices, which will document the experiences of the surrounding community and how they were affected by the tragedy.

A spokesman for the foundation said: "Thanks to National Lottery players, the project will tell the unheard story of how the local BME community helped people on the day of the tragic fire in 1985."

The project starts this month and will be led by a steering group which, together with a project manager and staff from Bradford City Community Foundation, will recruit and train volunteers in oral history skills so they can get involved in focus groups and workshops for people to share their memories.

The spokesman said: "We want to gather the memories of people who lived in the local area surrounding the football club in 1985, and of fans who fled the ground and were helped by the local community.

"The project will enable these stories to be captured in a short film and a book and then to be shared.

"The tragic fire in 1985 was a key event in the history of the local community, as it was for Bradford City Football Club, its fans, the people of Bradford and the whole sporting community.

"The project will enable the unheard stories from that time to be heard and shared."

Ian Ormondroyd, who is manager of the Community Foundation, said: "We are thrilled to have received the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund and are confident the project will give the Unheard Voices the opportunity to be heard and for people to gain new skills."

Fiona Spiers, head of the Heritage Lottery Fund for Yorkshire and the Humber, said: "The tragic events of May 1985 changed Bradford forever, with the city still grieving 30 years on. The project will provide the local community with the opportunity to come together and enable their unheard stories to be documented and told."

Bradford City Community Foundation is the community charity of Bradford City Football Club. It provides football coaching and education to young people, works with young people aged 16 to 18 on the National Citizen Service, and has done several projects in the local community.