MORE THAN 100 refugees and asylum seekers filled a skip with rubbish during a litter pick through Bradford as a thank you for the district's hospitality.

The event, organised by senior Bradford Minister, Pastor Benjamin Ayesu, in partnership with Bradford Council, Bradford Trident and other bodies, as part of the Thank U Bradford project, attracted 120 volunteers to collect litter.

The group, which included refugees who had fled troubles in countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan and the Congo, gathered in Centenary Square on Saturday for the City Clean Up.

They gathered up litter from around the city centre and the mass litter pick then made its way up Manchester Road, where the event ended with food and cultural entertainment at the Mayfield Centre.

Pastor Ayesu said: "It has been very successful and we had more volunteers than we expected. There has been a lot of support from the public.

"We filled a skip with rubbish, so hopefully we have managed to transform the city. We have achieved our aim. I am so happy. With all the discord in the world at the moment, this is uplifting."

Bradford East MP David Ward, who attended the start of the event, said: "It was a wonderful gesture from people who have managed to escape from awful circumstances. Bradford has welcomed them in the way it traditionally does, and that must be a good thing."