A millionaire property developer is among those flying the flag for Bradford in a national Asian sports awards scheme.

Jasbir Athwal, 47, of Idle, is passionate about golf and visits schools in the district to introduce the sport to children through his Waterton Park Asian Golf Society.

His work has won national recognition and he is one of three nominees on a shortlist of businessmen competing for the Community Business in Sport award in the British Asian Sports Awards, organised by Sony Entertainment Asia.

With the help of PGA-accredited golf teacher Simon Hotham and Zaffai Ahmed, a teacher at Belle Vue Boys’ School, the voluntary group has introduced the game to hundreds of youngsters since it was set up six years ago.

Eight schools have arranged for Mr Athwal to run six one-hour sessions next month. During visits, small groups of children learn the basic skills of golf and at the end of the six sessions, pupils visit a golf club.

Mr Athwal, who used to play rugby league for the Bradford Northern Colts, said: “Sport is a great leveller and the way that we run the sessions they are not competing against anyone but themselves and with that brings confidence.

“There are also a lot of social skills they can learn from golf, such as etiquette and counting, and it is a sociable game.”

He said the nomination was about the success of a community initiative in Bradford, rather than a personal gain.

Every year the Asian Golf Society holds a fundraising tournament at Bradford Golf Club and its profile was given a boost last summer when top professional golfer Lee Westwood took part.

The Community Business in Sport category includes fellow nominees Manoj Badale, chairman of the British Asian Trust, and hotelier Surinder Arora.

Promising Bradford cricketer Adil Rashid, 20, currently on the West Indies tour with England, is also shortlisted in the award for Most Up and Coming Sports Personality of the Year. The leg-spinner and talented bastman is also an established Yorkshire player.

And Manningham schoolboy footballer Hanif Hussain, ten, is in the running for Young Sports Personality of the Year.

The winners are decided by a public telephone vote ahead of a glitzy awards ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on Saturday.

For details on how to vote before Friday night’s deadline, visit basauk.tv/