Every business, school, club, organisation and individual in Bradford and district is being urged to get behind an appeal which has the potential to provide the key to unlocking the secret to good health.

The Born in Bradford Appeal, which is being backed by the Telegraph & Argus, is the world's largest research study into children's health.

The lives of more than 10,000 babies born in the city in 2007/08 will be tracked by medical experts starting from their mother's pregnancy until their are at least 16.

The knowledge gained from the massive research project is intended to find out the causes of ill health and help treat future generations.

The study will cost about £3 million but it has already attracted £1 million from the Department of Health and the European Commission.

It is hoped the community of Bradford will once more come together to raise £1 million towards to the costs.

The money will go towards paying for research equipment, research staff and laboratory staff to analyse the results and come up with the causes of common childhood illnesses.

Chairman of the Born in Bradford fundraising committee, Linda Pollard, is no stranger to taking on such a daunting task. This will be the third time Mrs Pollard has led the charge to raise £1 million in Bradford. Needless to say the first two appeals were a resounding success.

She chaired the T&A's Millennium Scanner appeal which saw the people of Bradford raise £1 million to bring an MRI scanner to the city and she was also head of fundraising for the Telegraph & Argus Bradford Can Cancer Research Appeal which raised more than £1 million for cancer research.

And this week Imran Khan, patron of the Born in Bradford project, laid the foundation stone for a new cancer research centre in the city where this money will be spent trying to find a cure for cancer.

As Mrs Pollard points out, the two appeals raked in more than was asked for - £2.6 million - to improve healthcare and research in Bradford and district.

"They show the generosity of the community in Bradford and district, " said Mrs Pollard, who is chairman of West Yorkshire Strategic Health Authority and former chairman of Bradford District Care Trust.

"What we have got to do now is get people to understand the benefits of the Born in Bradford project and the wins that can be achieved, not just for the Bradford district, but for themselves and for generations to come.

"I need clubs, pubs, businesses, both large and small to get behind this. I need the university and everyone who helped us before to make this project a success."

Mrs Pollard hopes to get every schoolchild in Bradford asking about what makes them ill and believes if this can be achieved it will be a "huge leap forward in terms of public health".

She said key to making the project work was to get women to agree to register and start talking about the project as well.

"Lets put Bradford centre stage, " she said. "We have done it before and we can do it again. We can be proud of Bradford being a world leader."

HOW YOU CAN HELP Born In Bradford is a unique opportunity for people to get involved in the world's biggest study into children's health which is taking place in our city.

A £1 million community fundraising appeal, backed by the Telegraph & Argus, has been launched towards the estimated £3 million cost.

The money raised through the appeal will go towards paying for research equipment, research staff and laboratory staff to run the project and to analyse the results to come up with the causes of common childhood illnesses. We are urging businesses, community groups and individuals to back the appeal which will help improve the health of future generations.

To support the appeal, contact project manager Dr Pauline Raynor on (01274) 364021 or e-mail: pauline.raynor@bradfordhospitals.nhs.uk