Today the Telegraph & Argus launches what is arguably its most important campaign ever for the future of Bradford.

The city centre is undergoing a massive upheaval as part of the £300 million plan to revive its fortunes with the spectacular Broadway development.

It will be nearly two years before that scheme starts to bear fruit but, in the meanwhile, a large area of town is going to look like a bombsite for some time to come.

Understandably, perhaps, that might just put a few people off coming to shop here.

Some might be tempted away by the expensive bright lights of Leeds or the far-flung convenience of Meadowhall.

But the city still has a fantastic amount to offer and where will it leave the retailers and shopkeepers who've battled on in Bradford through good times and bad if their customers desert them?

The T&A has teamed up with Bradford Council and the district's local strategic partnership, Bradford Vision, to launch a new initiative aimed at encouraging local residents to support their local shops and services while the city centre's regeneration is going on.

The "Buy It In Bradford" campaign is designed to encourage you to make the purchases you need in local shops wherever possible and as often as you can in Bradford city centre.

By putting your hard-earned cash back into the local economy you can have a major impact on ensuring that Bradford has an even better city centre in the future.

Supporting local retailers will, in turn, help to keep them in business and encourage them to stick with Bradford while its future takes shape. And, at the same time, it will help to protect local jobs.

The Buy It In Bradford campaign is being funded with a £100,000 grant from the district's Economic Development Partnership and cash support from Bradford Vision and two of the city's leading retail institutions, Sunwin House and the Kirkgate Centre.

The huge publicity campaign urging you to "Buy It In Bradford" whenever you can will be backed by hundreds of retailers who will also be teaming up to offer discounts and prizes for shoppers who give their support to the city's stores.

Almost 200,000 Shoppers' Loyalty Cards are being distributed to homes across the district over the next two weeks on the back of the Bradford Council Services A-Z Telephone Guide.

Every night for the rest of this year - starting on February 14 - the T&A will be donating space to feature a money-off or money-saving bargain offer from a local retailer or service supplier.

All you will have to do to take advantage of the offer is to present your card when you make your purchase.

Each card has a unique number and we will be using this to trigger nightly cash prizes in a special "Lucky Numbers" promotion in the T&A which will also feature some superb weekly bonus prizes.

Take care of your card as the offers and prizes will be running throughout 2005.

Every district needs a thriving city centre at its heart.

Bradford will never compete directly with Leeds - it's a bigger city with a massive head start - and nobody minds if people want to go there for a treat from time to time.

But Bradford is the fourth largest metropolitan district in the country and its residents deserve a centre that is good enough for most people to want to shop here most of the time.

We're well on the way - and the Broadway development will be a big step towards fulfilling that promise - but Bradford needs YOU to help it blossom and grow and once again become a city that we can all be proud of.