VIDEO: Feathers fly in Centenary Square poverty protest (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Bradford pillow fight highlights plight of homeless

7:21pm Thursday 15th July 2010 in News By Hannah Baker

Visitors to Bradford city centre were taken by surprise today when a giant pillow fight broke out in Centenary Square.

The random ‘flash mob’ stunt, which involved about 60 people, aimed to raise awareness of poverty in the city.

Participants spelt out the word ‘poverty’ as part of a routine choreographed by Deana Morgan, of Shipley-based dance school DM Academy.

Mariam Ahmed, a youth worker at Bradford Youth Development Partnership, who organised the event with the help of ITV Fixers, said: “I went to Peru last year where there is a lot of poverty but I thought it was important to raise awareness of the issue here as well, as poverty affects people in this country too.”

Meanwhile, the National Housing Federation has warned that cuts to housing benefit will put more than 17,500 people across Yorkshire and Humberside at risk of homelessness.