BRADFORD'S so-called Jesus Man could be displayed in an open casket as part of his funeral, said one of his close friends.

Plans for Geoffrey Brindley's send-off are underway - with Pudsey textile firm Hainsworth donating a 100 per cent wool coffin.

And Mr Brindley's friend has revealed to the Telegraph & Argus hopes for how the funeral will pan out.

"We believe the ceremony should be conducted as follows, with a horse-drawn carriage from Centenary Square, a procession along Hall Ings leading up to Bradford Cathedral. From there we carry on along Bolton Road up to Peel Park where the open casket is put on display, hopefully for at least two hours, and from there we proceed to Undercliffe Cemetery and lay his body to rest.

"We will need a horse and cart, marquees and a burial plot."

A spokesman for Hainsworth said: "We were very sorry to hear about the passing of Geoffrey Brindley, who was regularly spotted walking past our mill in Pudsey, and in and around the local area.

"He was a character known to many at the mill and as a consequence we would like to offer one of our Natural Legacy coffins to the arranger of the funeral as a mark of respect of his standing in the local community and as a gesture from the employees at the Hainsworth mill."

The spokesman added: "I had about five employees come up to me saying Mr Brindley was such a character and that we should be doing this.

"He was well-respected in the area and there seems to be quite a big following among employees that we should do this. We are a very Yorkshire-based product and he was a very Yorkshire-based man."

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Meanwhile, two more fundraising websites have been set up to try and raise money to pay for a statue of Mr Brindley.

Both pages - https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/roger-mitchell-1 and https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/janette-barraclough - have set targets of £10,000 each.

Mr Brindley's close friend also suggested people could donate towards the funeral and a memorial at any local place of worship and also at Bradford Cathedral.

Imran Khan, 33, of Khan-Can People's Charity, regularly chatted with Mr Brindley and had a picture taken with him.

He said: "I am so honoured to have a picture with him and so honoured to talk to him and meet him. I think Bradford Council should do a statue for him in Centenary Square.

"Bradford is definitely going to be lost without him. It was a sad day for Bradford."

He added: "I used to go out of my shop and have a chat with him. He was a really nice guy and a real walker."

A Council spokesman said: "Rather than being driven by the Council, it's an issue for communities to initiate and take forward and we will look to support such activities, where we can."

Leejay Roberts, who created a rap song in tribute to Mr Brindley, hopes to hold an event dedicated to the Jesus Man in Centenary Square, Bradford, this Sunday at 2pm.

The 21-year-old, of Eccleshill, said: "It is just for a peace gathering, nothing over the top. A nice gathering where people can come down and enjoy the time. Something where everyone can gather and pay their respects."