THE appeal to raise money for a memorial to the city's World War One heroes has been given a boost.

Bradford Family History Society has donated £500 to the Honour the Pals appeal, which will help pay for a new memorial in France to the Bradford Pals killed at the Battle of the Somme.

And a performance of wartime prose and poetry, by the Bradford Civic Society and Ilkley Playhouse, raised more than £200 at City Hall on Remembrance Sunday.

The Telegraph & Argus has joined forces with Bradford Council to set up the Honour the Pals appeal, with the support of the Bradford World War One Group.

People from across the district are being asked to donate to help pay for the memorial, which would hopefully be unveiled in a ceremony in France to mark the centenary of the start of the battle on July 1, 2016.

The overall appeal total now stands at well over £2,000.

Bill Boldy, a committee member of the Bradford Family History Society, said: "We saw the appeal in the paper and my first thought was that we should support it."

READ MORE ON BRADFORD'S WORLD WAR ONE CENTENARY COMMEMORATIONS

Mr Boldy said the society regularly had guest speakers at its meetings and one of the recent speakers was Tricia Platts of the World War One Group.

He said: "She had slides which showed the memorials in France for places like Accrington, which were fantastic. Ours is apparently a small plaque which you could easily miss, so it sounds like this is a worthwhile project."

The Bradford Family History Society helps people piece together the stories from their family's past. Mr Boldy said an uncle of his, for example, had fought in the First World War.

The story of Corporal Henry Boldy, who survived nearly three years on the Western Front, was recounted in the T&A last month.

READ MORE ON THE HONOUR THE PALS APPEAL

Cpl Boldy, of the 6th Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment, volunteered as a bomb thrower and was reputedly awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his service.

HOW TO DONATE TO THE HONOUR THE PALS APPEAL

Donate to the Honour The Pals appeal online

Alternatively, to donate by post, send a cheque, payable to 'Honour the Pals Appeal', with your name and address and contact details to Honour the Pals Appeal, Telegraph & Argus, Hall Ings, Bradford, BD1 1JR.

Anyone responding by post can also leave messages of dedication to the fallen soldiers by filling out the special section of the Honour The Pals Appeal coupon (download here).

The messages, to be of a maximum of 50 words, will be uploaded in the T&A's special Honour The Pals dedications gallery.

The new memorial would also recognise the sacrifice made by local men from other battalions and regiments who fought and died in the First World War.