ON Sunday, May 12, Bradford West MP Naz Shah received a chocolate cake from Islamic Relief as part of the charity’s Ramadan Cake Campaign raising funds for Syria.

The Cake Campaign, formerly Cakes4Syria, was the brainchild of a group of volunteers in Bradford seven years ago.

More than 125,000 cakes have been delivered and over one million pounds raised.

Now, the cakes are delivered in more than 1,200 postcodes across the country.

This year, Islamic Relief UK is hoping to raise up to £300,000 for its work in Syria.

Islamic Relief is one of the largest providers of aid in Syria.

In 2018, the charity assisted almost 2.5 million people across the country with a range of services from health and education, to food and livelihood support.

Since the start of the crisis in 2011, Islamic Relief has helped fund more than £278 million worth of aid and assistance to Syria and helped more than four million Syrians inside and outside the country.

Naz Shah, Bradford West MP, said: “I am proud to support Islamic Relief UK’s Ramadan Cake Campaign.

“It’s fantastic to see so many young people from Bradford volunteering to raise money for Syria, where so many people are still living in horrific conditions.

“Verse 5:32 of the Qu’ran says: ‘Whosoever saves a life, saves the whole of mankind.’ It is great to Muslims adhering to this principle and helping vulnerable people, particularly during Ramadan.”

Tufail Hussain, Interim Director of Islamic Relief UK, said: “The crisis in Syria is far from over and for more than three million people in the north west of the country, there is still no end to this living nightmare.

“The past few weeks have seen a critical escalation in attacks on North Western Syria, causing even more people to flee their homes.

“I am so proud to lead an organisation that inspires young people to be sensitive to the suffering of those in Syria, while also serving their local communities.”

Ateeq Salik, Northern Regional Fundraising Manager for Islamic Relief UK, said: “Ramadan is a time for Muslims to reflect and show compassion for those less fortunate than ourselves.

“It is incredible that Islamic Relief UK volunteers persevere with this at a time when most of them are fasting from dawn until dusk.

“Many of them work extremely hard during the week and then use their free time to deliver their cakes – often in hot weather.

“We are so proud to have so many young people on board supporting Islamic Relief UK, knowing that the money raised will go to our work saving lives in Syria.

“We definitely couldn’t deliver the Cake Campaign without them.”