BRADFORD came together for an evening of laughter and tears, raising £8900 for Child Bereavement UK.

The event, held at the Bradford Hotel, was devised by local solicitor Nasreen Karim in memory of her sister, Shaheen Akhtar, who died ten years ago.

The evening was hosted by comedian Tez Ilyas (Live from the Apollo), and included performances by Infiniti, Stage 84 and The Discount Comedy Checkout.

There were thought-provoking speeches by prominent members of the community including Stan Hardy, Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire; Zulfi Karim, Head of the Council of Mosques and Councillor Doreen Lee, Lord Mayor of Bradford.

Councillor Lee made the organisation one of her charities of the year as she was bereaved of her daughter, leaving her to bring up her two grandchildren.

Nasreen was joined by Councillor Lee and three other members of the community, who courageously shared their personal experiences of bereavement.

The audience also heard from Ann Chalmers, Chief Executive of Child Bereavement UK, who spoke about the work of Child Bereavement UK and thanked everyone for supporting the charity’s work in Bradford.

CEO Ann Chalmers said: “We are immensely grateful to Nasreen for organising such a wonderful event, and to the many members of the community who came along to support Child Bereavement UK.

"The event movingly demonstrated that there are no boundaries where grief is concerned, and how powerful it can be to share those experiences. Grief affects everyone regardless of faith, age, ethnicity or background.”