THREE very different venues, all with the same purpose of providing a location for leisure, were shortlisted in this category.

From getting fit at easyGym, to attending an Indian dance class at Kala Sangam, this award had it all covered.

But the winner that shone through was LaserZone Bradford, in Thornton Road.

LaserZone – which also has a venue in Huddersfield – offers thrill-seekers the chance to battle it out with laser guns in a two-storey arena.

Each venue has a unique theme and the Bradford location is based around an underground bio-chemical warfare research station.

It includes various different sections, such as a train depot, shooting range, kennels, cold storage, biolab, cells and the Red Queen.

Owner Paul Simmonds said: “I’m absolutely over the moon and ecstatic that people have actually voted for us.

“To be in the top three was a win for me, to actually get the trophy as well, I’m blown away.

“I really thank everybody that voted for us.”

The first year of the Retail, Leisure and Hospitality Awards brought out the best in Bradford.

Mr Simmonds admits he was shocked to scoop top spot given the level of competition in the category. He said: “Well, I didn’t think we’d win when I saw who we were up against. Again, it was just the case that plenty of people obviously thought that we deserved recognition for the last ten years of what we’ve put into Bradford.”

The venue has customers return time and time again, while also running a variety of different events throughout the year.

Laser tag may seem a foreign concept to many, but Mr Simmonds reiterates that it is a fun pastime for “anybody”.

He said: “Once a year, a family group come down to us.

“They hire the place out for the evening and there’s four generations of the same family who come down and play and there’s 30 of them – from five or six-year-olds up to granny who is 80-odd. They come down every year and they’ve been doing that for the last 10 years.

“It’s a great leveller for everybody. It doesn’t matter whether you’re tall, small, fat, thin, old, young, anybody can play and it’s good fun and good exercise.”