Comic con and cosplay craze unleashed in Bradford

The comic con came to Valley Parade today, attracting geeks of all ages for a fun day of "make believe".

Fans could meet Mike Quinn, who Star Wars fanatics will know as Nien Nunb, the co-pilot next to Lando Calrissian in Star Wars Return of the Jedi.

Becky Courtney, who has hosted the Unleashed Events comic con for six years now, said the event helps take people away from their daily lives.

The stage manager fell in love with cosplay and comic cons when she was younger as she transformed from a shy girl in her everyday life to a "confident" character in movies, television, gaming or anime.

She told the Telegraph & Argus: "When I first started doing it, I didn't like the real world. I was dressed as somebody who was confident and a character who was very sure of themself. Doing that has helped me become really confident.

"It's a place where everybody comes and knows they're in a safe place. We can all be nerds together.

"We're all from different walks of life.

"I would never have thought Bradford would be a place you could bring a comic con. The people of Bradford have been so welcoming to us.

"The kids love it and they want to come support it."

Children of all ages could be seen giggling and getting into character while a man dressed as a Marvel character played the part even as he asked for directions.

Kids, like seven-year-old Caitlin Blake pictured below, reenacted the cinema scene from Gremlins and took a seat in the shocker chair.

There was also Monsters Inc's Sully and his best mate, Mike, poised for photos.

Gorywoodfx were ready to create some movie magic with fake abrasions, wounds, and horns.

Page Bottomley travelled from Tadcaster and showed off her Freddie Mercury outfit complete with the 'I Want To Break Free' hoover.

Explaining her inspiration, she said: "It was when I was watching Bohemian Rhapsody. I'd lost about three and a half stone, I was like 'I think I can do this'.

"I'm not very confident but when I'm here people do look at me. No one cares about my weight.

"You can be yourself. You can really embrace who you are and make friends. It's an amazing community to be part of."

It's a similar story for Andy Stokoe from York who says it's about finding his people and enjoying people's company.

Andy, who works with children who have been through horrible experiences, says it is an escape.

He also uses the event to fundraise for animal charity Blue Cross and has raised thousands thanks to fellow cosplayers taking pictures with him over the years.

Dressed as command shield Nick Fury from the Marvel universe, he said: "I'm a nerd, I'm a geek. I've been collecting comic books since 1964.

"I can get my geek on. It's all make believe, it's all fun.

"To be able to do this in my spare time it's brilliant."