THIS year’s Christmas Star Appeal got underway today – with the district’s Lord Mayor dedicating the first star to a “good friend.”

Each year, people can dedicate gold stars in memory of family or friends which are placed on the Christmas tree at City Hall in Bradford.

The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Shabir Hussain, has launched this year’s Appeal by dedicating a tribute to Abdul Iftikhar.

Cllr Hussain, who has served on Bradford Council since 2006, said: “Abdul is a friend and a brother who has been there through the good times and the bad.

“Everyone should have a good friend like him”

People who dedicate a star will be invited to the banqueting suite at City Hall on Wednesday, December 8 for a tea or coffee and a mince pie with the Lord Mayor.

The event gives people a chance to see their Christmas Star on the City Hall Christmas tree.

The Christmas Star evening is always one of the most poignant dates in the civic calendar and has come to mean a great deal to residents of the district.

The evening sees around 200 tributes dedicated to late family and friends during December which form an important part of the festive appeal.

The annual Christmas Stars Appeal is run in partnership with the Telegraph & Argus.

The stars are £5 each to buy and all the money raised is donated to the Lord Mayor’s Appeal, which this year is going towards supporting Marie Curie Hospice Bradford and the Bradford Community Kitchen.

Marie Curie is the UK’s leading end of life charity. It provides frontline nursing and hospice care, a free support line and a wealth of information and support on all aspects of dying, death and bereavement.

The Bradford Hospice is one of nine hospices that offer the reassurance of specialist care and support, in a friendly, welcoming environment, for people living with a terminal illness and their loved ones. The dedicated team here in Bradford care for local people who are living with a terminal illness, and their families.

Meanwhile, Bradford Community Kitchen began in 2017 when a group of people who had been volunteering feeding homeless and vulnerable people in Bradford got together having seen a need to do more than just provide food. It wanted to be able to see what the unmet needs of the homeless and vulnerable were and signpost them to organisations that could help improve their lives.

Last year, when the Covid-19 pandemic struck, and the use of indoor premises was no longer possible, the trustees met and decided they should operate as a food bank. They knew their homeless clients were being offered accommodation and that other vulnerable clients would be safer if it delivered food to their homes.

It targeted families with children, their motto being “No child should go hungry”.

To take part in this year’s Christmas Star Appeal, simply fill out the coupon in Tuesday's paper and return it to the address provided on the form, with a cheque or postal order.