Will you stick to your New Year's resolution

And while you are thinking about whether to give up smoking, get to the gym or take up swimming, Bradford's celebrities have already made their New Year resolutions.

Panto star Billy Pearce, will be busy in 2003 if he sticks to his - slightly tongue in cheek - pledge. He said: "My resolution is to do more work on the house, to get the bedroom sorted out and build a garage for my car - with a house attached!"

And his co-star, Princess Malandra Burrows, Kathy Bates in Emmerdale, definitely will not be popping out to the January sales if she manages to keep her resolution. She said: "My new year's resolution is to do less shopping and not to buy so many shoes!"

Chart-topper Gareth Gates certainly hit the right note this year with a medley of number one smash records. But he doesn't make New Year's resolutions.

His mum Wendy said: "We don't really go for that. I have never made or kept any and I don't think Gareth does either. We don't have a tradition of keeping them."

Bradford City manager Nicky Law, who has survived a turbulent year at the club, hopes for less drama off the pitch.

He said: "I hope we can have a bit more successful year and an easier time than the last 12 months, and a bit less drama off the pitch."

Council leader Margaret Eaton is hoping for a bit more time at home.

She said: "I want to try to create a better life/work balance.

"My resolution would be to enjoy my private life but to still have the energy and commitment to move Bradford forward to the place it should be."

Best-selling Bradford-born author Alexandra Potter is pledging to do what many of us promise, but rarely keep.

"I'm afraid to say the first one has to be the old chestnut - get fit," she said.

"I run, but I've stopped this last couple of months as I've been working too hard, and so I want to get back into that.

"I also absolutely adore travelling and for the past four years I've written four novels back to back and I've really missed out on travelling.

"I'm going to take a couple of months out, buy myself a round-the-world ticket and I'm going to Peru to walk the Inca Trail, go to Africa on a safari, and visit my friends in Sydney.

"And thirdly, I want to try to write a comedy drama for TV. Something along the lines of Cold Feet meets Sex And The City. I'd like to try my hand at scriptwriting, so fingers crossed."

And Bradford magician Shahid Malik, said he was making two resolutions.

"The first is on the advice of my wife Lisa and that is to keep my desk tidy. It is an absolute mess and I have to make an effort to sort it out.

"And secondly I want to boycott all reality television shows. We have had enough of them. It is cheap, trashy television and we can do without it."

Meanwhile, one of Bradford's newest celebrities is hoping to head for the great outdoors.

Big Jack Taylor, who shot to fame after admitting he had not left his Manningham home for a quarter of a century, said his resolution was to "get out more."

The gentle giant has repeatedly turned down offers of free holidays after his extraordinary story first appeared in the Telegraph & Argus more than two years ago.

Jack, who weighs 50 stones, said: "I was just talking about this with my neighbour who said that I should go for a walk with her. That is my resolution for when the weather gets better. I want to go for a nice walk with my friends."

We asked Bradford people what the were hoping to achieve in 2003.

Laura Degnan, 18, of Allerton, who is a first year nursing student at University of Central Lancashire at Preston, said: "My resolution is definitely to study harder and to cut out all those trips to Pizza Hut. I even know the manager's first name I have been there so much!"

Claire Hainsworth, 19, a shopworker, of Undercliffe, said she wanted to lose weight. "I always make the same resolutions, lose weight, go to the gym, go out less and save more money but they only last a month."

Waheed Gul, 18, an IT student of Undercliffe said he was good at making and sticking to resolutions. "The year 2003 is the year I work harder, both in my studies and at the gym. I am good at keeping them though, unlike most other people who give up easily."

Imran Khan, 20, a student of Barkerend, said: "I want to spend more time with my mum, less time hanging with the boys. Life is too fast these days, we need to make time for people we care about."

Enzo Cavuoto, 40, top stylist at Mario's, Bradford, said his resolution is to see more of Italy. "I live in Bingley now but I miss home a lot. I went back in October and I want to go back again soon."

Emma Whitaker, 20, of Undercliffe, also a hairdresser at Mario's said she made but failed to keep the usual resolutions. "I always say I want to lose weight but the diet only lasts a week and then its out of the window."