Sporting legends were out in force at a star-studded dinner at Valley Parade to boost funds for the Lord Mayor of Bradford's Appeal.

Bradford City Football Club was awash with former and present leading lights of cricket, football and both codes of rugby last night for the Sporting Legends Dinner to raise cash for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Bradford's Special Burns Research Unit.

England fly-half Charlie Hodgson joined cricket legend Fred Trueman OBE, former Bradford Bulls captain Robbie Paul, Bulls assistant coach Steve McNamara, Bradford City FC legends Stuart McCall and John Hendrie, City's veteran striker Dean Windass and former Great Britain international at both League and Union John Bentley, at the dinner for 270 guests.

Mr Trueman, who took 1,745 wickets for Yorkshire and is a patron of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said: "Both charities do absolutely marvellous work and I am very pleased to be the patron of Yorkshire Air Ambulance. The dinner was a wonderful idea and the people of Yorkshire are very generous and support the things these charities do."

England fly-half Charlie Hodgson took time out from the England Rugby squad's bid for Six Nations glory ahead of a Zurich Premiership game against Leeds Tykes tonight, to support last night's fundraiser.

The former Bradford Grammar School pupil, who is also a patron of Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said he was delighted to return to Bradford.

He said: "It's always nice to come back to Bradford and see family and familiar faces. If I can help at all to come to events like this to help raise money, it's the least I can do. It must be hard work to raise such a big amount of money for the charity and it's a great asset."

Mr Hodgson donated the shirt he wore in England's Six Nations game against Wales three weeks ago, signed by the squad, to be put up for auction.

Guests dug deep to bid for a host of unique lots including a Bradford City shirt signed by Stuart McCall and John Hendrie from Stuart McCall's testimonial, a signed print of Matthew Hoggart's hat-trick against the West Indies in 2004 and a signed cricket bat and photographs from Imran Khan.

The Lord Mayor of Bradford Councillor Valerie Binney said: "We have had fantastic support and it has been quite overwhelming. It is so important to support these two charities. It costs £3,500 a day to keep the air ambulance in the air.

"The burns unit does amazing research, especially helping women who have had breast cancer to have re-constructive surgery. They are two wonderful charities."

Bradford's Special Burns Research Unit, based at Bradford Royal Infirmary and the University of Bradford, was set up in the wake of the 1985 Bradford City fire disaster, which claimed the lives of 56 supporters.

Stuart McCall, who played during that match and whose father suffered burns in the tragedy, has seen how the unit's work has helped to rebuild people's lives.

"It's a great cause," said the Bradford City legend. "All of the people here tonight get invited to a lot of things and can't go to them all but as soon as we found out it was for the burns unit, we said 'yes.' My dad had to have skin grafts and I have seen first hand the work the unit does."

Robbie Paul, who now plays for Huddersfield Giants, added: "The dinner is for a great cause and it's great to be back in Bradford."

The Lord Mayor's Appeal has already raised about £40,000 and organisers hoped last night's dinner will boost it by £6,000.