Asian Sunday Newspaper Edition77

MAR 2015 EDITION 77

For the indiv idual who wants to know more about S outh Asian BUSINESS,C OMMUNIT Y & LIFEST YLE

Your FREE pull out Asian Style Magazine inside CELEBRATING TWENTY ONE YEARS OF BCD RADIO

RATNA LACHMAN DISCUSSES WOMEN, YOUTH AND POLITICS

MUSLIM WOMEN MAKE A STAND AGAINST ISIS

BRADFORD REACTS TO COUNCIL TAX INCREASE

More on pages 10 and 11

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CONTACTING US

JACOBS WELL TO BE DEMOLISHED

FOR NEW PRIVATE SECTOR FUNDED£20M BUSINESS HUB

Address:

facilities that would bring more employment opportunities to the city, and greater footfall in the city centre.

BRADFORD OFFICE Asian Sunday Newspaper Bradford Chamber Business Park,New Lane, Bradford, BD4 8BX

When completed the Hub will accommodate up to 3,500 staff from right across the public sector which would enable them to deliver more streamlined services and share information and working practices.

Enquiries: 0333 577 0046 info@asiansunday.co.uk Sales: 0779 599 6665 sales@asiansunday.co.uk News: 0333 577 0046 newsdesk@asiansunday.co.uk Editor: Editor@asiansunday.co.uk www.asiansunday.co.uk

C re d i t s MANAGING EDITOR Fatima Patel PUBLISHER I & E Media Ltd. DESIGN & ARTWORK David Jones reporteRS Aalia Khan Ninder Kaur Ayyaz Malik Swati Chauhan Sunny Malik COLUMNISTS Ralph Berry PHOTOGRAPHY Ali Khan Riaz Ahmed ACCOUNTS Barry Smith - Adam & Co

Artists impression of the Jacobs Well Business Hub

A ground-breaking scheme is being forged to create a public service hub building in Bradford that would bring together people who work across the public sector including civil servants as well as local authority workers, police officers and NHS staff.

Jacob's Well would be demolished to make way for this new state-of-theart 200,000 sq ft building on the same site, which would become a regional hub for public bodies.

The idea behind the £20 million project, funded by the private sector, is to provide a shared space and

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"In addition the hub should prove to be an innovative way of working for the public sector that will ultimately benefit local people."

The programme is being managed by expert public sector programme managers DragonGate and delivered

The confiscation was ordered at Hull Crown Court last Tuesday after the court ruled the figure had been his benefit from the scam for which he was convicted of fraud and money laundering offences.

D Patel

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"Other developments are already attracting inward investment and promoting local growth, and this hub would do the same.

John Gatley from McLaren Properties said: "The Jacob's Well site is a fantastic location for a public sector hub. It's a great time to work in Bradford as the regeneration of the city is progressing all the time and the Council are very supportive and easy to work with.

"The staff at the hub would benefit from a modern environment in which to work plus good transport connections with easy access to motorways and rail links. it really is a great opportunity."

The hub scheme is being designed in line with public land and property solutions as specified by the joint Cabinet Office and Local Government Association's 'One Public Estate' initiative.

Following the revelations of the plan. other Party members have accued Cllr David Green of 'secrecy'and some even took to social media to blast the idea, which resulted in a the Bradford Council leader to lash out calling the criticism 'bizarre and pathetic'

On the Run Energy Drink Fraudster Must Pay £300,000

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It would also deliver long term savings as the building would benefit from green technology that would make it far more sustainable than the current outdated Jacob's Well building.

Bradford Council Leader, Coun David Green, said: "It is a very important regeneration scheme that should attract more civil service jobs, boosting Bradford's regional status and complementing other regeneration projects such as Westfield's Broadway shopping centre and the multi-award winning City Park.

by McLaren Properties and Chiltington Land.

McLaren Properties are signing the agreement on Friday, 27 February, in the Council Chamber at Bradford City Hall.

An on the run fraudster who coorganised an international drink scam will now be stung for £300k following a Proceeds of Crime hearing.

West Yorkshire Police secured the confiscation against Yasar Hussain (33) who was convicted in his absence in 2013 for his role in a scam fraudulently using the Duracell battery brand.

Hussain will now have to pay £300,000 in six months or face an extra three and a quarter years on top of the sentence he will eventually serve when he is caught.

He fled halfway through the original trial at Humberside Crown Court in January 2013 for which he and two other defendants were found guilty of setting up a fraudulent energy drink company - Duracell Energy Drinks Ltd - taking orders and offering exclusive regional marketing rights to companies across the globe.

This was despite never having a product to sell after Proctor and Gamble refused those involved the license to sell the product using the Duracell brand.

However, through the setting up of fraudulent business accounts the defendants defrauded five drinks companies from Dubai, Hong Kong, Iran and Hungary of over £312,000 in advance fees. The business was closed down in August 2009 before the victims could complain about a lack of supply or nonreturn of monies.

Between 23rd February and 28th February 2009 the defendants set a stall at the Gulfood Trade Fair at the World Trade

Centre in Dubai, duping reps from drinks companies into paying for exclusive sale rights and making orders for the Duracell Energy Drink, of which several thousand dummy cans were made to help facilitate the scam.

After the police were informed, an operation

by West Yorkshire Police's Economic Crime Division was launched and in November 2009 suspects were arrested and luxury cars and nearly £10,000 in cash seized.

David Charity, Financial Investigation Manager for West Yorkshire Police, said: "Hussain played his part in a well organised and convincing scam that conned a number of foreign businesses out of hundreds of thousands of pounds and that has been recognised by the court in setting this confiscation.

"Unless this money is paid within six months when he is caught he will face an extra three and a quarter years on top of whatever sentence he is ordered to serve for his role in the crime.

An appeal is ongoing for anyone who knows of Yasar Hussain's whereabouts to contact the police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111."

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Siberian Husky, Murphy Reunited with Family The owners of a missing Siberian Husky, missing since December 4 last year, have announced that he has now

ISSUE 77

03

EX OFFENDERS & THEATRICALS

sets to teach youth the harsh realities of crime

©Ali Khan (goodadvice.com)

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been found.

The search for Murphy went viral when he disappeared in Scholemoor Ceremony, with over 38,000 Facebook likes on a page set up called 'Get Murphy Home' His owners, the Smith family, have spent weeks frantically searching for him with appearances on national and local media and he even had a mention at Prime Ministers Questions.

On 26 February they had a call from the RSPCA saying they had a dog matching his description.

His microchip was checked and the lovable canine was reunited

©Ali Khan (goodadvice.com)

with his family the following day.

His family have thanked people for their support.

Forum to take place on How can schools recruit the best teachers

"How can we recruit and retain high quality staff in Bradford?” Is the topic of the next Public Forum for Education.

Speakers at the event will focus on three important areas: How do we support and develop individuals and, in so doing, increase quality across the District?

Bradford's outstanding colleagues are in demand elsewhere. How do we retain the services of the best?

Outstanding leaders and colleagues create outstanding schools. How do we attract more outstanding leaders to Bradford?

The forum takes place on Wednesday, 25 March from 4.30pm to 6.30pm in the Banqueting Hall at City Hall, Bradford BD1 1HY. Everyone is welcome to attend.

We welcome parents and young people, and would also particularly welcome teachers who have experience of retaining and developing newly qualified staff to come along and share their views.

Officers, Cllr Imran Hussain and Mark Burns-Williamson, Police and Crime Commissioner in the cell

By Aalia Khan T: @AaliaAsNews E: aalia@asiansunday.co.uk An innovative new project; The Bradford Centre of Excellence: Positive Pathways for Young People has been created to deliver targeted interventions about the consequences of crime.

The centre opened at the Girlington Community centre in Bradford and the programmes that the centre will be putting on are designed and presented by exoffenders and prisoners to young people from across the Bradford District who are "at risk”.

"At risk” young people include those who are vulnerable or excluded, and those who are already offending or who have fallen into problematic lifestyles. The centre’s role is to provide vital support that helps young people resolve problems and choose a positive future.

The centre uses a series of theatrical sets, such as a courtroom, a prison cell, as well as a shop and park where crime might happen. Mentors will be using these sets to get over to young people what crime can involve.

Cllr Imran Hussain, Chair of the centre, said “This centre teaches young people the real harsh reality of a life of crime. Too often crime is glamorised and this deglamorises it by their peer group, which is people they will listen to, such as ex offenders telling them simple things like what a cell is like, or how cramped the conditions are and the dangers of prison life.”

Cllr Hussain went on “They will learn the real harsh end of a life of crime and also build their aspirations, confidence and ambitions to allow them to excel in any field they choose to.”

Similar projects in the country presented that these kinds of interventions deliver great improvement in the numbers of young people who return to mainstream education and refrain from further crime.

The initiative, funded by Bradford Council, has been developed in partnership with West Yorkshire Police and other partners in the youth justice system. Mick Chandsoor project lead explained that referrals will come in from organisations such as the probation service, youth offender’s team, schools etc.

Lord Mayor Mike Gibson

Mark Burns-Williamson, Police and Crime Commissioner for West Yorkshire said “It will hopefully have a big impact on young people of the consequences of crime. The uniqueness is the use of ex-offenders.

They can tell the story in a way that lots of others can’t and they’ve gone through the reality. “ The centre officially opened by the Lord Mayor of Bradford Cllr Mike Gibbons, on Wednesday 18 February, he said “It is extremely important to stop anyone thinking of going into a life of crime and to stop and understand what they are doing.

It is important for the community at large as a life of crime is no benefit to anyone.

The youths will get a true understanding of a life of crime from ex offenders.”

Naz, Director of Consequence, who work with young people, explains that “It’s ex offenders who have been there and done that, that are giving back.”

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www.asiansunday.co.uk

Yorkshire PuPils Celebrate at PrimarY sChool Graduation

By Ninder Kaur t: @NinderAsNews e: ninder@asiansunday.co.uk

Over 70 pupils from around Yorkshire celebrated at a graduation ceremony held at Leeds Trinity University. Pupils aged between 7 and 11, celebrated the completion of a mentoring programme organised by Mosaic, an initiative founded by HRH The Prince of Wales and Business in the Community.

Horton Grange Primary School, Bradford, Carlton Primary School, Wakefield and Field Lane Primary School in Brighouse were three of the schools that were awarded at the ceremonious event.

Mosaic’s fully-funded 8-10 week programme saw female mentors from a number of professional backgrounds volunteer their time to help pupils build their confidence and self-belief. The programme not only aims to equip pupils with the skills and understanding of further education or future career opportunities, but it helps the pupil’s mothers to support their child in reaching their full potential.

During the ceremony the pupil’s spoke

about their positive experience in front of influential business leaders, teachers, mentors and the event’s keynote speaker, our Editor, Fatima Patel.

Mentor, Henna Nazi highlights the impact the programme has on the pupils. “Over the weeks I have seen each child’s personality shine; I have seen at first-hand how the confidence of some of the more shy children grow. The positive comments made by the children at the end of a session shows me as a mentor, that the mosaic mentoring scheme is impacting the children in all the right ways!”

Lynda Salthouse, a Year 2 Teacher and Geography Co-coordinator at Horton Grange Primary School said how, “Each session has promoted different skills and the children have thoroughly enjoyed working as part of a team, alongside their friends. The mentors have played a pivotal role in raising the self esteem of the students taking part and guiding them to think about their place in our school society as well as their aspirations for the future.”

She also added: “Seeing the children in their graduation gowns and the comments made by the students in their speeches summed up to me what a worthwhile and successful experience it has been.”

Sarah Khan-Bashir MBE, Chairman of Mosaic’s Yorkshire Leadership Group also attended the ceremony. She said: “I’m so proud to be part of Mosaic and the Yorkshire region is very close to my heart because it was where my involvement with Mosaic began. It’s great to see the huge interest and success that all Mosaic’s programmes achieve, which is reflected in the numbers of young girls and boys who took part in the Primary School Programme.

“Every single person who has participated in the programme deserves the praise and recognition for all the time and effort they have devoted.

Thanks to the brilliant schools and their staff who do so much to make our programmes a success in the region.”

Keynote speaker, Fatima Patel, Managing Director of I and E Media and Editor of Asian Sunday Newspaper, said: “Attending this event has been a very uplifting experience for me, hearing the young pupils talk to the large crowd with such confidence and enthusiasm was a wonderful thing to be able to witness. Mosaic should be proud of the positive impact they are having on the next generation”.

Mrs Sally Cooper Teacher at Field Lane School told Asian Sunday “We decided to take part because we thought it would be an extremely valuable project for the children. The fact that an inspirational speaker would work with us, every week was also exciting. We agreed with the philosophy of Mosaic, in that we wanted to raise the aspirations of all pupils and broaden their horizons, as to what’s possible to achieve.

“Everyone, pupils, parents and staff have changed because of Mosaic.

We have benefited enormously from working with incredible people who have inspired us to achieve our very best.”

www.asiansunday.co.uk

ISSUE 77

05

My Garden at Poundstretcher Throughout the whole Winter season, many of your gardens have been pretty much lifeless. The month of February is a major sign that Spring is swiftly approaching. As your garden comes to life again, it is important to plan ahead of the Spring season.

The Bradford Poundstretcher store in Idle, has a fantastic range of gardening essentials for all garden lovers. You can purchase from a whole range of low priced gardening products such as rose bush seeds to delicious Summer fruit trees to even growing your own organic vegetables. Poundstretcher gives you a great choice of planters, baskets, solar lights and garden accessories to kit out your garden this Spring.

4.Fruit Trees £5.99 – Everything always tastes better when it is home grown. Growing your own fruit at home can be a gratifying way to eat fresh food every day. At Poundstretcher, we have a great range of large fruit trees available in many varieties such as cherry and apple trees. Embrae organic eating with your family and friends.

5.3 Tier Greenhouse & Cover £8.99 – Many gardeners hesitate to build their own greenhouse due to the costs involved. Having a greenhouse can help promote and encourage good plant health and improve pest control. Our low priced 3 Tier Greenhouse and Cover keeps your seeds healthy and nourished from the cold weather.

In this month’s Asian Sunday supplement, we are giving you the exclusive tips and tricks in to making your garden attractive this season.

1.Hanging Topiary Ball WAS £9.99 NOW £8.99 When darkness falls on your garden it is time to switch on the lights! A great piece to hang on a hanging basket bracket. For those who don’t want to spend time planting up their baskets, our Hanging Topiary Ball does not require much looking after.

The Hanging Topiary Ball is the perfect touch which adds a vibrant, colourful yet realistic effect to your garden.

2.9 Pack Plastic Solar Lights WAS £9.99 NOW £8.99 They’re eco-friendly, cheap to run and you don’t need to worry about cable wires – what’s not to like about solar lights? Our 9 Pack Plastic Solar Lights are now at an amazing low price. They are an ideal choice for lighting unlit areas around your driveway and garden. With our solar lights illuminating your garden, it will be the envy of your friends and neighbours.

3.Side Panel Hanging Baskets £3.99 or 2 for £6 Hanging baskets are such an easy way to add some interest and character into your garden as well as colour. It is a great addition to any space as they can add an extra dimension to your garden.

Poundstretcher Side Panel Hanging Baskets make any garden look loved. With a great choice of 2 for £1 flower or vegetable seeds to choose from, your hanging basket will burst with colour throughout the Spring and Summer season.

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Will the abandoned women and youth voters in Bradford West find a political ‘home’?

By Ratna Lachman

The decision by the Labour NEC to impose its next prospective parliamentary candidate for Bradford West, following the withdrawal of Amina Ali from the electoral race, is nothing less than a spectacular shambles. Its decision to bypass the local membership highlights that the Labour leadership recognises that its local party structure is no longer fit for purpose. Nothing less than a disbanding of its party membership in those constituencies, where the insidious ‘biraderi’ or clan politics has taken a stranglehold, will restore faith in local democracy.

Against the background of the political storm in Bradford West, progressive Labour voters had hoped that the Labour leader, Ed Miliband would calm voters’ nerves, when he visited neighbouring Leeds last week. Rather than assure them that he would grasp the nettle of clan politics, what they got was a denial that there were deeprooted problems, despite having acknowledged in the wake of Labour’s colossal by-election defeat to George Galloway, that he will 'listen and learn' and implement "real, deep, genuine change".

In 2012, the Labour leader had been told in no uncertain terms by women and young people, that they had abandoned Labour for Respect as a protest against the ‘biraderi’ system that they believed Imran Hussain, the Labour prospective parliamentary candidate represented.

Instead of instituting a root and branch reform, the Labour leadership prevaricated and imposed an all-woman shortlist as a sop to the promises Milliband had made to Bradford West’s voters. The resulting chaos was predictable.

I don’t know anyone who believes that Amina Ali – Labour’s PPC who was chosen from an all-woman shortlist withdrew because she realised belatedly that she was a mother first and an aspiring Westminster politician second.

On the face of it, Labour has always defended its all-woman shortlist as a progressive attempt to create gender parity in politics. However, if the Party is really honest, it was a cynical manoeuvre, many believe to neutralise Imran Hussain, who was intent on a parliamentary career despite being routed by George Galloway in the 2012 by-elections.

In a political milieu where the patriarchal biraderi network is known to use the party’s membership rules to lever its own candidate through mobilizing a bloc vote, the expectation was that their female candidate would secure the PPC nomination. However, her failure to make it to the Labour shortlist effectively left three seeming outsiders contending for the position. Naveeda Ikram, a longstanding councillor, Naz Shah a political novice making her first foray into politics and Amina Ali, a Labour councillor in Tower Hamlets and a newcomer to Bradford.

It is an open secret that Amina Ali secured the Labour PPC nomination because of the tactical support of the ‘biraderi’ bloc vote – not because they believed she was the best candidate, but in an attempt to stop the two local candidates from securing the PPC nomination. The word from Labour insiders was that ‘biraderi’ members were calculating that as a Londoner with no local connections, Amina Ali would lose to George Galloway, and this would give their preferred candidate a second bite of the cherry at the next general elections.

Amina Ali’s decision to withdraw from the electoral race in Bradford West is a loss for a number of reasons: she might not have come with any local credentials but as a Black woman who has survived the rough and tumble of Tower Hamlet’s political life and as a Somalian taking a stand on difficult issues such as female genital mutilation, Bradfordian women deserved the opportunity to know if she could speak to their hopes, fears and aspirations.

Amina Ali’s departing statement that "Bradford West needs a candidate who is going to live in Bradford and be involved in the campaign for every moment of every day" is instructive. In reality, Bradford deserves the best candidate, wherever they come from, otherwise, the parochialism that informs ‘biraderi’ politics will continue to exercise its stranglehold over future generations.

As Dr. Parveen Akhtar, lecturer at the University of Bradford points out, it is already the case that: ‘After decades of patronage, a generation of British Pakistani young people is disillusioned with the political process’.

The problem with an all-woman shortlist is that it engages in the rhetoric of gender equality but fails to recognise the

Ratna Lachman is the Director of JUST West Yorkshire and organisation that promotes racial justice, civil liberties and human rights.

very practical support that aspiring female politicians need.

Bradford West is not a target Labour seat and Amina Ali would have had to raise her own monies and resources to mount an effective campaign. Equally leaving the nomination process to the end of February was a profound mistake, particularly as it would have taken a gargantuan effort to garner the votes she needed against her electoral opponent George Galloway. There is no indication that any of this was in place.

I never knew Amina Ali personally but I did take note that she had the support of anti-racists such as Diane Abbot and Claude Moraes MEP. Her twitter feed shows genuine well wishes for her campaign in Bradford West from people who wanted her to carve out a political career as the first Somali female MP. It is a shame we never got to see Amina’s political mettle or how she might have performed against Galloway in the election hustings.

There is no doubt that that Amina Ali’s experience will bar good women from entering politics. The fall-out from the Bradford debacle means that Labour’s PPC will always carry the stigma of being second best. In truth Labour has already lost the 2015 general elections in Bradford West due to Labour’s failure to grasp the ‘biraderi’ nettle. If the Party is serious about its commitment to democracy, its first task must be to disband its local party structures where there is even the slightest whiff of clan politics and start the process of recruiting members afresh.

It is clear that George Galloway has alienated the very constituency of women and young people who shifted over to Respect, following his refusal to apologise over his rape comment and his inability to deliver on the promises that he made to disenchanted Labour voters. Had Miliband signalled his determination to take on the ‘biraderi’, he might have given the female Labour potential parliamentary candidate a fighting chance against George Galloway in Bradford West.

For all Miliband’s talk on taking on established interests – the Murdoch press, the gas companies and the bankers - he has proved himself incapable of taking on the vested interest in his own backyard. It is a shame that Ed Miliband has not been able to tap into his Party’s historical roots and apply those lessons to Bradford West. It wasn’t too long ago that Neil Kinnock took on the militants who were threatening to destabilise the Party and his efforts made Labour electorally respectable.

Miliband needs to do the same in those constituencies where its membership is using the ‘biraderi’ bloc vote to undermine democracy.

Even if Labour loses Bradford West – as it is likely to do - It would have enhanced Miliband’s authority as a leader willing to take tough decisions. Meanwhile there is a large abandoned floating electoral constituency adrift in Bradford West desperately seeking a political ‘home’.

www.asiansunday.co.uk

ISSUE 77

07

Who Should Ethnic Minority Women Cast Their Vote for In the 2015 Elections?

JUST West Yorkshire and Womenzone are holding a joint event to help women decide.

In the run up to the General Elections on the 7 of May this year, candidates standing for the general elections will be asking for your electoral support. Who should you cast your vote for?

JUST West Yorkshire and Womenzone have brought together ethnic minority women who will be standing as candidates for the different political parties to help you decide.

The Elections event is organised to commemorate International Women’s Day on the 7 March. According to Ratna Lachman, Director of JUST West Yorkshire: “Although women have had the right to vote in the UK since 1918, in many ethnic minority communities, women are still disengaged from the political process because it continues to be dominated by White men. Within the community too, women often leave decisions about who to vote for to male members. Unfortunately we know that as government cuts have bitten deeper, women have had to carry the burden in terms of higher childcare costs, discrimination in the job market, poor health provision and sometimes domestic violence in the home. It is therefore important that ethnic minority women are an integral part of the democratic process and influence how political parties tackle these important issues.” According to Rubina Khalid, Director of Womenzone, the event also aims to inspire ethnic minority women to get into politics and be engaged with potential MPs. “We want women to understand how female candidates can use their role as MPs to effectively resolve ethnic minority women's issues. Once female voters understand how the political system works and its direct impact on day-to-day issues affecting their future in this society, they can be more effectively engaged in politics. Women also need to be provided an opportunity to think how important it is to have political representatives who look like them and understand their life experiences in Parliament. We hope that women who attend the event will be inspired to consider a future in politics”.

The three ethnic minority candidates that will be part of the conversation are Itrat

Ali, the Conservative potential parliamentary candidate for Huddersfield, Aqila Choudhury who is the Liberal candidate in Leeds North East and Labour’s candidate in

Bradford West will also be on the panel. In addition Anne Murgatroyd from UKIP and Celia Hickson from the Greens will also be attending. Registration for the event

starts at 11.00am. Light refreshments will be served and there will also be some entertainment. The event will be held at Womenzone, 19-21 Hubert Street |Bradford | BD3 9TE

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www.asiansunday.co.uk

Twenty One Years of BCB

By Aalia Khan t: @AaliaAsNews e: Aalia@asiansunday.co.uk

Bradford Community Broadcasting celebrated their 21st Birthday on 11 February 2015 at a civic reception held for them by the Lord Mayor at City Hall.

The radio stations success and achievements were acknowledged at the special ceremony which saw many in attendance including supporters, staff, friends, family and well wishers.

The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Mike Gibbons highlighted what a wonderful achievement this was for BCB as well as gifting them with a birthday gift. He said “BCB should be really proud of what they do for Bradford, they work incredibly hard for all the people of the Bradford District and it’s great that they get so very involved in what the council, civic office and other groups and communities do.

There are lots of different groups in the Bradford District who are very active and doing their thing so I find it difficult sometimes to tell people what they are doing therefore BCB are always there to help them.” The Lord Mayor said that he always tries to listen to the station whenever he gets chance.

Mary Dowson Director, and one of the founders of BCB, was thrilled at celebrating BCB’s birthday with the Lord Mayor. She spoke of the history of BCB to the audience as well as joking that “It feels great to be 21, if only it were me and not the station.” She went on “It’s just the achievement of all the people who have been involved with BCB over the years, we’ve had hundreds and hundreds of volunteers involved and for a lot of people its’ where they started for the first time and did any sort of media. It allowed them to release that they could have a voice and be on the radio. I think being able to provide the opportunity for people in Bradford has been really important to me. Its hard work to keep organisations going but it’s been so important to me and everybody else.”

Dowson said that going forward BCB are looking at different ways in which people can have a voice, but she said it’s mainly all about “What the people of Bradford want to do with their community radio station.”

Jonathan Pinfield, BCB’s Broadcast Manager & Head of Sport, said “I can’t believe its been 21 years, I have so many happy memories and it’s amazing to see so many friends.”

Former founder of BCB Radio, joins in celebrations

BCB guests at City Hall

BCB 21 year launch, with Lord Mayor Mike Gibson

BCB 21 year celebration

BCB 21 years Mary Dawson with one of the founders of BCB

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BRADFORD REACTS TO COUNCIL TAX INCREASE After months of delibration, protests and public consultations, Bradford Council Executive budget for 2015 was passed on Thursday 26 February The Council has voted to increase Council Tax by 1.6 per cent, meaning the tax bill for a band D property will now stand at £1,351.60, including police and fire service charges. Savings of £34 million will be made in 2015/16, with a further £28 million being cut the year after. It is believed that over 500 Council jobs will be lost and a commitment to a living wage for all council employees. Particular emphasis was made on maintaining bddgets for events with no cuts now being made to the Ilkley Literature Festival Leader of Bradford Council Cllr David Green said “The Executive Budget was passed. It is not a budget that anyone can be happy with as the ongoing round of cuts imposed by National Government on Bradford means that we are seeing increased pressure on many essential services for people throughout the district,

however we have continued to try and protect front line services to the most vulnerable and will continue to look to try and invest in local services and regeneration both as an end in itself but also as a way of saving revenue in the future to protect services against further cuts.”

The Conservatives and Lib Dems however strongly opposed the increase in Council Tax. Conservative Cllr Simon Cook said “We voted against that; whilst there are a lot of things that need to be done we don’t think there was any need to increase the council tax. Just to illustrate last year the council put the council tax up and the under spend in the budget was almost exactly the same amount as they raised in extra council tax so we’re saying it’s not actually necessary to do so, especially when the government provides us with a grant so we don’t have to. The people who I spoke to last night said we’re getting charged more for less.”

OPINION POLL: How do you feel about the increase in Council Tax?

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KEY CONTACT

WORD ON THE STREET

NUMBERS Bradford council switchboard 01274 431000 SMS (TEXT MESSAGES) 07786 208100 COUNCIL TAX 01274 437866 SUMMONS OR REMINDERS

01274 437792

“I think the council tax going up is a joke, we'd like to spend our hard earned money on ourselves not on paying tax all the time” - Arshad Ali, 25, call centre worker “I am not too affected about it going up, it has gone up but not by a major amount so let them increase it.” Sally Hewitt, 50, teacher “I am pretty angry about it going up, as I don't see any benefit in return of paying the tax - the roads still have potholes, streets take ages to be gritted in snow and many other things are overlooked so I am not happy at all but I guess we have to adhere to government rules without so much as blinking” - Jas Kaur, 37 IT Manager “This is not great at all, we work hard pay our tax and get hardly anything in return. Then they decide they want to increase the tax some more, it's outrageous.” Hansah salaam, 21 retail store worker “I think it is absolutely ridiculous that council tax is continuing to rise.

Bradford is not the only city to fall victim to this change either. The increase is happening everywhere. I think actions like these shows how this is a poor excuse of an economy, one which shouldn’t deserve our trust or our money.“ Owen Davies, 37, Plumber

“It's an utter scandal and there is nothing anyone can do about it because every party that stands for election just wants to tax and spend and tax and spend. If the council budgeted their funds then we wouldn’t be having this problem. In fact, I think that instead of putting up council tax we should reduce councilor’s wages.They earn far too much than they deserve.”

Mary Cooper, 66, Pensioner

the government last year called for a freeze on tax rates shows there’s no real protection for those struggling financially. Also, with the talks of 500 job cuts in Bradford going hand in hand with the rise in tax in an attempt to stay within these budget saving quotes, then maybe the councilors need to think about what they are asking of people, especially with the job market and redundancies being what they are.”

Rakaya Ali, 22, Law Graduate

“I am not happy. It should actually be going down. The roads are not being done properly, we put our own bins out, and the parks are not getting looked after so half of the services that we are paying for are not worth an increase.

If we actually saw the budget being used properly then it wouldn’t be an issue.” Jaz Singh, 55, Selfemployed

“If there have been a lot of cutbacks in the city then there shouldn’t be an increase in tax. The council are cutting down on everything from policing to 999 calls. Why do we have to pay so much?” Neelam Kaur, 42, Businesswoman

“I think there is obviously an understanding why there has been a rise in council tax, but there has been no thought put into the councils that have increased their tax. The fact that so many low income and band D houses have now had to deal with a tax rise, especially considering

“I feel like it is not going to go to good use. I think people wouldn’t mind paying a fair tax fund, it is just the scale of spending that is out of control.

With the increase rising to 1.6% the public can now judge for themselves which councils are performing correctly and it looks like Bradford isn’t at the moment.” Hannah Sheikh, 24, Teaching assistant

Change of address or circumstances, or to discuss a property exemption, a Single Person Discount or an account refund

01274 437866 register to vote

Electoral Services Unit City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council City Hall Centenary Square Bradford BD1 1HY

01274 432287 electoralservices@bradford.gov.uk Who can register to vote?

•Anyone aged 16 or over (but you cannot vote until you are 18) •British or Commonwealth citizens.

•Citizens of the Republic of Ireland or other European Union (EU) countries.

Citizens of EU countries (other than the UK, Ireland, Cyprus, Malta) cannot vote in UK Parliamentary elections and must fill in a separate form to vote in European Parliamentary elections.

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ISSUE 77

WITH BRADFORD UNIVERSITY VICE CHANCELLOR, PROFESSOR BRIAN CANTOR

By Aalia Khan

Twitter: @EditorAsianSun E: Aalia@asiansunday.co.uk

B

radford university home to around 12-13,000 students has become one of the most well renowned universities not just in the UK but also worldwide. The university, which will be celebrating their 50th anniversary next year, has gone from strength to strength over the generations and has put itself on the map with students attending the university from many countries such as; Nigeria, Kenya, China, Pakistan, Greece and France.

The Vice Chancellor of Bradford University Professor Brian Cantor says the main reasons that attract students from the UK and abroad to Bradford University are that “Bradford has been a university for a long period of time and become very well known worldwide; therefore people want to come here. It’s not the city that appeals to them; the primary reason is the quality of the university. And the secondary reason is the quality of the courses. We have particular programmes which are attractive to all students but particularly foreign students.”

Prof Cantor believes that the university has improved massively and this is evident with the amount of firsts and 2:1’s graduates are able to achieve. He says “We are a

technology university, which is one that that delivers professional, vocational courses with good, strong job prospects. We also carry out applied research which is closely linked to activities in society. And we concentrate particularly on job producing courses for graduates which are professional and vocational ones, things like pharmacy, engineering, optometry and nursing where the qualification will get you into a job.”

"At Bradford University we concentrate on getting jobs done and doing research" Prof Brian Cantor "

The student satisfaction scores for the university have continued to improve as well as the ranking that the university received last year in the league tables in the Times, Guardian and the Independent. Prof Cantor says their scores in the ranking system went up by 5/10 places last year compared with the previous year. However Prof Cantor believes that these ranking systems do not measure as well as they should do as they do not take into account “Some of the things we do that that we are very good at.” He says at Bradford University they concentrate on “Getting jobs and doing research.” And as a technology university they use their research to help “Make things happen in society economically and by improving the society.”

The recognition of the university has enhanced with the several marketing campaigns they have carried out both within the UK and outside the UK, as the university is being promoted worldwide.

Within the UK the campaigns include a strong presence at higher education fairs across the country, open days, and raising awareness of “How attractive the city and campus is.” Outside of the UK

they are also working on making links stronger and increasing the ongoing work to get the university well known. Professor Cantor says they aim to increase the number of students altogether that come to the uni by another 3-4000 over the next decade.

Around 15-20 per cent of students who attend Bradford University are foreign students and the University

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has the “Highest employability record in Yorkshire” says Prof Cantor. According to the Professor the university is one of the best in the UK and their success over the 49 years has been proved, “In 50 years we’ve had 120,000 graduates who are now everywhere in the world doing every imaginable job, but all providing an impact on society. They are a massive force for good. And in the next 50 years we want to do more as we grow the amount of students and research we do.”

According to the Professor what makes Bradford University a great uni is that “Talented people can come and build their lives to then go out in the community, grow their own careers and do good things in the world.” He says “We would hope people have an enjoyable, exciting interesting and intellectual time here. And we also hope and believe that they will go on to get good jobs.”

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Things you didn’t know about the Vice Chancellor of Bradford University: Favourite food: Anything and everything. If it’s well made I like it Favourite hobby: Walking in the hills, mountaineering, playing the guitar and buying modern art Favourite place in Bradford: Centenary Square Favourite film: The Big Lebowski and Wages of fear which was made in the late 1950’s Favourite holiday destination: Chamonix in the French Alps, Yosemite Park in California and cities with culture such as Paris, San Francisco and Sydney.

What profession you wanted to go into as a kid: Rock climber or rock guitarist

Y M OU PU A G R F LL AZI RE OU NE E T

ISSUE 03 EASTENDERS SPECIAL: 30 Years of Asian Family Showdowns

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY SPECIAL

HIGHLIGHTS: National Asian Wedding Show

Rani Mukerjee

“2.2 million children are sold every year across the world, while every eight minutes a girl goes missing in India”

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NATIONAL ASIAN WEDDING SHOW

With over 30 exhibitors, and an impressive catwalk hundreds of visitors flocked to The Bradford Hotel last month, for the National Asian Wedding Exhibition. Prospective brides and grooms were out in volume catching a glimpse of the best in wedding services.

From car hire, to caterers, to hair and makeup specialists, each and every wedding requirement was on display.

Here are highlights from the day.

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SHOWBIZ NEWS Lucky escape from fire for Varun and Shraddha on ABCD 2 sets

The sets of Remo D’Souza’s film ABCD 2 recently caught fire, and its cast -- Varun Dhawan, Shraddha Kapoor and Lauren Gottlieb -- had a lucky escape.

Lauren Gottlieb added: ‘Yesterday there was a fire on set w/ 600 people rushing to safety. Everyone’s ok, thank god.

Today we are back! WE WONT STOP DANCING!’

Varun Dhawan tweeted: There was a fire and our set got burnt down. We safely evacuated 600 people.

The film, which also stars Allu Arjun and Prabhu Dheva, will release on June 19.

'Mumbai Saga' shooting to commence after 'Jazbaa' The shooting of the upcoming multi-starrer “Mumbai Saga” will start “immediately” after director Sanjay Gupta wraps up the filming of Aishwarya Rai-Irrfan Khan starrer action film “Jazbaa”.

“Immediately after we wrap JAZBAA we will start MUMBAI SAGA,” Gupta posted on Twitter Friday.

“Mumbai Saga” stars actors Vivek Oberoi, Anil Kapoor, Manoj Bajpayee and John Abraham in pivotal roles.

In another post, Gupta said he has a packed schedule for 2015.

“2015 is going to be a very busy year

for me with 2 films back to back.

That is why I make the most of the gaps to spend time with my babies,” he wrote.

However, Gupta, who is best known for making reality based crime films like “Shootout at Lokhandwala” and “Shootout at Wadala”, said that he might take a break from making films on the Mumbai underworld.

He added: “Post MUMBAI SAGA I guess I’ll be taking a really long break from the Bombay underworld genre. Very little we haven’t dealt with in it.”

Imran Khan hails Kangana Ranaut

Actor Imran Khan is having a “positive experience” filming “Katti Batti”, thanks to his “wonderful costar” Kangana Ranaut and “great director” Nikhil Advani.

“I am having so much fun on this film (‘Katti Batti’) because I am working with Kangana (Ranaut) for the first time and she is just so wonderful to work with,” Imran told reporters at the Filmfare Glamour & Style Awards red carpet.

“Besides, I am working for the first time with Nikhil Advani as well and he

is a great director. I am having a very positive experience on this film,” he added.

“Katti Batti”, produced by UTV Motion Pictures, is being tagged as an unusual love story that features Kangana and Imran as a couple.

Talking about the remaining schedule of the film, Imran said: “We are almost done with the film...just 20 to 25 days of shooting is left, which will be completed by April. The film is releasing in September”.

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SHOWBIZ NEWS Kareena upbeat about shooting in Kashmir Actress Kareena Kapoor is looking forward to the Kashmir schedule of Salman Khan starrer “Bajrangi Bhaijaan” slated to begin next month. She says the movie will be “big”.

schedule. We will be going there next month. It will release on Eid this year,” Kareena told reporters at the red carpet of Filmfare Glamour and Style Awards’ red carpet.

After “Kyunki”, “Main Aurr Mrs Khanna” and “Bodyguard”, this is the fourth time Kareena is collaborating with Salman on silver screen - and she’s excited.

“After ‘Bodyguard’, I’m coming (on screen) with Salman again, so fans must be very excited. I’m sure it will be big one,” she added.

“We are looking forward to going to Kashmir for the film’s next

It’s Pakistan calling for Mahesh Bhatt's 'Daddy'

For now, Kareena is going to head to Amritsar for “Udta Punjab”.

John Abraham returns with 'Force' sequel Actor John Abraham will star in “Force 2”, a sequel to the 2011 movie “Force”. It will have an original script and will be directed by Abhinay Deo. While “Force” was a remake of Tamil movie “Kaakha Kaakha”, “Force 2” will have an original script and will be produced

by Vipul Amrutlal Shah.

“Daddy”, a theatrical production based on Indian filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt’s eponymous 1989 movie, will premiere in Pakistan. It will be attended by Mahesh and his daughter Pooja, who had made her acting debut with the film.

“’Daddy’ to be staged as a play in Pakistan. Mahesh and Pooja Bhatt to attend,” Pooja tweeted on 26 February, along with the link of an article featured in Pakistan daily The News

International.

It reads: “The theatrical adaptation of film producer Mahesh Bhatt’s ‘Daddy’ will be staged at the forthcoming International Theatre Festival 2015 organised by the National Academy of Performing Arts, Karachi.”

Delhi-based actor Imran Zahid stars in the lead role, played by Anupam Kher in the original film.

Shah, who has had a good run at the box office with “Commando”, “Force” and “Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty”, is looking forward to reuniting with John and giving the audience a power-packed sequel, said a statement.

The film will go on the floors around September 2015 and will release in early 2016.

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SHOWBIZ NEWS Craig suffers another injury on 'Spectre' set

Verdict in Salman case deferred by the prosecution in 2006.

Salman was not present in the court. In fact he is not even in Jodhpur presently.

Craig was driving a silver Aston Martin DB10, which hit a bump on the road on 23 February, as it raced through the central streets, which had been closed off for filming.

The court was scheduled to deliver its final verdict in the case Feb 25, but in a subsequent development after the last hearing, these applications came to the notice of the court.

The court heard all the four applications for summoning the witnesses and taking some documents on record at length and deferred its decision on these applications till March 3.

For the high-octane scene the car used was a vehicle-steering dual being driven in reality by a stuntman.

“We were ordered to present our arguments and the court would deliver its judgment thereafter,” public prosecutor N.K. Sankhla and Salman’s advocate Hastimal Sarswat jointly said.

A court in India on 25 February deferred its verdict in a case relating to illegal possession and use of arms by Bollywood actor Salman Khan and posted the matter for March 3.

The Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Anupama Bijlani in Jodhpur deferred its verdict and started the hearing of four old applications which were moved

Salman and a few other Bollywood stars were accused of poaching blackbucks on the midnight of Oct 1-2, 1998 during the shooting of Hindi movie ‘Hum Saath Saath Hain’.

Two blackbucks, a protected animal under the Wildlife Protection Act, were killed on the outskirts of Kankani village near Jodhpur.

Salman is also alleged to have been carrying arms with expired license. A police complaint was filed against him for being involved in hunting protected blackbucks.

As per reports, doctors were called after Craig hit his head on the car’s interior, but the injury was not serious.

Actor Daniel Craig has suffered another injury on the set of the 24th James Bond movie “Spectre”.

The 46-year-old, who plays the lead character in the upcoming movie, was injured behind the wheel during a high-speed car chase through the streets of London, reports dailymail. co.uk.

Vanilla Ice 'in a mess' Rapper Vanilla Ice, whose real name is Robert Matthew Van Winkle, says he has landed “in a little bit of a mess” following his arrest last week.

The 47-year-old, who was charged with burglary residence and grand theft following an alleged crime which occurred adjacent to a Florida home he was renovating for his ‘The Vanilla Ice Project’ show, is hopeful the situation will soon be forgotten about, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

“I’m doing alright. Got in a little bit of a mess, but we’ll get through it. Yesterday’s history, tomorrow’s a mystery,” Florida Today newspaper quoted Ice as saying.

Items including bicycles, a pool heater and furniture were taken from the property at some point between December and February, and some were later found at the ‘Ice Ice Baby’ hitmaker’s home after police searched his house.

However, the items have now been “returned to their rightful owner”.

Police Chief Sean Scheller later confirmed that Ice, who shot to fame in the 1990s, was working with police to try to locate some of the missing items and he is said to have been very cooperative.

However, Craig flew out of Rome the next day, leaving the stuntman to take care of the rest of the shoot.

Directed by Sam Mendes, “Spectre”, which also stars Dave Bautista, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris and Monica Bellucci, is expected to release Nov 6.

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ON THE BEAT Sheeba Khan teams

music news WITH

is

up with reggae DJ Apache Indian

Sheeba Khan is back with her new single 'Pagal Jiya’ collaboration with the top UK vocalist and reggae artist Apache Indian.

Following the success of ‘Aey Kaash’ and ‘Hum Kabhhi’, Sheeba has teamed up with Apache by taking a simple but catchy tune and turning it into an upbeat Reggaeton song. The Dubai based musical wizard Ali Mustafa arranged the music. Executive producer Aryaan Khan roped in multi-talented Yasir Akhtar of Pegasus Productions to create stunning visuals that bring the track to life.

NINDER KAUR @NinderAsNews

Britain’s Got Talent contestants perform in Bradford Welsh opera-singing brothers Richard and Adam headed to Bradford yesterday on their second British tour.

After finishing third on the seventh series of ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent in 2013, classical singers Richard and Adam Johnson sold out their debut tour, playing to 15,000 people.

Their debut album, The Impossible Dream, spent four weeks at the top of the charts, making it the longest-running number one album in Britain in 2013.

Following the release of their third album in August last year and receiving a great response, the boys are now back with their follow up tour “At The Movies”. The tour sees Richard, 24 and Adam, 21 escape into the world of their silver-screen favourites to perform classics such as Can You Feel The Love Tonight, Goldfinger, Moon River, I’m Kissing You from William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet and Kiss From A Rose from Batman.

Richard said: “We were so thrilled to have performed in Bradford. It was a lovely theatre and the audience was fantastic. We love going on tour and we really appreciate the support we get from all our fans.”

2015 is going to be an exciting year for the boys as they plan on making a new album and are looking forward to doing as many things surrounding the classical world as they can.

Sheeba describes her latest track 'Pagal Jiya' as a romantic fusion of East and West, targeted towards British Asians.

She said: “People often compare me to Nazia Hasan and for me that's the biggest complement I could receive! I have recently released a remix of Nazia’s ‘Koi Nahin’, which can be heard on my Soundcloud."

Sheeba is a fan of many genres of music from Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Lata Mangeshkar to Beyoncé and Rihanna. She adds: "Music touches my soul. Life is much like a song. In the beginning there is

adventure, in the end there is confirmation, but it's in the middle where all the emotion resides to make the whole thing worthwhile." Sheeba feels emotionally linked to the music she makes: "All of my songs including 'Pagal Jiya' are more than just what I hear. When I'm connected to something, I am immediately tied to a feeling or an emotion, a memory from my childhood, thoughts about life, my dreams or my fantasies and

they're all connected to the music. I am thankful to Aryaan Khan for believing in my talent. The legendary Apache Indian for joining hands with us in this collaboration, Ali Mustafa for making this venture musically strong and Yasir Akhtar for filming 'Pagal Jiya' and making it a sumptuous feast for the eyes.”

'Pagal Jiya’ released on 26 February and is available to download on iTunes and other digital stores.

Rihanna Releases New Song For Animated Movie Having just recently released 'FourFiveSeconds' Rihanna is making sure the spotlight remains on her as she given us more new music with her latest track 'Towards The Sun'.

The song was unveiled this week and has been taken from the soundtrack of DreamWorks

Animation's new film ‘Home’, which also sees the Bajan beauty making her voice-acting debut.

The song 'Towards The Sun' is Rihanna’s second single to be released following her recent collaboration with Kanye West and Paul McCartney last month on

'FourFiveSeconds', which was the first official single from her upcoming eight album, dubbed 'R8'.

The latest release features a children’s choir and showcases a more optimistic and brighter side to Rihanna’s music. The movie has been adapted by Adam Rex’s children’s book The True Meaning of

Smekday about aliens coming to Earth.

Rihanna’s leading role sees her play the voice of a character called Tip who befriends a mischievous alien called Oh in the 3D animated comedy.

Jim Parsons, Jennifer Lopez and Steve Martin also star in the movie, which is scheduled to hit theaters on March 27.

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INTERVIEW BY

Exclusive Interview with dance singing sensation Indiraa

NINDER KAUR @NinderAsNews Indiraa talks about her latest single, her battle with depression and how being in yours 50s is never too late to conquer your dreams.

She’s had three top ten dance tracks in the UK and US and she’s back again with a brand new single.

The 56-year-old singer’s new track ‘Yoyo’ sees her team up with the renowned British reggae artist, Maxi Priest.

Indiraa explains how the message behind the new single reflects on a relationship from a man and woman’s point of view. “A lot of my music is written about relationships, but with ‘Yoyo’ it focuses on a man and woman’s insecurities and how they don’t express their feelings in the same way.”

The singer-songwriter who is best known for her energetic electro pop hits elevated her way to success in the club dance scene in 2012. Her big time hits include, “I Get Off”, “Bollywood Queen” and “Shrink”.

Mumbai-born Indiraa only pursued her music career at the ripe age of 50. Up to then, Indiraa was a former international tennis player in India. She jokingly said: ”I decided on a career change simply because my legs were getting too old, my back was getting too old and I was

getting too old.”

It was the encouragement from her friends that pushed her to pursue music. “I had always been inspired by George Harrison because he is a fantastic lyricist and Brian Adams. I started to spend a lot of time practicing on the farm with my friend who is a drummer. At the time, music just felt like the right thing for me to do. Before I knew it, I had an album out and I began lyric writing.“ Despite kick starting her music career in her 50s, Indiraa advises that it is never too late for anyone to change their career path. “If you believe in something strong enough, it will happen. Age is not a barrier, if at all, it teaches you that the experience of life is important and it can help you in anything and everything you do, and I am proof of that” she added.

The 56 year is a long-term sufferer of depression and said how part of the healing process began when she produced her first album, Never Too Late. Her debut album described her struggle with depression and touched upon moments of happiness, sexual observation, sadness, anger and, most importantly, empowerment.

“It has been 22 years since I was diagnosed with depression. I had hit rock bottom before I started music. With the help of music, it has helped me on my journey upwards,” she added. “Music is like a crutch, it helps you but doesn’t take away the injury. It just makes you limp a little less.”

Indiraa is ready to release her second album

called Second Chance which features a number of collaborations. The tracks on the album are what Indiraa describes as the best lyrics she has written. “I have done club music and then moved onto pop. Now I am mellowing, so the new album displays more maturity in the lyric writing and sounds. I am really excited for fans to hear it,” she said.

When Indiraa isn’t making music, she likes to spend her time on her farm looking after her rescued animals, which include dogs, horses, goats and even a chinchilla.

She also enjoys fitness training and is obsessed with watching crime channels after studying Criminology at university.

In terms of the future, Indiraa believes that she has a lot more yet to conquer. Her dream collaboration is to work with Brian Adams. “I have written a song on my album called ‘Rock Guru’ because he is my rock guru. I actually stalked him when I was 27 years old. I sat outside his house in Vancouver. I intend to sing with Brian Adams before I finish my music career because I am still such as huge fan.“ One thing that Indiraa hopes for, is that her songs get played in years to come, perhaps featuring in a movie or played at a wedding. “I just want to leave a something behind and I will be happy. It would be nice to win an award too.”

‘Yoyo’ was released on 23 February and is available to download now.

The single is taken from Indiraa’s second album ‘Second Chance’ which will shortly be released.

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FILM REVIEW... n a c i r e Am Sharia

By Aalia Khan

Twitter: @EditorAsianSun E: Aalia@asiansunday.co.uk

With high expectations I went to the screening of American Sharia in Bradford, organised by Penny Appeal.

In a lovely venue the Abundant Life Centre, the atmosphere was buzzing and everyone was clearly excited to watch this 'halal comedy'.

The event started off with some stand up comedy by comedian Preacher Moss and actor/director Omar Regan which had the crowd in stitches. This was followed by pledges to raise money for orphans.

Once completed the movie finally began and everyone seemed to be excited for the outcome; as such, from the second it began the cheesy comedy and stiff acting paved the way for this movie to be a much hyped let down.

Regan’s acting in the film was rather good as he was a natural performer and his personality shone through.

However the others didn't do themselves justice; many of them being YouTube phenomenon's such as Baba Ali, Yaz the Spaz and True Story ASA had let themselves and their YouTube fan base down.

The message that was being portrayed,

that being a Muslim doesn't make you an extremist or terrorist, teaching viewers about the meanings of Islamic phrases and a touch upon the history of black slavery was conveyed, but in a slightly awkward manner as each scene felt like it was being forcefully explained to the audience or even a child.

Unfortunately and disappointedly I would have to rate American Sharia */***** as the acting was not fantastic, the script was rather poor and the cinematography wasn't impressive.

On the other hand it was a good effort in trying to shed light on some of the misunderstandings surrounding Islam. And I would give credit to Regan’s production company Halalywood in attempting to break the stereotypes of Muslims around the world and creating pieces to break barriers, all in a comedic manner.

Overall the event seemed to be a crowd pleaser solely down to Omar Regan and Preacher Moss' comedy acts.

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Rani Mukerjee Bollywood royalty Rani Mukerji was in the English capital recently to attend a charity dinner held by the British Asian Trust.

The event was also attended by The Prince Of Wales, who is the charity’s president, and The Duchess Of Cornwall along with Nobel Peace Prize winner, Kailash Satyarthi; music and television producer, Simon Cowell and X-Factor Judge, Louis Walsh among many others.

This year’s event was in support of The British Asian Trust’s work in empowering disadvantaged people in South Asia to transform their lives. This year’s event also marked the launch of a new antitrafficking fund for India to build on work which the British Asian Trust has already been doing to support vulnerable girls affected by violence and abuse.

Rani Mukerji also addressed the guests at the event and spoke about child trafficking, something the Mardaani actress feels strongly about.

Our Bollywood correspondent Sunny Malik caught up with Rani where she spoke about the event, her last film Mardaani and much more...

You come to London pretty often. What do you love about the UK, besides the fact that you have a huge fan base here?

I can’t put it in words as I can only feel this. As actors, we put a lot of effort into our work when we are performing for a film. Our main agenda is to make our fans happy. The fact that I have a fan base so far away from India is a nice feeling. It’s nice to know that NRI’s or people who watch Indian films in the UK like my work. It reassures me that whatever I am doing is right. It gives me the feeling that since they are liking my work, I can do better and achieve more.

You attended the British Asian Trust charity dinner in London as the guest of honour recently. How important was it for you to be here?

I think it is very important to be speaking at a platform or at an event, where people come together for a cause. The theme was anti-trafficking. My recent film Mardaani brought this issue, child trafficking, into the limelight and it became a national topic in India. That speaks a lot for a film. Usually, films with a social cause do not perform well at the box office. Mardaani managed to make noise among the audiences, the critics and did well at the box office. That goes to show how important the film was for India. It created awareness about a subject in India. I think, many people are still ignorant about it. They do not believe that this can happen to their own children. Every eight minutes, a girl disappears in India. There a millions of girls who are trafficked and sold daily. In India people reacted positively to the film. Parents started enrolling their children into Karate classes to empower them and for them to defend themselves.

When I was invited to talk at the platform for the British Asian Trust, I felt it was important to make noise about this issue. It was my absolute honour to share the stage with Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi. He has been supporting this case for about forty-five years. To have someone like him with me on stage to talk about these important issues meant a great deal to me. Mardaani also resonated with people overseas and hence, I was invited to London.

Mardaani recently premiered in Poland. Did you ever imagine that a film like Mardaani will receive such international appreciation?

Honestly, I didn’t. But somewhere in my heart, while I was completing the film, I knew that the cause that we are showing in the film is a global problem. There are thousands of Eastern European girls trafficked into the United Kingdom.

Every country in the world is suffering from the issue of child trafficking. I never imagined that my film will release in Poland. That came to me as a pleasant surprise. Usually, it’s the big films that are made with a hundred crore budget that get a wide international release. It was also good to see that the 75 percent of the audience that attended the premiere in Warsaw were Polish. That includes fans, press, local actors and producers and normal audiences. It was a huge honour for me to represent my entire team there who had worked on the film and also those who worked on the research for Mardaani. When we were researching for the film, people were extremely happy that we are making a film on this issue. We weren’t glamorising it. We were simply showing the truth. We didn’t over-exaggerate or melodramatise the issue.

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Don’t you think that dubbing Hindi movies for an international audience is the next step forward?

I think it would be great. The Polish audience saw the film with Polish subtitles.

They related with the film and were emoting with the characters in the movie.

I feel that somewhere there is hope. I am sure that films with an international appeal that tackle social problems or have human stories, will then have a wider audience. Today people around the world are quite accepting to see movies from India. It could be the next way forward. That decision, however, is with the distribution and production team. They will consider whether it will add value to their project.

You once said you only do a film if the script excites you.

Do other factors not matter to you?

What really matters to me first is the script and what my character has to do in accordance with the script. These two things are of utmost importance. It is also important to know whom the film is being produced by. India probably makes the highest number of films in a year worldwide. We have so many different languages and we produce around nine hundred films a year. It is important to know who the producer is in a country where films are being made so rampantly. That is because you can be part of a great film but it may not get a good release and not reach the audiences correctly. Hence, it is important along with the script and subject, to choose the right production house which can take the film to places. Many films stay in the cans and never see a release. These two things are very important when I sign a film.

Award shows recently celebrated what we call “womencentric movies”. Do you feel audiences in India are now more accepting of females playing the central character in movies?

You know, I am very surprised when almost everyone talks like that. We are an industry where we had Nutan act in films like Sujata, Bandini and we had Nargis in films like Mother India. I don’t see it as a great shift that people are suddenly accepting these kind of films. We had heroines in the sixties who worked in projects where they were the main lead. Those films were blockbuster. People are now suddenly warming up to the fact that there are movies with woman protagonists that are doing well. I think it has always been happening. It’s just that every particular decade we have a trend of audiences getting attracted to a kind of cinema. It started with Mr. Bachchan in the seventies where the angry young man role became popular. In the eighties, we had masala movies doing well. In the nineties we had the NRI movies that became a trend. In the two thousands, we had indie kind of films doing well like Lagaan and Dil Chahta Hai, which probably would not have been known as popular cinema ever before.

These kind of films started doing well. That is only because India as country, has a vast population and the youth is changing every year. With the exposure of foreign films that youngsters can watch online and with Hollywood movies that they can watch in India now, they are yearning for similar movies from Indian film-makers. I think, whenever there is good content, the film will be successful regardless of who the protagonist is.

Well we know one thing for sure, that our B Town celebs are becoming more socially aware of what’s happening around them and its great to see our celebs using their films to highlight causes. At the recent event Rani spoke about child trafficking. She revealed that 2.2 million children are sold every year across the world, while every eight minutes a girl goes missing in India. Here are excerpts from her speech on the night.

“Through my film Mardaani, child trafficking became a national focus in my country India,” she said.”These are the little steps towards making an effort.

“While preparing for my role I researched and discovered how pervasive and pernicious this practice is. Every eight minutes a girl goes missing in India. Nearly 40,000 children are abducted every year out of which 11,000 remain untraced. 2.2 million children are sold every year globally.

“We should not be complacent and each one of us should be more vigilant and take personal responsibility to stop this crime. I stand here before you today committed to the eradication of human trafficking,” she added.

“My film Mardaani was my first step in this direction. I know that this journey is going to be a long and arduous one but I feel hopeful that together with people like you and many others in my country and around the world we shall make a difference.”

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EastEnders 30 Year Asian Family Showdown Not long after, square welcomed

By Ninder Kaur t: @NinderAsNews e: ninder@asiansunday.co.uk

The

family

residents of the the Karim Family.

consisted

of

father,

Ashraf

Singh), daughter, Shireen (Nisha Kapur) and son, Sohail (Ronni Shutti).

BBC’s EastEnders has been entertaining the nation for the last three decades.

Over the years, the show has brought us some exciting and engaging storylines that represent a multicultural Britain.

To honour its thirty year milestone, we are offering a collection of throwback moments to look back over the Asian characters and families that have made their mark in the very popular long-standing soap.

It was on February 19, 1985, EastEnders

The Karim’s were a Muslim family who took over ownership of the grocery store from the wife of their second cousin, Saeed Jeffery.

by 17 million people. Within 6 months it became Britain’s most popular soap.

During that episode, the soap welcomed its Saeed and Naima Jeffery ty had been represented in a British soap.

and a protective father trying to maintain Islamic beliefs within his children’s lives, whilst trying to adapt to the western culture they were surrounded by.

Their storyline was a well-intentioned attempt society that existed in the East End of London.

The actor and actress did a great at-tempt at portraying a typical arranged mar-riage and the problems that arise from it.

Naima, played by Shreela Ghosh, tried to adhere to the Western culture of the East End of London whilst her family forced her to stay married to a man she loathed.

Saeed, played by Andrew Johnson, was never truly accepted in Walford and after divorcing his wife he left the square and his business in December 1985.

Naima stayed on the Square until 1987 and during that time she made a determined effort to embrace Western culture and feminism. She stopped wearing saris, learnt to drive, cut her hair short.

She represented an Asian woman living in Britain.

in an arranged marriage and having a storyline like this on the show helped educate Brits on the normality seen in Asian cultures.

Ashraf was older than her, and moved to Britain in 1968, when she was a child still living in Bangladesh. They married in Bangladesh and moved to Britain in 1973 and made

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Their departure followed after Ashraf was revealed to be having a long lasting affair with a woman named Stella.

In order to save their marriage and the possible destruction of their family, the Karim’s

This storyline at the time really helped the Asian community understand the double-crossing of a husband and wife. Rather than shying away from a situation like this, the soap helped viewers understand that people do cheat on their partners and that affairs are prevalent in the Asian community.

Next to take over the ‘Asian’ family slot were Gita and Sanjay Kapoor who arrived on the Square in 1993. Sanjay, played by Deepak Verma, was a market trader whose moneymaking schemes, funnily enough all ended disastrously. (I am sure many of us can relate to this.)

He betrayed his wife Gita, (Shobu Kapoor) with her sister Meena- talk about bringing shame on the family.

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When she returned, the pair put their differences behind them and Sanjay took on the child as his own. The couple was forced out of the Square when the media tried to publish stories surrounding their private business about the scandal. They left in 1998.

Five years on and no Asian family in sight, we saw the Ferreira family migrate to the Square.

The Ferreira family consisted of father, Dan (Dalip Tahil), mother Pushpa (Madhur Jaffrey), sons Ash (Raji James), Adi (Ameet Chana) and Ronny (Ray Panthaki), daughter Kareena (Pedja Shah) and stepson Tariq Larousi (Nabil Elouahabi).

When Bollywood actor Dalip Tahil was cast for the show it caused outrage among its audience. Viewers complained that a British actor should have been chosen for the role instead. His part was short lived however, when he had problems with his work permit.

A planned storyline of the children killing their father was scrapped and replaced with a ‘boring’ kidney transplant story line. However, the rest of the family stayed on the Square until 2005.

With the last Asian family not being received well by its audience, it was time for the producers to up their game.

After reconciling their relationship, Gita ended up disappearing following a one-night stand and an accidental pregnancy.

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In 2007, the current, resident Asian family, the Masood’s broke onto our screens and have been entertaining us ever since. They are the second Muslim to feature on the show since trayals and gay relationships, the Masood’s have seen it all, quite like the drama we see in a typical modern Asian family nowadays.

Despite them being our favourite Asian family on the show, we had to say goodbye to in 2012, followed by mother Zainab (Nina Wadia) who is now residing in Pakistan.

Leader of the pack, Masood Ahmed (Nitin Ganatra), Tamwar (Himesh Patel) and Shabnam (Rakhee Thakrar) are still going strong with promising stories in the pipeline.

And there you have it - The Eastenders Asian Family Showdown.

These memorable Asian characters have been entertaining viewers for the last 30 years, where the soap has touched up on issues involving arranged marriages, racism, the struggle of religious beliefs that coincide with western ways, affairs, homosexuality and more.

I am sure that their drama and feuds will continon modern day British Asians for many more years to come.

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International Women's Day. Make a difference, think globally and act locally! Do your bit to ensure that the future for girls is bright, equal, safe and rewarding.

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Bradford's Most Inspirational Women International Women's Day has been observed since in the early 1900's, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies.

IWD is now an official holiday in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China (for women only), Cuba, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar (for women only), Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal (for women only), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zambia. The tradition sees men honouring their mothers, wives, girlfriends, colleagues, etc with flowers and small gifts. In some countries IWD has the equivalent status of Mother's Day where children give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers.

The new millennium has witnessed a significant change and attitudinal shift in both women's and society's thoughts about women's equality and emancipation. With more women in the boardroom, greater equality in legislative rights, and an increased critical mass of women's visibility as impressive role models in every aspect of life, one could think that women have gained true equality. The unfortunate fact is that women are still not paid equally to that of their male counterparts, women still are not present in equal numbers in business or politics, and globally women's education, health and the violence against them is worse than that of men.

However, great improvements have been made. We do have female astronauts and prime ministers, school girls are welcomed into university, women can work and have a family, women have real choices. And so the tone and nature of IWD has, for the past few years, moved from being a school girls are welcomed into university, women can work and have a family, women have real choices. And so the tone and nature of IWD has, for the past few years, moved from being a

reminder about the negatives to a celebration of the positives.

Annually on 8 March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements. A global web of rich and diverse local activity connects women from all around the world ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to local women's craft markets, theatric performances, fashion parades and more.

Many global corporations have also started to more actively support IWD by running their own internal events and through supporting external ones. Here at Asian Style we look to celebrate our own Inspirational women of Bradford.

Here’s our top ten Inspirational Women of Bradford (in no particular order)

Sharon Beshenivsky

–(1967–2005) was a police constable who was killed in the line of duty on Friday 18 November 2005, protecting the community.

Sharon was born in Bradford.

Anne Brontë – (1820–1849) was a novelist and poet, born in Thornton on the outskirts of Bradford. Anne was the youngest member of the Brontë literary family. She published a volume of poetry with her sisters (Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell,1846) and two novels. Agnes Grey, based upon her experiences as a governess, was published in 1847.

Her second and last novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, which is considered to be one of the first sustained feminist novels, appeared in 1848.

Charlotte Brontë –

(1816–1855) was a novelist and poet, born in Thornton. the eldest of the three Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood and whose novels have become

classics of English literature.

Shef irst published her works (including her best known novel, Jane Eyre)

The three Brontë sisters, in an 1834 painting by their brother Patrick Branwell. From left to right: Anne, Emily and Charlotte. (Branwell used to be between Emily and Charlotte, but subsequently painted himself out.)

Emily Brontë – (1818– 1848) was a novelist and poet, born in Thornton. Emily is best known for her only novel, Wuthering Heights, now considered a classic of English literature. Emily was the third eldest of the four surviving Brontë siblings, between the youngest Anne and her brother Branwell.

Olivia Messer (Olive) – (1928–2011) was

the first Jewish woman to become a Lord Mayor of Bradford. During the mid 1980s and at the time of the Bradford City fire disaster, Mayor Messer was key to the laying down of a fund which would benefit the victims and their families.

Florence Moser –

(1856–1921) She established the 'City Guild of Help' in the

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town, a form of organised help for the poor and distressed of Bradford.

Florence also ran an establishment called 'the Nest' for mothers to leave their babies and young children for the day. She was a philanthropist.

(1860–1931) was a Christian Socialist (Simkin 1997) and member of the Fabian Society. Working in deprived districts, notably Bradford and Deptford, she agitated for reforms to improve the health of young children, wrote several books on nursery education and pioneered a play-centred approach that has only latterly found wide acceptance.

Brave Barbara Jane Harrison

Barbara Jane Harrison, GC – (1945–

1968) was a British air stewardess who was awarded the George Cross for heroism, and is the only woman to be awarded the medal for gallantry in peacetime. Barbara was born in Bradford. on 8 April 1968, BOAC Flight 712 caught fire as it took off for Sydney. Harrison stayed at her station and helped passengers to escape as fire consumed the plane, encouraging them to jump and in some cases simply pushing them out to safety.Harrison was seen by survivors and observers on the ground at the exit seemingly preparing to jump, but then, with flames at the door and billowing black smoke all around, she turned back into the burning fuselage. There then occurred another explosion and she was not seen again It is unknown why exactly Jane Harrison, on the verge of safety, returned to the cabin, although a BAA Fire Officer who entered the burned out aircraft believed it was to assist a severely disabled Israeli woman, Esther Cohen, but somehow aware that passengers were still inside, Miss Harrison attempted to help them despite the extreme risks involved, and in so doing bravely died at her post in the service of others.

Margaret McMillan fought for reforms to improve the health of young children

Yvonne McGregor MBE – (born 9 April 1961) is an English former professional cyclist. She was made an MBE for services to cycling in the 2002 New Year Honours.

Yvonne was born in Bradford.

McGregor competed in running until the age of 28, scoring an eighth place finish at the 1988 World Fell Running

Championship, and did not ride a bicycle until she was 17. She started cycling competitively when she took up competing in triathlon. In1995 in Manchester she set a hour record for women of 47.411km. McGregor broke Burton's 25 mile time trial record in 1996, setting a time of 51 minutes 30 seconds.

primary progressive multiple sclerosis, notable for her challenge to the law in England and Wales as relates to assisted suicide. On 20 September 2009, it was announced that guidelines on assisted suicide law would be published by the UK Government. The guidelines for England and Wales "come after a legal battle won by Debbie Purdy", as "Law Lords accepted in 2014 that [Purdy] had a right to know whether her husband would be prosecuted if he helped her to travel abroad to commit suicide." Purdy died on 23 December 2014 at the Marie Curie Hospice in Bradford.

Debbie Purdy (4 May

1963 – 23 December 2014) was a British music journalist and political activist from Bradford, West Yorkshire, with

Inspirational Debbie Purdy

International Women's Day 8 March

Margaret McMillan –

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WOMEN IN THE SPOTLIGHT

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BILKIS MAHMOOD

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Bilkis Mahmood Winner of The British Muslim Award

By Aalia Khan Twitter: @AaliaAsNews E:Aalia@asiansunday.co.uk Bilkis Mahmood, mother, wife, daughter and Senior Partner at Blackstone Law in Leeds has always had the drive and ambition for law. At the age of 16 she knew that she wanted to become a lawyer and this was one dream she knew she would achieve.

Mahmood’s dreams became a reality when she launched her own law firm just five years ago and her achievements were recently recognised at the British Muslim Awards.

She was nominated in the Services to Law' category and managed to triumph many remarkable competitors from London, Birmingham and Leeds.

Mahmood says “I did not expect the award at all, in fact I didn’t plan to go to the ceremony and I was encouraged by my family and my staff, as they kept saying it is such an achievement to have been shortlisted, but I had no idea at all that I would win it.”

Mahmood was shocked when she beat the strong competition on the night, “The other nominees had some remarkable achievements with many years of experience. To be competing against them was difficult but then to have actually won was even more shocking.”

Mahmood was honoured to have won the prestigious national award and says “It is absolutely fantastic; I was really surprised and shocked but extremely honoured.” Her husband, son, brother, sisters and members of staff all attended the award show with her and she says her family have always been her “Anchor.”

She says they were “Ecstatic and jumping for joy. They are so supportive and really excited for me. It still hasn’t sunk in for me but they say you’ve worked so hard you deserve it.”

The British Muslim Awards were attended by more than 400 representatives from business, public services and the community. The awards seek to demonstrate the contribution to British society by Muslims across

a wide range of achievements. They attract thousands of nominations every year and Mahmood was the only Yorkshire representative in a shortlist of seven in the Services to Law' category.

Mahmood believes that the concept of the award show is “Excellent” but she says “The only criticism I would make is that people need to be recognised for their contribution and achievements and it shouldn’t be narrowed down because you are a Muslim. On the one had they do need the recognition but on the other hand all those people should be recognised for their achievements across the mainstream not just Muslims.”

Mahmood did A level law but then got married at 22 and returned to studying after having her children. She said “I decided that this is the time for me now to fulfil my aspirations and complete what I wanted to do many years ago. It was an ambition I had from a very young age and my father foresaw me going into law. I feel that I fulfilled mine and my father’s dream.” Unfortunately her father passed away before she could complete her final exams but she is pleased that she has managed to achieve what her and her father intended for her.

According to Mahmood people need to

enter fields such as law as there are very few opportunities to secure a training contract. She says it is important for “Any potential lawyer not to give up, to keep focused and dedicated and to keep applying.” She also believes that people from ethnic backgrounds need to be recognised for their hard work as “There’s a lack of recognition and a lot of negative criticism directed towards people from minority ethnic groups.”

Mahmood qualified in 2003 and started her own practice. In doing so, she has applied her wide experience of the public sector, having worked for Leeds City Council and set up a solicitor training programme, and private business where she specialised in training and development.

Here are a few fun facts about Bilkis: Fave film: Ben-Hur/Cleopatra/kuch kuch hota hain Fave food: Chicken Biryani Desired profession as a child: teaching and then law at 16 Fave hobby: reading, socialising and entertaining Fav holiday destination: I would love to go to Malaysia

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Pupils compete in

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religious hymn competition

Samir Khan, 10 year old naat competition winner

By Ninder Kaur t: @ninderAsNews e: ninder@asiansunday.co.uk

Key staged 2 pupils at Lilycroft Primary School performed at their annual naat competition.

The competition was held during the afternoon at the school, which saw the children perform in front of fellow students, teachers and parents.

A naat is a religious recitation in praise of prophet Muhammad. It is an Islamic hymn performed in Urdu without music.

Mrs Alam, the Homeschool Liaison Officer at the school and organiser of the event said: “ The naat competition is a extra-curricular activity that we have

Lady Mayoress, Elizabeth Sharp with Lilycroft naat performers

been hosting at our school for many years. We make sure that it doesn’t interfere with the children’s education so we have been practicing every lunchtime and playtime that we have. It has taken months to prepare and all the hard work has paid off.”

It has taken months for the children to prepare for the competition and only a few children are selected to compete.

On the day of the performance, they were then judged by four judges to see if they could passionately perform the Islamic hymns in a bid to win prizes.

Lilycroft Primary School in Manningham has been hosting the competition ever since it began in 1990.

The event welcomed Lady Mayoress Elizabeth Sharp, who was on hand to present the children with their awards.

“It was the children’s parents that came forward and requested for me to introduce these classes. Parents already know how to perform naats so they wanted me to be able to teach and encourage their children to perform in front of an audience, so it all started from there,” said Mrs Alam.

Lady Mayoress said: “ Today’s competition was amazing. All the children performed beautifully. They all have glorious voices and it was such an emotive moment to be a part of. I believe it is a wonderful idea and that more school should host a competition like this.”

Headmistress, Nicola Roth added: “Its one of those days that adults and children can enjoy. It’s nice to celebrate the pupil’s culture and something that recognises their faith. The children take such pride in their appearance for the day and the way that they perform and their parents are so proud of them. It has been a lovely afternoon and we will be looking forward to next year.”

With 25 children being judged on their efforts, there could only be one winner and that was 10-year-old Samir Khan.

After winning the competition, Samir said: “I am very proud to have won. I have been preparing for this moment for a whole month. I cannot wait to tell my family and I will definitely continue to perform my naats.”

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Men stand up and say no to domestic abuse

By Aalia Khan t: @AaliaAsNews e: Aalia@asiansunday.co.uk

The misconception that only a woman can be subjected to domestic abuse and domestic violence is still held in society today. Often a woman will be seen as the victim and the man as the perpetrator. The idea that the man could be the potential victim will sometimes be shunned as nonsense.

However the truth remains that there are many men across the UK who have been suffering in silence for too long, even now many men are too scared or afraid to speak up about the injustice they are incurring. Men Standing Up, a domestic abuse service in Bradford has acknowledged the need for a provision to help these men and show them that support is available.

The service, which began in September 2014, has only been running for a few months but they have already received close to 40 referrals of men seeking their help, Humayun Islam, the service manager says this number indicates “That there’s a massive need for this service.”

The service has been funded for three years by the National Lottery Grant and Rubina Bukhari; Chief Executive of the service worked on securing the grant.

Ann Kendal, Manager, Equity Partnership said “We are very pleased to see this service up and running and to see it’s visible successes in such a short space of time; Bradford has waited for

www.asiansunday.co.uk this service for far too long!”

Domestic abuse takes on many forms such as emotional, physical, financial, verbal, and sexual. The MSU service has focused on all these factors and worked with many organisations to ensure that when a man seeks their help he is given the full support and help he requires. Ean Monk, head of the service says “The reason that we looked for funding for this project was because we were getting more men coming through our other services such as the homeless one, where the main reason that they were homeless was because they were fleeing from domestic abuse situations. In a 12 month period we had 18 men staying in our other services that admitted to fleeing domestic abuse.”

Statistics have shown that one in six men will be victims of domestic abuse.

And 40% of gay and bisexual men have experienced abuse from a family member or partner. Islam explains that statistically women are more likely to suffer from domestic abuse but the statistics for men is just what has been reported “It is in fact a lot higher.”He reiterates that before this service began “Where would these men have gone?” thus showing that this service has been extremely useful for suffering men.

When a woman faces domestic abuse it is mainly her partner who is the cause of it, however when it comes to a man he could be facing the abuse from various people within the family. Islam says “With men it’s not just the partner; within the Asian community it can be abuse from the whole family e.g. when a man gets married and comes from the Indian subcontinent to the UK, he is on his own and there may be financial abuse as he’s being forced to go to work and give his earnings to the partner and their family. There may also be emotional abuse, or situations where the brothers of the wife could get involved and physically abuse him.”

Just as women are often seen returning to their abusive partner, the same situation occurs with men. Islam says “It can be really hard for a man to walk away from the situation as he’s got that attachment to the partner and family.”

Debt issues and children could force a man to stay in the situation he’s in or return to the abusive family even after he has obtained help.

MSU have had an equal mix of men seeking their service; these have included Asian, white, gay and males from different age groups. The youngest man to use their service has been a 21 year old and the eldest has been over 80. Monk says “As the service gets well known we’ll be getting more referrals coming in” and Islam says “It is important for people to understand that there is a service to help them.”

The service opened their helpline in December and this has made accessibility for users a lot easier. They provide housing and support to all men who are victims of domestic abuse

ISSUE 77 by signposting them to the specialist services that they require.

The emotional support received from the service includes; someone to talk to in confidence who understands the issues, support to increase their confidence and make changes to their life, help to make them realise that they are not to blame for the situation and confidential face to face session at the offices.

They will also offer guidance and support on how to access housing and help, how to report incidents to the police, who to approach for legal help, local services and support groups, how to stay safe and other specialist services they can access.

Monk says that they are asking other services if as part of their assessment they are questioning whether a man is suffering domestic abuse as this question is not asked from men. Islam says “We are that voice for a man to not suffer in silence. We are dealing with things sensitively as we will take the referral, do an assessment, identify the support needs and then do a risk assessment.

D/Insp Pam Mills at West Yorkshire Police said “A service specifically aimed at men within the Bradford District has been gratefully received by Officers from the Domestic Abuse Unit who have already started to refer in cases.”

The community are beginning to understand that this is a serious issue which needs to be addressed and MSU have received a lot of positive response about the organsation. Islam says “At the mosque men have gone to the imam and shared their suffering of emotional and financial abuse and asked what they can do and the imam has struggled to help, so there is definitely a need for it.” He says the community need to speak about the issue, promote it wherever possible and hand out their leaflets in the community.

Islam stressed that “Men standing up is not just the solution, it is about working in partnership with different organisations such as; the mosques, hidden homeless services for confidence building, counselling services, family action for benefits issues, the police and probation, solicitors drug and alcohol services and housing services.

The helpline for the service is 0300 303 0167 and it is active Monday to Friday 10am-1 and 2-5pm. If men aren’t comfortable picking up phone they can email the service on menstandingup@ bradfordcyrenians.org.uk. Islam and Monk say that men usually call in the latter stages of the abuse but they want them to call at the earlier stages.

Going forward MSU are looking for volunteers to help staff the helpline, and they also want to develop crash-pad accommodation and emergency on the day accommodation.

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Tree planted

in memory of Holocaust victim Anne Frank

www.asiansunday.co.uk The step-sister of Anne Frank attended a tree planting memorial in honour of the famous wartime diarist.

Step-sister Dr Eva Schloss, honorary president of the Anne Frank Trust UK, planted a chestnut tree in the grounds of Cartwright Hall, Lister Park on Wednesday afternoon.

The Anne Frank House, Amsterdam honoured the chestnut tree sapling to a group of school children from Bradford. The students who travelled to Amsterdam in 2009 had been trained as Anne Frank Ambassadors.

The museum staff were impressed with their knowledge that they felt that Bradford deserved a sapling of the tree.

Since 2010, the tree has been carefully nurtured to grow large enough to be planted outdoors.

Holocaust victim Anne wrote about the original tree in her world-famous diary in May 1944, saying: “Our Chestnut tree is in full bloom. It’s covered with leaves and is even more beautiful than ever.” It was one of Anne’s only links to the outside world during the years she spent in hiding.

However, the White Horse Chestnut tree, which was more than 170 years old, suffered from a serious disease and was felled in 2010. Bradford’s sapling is one of only ten handed out in the UK. Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councilor Mike Gibbons, hosted the ceremonious memorial. He said: “It is important for the people of Bradford to understand the significance of what the Frank family went through and the planting of this sapling will be lasting memory. It signifies that we should all learn to live in freedom without suppression and oppression.

Grammar School, St Joseph’s Catholic College and Belle Vue Boys’ School.

Dr Eva Schloss said: “Anne said in her diary- ‘When I die, I would like to live on,’ and that is certainly what she has achieved. It was a very moving event having the tree planted here in Bradford.

The city has a mixed community and I hope that this opens people’s eyes with what has happened and how important it is to live in harmony together.”

The event was shortly followed by the launch of the ‘Anne Frank + [you]’ exhibition which took place at Kala Sangam, where Dr Schloss gave a speech about her experiences as a Holocaust survivor.

Students trained as Anne Frank Ambassadors will act as guides at the exhibition until March 26.

Schools involved include Belle Vue Boys’ School, Carlton Bolling College, Dixons City Academy and Laisterdyke Business and Enterprise College.

Councilor Ralph Berry, Executive Member for Children and Young People’s Services, said: “I am so proud of the work that young people in Bradford are doing as Anne Frank Ambassadors by bringing to life the lessons of the Holocaust.

The city has a proud track record with working with the Anne Frank Trust.

Their important work touches the lives of many children and connects people with history. A lot of work has gone into organising the exhibition and I hope people go and visit.”

Bradford has all sorts of diverse communities and we should learn to live in harmony and that’s the message that this is giving out today.“ Shortly after planting the tree, a poem written by the Anne Frank Trust was read out by pupils of St Bede’s Official tree plaque outside Cartwright Hall, Lister Park

Dr Eva Schloss, Lord Mayor Mike Gibbons & Lady Mayoress Elizabeth Sharp

Dr. Eva Schloss giving a speech

Dr Eva Schloss planting the memorial tree

Dr Eva Schloss, Lord Mayor Mike Gibbons & Lady Mayoress Elizabeth Sharp joined by Anne Frank Ambassdors

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Devine Dining at Refurbished Mamma Mia

By Aalia Khan t: @AaliaAsNews e: Aalia@asiansunday.co.uk

A warm and welcoming atmosphere welcomed me into Mamma Mia. The smell of delicious cooking and baking got my taste buds tingling from the moment I stepped in, and this being my first visit to the family-run newly refurbished Italian restaurant, it was clear that customer satisfaction, friendliness and a great time are their primary focuses.

The lovely owners Giovanni and Nella Massimo were nothing but hospitable throughout my dining experience, as Giovanni welcomed us in, Nella took us to our table at the side of the room.

It was a good place to be seated as being against the wall meant that you didn’t have people walking all around you.

We were handed the menu and Nella explained what each dish consisted of and which were halal so that we could eat them.

For starters I chose Condimento Di Pane – which is homemade bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, along with Penne Al Pomodoro – this being Penne pasta with fresh tomatoe sauce and basil. The Condimento Di Pane came on a slate which I liked as it was different. The homemade bread was soft and fluffy and went well with the olive and oil and balsamic vinegar.

The Penne Al Pomodoro was one of the nicest Pasta’s I’ve had. The aroma was enticing and saucy appearance made it look just as appetising as it was.

From the first bite I could tell that the pasta shells were cooked to perfection – not overcooked nor undercooked, and the sauce was also very tasty, not like the usual ‘out of a jar’ that you would get elsewhere.

The atmosphere of the restaurant was warm, relaxed and at ease. Although it was quite busy everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and not worried about the amount of people around them. The main thing which bothers me at a restaurant is if the temperature is too cold as it makes it difficult for me to enjoy my food, but Mama Mia was warm, just right for me to be able to take off my coat without worrying about

feeling chilly.

For my main dish I decided to go for something a little different instead of the usual pizza that I would have normally gone for. I went with the Spezatino Pazzo – strips of chicken with onions, peppers and spicy tomatoe sauce. I accompanied this with Zucchine Fritte, which are fried aubergines. The main dish came within ten minutes of completing the starter which I liked as, despite them being so busy, they ensured that meals were served on time in between courses. This was just enough time to get me ready to dig into the main after finishing the starter.

To my surprise I really enjoyed this dish as the chicken was extremely succulent and deliciously cooked with the peppers and onions, complimenting the whole dish. The Zucchine Fritte was also delicious, although I had expected them to be crispy and they were rather soft but none the less they still tasted lovely. The presentation of the Spezatino Pazzo was simple yet effective; it came in a simple white dish, nothing fancy but still did the trick with getting my mouth watering and eager to dig into.

Looking around I could tell that Giovanni and Nella were very attentive with all their customers, going up, speaking to them and asking them if they enjoyed their food. They also ensured that they went to a customer at the right time, not when their mouth was full with food. Nella also came up to us and chatted about how she and Giovanni do the job because “They love it” and it is all about their “Roots.”

To end the meal a sweet treat was a must. Looking at the menu I asked Nella what the ‘Cheesecake of the day’ was, she said this was a white chocolate cheesecake with a raspberry topping, as soon as I heard that I knew it was the one. It arrived with a lovely heart shaped chocolate on top sided with cream and it was absolutely delicious.

I must say my experience at Mamma Mia was divine and I will definitely be recommending it to others.

22

ISSUE 77

www.asiansunday.co.uk

MusliM WoMen across the uK are

#MakingaStand against extreMisM and

radicalisation

By Aalia Khan t: @AaliaAsNews e: Aalia@asiansunday.co.uk

Extremism and radicalisation is a growing concern in society and it has become vital today, more than ever, for people to speak up and

take their stand against this disease. I call it a disease as it is fast spreading across the globe and everyone seems to be in search of the cure.

Inspire, a counter-extremism and human rights organisation, helps to ensure that Muslim women are not

discriminated against as well as campaigning to eliminate extremism.

Their recent campaign is the #MakingAStand campaign which will show that Muslim women in the UK are taking a stand against ISIS and it will help women within communities to directly combat extremism and

radicalisation in their communities.

The #MakingAStand campaign will see Muslim women coming together in different cities across the UK to show their rejection of the barbarism of ISIS as well as taking part in workshops on

www.asiansunday.co.uk how to equip themselves and notice early signs of radicalisation.

With women being the first-line of defence against radicalisation the workshops are looking to champion women in making their voices heard in their personal and public life. Sara Khan Director and Co-founder of Inspire said “It is important for Muslim women to make sure their voice is heard. People in society want to hear women’s voices. I am starting to hear more Muslim women speaking out and I would encourage them to speak out more as they are actively making a difference.”

"Women face many barriers within society; these being socio-economic, religious and cultural and these barriers need to be tackled by the woman’s’ voice being heard. The main way in extinguishing these barriers is “Not to ignore women.” The second aspect is to “Educate men on a wider perspective” on the importance of a woman’s voice being heard. "

"

Sara Khan- Inspire

ISSUE 77 This is the next phase of the #MakingAStand campaign following its initial launch at the end of last year with the support of Home Secretary Theresa May. The initial launch came after the “The brutal summer of ISIS terrorism and how horrendous it was” says Khan. She says they wanted to speak out against it and get women within the community engaged on the topic. The campaign is both online and offline with #MakingAStand spiralling across social media.

According to Khan Women face many

barriers within society; these being socio-economic, religious and cultural and these barriers need to be tackled by the woman’s’ voice being heard. She says the main way in extinguishing these barriers is “Not to ignore them.”

The second aspect is to “Educate men on a wider perspective” on the importance of a woman’s voice being heard.

In light of the three young London girls who are believed to be on their way to Syria to join ISIS, after being indoctrinated by extremists online,

23

Khan has wrote a letter on the Inspire website urging young girls “Not destroy your life and your families lives by buying into a lie.

ISIS claim to be calling for women’s liberation but do not be fooled – this is no liberation. This is subjugation and an abuse of women’s independence.”

To register your interest, find out what you can do to join the #MakingAStand campaign as well as information about the regional events visit the website: <http:// www.wewillinspire.com/>

24 ISSUE 77

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eXCiTinG JOB OPPORTUNITIES LET'S GET WORKING

WANT TO ADVERTISE YOUR JOBS SEND THEM TO JOBS@ASIANSUNDAY.CO.UK

POLITICS reporTer Bradford’s only sunday newspaper, Asian sunday has a rare vacancy for a specialist reporter on politics We have a cracking news patch here and we want an enthusiastic reporter who will get out and about bringing in exclusive stories and getting into the heart of our communities.

You will have all your preliminary qualifications, including 100 wpm shorthand. The ideal candidate will have knowledge of Bradford politics.

Flexible working hours Pay scale according to NUJ guidelines To apply send your CV with a covering letter to editor@ asiansunday.co.uk

Administrator Hours of work: 10am to 530pm salary: Based on experience We are looking for an administrator, who would report directly to the editor of Asian sunday newspaper. They would be required to work in a fast paced and busy environment answering incoming calls and dealing with internal administration duties, such as typing, researching and providing support for the news team.

The ideal candidate will receive full training and support, along with an opportunity to grow within the organisation. Candidate must possess a minimum of 5 GCsE’s. Must have good communication skills and be able to work on own initiative.

To apply send your CV with a covering letter to jobs@asiansunday.co.uk or write to us at Asian sunday, Bradford Chamber Business Park, New Lane, BD4 8BX Previous applicants need not apply

If you want to be part of an innovative and dynamic organisation with career progression then apply now.

SOCIAL MEDIA & ONLINE APPRENTICE Asian Sunday newspaper, Britain's only FREE sunday paper & Bradford's only Asian paper, is looking to grow it's online presence. Therefore a position has become available for a social media apprentice.

Reporting in to the Head of Digital, your role as Social Media Specialist will include:- Day to day running of social media channels - Creation of content alongside the creative team - Writing design briefs - Generation of new and creative social content ideas - Monitoring content performance and suggest optimisation improvements The successful candidate will have a passion for all things digital and will be engaged with social media and its potential. You will show a keen interest in how social media works, and will have the ability to run reports and analyse data. It must be stressed that applicants must have social media experience.

Hours of work: Part time and Full time vancancies available Pay: Based on experience To apply send your CV with covering letter to jobs@asiansunday.co.uk

SALES EXECUTIVES Hours of Work: Flexible Salary: £40k OTE (inc basic, plus car and expenses) Are you a self starter, ambitious, self motivator, have the hunger to achieve and increase earning potential?

Then we want to hear from you.

A position has become available for a Sales Executive to help sell our services to Business clients.

You must have a minimum of 1 years experience selling to B2B customers. You must possess excellent communication skills and be educated to a minimum of 5 GCSE's at grade C or above and have a can do attitude.

For the right candidate full training will be given To apply or for more information email your details to jobs@asiansunday.co.uk with Sales Executive in the subject field or write to Asian Sunday Newspaper Bradford Chamber Business Park, New lane, Bradford, BD4 8BX When applying please supply full name, contact details and a covering letter expressing interest

GOT A PROPERTY TO SELL! PROPERTY TO LET! Be it commercial or residential, we have a fantastic new property section coming soon.....

Want to promote your property business to thousands...

get in touch now:

Property@asiansunday.co.uk

26

ISSUE 77

www.asiansunday.co.uk

Shapla Football Club launches with a bang On a rainy Thursday morning Shapla Football Club officially opened their doors as a recognisable club aiming to provide a platform for young children to come and play football, learn valuable life lessons and increase their confidence and skills.

On 19th February over 100 children along with supporters, partners of the club, members from Bradford City Football club, parents, volunteers and media gathered at BEAP community centre in Manningham to witness the cementing of Shapla.

Abul Qasim, Humayun Islam, Mark Healy

David Dowse BCFC

The event was a success with an incredible turnout and those present were able to watch the children play a game of football, take part in a workshop learning about diversity, equality and inclusion; such workshops will be carried out for the children at every football session, and everybody was given the opportunity to take a tour of the Bradford City Football Club grounds.

Shapla Football Academy has been running for the last year and Abul Qasim, Co-founder of Shapla Football club, explains that “We’ve decided to do the launch now as it has been going on for so long but it has been unnoticed. Some of the kids here are from the Jubodhol organsation but we’ve never got all the kids together from Shapla and Jubodhol. So to get them together on an occasion like this is a test to see where we can go from here. Kick It Out are going to help us get bigger and better facilities for the kids, and today is to show that this is who we are, and who we are working with.”

Kick It Out, a campaigning organisation noticed the brilliant work Shapla were doing and have now joined in partnership with them to help develop it further. Troy Townsend Education and Development Manager at Kick It Out said “I am stunned as there are 100+ children here. A lot of people have criticised Kick It Out in the past saying that we don’t bring communities together, and the work we have done with the Fans for Diversity and Shapla is here to show it is not true. I think it’s fantastic for

the community and at a real good time for Bradford aswel. The main focus now is to make sure that it is not just left here today, to make sure that we continue to have a presence in the community and to make sure that the children notice that we are here.”

Bradford City Football Club also partnered with Shapla, and the Shapla kids have attended games to support the City club.

David Dowse, Facilities Manager at Bradford City said “It is absolutely great, and we are delighted that the Kick It Out campaign and West Riding have realised the potential here. It is a short distance from the stadium so hopefully that’s an inspiration for them.”

Anwar Uddin from the Football Supporters Federation and Humayun Islam Co-founder of Shapla Football Club were both thrilled by the events turnout. Uddin said “It is unbelievable, the kids here are all aspiring footballers all with a massive affection towards the game, and what we’ve tried to do here is create a connection between the community and the club. It did exist beforehand but we wanted to make the community aware that there’s a massive club here and if they want to develop as players Shapla have provided the coaching.

This will give Shapla the network to develop as an academy.”

Islam also beamed “I am really happy seeing this many kids, it is unbelievable, especially getting them here for 10am. It shows there is a massive need for sports and through Shapla football club we hope to integrate and have more inclusion for kids to be part of football and support their own club.”

Islam believes that “There will be a lot more appetite for football after this launch as kids will see that they don’t want to be on the streets kicking a can, they want to have the opportunity to use facilities like this. We also need to look at improving facilities, getting more coaches involved from the Asian community and making it bigger.”

Playing football

Kids from the Shapla club along with organisers and partners

Kids given a tour of the grounds

Anwar Uddin Football Supporters Federation

www.asiansunday.co.uk

ISSUE 77

27

Fans are top priority for BCFC and extra seating is proof of that

Bradford City Football Club prides itself on their loyal fans and to show their appreciation hundreds more seats are being created for more fans to be able to come and watch their favourite team play.

Those who are season tickets holders will be making use of the extra seating in the main west stand, as the current seats will be removed and space for 424 extra fans will be made.

These additional seating arrangements are being made in time for the FA Cup quarter final

to take place on 7 March.

Watching a Bradford City game has become high demand and many people are trying to get hold of tickets for upcoming matches.

City has taken this into account and is doing whatever they can to accommodate the thousands of fans wanting to attend City games.

Extra staff and volunteers have been called in to meet the demands of eager City fans. And the club has requested for any skilled workers who can assist with dismantling the old seats

from the west stand to contact them, as that area needs to be stripped out and cleaned before the replacements are installed.

Bradford City has been on a remarkable high with their win against Chelsea, and most recently against Sunderland and the support of their fans has been vital during these wins, therefore the continued support of their fans will help to keep Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s winning street on the increase.

BCFC grounds

www.asiansunday.co.uk

ISSUE 77

Britain's Sunday Newspaper BBritain’sFIRST FIRSTFREE AsianAsian Sunday Newspaper

Mayweather vs. Pacquiao

fight of the century Sunday 14th September Man Utd v QPR

Saturday 27th September

16:00

Monday 15th September Hull v West Ham

20:00

Saturday 20th September QPR v Stoke Aston Villa v Arsenal Burnley v Sunderland Newcastle v Hull Swansea v Southampton West Ham v Liverpool

12:45 15:00 15:00 15:00 15:00 17:30

Sunday 21st September Leicester v Man Utd Tottenham v West Brom Everton v Crystal Palace Man City v Chelsea

13:30 13:30 16:00 16:00

Liverpool v Everton 12:45 Chelsea v Aston Villa 15:00 Crystal Palace v Leicester 15:00 Hull v Man City 15:00 The fight which is being pitted as Swansea v Sunderland the fight of all fights was finally 15:00 confirmed on 20 February. Floyd Arsenal v Tottenham 17:30 Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao will be taking to the ring together on

May in Las Vegas.

Sunday 28th2September

West Brom v Burnley 16:00 Mayweather, the undefeated boxer has beaten the best for over 15 years, and Pacquiao is also on top form despite having lost a few fights in his career. Boxing fans have been waiting for this fight for six long years, even believing that it may not take place, but their wish will finally be coming true.

Many fans are split over who is better and who they wish to win, however they are known to be the best two boxers for close to seven years and the fight is said to be one of the most expensive fights in history, nearing £160million.

Both boxers, who may be retiring soon, have different techniques in the ring; Mayweather’s technique leans towards being defensive and Pacquiao is seen as being more aggressive.

Tickets for the fight, taking place at the MGM Grand, will be very expensive and everyone is trying to get their hands on them.

NOMINATIONS OPEN 26 Mayweather tweeted about the fight, SEPTEMBER 2014 writing: “What the world has been waiting for has arrived.

Mayweather MAKE YOUR vs Pacquiao on May 2, 2015, is a done deal.

NOMINATION COUNT HELP US “I promised theFIND fans we would get this done, and we did.

We will make BRADFORD'S history on May 2nd. Don’t miss it!”

UNSUNG Brit Boxer Amir Khan’s hopes of INSPIRATIONS!!!! fighting Mayweather have been hold on and his next opponent may be Kell Brook, for now he will have to enjoy this fight as an audience WWW.INSPIRATIONAL member instead.

WOMENAWARDS.ORG. It’s a fight not to be missed and UK one that will surely go down in history, so who would you like to see win Mayweather or Pacquiao?

Published by I and E Media Ltd, Bradford Chamber Business Park, New Lane, Bradford BD4 8BX and is distributed subject to the following condition, namely that it shall not, without the written consent of the publishers first given, be lent, resold or hired out or otherwise disposed of in a mutilated condition or in any other unauthorised cover by way of trade or affixed to or as part of any publication or advertising literary