Blog Style - Asian Sunday & Style

Bantams secure Hull striker

Sports

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January 16, 2014

Bradford City have secured the signature of Aaron McLean on a permanent deal from Premier League side Hull City.

McLean, 30, has signed a two-and-a-half year deal at the Coral Windows Stadium late last night before being unveiled as a Bradford player today.

Subject to clearances, McLean is set to go straight into Bantam’s squad for their Yorkshire derby at Sheffield United on Saturday.

The signing of McLean, who is a proven goalscorer in the Football League, is sure to boost fans hopes after the disappointment of seeing Nakhi Wells move on to Huddersfield Town.

Speaking on the official website, Manager Phil Parkinson said: “I’m thrilled by the arrival of Aaron. He is someone I have monitored for a while now and he has a proven record at this level. Aaron is a fantastic player and he will be a great personality to have around the dressing room. I am sure he is going to be an excellent acquisition for the football club.”

McLean spent most of the last two years playing Championship football with Hull and during two loan spells at Ipswich Town and Birmingham City.

The striker has featured for Hull in the Premiership this season, making an appearance in their fixture away at Tottenham Hotspur and he scored in their recent F.A Cup third round win at Middlesbrough.

What are your thoughts on the Bantams latest signing? Can McLean replace Wells? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter.

Former councillor released on bail

News

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January 15, 2014

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A former Bradford councillor and Co-op Bank chairman has been released on bail in connection with a drugs supply investigation.

Paul Flowers, 63, was filmed allegedly handing over £300 for cocaine and discussing the purchase of other illegal drugs last year.

Flowers arrived at Leeds Stainbeck Police Station on January 14, to answer bail after being arrested in November.

In a statement, West Yorkshire Police said: “A 63-year-old man, from Bradford, who was arrested in Liverpool in November as part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of drug supply offences made in a national newspaper answered bail today at a West Yorkshire police station and has now been bailed pending further enquiries.”

Unused land to become community garden in Toller

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January 15, 2014

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Unused land to become community garden in Toller

Council contractors will begin transforming unused land into a community garden on Scotchman Road.

The demand for the Council-owned allotments off Toller Lane has dropped in recent years, resulting in the site becoming overgrown and causing concern for people.

Now Toller ward councillors Amir Hussain, Arshad Hussain and Imran Hussain, have agreed to money from the Area Action Planning fund being put towards the first phase of creating a community garden, due to commence on January 20.

Local residents have been consulted on the proposals and have given their approval to the work, which will be done in several phases.

Bradford Council’s landscape, design and conservation team has designed the garden and the Council’s highways maintenance team will carry out phase one which will include clearing the site, landscaping, marking out pathways and fencing off the remaining working allotments from the community garden.

Councillor Imran Hussain, Deputy Leader of the Council, said: “We have had a very positive response from the residents, with some showing a strong interest in getting involved. We plan to involve local primary school children in phase two of the project, which will provide an important local amenity for people to enjoy and make the area safer and greener for everyone.

“We are delighted that pupils from Margaret McMillan and Lilycroft Primary Schools are already working regularly on the allotments, growing their own food and keeping fit. These and other local schools are also working with residents and the Allotments Association to put together ideas for the site. St Cuthbert’s is one school that has expressed a commitment to be involved.”

Phase two will also see the paths finished, trees planted and benches installed. Bradford Council’s Toller ward co-ordinator and allotments officer are supporting Bradford district empowerment network (CNet) and Bradford Community Environment Project (BCEP) in their application for funding for phase two.

“Lack of continuity of care”, says report on local GP services

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January 14, 2014

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“Lack of continuity of care”, says report on local GP services

Healthwatch Bradford and District has published a report on what the people of Bradford think about their local GP services.

The organisation received almost 600 comments about GP and dentist services in the area. Although some people spoke positively about their experiences at the GP practice, the report also showed a strong feeling of frustration across Bradford and district.

The main problems that people spoke to Healthwatch about were:

difficulty in getting GP appointments;
problems with the attitude or knowledge of staff;
lack of continuity of care, particularly people not getting to see their own doctor.

One of the people whose views contributed to the report was Julia Hall from Thornbury, Bradford.

Julia said: “Listening to people talking at the Healthwatch events was really interesting; GP surgeries all seem to be doing different things and it highlighted some of the health inequalities that exist in our city.

“Some people are really struggling to even get an appointment, and certain groups of people are having worse experiences than others; but if some GP surgeries can get it right, why can’t they all?”

Andrew Jones, manager of Healthwatch Bradford and District said: “We heard about some good GPs in the district, where systems are working well and people can see a doctor when they need to, and where people feel like staff understand and meet their individual needs. Everyone in Bradford district should be able to expect this.

“However the views highlighted in our report show that some groups of people have particularly bad experiences, such as people with mental health needs or from minority ethnic communities.

“It’s frustrating that good practice doesn’t always seem to be shared across the district and patients still feel that it’s a ‘postcode lottery’. Healthwatch want the organisations in charge of improving services to bring all practices up to the standard of the best.”

Healthwatch say that improving access to GP services, particularly at evenings and weekends is vital.

“We’ve seen lots of news stories recently about the problems in Accident and Emergency at our hospitals, and our report highlights that part of the pressure on A&E is because people go there as a last resort because they have an urgent need but can’t get attention from their GP out of hours.”

A spokesman for Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven, Bradford City and Bradford Districts Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) said: “This report will be a valuable tool to help us understand what local people think about healthcare services, what is working well and the kind of improvements they would like to see.

“While CCGs do not commission GP or dental services, we do have a role in driving up quality in general practice and the report will inform this important area of work. We are keen to hear people’s views on services and to help them to learn more about, and get involved with, the way health services are organised and run.

Healthwatch will work with these organisations to follow up on the 15 recommendations they make in the report, to make sure they take action.

The report from Healthwatch has been published on their website and has been sent to all GP practices in the district, as well as decision-makers such as NHS England and the three Clinical Commissioning Groups.

People can still share their experiences of GP services in the district, and find out more about getting involved in Healthwatch online at www.healthwatchbradford.co.uk, or by contacting them on 0300 56 10987.

Leeds Bradford Airport announce seven route launches in 2014

Money

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January 14, 2014

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Leeds Bradford Airport announce seven route launches in 2014

Tony Hallwood of Leeds Bradford International Airport. rossparry.co.uk — Leeds Bradford Airport’s Aviation Development & Marketing Director Tony Hallwood celebrates seven route launches for Leeds Bradford in 2014

Leeds Bradford Airport has announced seven route launches for 2014, offering an increased destination and airline choice for Yorkshire travellers.

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) will launch their first destination between Leeds Bradford and Copenhagen. Jet2.com and Eastern Airways will both introduce new destinations to compliment their existing schedules.

Commencing January 20, Eastern Airways introduces services between Leeds Bradford and Southampton, expanding on their current operations to Aberdeen. The airline will operate to Southampton three times daily Monday to Friday, as well as a Sunday afternoon service; providing flexibility for both business and leisure travellers.

Leeds Bradford will welcome new airline SAS from March 31 with a twice weekly service to Copenhagen, offering a direct link to Denmark’s capital and onward connectivity across Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.

Jet2.com, Leeds Bradford’s largest based airline will introduce five new destinations this summer.

From April 3, Yorkshire travellers can fly directly into Hungarian capital, Budapest with a twice-weekly service. As of April 4, passengers can fly to Fuerteventura, Canary Islands with Jet2.com, their operations to Kos in Greece will commence May 6.

On May 14, Leeds Bradford will welcome a new destination, Verona in Italy, operated by Jet2.com. The airline will also introduce services to Reus on June 17.

Tony Hallwood, Leeds Bradford Airport’s Aviation Development & Marketing Director, said: “I am delighted to introduce new airline SAS this year alongside the growth of our existing airlines Jet2.com and Eastern Airways.

“We are anticipating another exciting year for Leeds Bradford Airport, building on our established route network to offer more choice for our business and leisure passengers than ever before. We are particularly excited to offer two brand new destinations; Copenhagen operated by SAS and Verona with Jet2.com, we hope Yorkshire travellers will take advantage of this increased destination choice this summer by flying locally from LBA.”

Police appeal after taxi driver is assaulted and robbed

News

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January 14, 2014

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Police appeal after taxi driver is assaulted and robbed

Police are appealing for information following a robbery in the Allerton area of Bradford.

The incident, which involved two men, resulted in a taxi driver being assaulted and his takings stolen.

At about 1.40am on Saturday, January 11, a taxi driver picked up two men from a pub in Bell Dean Road and took them to a block of flats off Saffron Drive. On leaving the vehicle, one of the men then punched the driver and the other stole his takings of around £150.

The men, who were white and believed to be in their early 20s ran off towards Saffron Drive. Both men spoke with local accents.

One of the men is described as being of average to medium build and about 5ft 10ins tall. He was said to have a round face, big eyes and a pointed nose and was wearing a dark woolly hat, a blue hooded top and grey bottoms.

The other is described as being of skinny build and about 6ft tall. He was wearing a red hooded top, which also covered his face.

Anyone with information is asked to contact DC Jazz Gill at Bradford CID on 101.

Nominees revealed for second annual British Muslim Awards

News

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January 13, 2014

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Nominees revealed for second annual British Muslim Awards

Bradford and London will be well represented at the second annual British Muslim Awards, with a number of organisations and individuals nominated.

Nominees include Bradford Muslim Women’s Council, Zeeshan Rehman Foundation, Halal Food Festival, Islam Feruz, Nadira Mirza, Yvonne Ridley and many more.

The British Muslim Awards recognise a wide range of achievements which cover various aspects of society including business, charity, sport, arts and culture and much more.

The evening is expected to attract over 400 people to the ceremony, which takes place at the Salford City Stadium, Manchester on Thursday, January 30.

As well as recognising the achievements of British Muslims at the forefront of their industries, the event will be raising money for The Well Foundation.

Set up in 2008, The Well Foundation aims to raise money to build wells, install hand pumps and establish health and sanitation programs to provide accessible clean water to the stricken regions of the world.

Irfan Younis, CEO at event organisers Oceanic Consulting, said: “The Muslim community has been making huge contributions to a better United Kingdom and these awards are a reflection of some of the work that goes unrecognised.

There are some truly inspirational individuals, businesses and organisations in all of our categories, and we would like to congratulate all of the finalists who continuously thrive to excel, making worthy contenders.”

See below for a full list of nominees:

Muslims in the Community
Colors of Islam (Scotland)
Bradford Muslim Womens Council (Bradford)
Zeeshan Rehman Foundation (Bradford)
Halal Food Festival (London)
Al Isharah (London)

Arts and Cultural Awareness
Abdullah Quilliam Society (Liverpool)
British Muslim Heritage Centre (Manchester)
Arab British Centre (London)
Exhibition Islam (London)
Aerosol Arabic (Birmingham)

Young Achiever of the Year
Kasim Jameel (Worcester)
Saira Hussain (Hussain Design, Burnley)
Adil Rashid (Adil Rashid Cricket Academy, Bradford)
Rabia Bhatti (Chesham)
Islam Feruz (London)

Charity of the Year
Islamic Relief (London)
Penny Appeal (Wakefield)
The Lady Fatemah Charitable Trust (Buckinghamshire)
Muslim Hands (Nottingham)
Muslim Aid (London)

Responsible Media of the Year
Islam Channel (London)
Al Jazeera (London)
Emel Magazine (London)
Invitation Magazine (London)
Peace TV (London)

Religious Advocate of the Year
Tarek Ramadan (Oxford)
Bilal Khan (Dome Advisory and Link Laters, London)
Ajmal Masroor (London)
Amar Jamil/Rizwan Mohammed (iSyllabus, Glasgow)
Abu Eesa Niamatullah (Al Maghrib Institute, Manchester)

Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Award for Muslim Women of the Year
Sughra Ahmed (Islamic Society of Britain, London)
Salma Yaqoob (Yara Consulting, Scotland)
Yvonne Ridley (London)
Faeeza Vaid (Muslim Women’s Network UK, Birmingham)
Rabiha Hannan (New Horizons, London)

Best at Sport
Tahmina Begum (London)
Salma Bi (Birmingham)
Nathan Ellington (Southport)
Saira Tabasum (Bradford)
Haroon Khan (Bolton)

Dr. Abbas Khan Memorial Award for Services to Medicine
Seher Ahmed (Manchester)
Mohammed Javad (London)
Aziz Sheikh (Scotland)
Sheraz Daya (London)
Nadia Khalid (London)

Services to Media
Tasnim Nazeer (Scotland)
Mehdi Hassan (London)
Rageh Omaar (London)
Mishal Hussain (London)
Shelina Zahra Janmohamed (London)

Services to Education
Tauheedul Islamic Girls School (Blackburn)
Yusuf Seedat (Islamiyah Girls High School, Blackburn)
Nadira Mirza (Bradford)
Sara Silvestri (London)
Sadek Hamid (Liverpool)

Services to Science and Engineering
Salim T S Al- Hassani (Manchester)
Haroon Ahmed (Cambridge)
Azra Meadows (Scotland)
Javaid Siddique (Manchester)
Nessar Ahmed (Manchester)

Services to Law
Forz Khan (Chambers of Khan, London)
Aina Khan (Duncan Lewis Solicitors, London)
Nauman Javid (Farani Javid Taylor, London)
Ifath Nawaz (Chiltern District Council, Chiltern)
Tahir Khan (Taunton)

Services to Creativity and Technology
Moneeb Awan (Manchester)
Faizah Maryam Mustafa (Macmillan, London)
SUNDE Technologies (Manchester)
Nazish Aslam (For Where I Am, Edinburgh)
Amaan Ahmed (Rormix, Manchester)

Civil Servant of the Year
Asif Sadiq (City of London Police, London)
Emran Mian (Social Market Foundation, London)
Judge Khurshid Drabu (Ministry of Justice, London)
Asif Anwar Ahmad (Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London)
Suniya Qureshi (DWP, London)

Services to Finance and Accounts
Ali Akbar Mohammed (Ansar, Manchester)
Farmida Bi (Norton Rose Ful Bright, London)
Tarek el Diwany (1st ethical, London)
Asim Siddiqui (Gatehouse Bank, London)
Siddiq Musa (KPMG, Manchester)

Politician of the Year
Sadiq Khan (Tooting)
Sajid Javed (Bromsgrove)
Mohammed Asghar (Wales)
Yasmin Qureshi (Bolton)
Nadhim Zahawi (Stratford on Avon)

Businesswomen of the Year
Uzma Yaqoob (Sculpt Beauty, London)
Razwana Bashir (Peek.com)
Salma Chaudry (The Halal Cosmetics Company, Blackburn)
Tab Ahmed (Employ-ability, London)
Imtaz Khaliq (Bespoke Design and Couture Tailoring, London)

Businessman of the Year
Mohammed Bin Issa Al Jaber (MBI International, London)
Touker Suleyman (Hawes and Curtis, London)
Afzal and Akmal Khushi (Trespass, Glasgow)
Mohammed Khalid (Chicken Cottage, Croydon)
Sutterwala Brothers (TRS, London)

Entrepreneur of the Year
Taz and Umer Sheikh (Gamucci, London)
Faraz Khan (SEED Ventures, London)
Ghias El Yafi (Tahira, London)
Taher and Zuber Mohsan (Supanet, Burnley)
James Caan (London)

Business of the Year
Quiz (Glasgow)
Euro Garages (Blackburn)
Asons Solicitors (Bolton)
Accrol (Blackburn)
Chunky Chicken (Manchester)

Spirit of Britain
Quilliam Foundation (London)
Christian Muslim Forum (London)
Muslim Jewish Foundation (Manchester)

Work on cycle superhighway to start soon

News

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January 13, 2014

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Work on a proposed cycle superhighway between Bradford and Leeds could start very soon, it has been announced.

The creation of the cycle superhighway is part of a major programme to boost cycling in the area.

It was announced last summer that the Government was giving the go-ahead for the 23 km cycle route to improve the environment, road safety, the economy and people’s health.

And now Bradford Council, along with Leeds Council, Metro, and the Canal & River Trust are looking in detail at how the £29m Cycle City Ambition Grant Programme is to be delivered.

Councillor Val Slater, Bradford Council’s Executive member for transport, said: “This is a great boost for us to create a high-quality cycle route between Leeds and Bradford. Because it connects key employment sites in the area, people will be able to look at cycling to work instead of driving or getting on a bus or train. This in turn will reduce CO2 emissions, resulting in improved air quality.

“It should also give children more confidence to cycle and improve their physical activity. It really is an exciting initiative that will create safer cycling journeys for both work and leisure.”

Councillor James Lewis, Metro Chairman, said: “This is good news for cyclists and allows us to take a step forward to making our region a cleaner, greener and healthier area to live and work.”

The cycle superhighway stretches between Seacroft in Leeds, through Leeds city centre to Bradford city centre, linking up residential and business areas.

The route leading out of Bradford city centre will include Leeds Road and Leeds Old Road, Dick Lane and Gain Lane.
Many of the roads leading off Leeds Road and Leeds Old Road have 20mph zones and it is proposed to refresh those zones and add any further necessary limits within that area. This does not include Leeds Road and Leeds Old Road.

Similar zones are being looked at by Leeds Council in those areas through which the Leeds section of the route would travel.
In addition the Programme includes the Canal & River Trust (formerly British Waterways) shortly starting to upgrade the Leeds-Liverpool canal towpath between Armley and Shipley to enable cyclists to use the path all year round.

The scheme has been developed in conjunction with the proposals for Westfield’s public realm works to integrate cycle access to Bradford’s flagship shopping centre destination.

Up to £18m will come from the DfT for the programme, with around £7.5m being funded by Metro, and the rest, £3.7m, by Leeds and Bradford Councils.

Bradford’s contribution amounts to £208,000 but this money is coming from the Leeds Transport Plan and from Public Health which was handed over to the Council a year ago. Bradford Council have confirmed this is not from their mainstream budget.
Bradford Council’s Executive will consider the report on how the Cycle City Ambition Grant Programme will be delivered on January 14.

If they support the report’s recommendations, the project is expected to be completed by June 2015.

Shababs Column: Does Networking Work?

Money

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January 13, 2014

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My view is that business is all about meeting new people, and building good business relationships that will hopefully lead to further business as well as referrals to other businesses/individuals to do business with. I have been a keen networker for several years now and actually enjoy going to different events, and meeting different people.

Regardless of what business area you work in, networking will more than likely be the most effective, and the least expensive marketing strategy within your business. It takes very little time, and if the right events are chosen, I can guarantee you will make some good contacts.

I must be honest and say at first I did not enjoy networking. I found it tedious, and the same people attending the same events being very self motivated and just interested in whether they can get a sale or not. However, after the first few events I realised that I was more than likely going to the wrong events and expecting too much from the events.

Now, I go networking with no intention or ambitious objectives of how much business I may make from the event. I will go to relevant events, and give my business card to only those individuals whom I think I will contact in the next few days and hopefully arrange a meeting. At present, I try and attend two to three events on a monthly basis. This could be a curry networking event, a formal dinner or even a large local social gathering, whereby individuals from different sectors are attending.

So what will make your networking experiences more effective? First of all you need to find networking events which include delegates that share your interests, and or are potential people to do business with. You then need to make sure that you dress appropriately and professionally, and then remember you are not at the event to sell your services, but to promote yourself. The worst networker is someone who tries too hard to sell their services or someone who is very egoistic and feels they are the best at what they do and actively promotes this image.

So coming back to the question of this article, does networking work? The answer is yes networking does work, so long as you actually remain committed to being a good networker. You may hit it off with a client or possible introducer at your first event, or it may happen at the second or third time you attend a particular event. For me, whilst networking does take up some time, I do not mind because I have made some good acquaintances that have become friends such as the editor of this paper, some very good clients that required my expertise in managing their financial affairs, and some very good introducer’s whom I send work and they reciprocate by sending me work.

My advice is give networking a try, you never know how effective it may be till you try it.

Injunctions served to separate Bradford criminals

News

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January 13, 2014

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Injunctions served to separate Bradford criminals

Injunctions to prevent known criminals from associating with each other have been served against seven men from Bradford District.

Four of the men, who are all believed to have been involved or have links to organised violent crime in the area, have received full orders, while three more are on temporary orders, with full orders being sought later in the year.

The injunctions are similar to those in force in the Keighley area, where police used legislation under the Policing and Crime Act 2009 to prevent 12 known criminals from associating with each other and restrict their movements.

Those who breach the terms of their order will be brought back to court for further action, which could be a custodial sentence.

Bradford District Chief Superintendent Simon Atkin, said: “We hope that these injunctions will send out a message that those who involve themselves in violent crime can expect to face serious consequences.

“Incidents of disorder in Bradford District will not be tolerated, and we will use every means possible to target those who bring fear and intimidation into our communities. If these men breach their orders they will be arrested and will face further court action.”

Councillor Imran Hussain, Deputy Leader of Bradford Council, said: “We work closely with the Police to maintain community safety and welcome the serving of these injunctions. The behaviour of individuals who threaten violence or cause disorder in communities will not be tolerated.”