A FORMER Bradford pub is set to become the regional headquarters of a Muslim charitable organisation.

The Craven Heifer, set in a prominent location on Manchester Road, has been acquired by the Al-Khair Foundation, which plans to use the building as its West Yorkshire base.

The organisation started as an Islamic school in London in 2003 and has since developed into an international aid relief group, providing support to victims of major disasters in Kashmir, Haiti, Pakistan and Nepal.

Over the past decade, the foundation said it had supported around a million people worldwide with donations of more than £50 million.

Irfan Rashid, regional coordinator at the foundation's head office in London, said the decision to open an office in Bradford would complement an already strong support for the charity across the district.

"Bradford is one of our major cities in terms of donors and we want to expand our work with community there," he said.

"Our closest offices were either Sheffield or Bolton, so when the property came up, we took the opportunity to expand into the area.

"The aim is for the building to not only act as a donation point, but to be a local hub for the area.

"We hope to offer its services as a community venue, running training sessions for local groups.

"We want it to be a building that the community can benefit from.

"It will be our main base in West Yorkshire."

The foundation, which also plans to use the building as a studio for its own TV channel, hopes to open its doors in some form before the start of Ramadan, which begins on June 18.

Construction work at the site remains ongoing, and a full refurbishment of the building is expected to take longer to complete.

The Craven Heifer had been under the ownership of the John Barras pub company, part of the Spirit Pub group, which confirmed that the venue was closed after a "business review."

A spokesman for the Spirit Pub Company said: "We can confirm that the Craven Heifer pub was sold to the highest bidder on March 3.

"The pub was put on the open market following a business review that identified the pub no longer sat within the long term strategy of the company."

Brian Mitchell, the acting chairman of the Bradford Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) group, lamented the loss of another pub in the area.

"The Craven Heifer used to be a fabulous pub and it is a shame it has had to close," he said.

"We're still losing pubs in Bradford, and I remember a time when there used to be 30 or 40 pubs on Manchester Road itself. It's sad to see another one go.

"If it is being taken over by a charity, let's hope the building can be put to good use rather than being pulled down."