Bradford's latest first citizen has been sworn in at a special ceremony in the 100th year since the city was granted the royal charter to appoint a Lord Mayor.

Councillor Robin Owens took office and announced the two Bradford charities that are to benefit from his civic appeal.

They are the Bradford Cancer Support Daisy Appeal and The Ear Trust Listening for Life Appeal - both are close to the Lord Mayor and his Lady Mayoress wife, Janet.

Coun Owens, who has represented the Bingley ward since 1999, took over the chains of office from outgoing Lord Mayor Choudhary Rangzeb and his wife Zahida.

He told councillors, former Lord Mayors and guests at the City Hall ceremony, how he suffered from a disease of the middle ear and is now virtually deaf in one ear, and that the Lady Mayoress had lost both her parents to cancer and would have welcomed support during her mother's final weeks.

He said: "We have chosen two charities that are very close to our hearts because of our own personal experiences and are two very worthy charities.

"We would encourage everyone to get involved and support as many events as possible this year.

"The amount of support I'm getting is tremendous and the way support from different areas is linking up and interlocking and completing the jigsaw is amazing, so I'm tremendously confident that it's going to be a very good year, not just for me but for Bradford."

The Daisy Appeal was set up in June last year to raise the £1.1 million needed to provide a new centre for cancer patients and their families, replacing the existing building at Daisy Bank.

The charity's fundraising manager Maureen Burns, said: "Last year we supported 3,650 people from Bradford and Airedale with cancer.

"We are there when people need us. This time last year raising this money was a really big challenge for a very small team but the people in Bradford have been fantastic."

The Ear Trust was established in 1990 and supports the work carried out by the Yorkshire Cochlear Implant Service at Bradford Royal Infirmary. The Listening for Life Appeal aims to build a £2.5 million centre catering for patients, families and professionals.

Consultant ear, nose and throat surgeon at the hospital, Chris Raine, said plans for the building would be submitted soon.

He said: "All babies born in Bradford now have their hearing tested at birth. As a service, we've grown from three members of staff to 20 and we've still only got four rooms."

One patient, Geoffrey Lee, who had the cochlear implant surgery in the early 1990s, said: "It made me belong. Before, I was on the outside and now I am in. It means so much to be able to talk to my grandchildren, and now great-grandchildren. Also it means such a lot to be able to cuddle up to my wife and whisper sweet nothings in her ear."

Councillor Elaine Byrom is the Deputy Lord Mayor and her husband David will act as consort.

One of the Lord Mayor's first official engagements will be welcoming the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to Bradford tomorrow.

  • Start or join a debate on this issue in our online forum - Click here