A housing association will celebrate its 30th anniversary at an event in Bradford tomorrow.

Manningham Housing Association (MHA), based at Bank House, in Manor Row, says it is proud to have remained true to its values since it was established in the 1980s

Starting out with only two properties to its name, the association now has more than 1,400 homes and over 6,000 housed residents.

MHA came into existence following a piece of research into the housing needs of black and Asian communities in the district by the Bangladeshi Youth Organisation, based in Bradford.

The research found that the needs of the South Asian community were not being addressed.

Subsequently, the Government and Bradford Council supported the growth of MHA.

Organisation Development and Performance Manager, Sabir Hussain, 51, said the company had “set the bar for housing standards that the Asian community expect.”

He said MHA is relatively small and only employs only around 30 members of staff, including a number from the black and Asian communities.

Despite the organisation’s size, it says it has gained a reputation within the communities it serves for “punching above its weight.”

Mr Hussain said MHA prided itself on levels of customer satisfaction.

At tomorrow’s celebration event, the organisers will celebrate the milestone along with special guests Lord Kamlesh Patel, Baron Patel of Bradford, the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Abid Hussain, as well as past and current board members and employees. The event is to be held at 6pm, at the Sunrise Restaurant, in Otley Road, with the evening consisting of speeches about the history, achievements and contribution of MHA, along with a speech from Barrington Billings, the chairman of MHA.

Back in the 1980s, Fazlul Haq, a founding member of MHA, was joined by volunteers from the Bradford Bangladeshi Youth Organisation as they went house to house in the city, interviewing people on the housing needs and priorities for residents.

After six months of hard work, they presented their findings to the Council.

This story and many others will be recalled to the guests as members of MHA share their memories and recount the history of the group.

Looking ahead, Mr Hussain said the aim was to “keep championing and to be the voice for the Asian and black community regionally and nationally.”

He said the aim was to stay independent as becoming any bigger would see MHA “lose that identity.”

Mr Hussain said MHA had made sure it had always “stayed true to their values and kept their identity.”

He added:”It’s onwards and upwards from here.”

MHA said over 80 per cent of its residents are of Bangladeshi or Pakistani origin, but added that: “We cater for all those in need.”

The organisation added that its customer satisfaction levels were “extremely high” and were consistently in the 95 per cent plus bracket. MHA operates a high proportion of large family homes and also runs a modern sheltered scheme for older residents. It also manages a number of properties for another housing provider and leasing properties from another.