WHEN photographer Shy Burhan read in the T&A about a young man who came to Bradford as a child refugee and went on to open his own restaurant she was inspired to make him the focus of her next exhibition.

Shy has been working with people seeking asylum since 2015, and earlier this year she delivered photography workshops to refugee service-users at Bradford’s Millside Centre as part of an Arts Council funded project, Local Focal.

“Their appreciation for Bradford made me want to re-evaluate negative attitudes towards my home city,” said Shy. “There are so many exciting things happening here now, especially with Bradford 2025’s hard work towards achieving City of Culture.

“This City of Sanctuary has provided a ‘lifeline’ for refugees and asylum-seekers, and a sense of belonging.”

Shy recently read in the T&A about Mohammed Yasin, who grew up in a refugee camp in Bangladesh and arrived in Bradford in 2009 aged 13, through the City of Sanctuary scheme. “After overcoming unspeakable challenges and as the primary carer for his mum, siblings, wife and daughter, he’s still managed to fulfil his dream in setting up his own restaurant, a dream since he was a young boy, last year during lockdown - all by the age of 25,” said Shy. “I truly admire him, he has the work ethic of a Trojan and never complains. I approached him and he kindly invited me to take behind-the-scene photos at his restaurant, the Sizzling Lounge in Bingley, and it has developed into a substantial archive. So we’ve decided to have an exhibition.

“To celebrate the Sizzling Lounge’s first year anniversary, I’m hosting Lifeline (a term Yas uses to describe his restaurant), an exhibition of original content shot there. It honours Yas and all displaced persons who have worked hard to settle and build new lives in Bradford.”

The exhibition will be launched at the restaurant, which serves Indian, Bengali and Burmese food, on Thursday, December 2, at 7pm, and tickets include a three-course buffet.

Yas is from the persecuted Rohingya community. His father died when he was five and his mother later suffered serious injuries in a road accident. Yasin is now her carer. Last year he returned to the refugee camp, where he still has family, to donate food. He told the T&A: “In places like that you can’t even dream. There are little kids begging, I cry when I think about it.”

Yas arrived in the UK without speaking English and juggled setting up a business with college. “Our customers are lovely, they give me hope,” he said. “I love living in Bradford. I’m grateful to this city.”

l Go get tickets for the Lifeline launch, see eventbrite.co.uk/e/lifeline-new-photography-exhibition