A BRADFORD man has spoken of how he is helping to shed light on some of the district’s untold history through his YouTube channel.

Riaz Ahmed runs Bradford Through the Lens, which explores local stories which he says have often been forgotten about.

Riaz – who works alongside friend Imtiaz Sabir and local historians Mark Nicholson and Andrew Bolt – has told the stories of notable people buried in local cemeteries, and has also explored the history of abandoned buildings in the area.

Bradford Through the Lens has also raised awareness of local disasters – such as the Low Moor explosion of 1916 and the Newlands Mill disaster of 1882 – and even has a flair for the paranormal.

“I started the channel during Covid. It started as a pastime, but I think I’ve really tapped into something now,” said Riaz, 55, who is born and bred in Bradford and grew up near Toller Lane.

“We’ve built quite a community, and I’m really proud.”

One of channel’s videos is on Helen Rytka and Patricia Atkinson, two victims of Peter Sutcliffe, buried at Scholemoor Cemetery.

Riaz also found the grave of James Nuttal, who fought at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and lived to the age of 101, while other topics covered range from notable figure Polish Anna to local street art.

“The heritage we’re showing is in plain sight, but not many people know about it,” he said.

“Our work is also helping to show what an amazing place Bradford is, and is helping to break barriers and bring people from all backgrounds together.”

Bradford Through the Lens has also documented a disaster which killed 54 people – who had an average age of just 18, with 20 of them being under 15.

“A lot of the community in West Bowling, where Newlands Mill was, didn’t even know about it,” Riaz said.

“There’s a memorial on St Stephen’s Road and people didn’t know what it was for, so that brought a nice touch.”

Riaz now wants the channel – which has more than 1,000 subscribers – to expand.

“The Bradford district includes the likes of Keighley, Shipley and Bingley – we’ve not had a chance to venture out there, but they all have so much history to cover,” he said.

“We’re also trying to target different audiences and we have some true crime stuff coming up as well.

“Local history is something I’m passionate about, and more people are getting involved now – that gives us a great incentive to carry on.”