Feeding the homeless and donating money to charities are some of the ways businesses are helping people in Bradford district.

There are three finalists in the Business Making a Difference category - Leeds Road Fisheries, High Speed Training and Christeyns UK.

This category is sponsored by Participate Projects.

Leeds Road Fisheries

The person who nominated Leeds Road Fisheries said: “They are amazing, every night they feed the homeless before they close.” 

He said even if there was a long queue, and even if the owner had to fry some extra food, no-one was left hungry.

“They have a heart of gold doing that every night,” he said.

High Speed Training

High Speed Training in Ilkley regularly donates money to local good causes, such as sponsorship of Sutton Juniors football team or Ilkley Pride, or charity week at Ilkley Grammar School. 

Their nominator said: “HST is an online training provider and has donated vital compliance training worth £3800 to Participate for them to distribute to grassroots organisations that most need it in the district.

She said: “High Speed Training has a very active volunteering programme, with colleagues given five days per year to volunteer for causes that matter to them. At least 18 different colleagues have volunteered with Participate during 2023 helping with three different activities, including decorating Keighley Healthy Living, and skilled-volunteering projects, such as development of a new volunteering portal, amounting to over 210 hours of volunteering time in the district.”

Staff at the company spent 149 hours decorating Keighley Healthy Living in September.

Amy Mortimer, Head of Strategic Partnerships, said: “High Speed Training is delighted to be short-listed for a Community Star award in the category of Business Making a Difference. We genuinely care about using our business as a force for good and are always looking for ways to use our resources to have a positive impact on our local community.”

Christeyns UK

Christeyns UK has been based in Bradford since the mid 1800s. Its focus is the manufacture and supply of chemicals and engineering expertise for the commercial laundry and specialist construction sectors in the UK and Ireland. 

The company says it is proud of its Bradford heritage and committed to doing what it can to help with the regeneration of the city. 

Its nominator, who works for the company, said: “All employees are
actively encouraged to get involved in charitable activities and community support and we understand the role that community engagement activities play in supporting employees to feel purposeful and making a difference locally.”

The company helps and fundraises for local charities such as Sue Ryder Manorlands and One in a Million - Soapbox Challenge in Bradford. It supports BM Food Bank. Staff painted a church hall at Bowling and helped Canal Connect by clearing a community garden and painting the centre.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: QR code to vote for Bradford's Community Stars Awards finalists for 2023QR code to vote for Bradford's Community Stars Awards finalists for 2023 (Image: Newsquest)

Finalists for Bradford's Community Star Awards

For 2023's awards, there are 10 categories in total.

Click the category to find out more about each finalist

How to vote

To vote for your local hero, please visit www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/CL68FHT or scan the QR code.

Voting will end at midnight on Tuesday, November 21.

Speaking on the selfless work highlighted in the awards, Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford Council, said: “We are fortunate that across the Bradford district we have many kind, compassionate and generous people who make a selfless contribution to their communities and have a huge, positive impact on our district. 

“There are some absolute stars in our community and it is great that these awards shine a light on these brilliant people and give them the thanks and recognition that they deserve.”