The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Beverley Mullaney, is set to open the annual Charity Christmas Tree Festival at St James Church, in Thornton, at the end of this week.

The festival will then be open to the public from Saturday, November 23, each day through until Saturday, November 30.

Now in its tenth year, the festival has raised more than £46,000 for local charities as well as funds for the church itself.

This year's event will also celebrate renovations to the church.

Those renovations have included removal of pews, laying of a new floor, upgrading of boilers, installation of a heating system, and replacement of lights with new LED fittings.

Funding for the project came from initiatives including the Biffa Award and the National Lottery Community Fund.

The festival this year is themed around the 12 days of Christmas, and features 47 decorated trees within the church.

Each tree has been decorated by a different local group or charity.

Entry is free and visitors to the festival are invited to make a small donation to their favourite charities.

Activities taking place as part of the festival include a Santa’s Grotto and a tombola.

More information is available at www.james4u.org