Jeremy White is a collector of football lapel badges who has turned his hobby into a fundraising activity for his beloved Bradford City.

“Bradford City is my obsession. My father introduced me to Valley Parade nearly 50 years ago and at the age of 87 he still takes an interest, but is unable to attend matches,” said Jeremy. “My son David, 25, is equally obsessed, my wife is a season ticket holder and both help me with the distribution of the fixture badges.

“I enjoy reading about the off-field politics behind the football club as much as watching matches. My Bradford City badge collection is an extension of this. My recent production of fixture and fire badges has enabled me to contribute £5,000 towards the James Hanson transfer fee as well as raising in excess of £4,000 towards the Burns Unit Appeal.”

A Bradford Grammar School old boy and for 33 years an air traffic controller at Leeds-Bradford Airport, Jeremy, 54, retired two years ago due to ill health. Nevertheless he still travels from his Thirsk home to watch City at home and, whenever he can, away. He started collecting football badges five years ago. What prompted him to do that, after 45 years of not collecting them?

“I had always wanted to collect something, but had never found the right subject. Many collectables are either too expensive or too bulky. When I first saw the diversity of the design and content of enamel badges for sale on eBay I decided this was perfect for me,” he said.

“My first Bradford City badge was bought in February 2005 and cost just over £2. My City collection now exceeds 460 different badges. The vast majority cost less than £5, but there are notable exceptions.

“The most I have ever spent on a badge was for the first of a limited edition of 250 black boar’s head fire badges to raise money for the Burns Unit 24 years ago. Each badge was numbered on the back. They usually sell for £20, but I paid £75 for the number 1.

“Until three months ago I only collected Bradford City badges. However, last autumn my wife and I went to watch Toulouse play in the French premier division. As our favourite holiday destination is the South of France, I decided to start collecting Toulouse badges as well.”

From collecting to making and selling them is a big step. Jeremy’s fixture badges, produced retrospectively, include the date of each City match, a depiction of City’s shirt, the opponent’s crest, attendance, man of the match and final score. His special edition Burns Unit badges are in black and amber.

“The badges are produced in the Far East by the same company that makes pin badges for Disney and Coca Cola. The quality is superb. This was highlighted by the first edition of fire badges I produced just before Christmas,” he said.

“I took a photo of the fire sculpture on the side of the main stand at valley Parade. From this e-mailed photo, a limited edition brooch-style badge was made which sold for £15. The 3D effect, attention to detail and overall quality are amazing.

“Badges are an affordable collector’s item. Some people choose to wear them on their clothing, but the majority display them at home. Football badges provide a potted history of each particular football club. They catalogue the different kits, logos, promotions, achievements, but normally incorporate Bradford City’s beloved claret and amber in some form.”

The internet has enhanced the market and eased the search for “amazing finds”.

“I recently bought a City Gent badge from Argentina I had never seen before with a pin clasp I had not come across,” he said. “In 2008, I sourced a batch of badges from a collector in Ukraine. He sold me 31 different badges commemorating the Intertoto fixture of July 26, 2000, between Zenit St Petersburg and City.

“There’s no doubt that the recent production of fixture and fire badges has rekindled interest in badge collecting at Valley Parade. The full set of badges costing £3 each from last season has doubled in value; the single Accrington fixture badge sold for in excess of £26. This season’s City v Shrewsbury fixture badge sold on eBay for £31 – ten times its original value.

“There are several pre-Second World War badges I would love to add to my collection, but I am not really sure where to source them from. There must be a lot of badges hidden away in drawers and cupboards in Bradford; I would love to unearth them.”

All his badges are displayed on bradfordcitybadges.co.uk.

“The website has attracted more than 45,000 visitors so far. I have images of all the old badges I am looking to find,” he said.

The Bradford City badges are all roughly the same size, but the designs vary considerably. Some are in the shape of shirts, others are oval, rectangular or square.

Contact Jeremy on (01845) 501060, or e-mail bradfordcitybadges@hotmail.co.uk.