Home Office minister Lord Filkin has urged Bradford residents to pull together to build a prosperous future for the city.

The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Race, Equality, Community Policy and European and International Policy was in the city yesterday visiting organisations including Business in the Community and the Gingerbread project.

He met representatives from Bradford Vision and Bradford Cares, as well as local schoolchildren, and took part in discussions about Bradford's future at the Telegraph & Argus head office, in Hall Ings.

Speaking after the meeting, Lord Filkin praised the schemes he had visited and people he had met during his trip.

"I have got a sense of hope about the place," he said.

"What I have seen today - in the sense of seeing the commitment in the business community and voluntary organisations, and the commitment from the T&A - is all taking the city forward."

Lord Fikin said he believed Bradford's multicultural mix was one of its greatest assets.

"There are many places in Britain that are showing that a multicultural society and community is an enormous asset," he said.

"For example, you only have to look at London or Leicester to see examples of where the multicultural community can be a force of strength."

And, while he confirmed there was a host of Home Office initiatives to help cities such as Bradford, he said it was important for the residents to take control of their own destiny.

He said: "It is crucial that people start to pull together to realise that we have to take Bradford forward. It has to move beyond the riots to realise it has great potential."

Alex Archer-Todde, 15, agreed with Lord Filkin's view. The Crossley Heath school boy, who lives in Thornton, was at the meeting and said it was up to Bradford residents to look to the potential of the city.

He said: "I think in 15 years there will be great improvement. But it is going to be slow. The Bradford riots were so recent and people will be thinking in the past rather than the future, which is what they should be looking at."

Newsquest (Bradford) managing director David Coates, also chairman of Bradford Cares which encourages businesses to do good work in the community, said it was an ideal opportunity to show Lord Filkin how the city hopes to develop.

"We thought it was important that the government minister with special responsibility for race issues should come and hear from the business community's perspective how we see the future for the city," he said.