The Bishop of Bradford today led a service in a celebration of the Queen Mother's life.

Civic leaders gathered at Bradford Cathedral to hear the Bishop, the Right Reverend David Smith, pay warm tribute to the Queen Mother's "life of service".

Earlier, the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Ghazanfer Khaliq, was joined by crowds of people in observing a two minute silence in Centenary Square.

From 11.30am, the City Hall bell tolled 101 times to mark the number of years of the Queen Mother's life.

Councillor Khaliq, the Council's chief executive Ian Stewart and the three main party leaders then moved on to Bradford Cathedral for the short service.

"Many people are not particularly good with words," the Bishop told them.

"But the huge crowds who have queued for so long right through the night in order to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother are demonstrating in the best possible way their gratitude for all that she did and was. It's no exaggeration to say that her life was one of service."

He added his own recollections of the Queen Mother: "I remember as a young boy living just outside London during World War Two, what an impression it made when she and King George VI were in London visiting people who had been bombed out, immediately after the air raids.

"It was actions speaking louder than words. While she was a very fluent speaker, her life was full of action in service to other people. Her faith was expressed in the szervice she gave to others and the care and interest she took in others."

Coun Khaliq said: "The Queen Mother visited the district on various occasions including Salt's Mill in 1937 and Keighley in 1942. Her final visit to the district was in 1962 when she attended the Delius Festival at St George's Hall. She was loved and admired by the people of the Bradford district and will be sadly missed."

Flags were flying at half mast at City Hall and other Council offices today as a mark of respect.

Books of condolence remain open at City Hall at the West Entrance in Channing Way from 7.15am until 5.15pm daily until Friday, and at Council offices in Bingley, Shipley, Keighley and Ilkley. They will all be sent to Buckingham Palace.

Meanwhile, stores across Bradford were shut or observed a two-minute silence in memory of the Queen Mother today.

Jeff Frankel, chairman of the Bradford Retail Action Group, said there had been no overall decision on whether to close.

"Some shops are observing two minutes' silence, others are closing for an hour or a couple of hours."

At Boots in Darley Street, manager Peter Stones said the store would be shut from 10.30am until 1pm but the Darley Street entrance would be open so people could still pick up prescriptions.

"We will open as normal at 9am and then close at 10.30am but keep the pharmacy open."

Marks and Spencer and British Home Stores were also closed from 10.30am until 1pm. Mothercare remained open but staff and shoppers observed a two-minute silence.