The birthplace of a multi-million pound restaurant chain is set to become a charity goldmine, thanks to its owners.

The gesture, which could see more than £100,000 generated for charity, is being made by the Aagrah Group of Restaurants in memory of chairman Mohammed Sabir's disabled son Sajid Mahmood, who died in 1983.

The chain shut its 40-seater premises on Westgate in Shipley last week, the night before a charity dinner was staged to officially open its new restaurant and headquarters in nearby Saltaire Road.

The Westgate building is now to be rented out as a restaurant, shop or offices but instead of being ploughed back into the business all the money generated over the next five years will be donated to British and overseas charities for blind and disabled children.

Mr Sabir, a former bus driver who opened the Westgate restaurant in 1977, said at one stage during his early days in business he had been on the verge of selling it but had been persuaded to keep it by Sajid. Since then business has boomed and the group now has seven restaurants - including outlets in Pudsey and Skipton - with plans to open another at Denby Dale next year.

Mr Sabir, 63, was heartbroken when his son died in 1983, aged just nine, but ever since the Aagrah has staged annual charity dinners in his memory, events which have raised more than £300,000 for a host of worthy causes at home and abroad.

He said though the new HQ - relocated from Pudsey - would now become the group's 'nerve centre', the Westgate premises would always be considered its heart.

Mr Sabir, who came to Britain from Kashmir in 1960, said: "Things were very tough when we first started the business but everything we've got now we owe to the Westgate shop.

"It's always been known as 'Sajid's shop' and has been the heart and soul of our business. It means so much to our family that we decided we couldn't bear to ever get rid of it but would keep it with us and are now hoping it will raise £15,000 to £20,000 a year for charity in Sajid's memory.''

lThursday's bash at the new 100-seat restaurant raised some £4,000 for the When You Wish Upon A Star charity's plans to send dozens of terminally-ill youngsters to see Santa in Lapland.