Bradford's race review says to bring about successful race relations, all parts of the district must harness the talents and abilities of its multi-cultural communities.

Bradford Bulls' community development programme was highlighted in the review as a project which is successfully bridging racial community relations.

It was described by Lord Ouseley's report as "enlightening, inspirational, educational and worthy of being replicated elsewhere".

The club aims to provide high quality sports entertainment for an audience not limited by age, race, gender, disability, and colour.

The review says: "The club's community programme is widely regarded as one of the best in sport in achieving this goal. It has helped deliver a diverse curriculum to all parts of the community on topics like health and fitness awareness and providing sporting access.

"Through partnerships, the community development team is helping to raise young people's self-esteem and performance in school, increase their participation in sport and promote healthy living."

Yesterday youngsters from across the district put the violence and disorder of the last few days behind them to take part in an event organised by the Bradford Bulls.

White, black and Asian schoolchildren laughed and joked together as they played Bull Tag - a non contact version of rugby league - at the Bulls' Odsal Stadium.

About 45 schools took part in the one-day tournament, which attracted teams from as far away as Merseyside.

It provided an opportunity for many of Bradford's schoolchildren to forget about the city's recent troubles and integrate with children from different cultures and backgrounds.

Bradford Bulls chief executive Abi Ekoku said: "All the messages coming out of Bradford at the moment are very negative, yet many of the people coming into the city are completely unaffected by what has been happening during this week.

"It is a minority who are sending out a negative view of the city.

"We want to show that life will carry on as normal. Bull Tag is all about showing the level of integration there is on the ground.

"We have schools from all over the region participating in the event - that demonstrates the communicative powers of sport.

"It also shows that if Bradford is treated as one city you can get some fantastic results.

"You only have to look at the way the youngsters are playing out there together in harmony.

"They are having fun and are oblivious to the disturbances which have been taking place."

Chris Rostron, community and education manager of the Bulls community development team, said: "We do some very positive work within all sections of Bradford and deliver it in a professional way."

Bradford's race review calls for cultural diversity to be introduced in the curriculum in schools, to improve children's understanding of other cultures and religions.

Bradford youngsters taking part in yesterday's event and their teachers welcomed this.

Akeel Mahmood, 11, of Girlington Primary School, said : "It would be good if we could learn a lot more about the way other cultures work."

Of the Bulls event he said: "It's good fun. It's also good that we get to meet people from other schools."

Farida Parveen, also 11, said: "I like mixing with other people and sometimes we don't get the chance but today I have met lots of new people from different cultures."

Bobby Duckworth, 11, of Hollingbrook School in Ravenscliffe, said it was the first time he had played rugby and he had been nervous about meeting lots of new people.

"I was a bit scared but now it's really good. I've made lots of new friends and know a bit more about other people."

Tyson Parkes, 10, also of Hollingbrook School, said: "All the fighting the other night was just at the bottom of my road and it has been a worry. But this has given me the chance to forget about it and meet new friends from all backgrounds. It's been a good laugh. It's a shame we don't have more things like this."

Girlington Primary school teacher Daniel Walker said: "There have been a lot of troubles which have affected the school and some children have been quite scared with what's been going on.

"But while they are here they can forget about the problems in the city and mix with lots of other young people from different cultures and backgrounds.

"On Monday we sat the children down and tried to explain to them what had taken place over the weekend.

"It is important to us that they do not think this is the way to behave."

Dave Jones, head teacher at Hollingbrook School, Ravenscliffe, said: "This type of event is the way forward - it teaches children how to integrate."

John Fowler, head teacher of Rhodesway School, which has predominantly Asian pupils, welcomed the race review's idea of a diversity curriculum.

"It's an excellent idea," he said. "It should be part of education anywhere in the country. Clearly at the moment it is a vital issue for Bradford.

"Segregation in schools is not a straightforward issue. The vast majority of people go to schools which are local to them.

"If more Bradford schools were more racially mixed it would go some way towards solving the problem."

Women's rights and anti-racist worker Shamshad Hussain said: "Education is the route to integration. Diversity should be part of the curriculum - but it has to be across the board, not in selective schools."

NUT spokesman John Haworth welcomed increased learning about cultural diversity in schools - but said if it was introduced as a compulsory part of education there would have to be more resources for schools to cope with it.

"There has to be a limit to what the Government can bring in without adequate resources," he said.