New flats for young people hailed as a shining beacon of success in inner-city Bradford have been unveiled.

The refitted and renamed Haselberry Apartments in the Park Lane area of Little Horton have been completely transformed for just £20,000.

It's thanks to a small band of committed volunteers who have shared the work.

Four months ago, the block was a dingy, vandalised building with a stinking stairwell.

Bradford Council was finding it impossible to rent any of the flats out.

Today, each of the flats is newly decorated and furnished and the ground floor now houses offices and training facilities.

The stairwell has a bright new look, with pastel painted walls, fitted carpet and glossy houseplants.

The scheme has been a joint venture between Christian charity Impact, based on the nearby Canterbury estate, and Integra, a European-funded agency tackling urban regeneration.

Together they recruited the young people, all classed as 'vulnerable', who have now become the first wave of tenants, and gathered in donations worth £20,000 from charities and local companies.

Members of local churches have also helped out by donating furniture and making new curtains.

The launch was attended by 150 people including the Right Reverend David Smith, Bishop of Bradford, and Councillor Ian Greenwood (Lab, Little Horton) the Bradford Council leader.

Declaring the apartments open, Councillor Greenwood said: "This is a tremendous development.

"I remember what this block used to look like. It's a paradigm for what should happen in the inner city."

Resident Lee Westerman, 29, took over a flat which was gutted and blackened by fire and completely redecorated it over three weeks.

"I fitted my own kitchen and fire surround and it's looking beautiful now, one of the best."

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