A poignant appeal to raise money for charity and help readers show just how much they care is being launched by the Telegraph & Argus today.

The third Christmas Star Appeal will raise money for the Lord Mayor of Bradford's chosen charities.

This year the civic appeal is supporting Bradford Sports and Recreation Association for People with Disabilities and the Born In Bradford Project charting the health of the district's children.

The glittering Christmas appeal will give people the chance to hang on City Hall's Christmas tree a dazzling declaration of their heart-felt thanks and admiration of that someone special or as a fond memory of lost loved ones.

The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Coun Choudhary Rangzeb, will be hanging up a star in memory of his father, Mohammed Yasin, who died suddenly three years ago aged 75 from lung cancer.

Coun Rangzeb said: "My dad died just days after he went into hospital and was told he had cancer. We didn't have enough time to tell him everything we wanted to say so I hope our star for him will send him the message that we love him and miss him."

He added: "The Star appeal is an excellent way for people to show just how much they care. It doesn't just have to be for people who are no longer with us, it can be for people who have moved away or for those who are still very much in our everyday lives and bring us a bit of sparkle."

The first Christmas Star appeal made a dazzling £1,319 for then Lord Mayor Coun Irene Ellison-Wood's campaign in aid of the Bradford branch of the Arthritis Research Campaign and Manorlands Hospice at Oxenhope.

Last year when it was the turn of Coun Valerie Binney as Lord Mayor, the appeal brought in 289 star nominations and raised £1,445 which was shared between the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and the Special Burns Research Unit at the University of Bradford and Bradford Royal Infirmary.

The response was so huge, the organisers of the star-hanging ceremony had to hold two sessions to accommodate all those who wanted to attend.

All people have to do this year to nominate their chosen person is fill in the coupon below and send it off with a £5 donation. A special star carrying that person's name will then be hung on City Hall's Christmas tree with an invitation to a reception in the banqueting suite to see it shine.

The T&A Christmas Star Appeal coupon will appear in the Telegraph & Argus every night this week and one night a week from November 6.

A full list of all nominated Christmas Stars will be published in the T&A the day after the festive star-studded reception at City Hall on December 4.

People have until Monday, November 27, to send in nominations and their £5 donation cheques, made payable to The Lord Mayor's Appeal, to Anne Dransfield, Editor's Secretary, Telegraph & Argus, Hall Ings, Bradford, BD1 1JR.

e-mail: kathie.griffiths@bradford.newsquest.co.uk