The 40th annual Aagrah dinner attracted over 250 guests to their flagship Midpoint restaurant including guest speaker Lord Karan Bilimoria, CBE and a life peer in the House of Lords.
The event also marked the 45th anniversary of the Aagrah business, and the events have now raised an astonishing two million pounds for charities both here in the UK and overseas. This year’s charity partner was the Bradford Hospitals Charity, the official NHS charity to Bradford Teaching Hospitals, which supports: Bradford Royal Infirmary; St Luke’s Hospital and other hospitals in the Bradford region.
Guests enjoyed a four-course meal and heard from a range of speakers including; Councillor Martin Love the Bradford Lord Mayor, Dr Max Mclean the Chair of the Trust and Ben and Ann Granger who in an emotional speech, described how the hospital had saved the lives of their prematurely born children.
Responding to the charity appeal, the event raised over £20.000 with Aagrah becoming the inaugural member of the newly launched Bradford Hospitals Charity 100 Club. The 100 Club will consist of 100 businesses, community organisation and other supporters who wish to make a one-off or annual donation of £1,000.
Mohammed Aslam DL, the founder of the Aagrah Group said “As a Bradfordian we are delighted to be supporting the hospitals charity and have committed to supporting them over the next 12 months. As our charity of the year, we look forward to working with them to do even more for patients at hospitals in the district. As a patient at the hospitals, I am personally aware of the brilliant work they carry out and would urge other businesses to support the 100 club”
“With Bradford having been selected as the city of culture for 2025, it is important that we embrace the wonderful diversity of the city, through backing local causes”
The charities’ 100 club is aiming to raise £100,000 by encouraging 100 businesses, individuals, community groups or faith establishments to donate £1,000 over the year.
Some of the money will be donated to the recently launched £3million neo-natal campaign working alongside the Neonatal Unit at Bradford Royal Infirmary to raise £3 million to create extra accommodation for mums and dads to stay close to their babies.
Bradford’s Neonatal Unit cares for up to 500 premature and sick babies each year. Around one baby in 10 requires admission to the unit, which takes babies from all over the Yorkshire and Humber region.
Hayley Collis, Head of Fundraising at Bradford Hospitals Charity said: “This £20,000 donation will make an enormous difference to patients young and old across our hospitals. On behalf of them, I would like to thank everyone for their generous contribution.
“I would also like to welcome our friends at Aagrah for becoming the inaugural member of our 100 Club – and would encourage as many people as possible to follow in their footsteps and sign-up. The faster they do, the quicker we can add this vital new dimension to the care of Bradford’s most premature and poorly babies, as well as to the welfare of their families.
“The Aagrah has been at the heart of the Bradford community for almost half a century and it was a proud moment for our charity to be at this latest event to see its total fund-raising efforts surge past the £2m milestone – a superb achievement which deserves the city’s congratulations.”
