A KEIGHLEY councillor is leading a delegation of community leaders on a fact-finding trip to Bosnia.

Cllr Adrian Farley has taken the group to the former war-torn country to meet survivors of the Srebrenica genocide and hear their stories first-hand.

The trip is being sponsored by the government-funded charity, Remembering Srebrenica, which works to raise aware of the genocide, which is still denied in some parts of Europe.

The charity hopes to help communities learn the lessons of Srebrenica and fight hatred and intolerance in the UK.

The delegation is led by two Bradford politicians, Cllr Farley, who represents Keighley West Ward, and Cllr Alex Ross-Shaw, who both volunteer for Remembering Srebrenica.

The delegation also includes representatives of the Peace Museum, Prevent, Bradford Churches for Dialogue and Diversity, the Racial Justice Network and the Bradford Reform Synagogue.

While on the visit they will meet the Mothers of Srebrenica, whose families were massacred by nationalist Serbian forces in July 1995. They will also meet Bosnian interfaith representatives and see first-hand the ongoing work to identify the bodies of those found in mass graves across Bosnia.

Cllr Adrian Farley said: "We'll be using this visit to help communities in Bradford learn the lessons of Srebrenica leading up to the 20th anniversary of the genocide in 2015.

“It's not only about remembering those who lost their lives in such tragic circumstances but also using their story to bring communities together."

Cllr Alex Ross-Shaw organised a Bradford memorial service with Cllr Farley for the victims of the genocide earlier this year

Cllr Ross-Shaw said: "Our memorial service was an emotional first step in learning the lessons of the genocide.”

Peninah Wangari-Jones, a delegate who works with the Racial Justice Network in Keighley, added: “Srebrenica is a lesson on how communities can break down if you focus on the differences between us.”