TRIBUTE has been paid to a Keighley man for his work during lockdown.

Javed Bashir has won recognition for bringing faith groups together to help others.

He is the final recipient of Keighley MP Robbie Moore's Unsung Hero awards, which have been presented to people deemed to have gone 'above and beyond' during the crisis.

Mr Bashir set-up the Volunteering Interfaith Partnership to help elderly, vulnerable and isolated people across the district.

The group worked with other organisations such as Age UK and Rotary to provide hot meals, welfare packs and help with shopping and collecting prescriptions.

During Ramadan, Mr Bashir engaged the local community to establish an initiative called Sharing Ramadan – which provided meals for international students at Bradford University and shared Iftar meals with needy neighbours, including non-Muslims.

And as lockdown began to ease, he worked with dozens of faith institutions in Keighley and the wider district to carry out risk assessments and help them prepare to reopen safely when Government guidelines allowed.

Mr Moore said: “Javed has brought a lot of people together to do a great thing for the local community. When lockdown began many people found themselves isolated or cut off without any means of support. By bringing groups of different faiths together, the partnership has made sure people didn’t suffer more than they had to.

“Javed is a worthy recipient of the Unsung Hero Award for his continued contributions to our community."