AN Addingham man was among a cluster of Bradford’s brightest stars honoured at a glittering ceremony at City Hall last week.

Graeme Pullan, 52, of Main Street, was one of the unsung heroes from across the district who got their well-deserved moment in the spotlight at the fourth Telegraph & Argus Community Stars Awards, organised by our sister paper in conjunction with Bradford Council.

Opening the awards on Thursday evening, the Deputy Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Roger L’Aime said: “Everyone here is outstanding, not only the winners, and they all deserve a really big thank-you.”

Graeme, who was accompanied to the event by his proud parents Hilda and Terry Pullan, of Silsden, was nominated in fundraising category.

Graeme, a member of Addingham Methodist Church, has been an avid fundraiser for various charities with his long-distance running since 1983. He completed the Leeds half-marathon earlier this year, raising £600 for Ark, a group from St John’s Church in Ben Rhydding catering for individuals with special needs.

He then tackled the Great North Run in aid of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution in September, adding more than £1,250 to the thousands he has raised for charity down the years.

Graeme has been a volunteer at the Abbeyfield Grove House residential home in Ilkley for more than ten years, supporting staff working in the respite unit and coffee bar, and also helps out at the Christchurch and the Clarke Foley Day Care Centre in the town.

Lindsey Spencer, the volunteers’ manager at the home, was one of three people to nominate Graeme for an award. “He has devoted his life to serving the community, and to fundraising for causes which need help,” she said. “He is extremely committed, 110 per cent reliable, and a pleasure to have around.

“He is always positive and cheerful, and supportive to all who need it. I know we can always rely on Graeme, he never lets us down.”

David Barnett, of the Ilkley Gazette’s sister paper the T&A, said: “We were bowled over by the response to this year’s Community Stars awards and Graeme is a prime example of the exceptional lengths that people go to in order to make life better for those around them and to create stronger communities and more involved neighbourhoods.”