A SILSDEN woman who was present at the devastating Bradford City fire at Valley Parade 30 years ago staged a poignant charity event in memory of the 56 people who died.

Joanne Gill, who works as a teaching assistant, organised A Night to Remember at Silsden’s Sunnybank Social Club in aid of the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit at the University of Bradford.

Mrs Gill was a ten-year-old Bradford City fan at Valley Parade when the fire broke out.

She was with a group of family and friends when the fire began. but she and the rest of her group all managed to escape the disaster unscathed.

“I saw the smoke and thought someone had just lit a cigarette, until someone behind me said something about the stand being on fire,” she said.

“I went back and told my mum and at first she didn’t believe me.

“My dad told us to go to the back of the Kop, then I remember a man putting his arms round me and saying ‘you’re OK now, you’re safe’.

“I thought ‘what does he mean I’m safe?’, then I turned round and felt the heat and saw this orange colour. When we got home that night our phone never stopped ringing.”

She said the fundraiser had been a “brilliant” evening, which raised nearly £2,000 and was attended by at least 150 people.

The occasion was supported by Mrs Gill’s family and friends and by generous donations of raffle prizes from local businesses.

She said the room was decorated with 54 claret and amber balloons to remember the 54 Bradford City fans and two red and white balloons for the two Lincoln fans killed in the 1985 tragedy.

Some of these balloons were released at the end of the evening by guests, with messages attached to them in memory of loved ones.

A minute’s silence was observed during the evening.

The event featured “Human Hungry Hippos” and “Heads or Tails” games, with live Music was provided by Silsden band The Look. There were children’s and adults' tombolas and a silent auction with prizes including an executive day at Keighley Cougars.

Silsden Co-op and Silsden Aldi donated pizzas for the evening’s light supper, and the Co-op also made cash a donation.

Mrs Gill, 40, said: “It was really successful, and I’m very pleased. Everywhere I looked in the room people were laughing and joking. I’d have been happy to have raised a couple of hundred pounds, so to get £2,000 has far surpassed what I thought I’d achieve.”