The Christmas tree in Bradford's City Hall glittered as families and friends hung a special star in memory of absent loved ones.

Hundreds of nominations flooded in for the third annual Telegraph & Argus Christmas Star Appeal with this year's event attracting 240 stars.

Visitors to yesterday's event enjoyed mince pies and mulled wine as the £5 Christmas Stars raised £1,250 for the Lord Mayor's appeal. The money will go to the Born In Bradford project and the Bradford Sport & Recreation Association for People with Disabilities.

Shelley Cunningham, 29, and Paul Muir, 27, both of Glenside Road, Shipley, were there to hang a star in memory of their baby daughter Mollie Ann Muir, who died tragically in July.

Mollie died just seven days after she was born. Her mum said: "We are here to hang a star for our little girl because she was a little star.

"Christmas will be hard this year and it is nice to be able to come here and remember her."

Mr Muir said: "She was beautiful and we didn't have her for very long. We never got to take her home."

Kathleen Bastick, 70, of Otley Road, Undercliffe, was there to hang a star in memory of her daughter Carole Ridley who died five years ago after suffering a brain haemorrhage.

She was at the event with her younger daughter Alma Ridley, 47.

Mrs Bastick said: "It is the first time we've heard about the event and we wanted to come along.

"We're here because we think about her every day and her birthday is on Christmas Day."

Anthony Fearnley, 55, of Maggison Grove, Little Horton, hung a star in memory of his sister, 49-year-old Linda Fearnley who died three years ago after battling pancreatic cancer.

He said: "We are not church-going people so it is good to come here."

Linda's mum, 75-year-old May Fearnley said: "This is the third year we have been here and we come every year to remember her.

"You don't ever forget and she's with me every day, It would have been her birthday on the 18th."

The family of six-year-old Holly Clarke, of Grove House, Bradford, were also at the event.

Little Holly lost her battle against Batten's Disease in June. She was diagnosed with the disease when she was just four years old.

The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Choudhary Rangzeb, said: "We had this event last year and it was extremely popular. I am grateful to everyone for supporting the charities and it is good for us to get together and remember people we have lost."

e-mail: saima.mir@bradford.newsquest.co.uk