THE victims of the Birkby fire will never be forgotten.

That was the pledge from people of Huddersfield in the days and weeks after the firebomb attack.

And at three Huddersfield schools and a college, that memory has taken on a tangible form, thanks to The Examiner and the public.

Days after the tragic arson attack which claimed eight lives, senior staff at the newspaper approached the family.

The request was simple: Can we help?

The answer was to set up a special memorial, the Birkby Family Appeal Fund, to help in a practical way.

It was an instant success.

Money poured in, from individual donations of £10 and £20 to a marvellous anonymous donation of £10,000 from a Huddersfield firm.

Many groups organised sponsored events to boost the appeal fund while others arranged collections in their workplaces.

In total the appeal fund raised £23,580.50.

The appeal trustees are Examiner news editor Neil Atkinson and Birkby councillors Mehboob Khan and Annie Smith.

They met with the family and decided to meet the expenses of the funeral service and burials for the victims in Pakistan.

It was also decided to make legacies to Birkby Infants School where six-year-old Ateeqa had studied; Birkby Junior School, which taught Rabia, 10; Fartown High School, where 13-year-old Tayyaba had been a student; and Huddersfield New College, where 18-year-old Ateeq had been on an A-level course.

The money donated to the fund enabled the schools to buy new playground equipment and a reading corner filled with books.

At both the high school and the college, staff decided to fund annual prizes for students in memory of the fire victims.

And it was fitting that Emma Rodgers, a classmate of Ateeq at New College, became the first recipient of the memorial prize this spring.

Students also planted flowering trees in the college grounds to help them remember their former friend.

And more of the fund money will be handed back to the community in Birkby to reward local people who do good for their friends and neighbours over the next few years.

Clr Khan said: "This tragedy was the worst crime in this town in living memory. Since it happened I have played a major role in supporting Mr Chishti and his family through these dark months.

"This crime affected all the people of this town and brought us much closer as a community.

"Support for the family involved helping them and the local community come to terms with this terrible crime. With help from colleagues I have worked with the Examiner, West Yorkshire Police and other public services to ensure that the Chishti family were well supported in trying to deal with their nightmarish circumstances.

"Working with Neil Atkinson, news editor of the Huddersfield Examiner, we launched a Trust Fund to cover burial costs of their loved ones. The community and businesses in Huddersfield were very generous and raised over £23,000.

"During the year there have been special events at local schools and Huddersfield New College to remember the young victims and the Trust Fund has paid for permanent memorials at these places.

"I would like to pay tribute to the work done by staff of West Yorkshire Police, the fire service, hospitals, Huddersfield Examiner, stadium and council for supporting the Chishti family during these very difficult times.

"These horrific murders touched the hearts and minds of the whole community and brought sympathy and support from different faiths and backgrounds. Community relations are good in Huddersfield and this terrible tragedy has shown that we are all part of one community.

"I truly believe that the people of Huddersfield are the town's greatest assets and during the past year have shown that our community spirit is stronger than ever."

* The appeal account is still open.

Donations can be paid into the Halifax bank in Cloth Hall Street, Huddersfield.

The account name is Birkby Family Appeal Fund, the sort code is 11-03-91 and the account number is 01742170.

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