A British Muslim influencer who travelled to Bradford after hearing years of negative comments about the city says the reality could not have been more different.
Lewis Haigh, who shares travel and lifestyle content with thousands of followers online, recently visited Bradford to explore its Muslim community, food scene and culture.
His video from the city has attracted widespread attention online, with many viewers praising his positive portrayal of Bradford.
Bradford stereotypes don't match reality, says influencer
Mr Haigh said some of the most common criticisms he had heard before visiting were claims that Bradford was dirty or unsafe.
He said: "A lot of people label it as dirty, which personally I didn't see at all, I came to the city centre and thought it was really beautiful. The architecture is some of the best I've seen."
Influencer Lewis Haigh with a Bradford resident during his visit to the city centre. (Image: Lewis Haigh)
Mr Haigh said: "I found it to be pretty clean from what I saw and I didn't see any people that made me feel uncomfortable."
He added that he saw little evidence of the issues people had warned him about before the trip.
'The hospitality was incredible'
A convert to Islam who embraced the faith around four years ago, Mr Haigh said Bradford had long been on his list of places to visit because of its large Pakistani community.
Having previously travelled extensively in Pakistan, he noticed similarities between the hospitality there and the reception he received in Bradford.
"I'd already been to Pakistan and I'd heard Bradford had one of the biggest Pakistani communities in the UK, so I was really intrigued by it," he said. "The hospitality was incredible."
Mr Haigh added: "In Pakistan, people are always offering you things, and I found exactly the same thing in Bradford."
During his visit, Haigh said strangers bought him tea, restaurant staff welcomed him warmly and locals regularly stopped to help.
He recalled one person offering to buy him a drink in the city centre, while others he met throughout the day went out of their way to make him feel at home.
Social media can challenge perceptions
Mr Haigh believes social media can be a powerful tool in challenging misconceptions about places and communities.
He said: "I think it's so easy for people to jump on a bandwagon...A lot of people don't visit these places themselves. They simply believe what they've heard."
Lewis Haigh and his wife outside Bradford Grand Mosque during their trip to the district. (Image: Lewis Haigh)
He pointed to a comment left underneath his Bradford video from a viewer who said they had been nervous about visiting the city but were now considering making the trip themselves.
"That's the outcome I can hope for," he said. "That people become more open-minded and go and see places for themselves."
Tackling misconceptions about Muslims
Mr Haigh said one of the reasons he creates content is to challenge misconceptions about Muslim communities both in Britain and abroad.
Reflecting on the response to his Bradford video, he said he had been particularly encouraged by comments from non-Muslim viewers.
He said: "When I was reading the comments, I saw a lot of white British people saying positive things about Bradford and about Muslim communities. It made me realise it definitely has an impact."
Mr Haigh said: "Seeing people saying they've made great friends with Muslims and recognising the hospitality, that's probably one of the biggest blessings out of all this."
Already planning a return visit
Bradford appears to have made such an impression that Mr Haigh is already planning another trip.
He said he would be returning to the district this weekend to visit one of the city's markets and continue exploring the area.
For someone who arrived having heard years of negativity about Bradford, the verdict was simple.
"I found the experience amazing," he said. "I really didn't see anything of the bad that people were saying."