Bradford was one of the richest cities on Britain a century ago and it has always been a magnet for economic migrants. From the Irish rural poor who came to work in the mills in the 1800s via German Jewish merchants who traded in cloth at the turn of the 19th century, on through the waves of Asian immigration in the second half of the 20th Century and the latest arrival of Central Europeans in the last 15 years. Over the last 50 years the city's industrial base has collapsed but despite this, there are still new waves of Bradfordians managing to fulfill their dreams here.

Dinesh Patel, known as Dennis, is living the dream that led his father to spend 13 years in the mills before starting a shop in the mid 1970s. Two generations later the family, having ridden the video rental market in the 90s and the the mobile telephony boom of the 2000s, have become big players in East European food retailing.

Marcin, from Poland, has his foot on the first rung of a similar ladder. He arrived in Bradford 8 years ago and after a few years working for others he decided having his own business was the way to go. He started by building a smokehouse in his garden to produce hams and sausages and now he processes several pigs a week. While the fresh meat brings in a decent return, he is focused on finding new customers.

Even when cash is tight the city's Muslim population spare no expense when it comes to weddings, a fact that Sahida, a single mother of three girls, has made the most of with a rapidly expanding chain of bridal make-up salons. She also trains other Muslim women in bridal makeup, providing a handy female-only income stream. Show less