News in 2006

01st October 2006

Heroes honoured for standing up to yobs

Local heroes from across west Cumbria were honoured for their work tackling anti-social behaviour at a ceremony in Workington yesterday.

The 'Taking a Stand' awards were organised as part of the national Respect campaign, and recognised inspirational work by individuals and groups which have helped transform their local communities.

Some of those who won awards had witnessed anti-social behaviour and gathered evidence in order for action to be taken, while others had worked with young people to tackle the behaviour before it started.

Ex-footballer Peter Foley, from Whitehaven, was honoured for his work tackling racism through sport.

Mr Foley was one of the first black footballers to play professionally in the country, appearing with Workington, Scunthorpe and Chesterfield.

In those days he suffered racist abuse on the pitch, which spurred him on to get involved in the 'Show Racism the Red Card' campaign.

He now works with the police and local authorities to deliver an anti-racism message to school pupils.

Mr Foley said: "We're trying to get kids to respect each other. In this area there are not many ethnic minority kids, but I explain that we are all the same, and we need to treat people the way we want to be treated ourselves."

He feels that children relate to him because of his sporting background, and hopes that he can act as a role model for tolerance.

He said: "It is a very pleasant surprise to get the award, especially because it is from the local community, who are directly experiencing some of the benefits."

Jackie Maxwell, from Calder Bridge, received an award for her work with MPath - the Prince's Trust mentoring service for young people leaving care homes and young offenders institutes. Many of the youngsters find it hard to set up homes on their own and find themselves falling in with the wrong crowd.

She first became involved in the project after watching a documentary about the service on television.

She said: "The TV told me to press the red button, so I did, and it was appealing for volunteers.

"Most of these young people have never had anyone believe in them, and having that person makes all the difference. I am really proud to win the award, and it's great that the police have recognised our volunteer work, because so often we do things in the community that are taken for granted."

The awards were presented by MPs Jamie Reed and Tony Cunningham at Hunday Manor Hotel.

Source: The News and Star