I was awarded the 2021 England Football and Mcdonalds Rising Star of the Year (which is now known as the Young Volunteer of the Year award) after being nominated by the Herefordshire Football Association (HFA) for my work as the chair of there youth council and that of the Football versus Homophobia (FVH) youth panel.
Since then I have successfully campaigned for there to be a number of new dropped curbs installed at various locations across Herefordshire where I believed they were desperately needed.
As you, my readers and social media followers will know I contacted the team at WMR (West Midlands Railway ) in February 2023 regarding my concerns around the passenger assistance service that is offered to football supporters on match-days and local residents living in the area.
I met with the team from the publicly funded operator in November 2023 after months of trying to positively engage with the organisation, at the meeting which was held at Witton station near Birmingham, I asked if it would be possible for accessible waiting areas to be installed on the platforms at both Witton Lane and Aston stations.
The following month (December, 2023) saw us return to the station and determine where the signage would be positioned on the each of the platforms.
In January 2024 the signage was finally installed at Witton Station with Aston following suit a months later. Since then various railway stations in the region have now seen the tools installed on the platforms around the region and they are:
The Hawthorns
Coventry Arena
Kenilworth
Lye
Worcester Shrub Hill
Worcester Foregate Street
Telford Central
Selly Oak
Shenstone
Blake Street
Wylde Green
Gravelly Hill
Chester Road
Erdington
Sutton Coldfield
Four Oaks
Tile Hill
Marston Green
University
Lichfield City
I am delighted to say that in the early part of this year the waiting spaces and signage were installed at Tile Hill railway station near Coventry after many years of asking the question “ can there be waiting spaces and signage on the platforms at Tile Hill station.
There is now no risk to passengers using the spaces at the station because of the way they have been positioned on the platforms, which is of course great to see.
As I have mentioned in previous posts in the lead up to the nominations closing for the grassroots football awards, it is 100% down to the Listen in with the youth council podcast series” that I helped to co-produce in 2021 which gave me the skills to write and then ask difficult questions of both people and organisations when it is required.
Whilst the youth panel chair at Football versus Homophobia , I was given the opportunity to interview England cerebral palsy football international, Harry Baker as part of the 2021 Football versus Homophobia month of action, which was of course a great honour.
Winning a grassroots football award, really can change lives and I am prove of that!!!!
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It is only right that I take this opportunity to thank all those who have supported me in the last few years since I won the award along with those who supported me in the years that I was the chair of the Herefordshire FA youth Council and the Football versus Homophobia youth panel, your support hasn’t got a notice and is very much appreciated.
A thank you must also go to each and everyone of you, my regular loyal readers and social media followers who continually take the time out of your busy schedules to read my latest posts again it doesn’t go unnoticed and is very much appreciated.
Inspired by this then Why not nominate an inspirational young person who has done incredible things with football today: https://grassroots.englandfootballawards.co.uk
Cam
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