Community worker's efforts recognised.

Byline: Moira Sharkey

TIRELESS community worker Gary Reade, who founded a groundbreaking football tournament which took children off the streets and turned their attention to sport has been honoured.

Mr Reade, 57, was presented with a commendation for his services to the community in the Norwich Union Neighbourhood Watch Awards this week.

And according to the organisers, it is a great accolade - as Mr Reade is the only person in South Wales to receive an award from the association this year.

Thanks to Mr Reade, 6,500 children aged between five and 15 took part in the tournament in Cardiff and Barry and the finalists had the chance to play in the Millennium Stadium.

The tournament is now set to expand to include up to 10,000 children from across South Wales, and this week it was announced that Coca-Cola would sponsor the event for three years.

But its success came as a bit of a surprise.

It had all started in more modest surroundings than the Millennium Stadium in 1999, when Mr Reade and his neighbours in Grangetown were frustrated by the constant noise and disturbance caused by children playing football in the streets.

But rather than telling them to play somewhere else, he organised a tournament for them.

On the first day of the tournament, 400 children arrived at the Marl to take part in what was the first Champions of Cardiff Youth tournament.

"Obviously it is wonderful to get an award like this, but the success of this tournament is the result of the dedication of lots of people and it is as much their award as mine, " said Mr Reade.

"The Neighbourhood Watch Sports Trust, which we founded in 2000, was set up to channel the energies of young people of all ages and abilities into football and to help break down barriers between them and the police.

"And it is working. Youth annoyance figures were reduced by 60 per cent during the city's finals last year."

'Little Ireland' residents reunite to celebrate victory over memorial

RESIDENTS of the former Newtown area of Cardiff will be reunited tonight to celebrate winning the battle to build a memorial to their old community.

These former residents, their families and friends who make up the Newtown Association have been given pounds 77,000 from the Arts Council of Wales' Lottery Division to build a memorial garden in Tyndall Street, which lies in the heart of the former community.

Newtown was known locally as Little Ireland, as it was highly populated by Irish families who had fled the Great Famine in the 19th Century.

These families were brought to Cardiff by the Marquis of Bute to make up the workforce he needed to build the docks.

The community spanned four generations until its terraced streets were demolished in the 1960s.

Former residents of Little Ireland or their children and grandchildren are welcome to attend the party at St Peter's Hall, St Peter's Street, Roath, Cardiff, to celebrate with a disco, buffet and Irish bingo.

Admission, which is pounds 5, is by ticket only. For more information, call Mary Sullivan on 07966 747179.

CAPTION(S):

COMMENDATION Tournament organiser Gary Reade with his Neighbourhood Watch certificate. MEMORIAL Newtown was demolished to make way for new development.