Heartwarming that Howard still involved

Greenhill

How nice to read in The Star among all the wonderful plaudits for Tony Foulds another nice story.

Howard Holmes of Football Unites, Racism Divides a true Sheffield United fan and Phil Turner of Stand Up to Racism, a West Brom supporter, who jointly organised a tribute to football legend Cyrille Regis last Sunday.

This was the day after the two teams played each other and just over a year since the untimely death of Cyrille.

Many many years ago, Rowlinson School stood on what is now the site of the new St James’s Retail Park.

The school had a vibrant youth club at that time, which attracted lots of youngsters from the surrounding area.

Howard Holmes was the senior youth worker there at that time and football was at the forefront of lots of sporting activities.

Sheffield couple Norman and Molly Gill were also involved with the youngsters and were recently nominated for the work they had done with the kids at Sheffield Ski Village and were on the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year awards programme.

I was involved in the coffee bar part of the youth club, often exchanging friendly banter with the youngsters as they came to buy their sweets and drinks.

No thought of guns or knives being carried in those days, although there was the occasional scuffle.

The boys and girls seemed to have respect for Howard and to see him still involved with the youth of today in Sheffield is very heartwarming. Long may he continue to be.