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Clasford Stirling, MBE

My name is Clasford Stirling, MBE. Proudly MBE now. I'm the Youth and Sports Development Officer at Broadwater Farm Estate. I work for the London Borough of Haringey. I've had many titles over the years but that's the current one. I'm a community worker, or as we say down here, I'm a community developer.

Broadwater United started from the early days in Tottenham. I mean, the team was basically set up because there was so much trouble going on on the estate and when we started the Youth Association everybody said let's have a football team, and really that's how it started.

At the end of the day I had to make a decision and I decided I was going to take up community work. It was only when - in the old days they called me 'management' - when I stepped over from being on the street with all the other young guys and decided to get involved with community work, then I realised how unreasonable that we as young people were.

Peggy Lokando

My name is Peggy and I've been coming here for the last nine years and I knew Clasford for the last seven or six years, and I used to play for them. I came here when I was around eight and got scouted. Clasford helped me down the line.

I was at Arsenal for eight years. Now I'm at Southend playing reserves in the first team. Rightly, in a sense I would not have probably got where I am so I come to see him, come to see the people who actually helped me down the line.

Clasford Stirling, MBE

We've had people go on from here to Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Queen's Park Rangers, Leicester, MK Dons, Peterborough. When you have kids at this age from six, all the way up, some of them are from very difficult backgrounds, some who have parents who shouldn't be parents, and when you fight on all those odds and then you watch that kid on television, there is no prouder moment.

You just don't know what to think, you know, you think 'Wow, the Queen knows me?' You know what I mean? But it was, no, it was a great shock. But for me, when everybody else heard, and the way everybody else in the community was proud that I received it, was the biggest shock of all because you don't realise how much you've affected people's lives and how much they did appreciate what you've done to help them.

You know there've been so many good people that have given their time to the success that has gone on here and I wouldn't like them not to be recognised for it as well. So, through my words, I honour them as well. I received it from the Queen on everybody's behalf. But I'm really proud of receiving it because it has been a hard long road and to get an award like that from the highest level to appreciate what you've done in your community, it is beyond words.