THE first nomination for Trinity Mirror Cheshire’s Your Champions award is for community hero Dave Cartwright.

Dave, 69, who is originally from Chester but now lives in Wrexham, runs the Chester Fans United children’s scheme.

Called Junior Blues, the organisation uses a love of football to encourage youngsters to contribute to the community.

Club members are rewarded with a membership pack containing a T-Shirt and membership wallet, and have the opportunity to go on free trips to attractions such as the Football Museum.

Dave’s nomination came from Chester Fans United chairman Mark Howell, who said: “The amount of effort Dave puts in, particularly for someone who is nearly 70, is just remarkable.

“He has taken it on because of the love of his area and the kids - he is passionate about getting them involved in local sport and supporting the football club.

“He does so much, from organising meetings and trips to putting the membership packs together.

“I know that there are people out there who do all sorts of things so there are sure to be plenty of nominations, but we really would love him to receive some recognition for all his hard work.”

Dave, a retired quality manager for an engineering company, said he was “quite embarrassed” by the nomination.

He said: “I feel very humble and there are people far more deserving of it than me. The pleasure I get out of doing it is unbelievable and the kids are superb.

“I’ve watched the Blues since the first season after the war with my dad, when I was a little lad, 46-47 season. My dad was one of the biggest supporters I ever knew.

“My mate Kevin gave me the idea when he said it would be great to have a junior supporters club just like they did years ago.

“We have 214 members now, and we have members from as far afield as Tanzania, Kenya, Senegal, America, Canada and Australia. I get a really good feeling about it and it keeps me busy as well. We are planning to produce a leaflet to give to schools and I would love it if we could get 500 members before the start of the season. That would be fantastic.

“But I couldn’t do any of it without a lot of support from a lot of people.”

Dave added that he would love to see football getting back to basics for Chester.

“I want to see eleven junior blues walking out with the players at the start of the match,” he said.

“It would be great to see the children walking round in their blue T-shirts, cheering and letting blue and white balloons go. I want to see it all.”