Receiving an MBE for his work with young people in Nottingham, was the last thing on Morris Samuel’s mind when he started the Catch22 Unity project.
What started as a way of steering young people away from ‘postcode’ gang rivalries using football, involving just 24 youngsters, has now grown to a multi-faceted project that reaches one thousand 11 to 25 year olds across Nottingham.
Speaking about getting the Honour, Morris Samuels says:
'I’m just an average guy on the street. You don’t expect it and I had to read the letter three or four times before it sank in.'
Catch22 Unity uses fun, physical activities, like football, combined with social education within a framework that promotes community cohesion and offers education, training and employment opportunities
92 per cent of those enrolled have achieved a pass with 62 per cent moving on to training, education, employment or volunteering.
