A Havering drugs and crime awareness worker picked-up an award at Lords cricket ground and was praised by an international footballer last week.

Paul Hannaford was presented with the award for his part in the White City Project, which won the ‘Outstanding Project Award’ at the StreetChance ceremony last Tuesday.

It was given to the project in West London, which Paul has been a key part of with Queens Park Rangers Football Club – giving talks to children about the dangers of drugs and knife crime.

Paul, a reformed heroin addict who grew up in Hornchurch and is currently looking for a permanent home, has spoken to an estimated 50,000 children in Havering schools in the last three years.

The ceremony took place on the roof-top terrace at the Lord’s pavilion, and was hosted by BBC sports presenter Manish Bhasin.

Paul said: “I was told about it by someone at the sponsors, Barclays, who had come to see me give a talk.

“It was really nice to go to the pavilion at Lord’s, and then to be presented with the award was great, a real step in the right direction.”

Then on Friday, Paul gave a talk at a school in Reading, as part of an educational scheme put on by Reading Football Club.

His work was praised on social networking website Twitter by Wales and Reading striker Simon Church.

He said, to more than 11,000 followers (subscribers): “Just got back from meeting Paul Hannaford at Prospect School in Reading today his story was so powerful and real. So good to meet him.

“Please check out his website www.paulhannaford.com and his Facebook page to speak to him about any problems that u can relate to his story.”

His messages were ‘retweeted’ (passed on) by the official Reading FC account, which has more than 20,000 followers.