UNSUNG hero Derek Allen has been named as one of the first Commonwealth Community Champions.

Derek, who works for The Shaftesbury Society, was nominated by Bacup's St Mary's RC School.

The Commonwealth Games in Manchester will now present Derek with coveted tickets for himself and members of the local community to see one of the Games' events.

St Mary's put him forward not only for his work with the pupils' at a breakfast club and as football coach and team manager, but also because of his role as community worker at Sunnycrest Community Resource Centre, in Pennine Road, which works with people living on the Pennine Road estate.

Year six teacher Miss Roona Flynn said: "We are very appreciative of all the voluntary work he does with the pupils."

The extra coaching lessons helped the school's football team to win through to the finals of a local football competition for the second year in succession.

In addition, Derek is chairman of Bacup and Stacksteads Single Regeneration Budget team, which secured nearly £5million to regenerate the town.

He said: "It was a great surprise to have been nominated and then win the award. The Commonwealth Games is a massive world-wide event and to be able to go and watch one of the events is something that people will remember for a very long time.

"We've been awarded tickets to see the netball at the Manchester Evening News Arena and it promises to be a fantastic experience."

The tickets have been donated by United Utilities, one of the Games' sponsorship partners.

United Utilities' chief executive John Roberts, said: "The community champions award is our way of saying a big thank-you to those local heroes whose work often goes unrecognised."