What an amazing tournament Euro 2012 has been. We have seen Spain crowned champions and emerge as possibly the greatest international team ever, we have seen a resurgent Italy surprise us with some wonderful performances, and we have also seen England win their group against all expectation, but there is clearly plenty for Roy to work on.

While enjoying the football on the pitch, Lionsraw also believes that major football tournaments provide a special opportunity to engaging local communities. We took twenty-one volunteers to Poland to work in schools and young offender units as we created Chances for Change for the young people of Warsaw.

UK Director Kev Clark led the team and shares some of his highlights with us all.

As Poland prepared to take on the Greeks, our guys were helping out at a community event in Warsaw. We had prepared our team to coach not for the Macarena! What followed over the next three hours was good old fashioned community fun and Lionsraw were right at the heart of it. That afternoon would set the tone for what to expect in Warsaw: engaging locals and a warm welcome and laughter, lots of laughter.

A few of the team would eventually get to the stadium and witness the opening game and the passion of a desperate home support. The team would eventually fail but the fans’ passion and belief would live long in the memory.

Those of you who were lucky enough to be part of the tour to South Africa in 2010 will recall the echoes of ‘where’s your hour gone’ as the coaches gained more sleep. The opening game in Warsaw saw the birth of another anthem; the genius to turn a chant of ‘Polska’ into one of ‘Paul Scott’ provided Lionsraw and our partners with many moments of spontaneous singing and togetherness which was a joy to be part of.

The following week saw our four mini teams of volunteers, some with experience and some who had never coached but just wanted to get involved. The team served and engaged with their work on such a committed level, each and every one of them played a full part in the success of the tour and the legacy we will leave behind in Warsaw.

The coaching team in the young offender units had perhaps the most difficult of tasks, we asked that they worked with a group of sixteen to twenty year old boys who had either been involved in crime, addiction or refusal to partake in the state education system.

Even with a translator the first couple of days were tough in terms of communication, coaching was good but the desire to really communicate with such a group was proving illusive. What we would would witness in the second half of the week owes much to the persistence of the team and of our ability to break barriers, it was almost like a switch had been flicked and the connection was made between the team and the young people.

I have to say that seeing these relationships develop was truly heart warming and showed once again what can be achieved if you really care and are willing to put the effort in, I can still see the wonderful smiling faces that these boys had as we left them and can’t wait to work with them again in the future.

In renovating the shower block at the young offender unit we saw huge dedication and sacrifice of a committed few Lionsraw volunteers. Whether it was the thought of an evening beer, which kept them going I don’t know, but what I do know is that it took the serving of the Warsaw community to another level. This confirms our belief that whoever you are and whatever you are able to do, you can make a difference.

The work our teams did in schools was perhaps even more successful, each one of the fourteen that we worked with commented and commended us on how we had brought their kids to life, that we had been so much fun to have around and that they want to see us again.

I suspect that the teams who worked in schools also had a chance to feel like superstars as kids begged for photos and autographs, some of the mania I saw was like a visiting boy band had landed and not football fans who had given their own time and money to be in Warsaw. It was just wonderful to see.

The project work was special, however it was also delivered by a special team of diverse characters who made every day a special one, you all know who you are – well done, you should be as proud as our partners are thankful.

We love the city and people of Warsaw. You and have been amazing in so many ways. Thank you.