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Fun day is chance for Linvoy to say thanks
WHEN a popular football player has a testimonial year, people usually queue up to give him accolades.
But Pompey favourite Linvoy Primus decided the people who needed the plaudits were the community, especially those who had given time and money to his charity, Faith & Football.
And that's what Linvoy Primus's Community Fun Day at Fratton Park was all about yesterday.
It marked the end of the third annual Faith & Football cycle ride, from Pompey to Brighton, Aldershot and back. Linvoy said: 'Every year we start and finish in the Fratton Park car park and every year we've had a little fun day where we invite all the local league clubs that Faith & Football work with to come along and welcome home the riders.
'We thought this year we'd go one further and open it up to the community as part of my testimonial year. Normally the testimonial is about the player receiving accolades but we thought we'd do something for the community instead to say thank you.
'It was a role reversal in the way testimonials usually go.'
X Factor finalists Same Difference were the guests of honour. The fun day featured face-painting, a penalty shoot-out, food and drink.
'We wanted to try to get everything for free, which it was - apart from the food,' said Linvoy. There was live music from local bands The Nite Romantics, The Suits, The Mosquitoes, Andrew Foster and a Karen Carpenter tribute. The Pompey bus was on site.
Blues legend Linvoy helped found Faith & Football in 2002 with former Pompey players Mick Mellows and Darren Moore - and has been at the forefront of its fundraising ever since.
Created to encourage youngsters with nothing to do in the evenings, Faith and Football runs 15 community youth football leagues, hosted in the inner and outlying areas of Portsmouth, Birmingham and Plymouth.
Linvoy added: 'The nice thing is those kids who come out of our leagues, we really see a difference in them.'
'We try to be a good influence, a good role model, to hopefully give something back to them.'
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Weather for Portsmouth
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
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Temperature: -4 C to 4 C
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