LAST month Andy Murray led the British tennis team to victory over the US. The match took place at the Commonwealth Arena in Glasgow, built for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

The event which followed the tennis was the Olympic Games. Well, not quite. Rather it was Fare’s Olympic Games.

So what is Fare? In 1989, 30 residents of the Rogerfield area in Easterhouse, Glasgow, formed a community project called Family Action in Rogerfield and Easterhouse.

With little money it ran youth clubs and I became its part-time leader, running it from one room. In 1996, Glasgow City Council let it shift into six flats which had become hard to let because of drugs deaths. With a proper base, grants became available.

I retired to continue as a volunteer and Rosemary Dickson took over as a full-time leader. Fare grew rapidly and now has its own building with facilities for young people and adults in six different neighbourhoods.

Fare initiated its Olympic Games 11 years ago. This year 880 children from 25 primary schools — plus many of their parents — poured into the Commonwealth Arena and got changed in the same dressing rooms used by the Commonwealth Games athletes.

The oval-shaped running track soon had children in races of different distances. These were followed by relay races. The excitement was intense but there was never any trouble.

Simultaneously, other contests were in the middle of the arena — namely long jump, indoor javelin, shot put, skipping and others.

So much was going on at the same time while maintaining safety as a priority, keeping youngsters from getting lost and ensuring that all the contestants were at the right place at the right time. How was it done?

Fare has around 30 staff, including part-timers. In addition there are many volunteers from parents and residents to secondary school pupils. In all there were 81 volunteers who had been well prepared and knew what they were doing.

Some of those 81 people are worth picking out. Rosemary has now been Fare’s leader for 19 years. Though she has been struck by cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy, she insisted on attending the event for two hours and was greeted with loud applause.

Jimmy Wilson is Fare’s second in command. Born in Greenock, he was a gang member as a teenager before serving in the army and learning the value of order and discipline. On leaving the forces, he joined Fare and at the Olympics he was the one who held everything together.

Another Fare manager, Graham Allison, was hit with multiple sclerosis which can make work a struggle. But he will not give up and has started a group for others with the illness. Graham is an expert photographer and he was busy snapping the athletes.

A plaudit must go to Bobby Kerr. Having lived most of his life in the vicinity, Bobby seems to know everybody. At the Olympics, he and his team supplied about 900 packed lunches — plus a plastic bag for rubbish.

William Palmer, imprisoned for gang violence as a teenager, found support in Fare and later became one of its full-time gang workers. Now he even lectures to the police.

Former soldier Paul Humphries joined Fare after 10 years in the army and runs our extensive programme of outside awards, like the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

Ian Monteague was born and bred Easterhouse and taught in the local secondary school. He has been treasurer of Fare since its start. At the Olympics, he organised the presentation of medals and the sportsmanship trophy to the school which participated in good spirit.

Last but not least, Stephanie Mooney came into contact with Fare while running around the streets. Now in her 20s, she relates to challenging teenage girls. She is also very musical and at the Olympics soon got the youngsters singing.

I was moved when they rose to their feet and cheered as they sang Loch Lomond.

Fare is just one of thousands of locally run community projects which are almost unrecognised compared with huge charities. Nonetheless, they are of enormous value. They demonstrate that many residents of deprived areas have abilities and a desire to improve their neighbourhood.

National charities also do good work in the same areas, but their staff often commute in and out and tend not to stay long-term.

And it is not just the adults. Fare takes on 10 to 12 teenagers each year, most of whom are unemployed.

Forget the myth that they do not want to work. Rosemary told me of phoning one applicant to inform him he had got a post. There was a long silence. He had broken down with joy after receiving scores of rejections.

Fare’s young people are trained in either youth work, community work or receptionist and clerical skills. They have a tutor who, at the end of their training, helps them apply for another job. Most are successful.

If government ministers had the courage to work with and live close to local community projects for a year, they would learn that residents are mostly working or keen to work, are good neighbours and supporters of local activities.

Finance is a growing problem. Despite David Cameron’s promise to promote the so-called “big society,” cuts imposed on local authorities have forced them to reduce or abolish grants.

The Charities Aid Foundation predicts that one in six charities will close. It is even harder for locally run projects who do not possess professional fundraisers. The Fare Olympic Games was financially backed by the Glasgow Housing Association. In so-called retirement, I organise Friends of Fare, which consists of over a hundred individuals who want their gifts to go to a local project in a deprived area. Some have continued to give for over 20 years. In return, we send reports on events like the Olympic Games.

With the general election upon us, here is a vote-winner which all parties miss out on. Promise regular grants to projects in deprived areas.

• More information on Fare can be found at www.fare-scotland.org/