A GRANDFATHER of 75 was one of the two winners of the Christian Youth Work Volunteer of the Year awards, and he won it by playing chess. David Stemp, a volunteer with the Portsmouth Deanery youth-work project (Back Page Interview, 30 January) has found that playing chess with young people is very rewarding.

"I can use a game of chess in two ways," he says; "as a challenge, and as a bridge. When I am playing, I am seeing the person in front of me, not the game. It is about creating an environment where the young person feels safe to be able to talk about anything that is bothering them, or about their hopes and ambitions for the future."

The game of chess is merely a tool for engagement, he says. "You could use something other than chess to achieve the same effect of being able to sit and get to know someone."

Mr Stemp was nominated by Ben Mizen, the diocesan youth and children's work adviser. "David is the most consistent team member," Mr Mizen says, "and he brings a mature perspective that the young people love. . . He is a shining example of how good senior figures can be in a youth-work setting."

A member of the congregation at St Cuthbert's, Copnor, and working with the deanery project, where he plays chess with young people over breakfast at the Charter Club, Southsea, Mr Stemp also teaches and plays chess with pupils at Langstone Junior School, Copnor, and Portsmouth Academy for Girls, Fratton.

The other winner of the Youth Work Awards, Rose Greensmith, from Wanstead, in Chelmsford diocese, was at the other end of the age scale - she is 18.