Make a Difference: Hampshire, Dorset and IoW

Sharing help and information from organisations and individuals in your local area.

Radio Solent,53 episodes

Episodes

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Volunteer Award Winner: Karen Hamilton
Karen Hamilton from Andover won the Volunteer Award.
24 Sep 2025,3 mins
Young Hero Award Winner: Emberly
Emberly Heppenstall from Bournemouth won the Young Hero Award.
15 Sep 2025,2 mins
Great Neighbour Award Winner: Melody Willers
Melody Willers from Denmead won the Great Neighbour Award.
15 Sep 2025,3 mins
Active Award Winner: Kim Purkis
Kim Purkis won the Active Award in BBC Radio Solent's Make a Difference Awards.
25 Sep 2025,3 mins
Animal Award Winner: Emily Bentham
Emily Bentham won the Animal Award in the BBC Radio Solent Make a Difference Awards.
25 Sep 2025,3 mins
Green Award Winner: Friends of Bartley Park
Friends of Bartley Park in Totton won the Green Award in the Make a Difference Awards.
22 Sep 2025,3 mins
Fundraiser Award Winner: Caroline Mousdale
Caroline Mousdale won the Fundraiser Award in the Make a Difference Awards.
29 Sep 2025,3 mins
Community Group Award Winners: Enable Ability
Enable Ability won the Community Group Award in the Make a Difference Awards for 2025.
29 Sep 2025,3 mins
Community cafe bringing people together
Community cafe in East Cowes brings people together to irradiate loneliness.
24 Sep 2025,2 mins
Building friendships through performance
Drama, dance and singing sessions for young people with learning disabilities.
08 Oct 2025,4 mins
Hygiene poverty causing people to skip work
8.7 million adults miss work because of hygiene poverty, according to the Hygiene Bank.
10 Oct 2025,4 mins
Farm helping people and animals in Southampton
Southampton City Farm runs wellbeing boosting activities for the community.
14 Oct 2025,2 mins
Helping children 'understand their feelings'
Rob Franks from Poole has written a children's book about getting seriously injured.
04 Nov 2025,3 mins
Charity helping young people into work
The King's Trust supported 1500 young people in the South into work and training in 2025.
23 Dec 2025,7 mins
Young Hero Award finalists: Sophia and Emberly
Sophia and Emberly - finalists in Young Hero category in 2025 Make a Difference Awards.
6 mins
BBC Radio Solent Soapbox Appeal 2026
BBC Radio Solent's Soapbox Appeal is helping collect toiletries and cleaning products.
03 Jan 2026,4 mins
"Even people in full-time work are struggling"
Hive Portsmouth helps people and organisations to improve their health and well being.
3 mins
Launch of Make a Difference Awards 2026
BBC Radio Solent's Make a Difference Awards 2026 are open for nominations.
24 Feb 2026,3 mins
Cowes club making sailing accessible
Cowes Sailability were finalists in the Active category in the Make a Difference Awards.
24 Feb 2026,2 mins
Volunteer "over the moon" to win BBC Award
Karen Hamilton has worked with over 150 charities and raised more than £4 million.
24 Feb 2026,4 mins
Anjana Khatwa: 'Being a judge is a difficult job'
Earth Scientist Dr Anjana Khatwa is judging the Environmental Award.
25 Feb 2026,5 mins
Poole volunteers recycling waste
Win on Waste in Poole has been working in waste and recycling for over 12 years.
25 Feb 2026,2 mins
Repair Cafe Winchester saves hundreds of items from landfill
Repair Cafe Winchester has saved 2928kg of household items from ending up in landfill.
25 Feb 2026,6 mins
Portsmouth charity supporting families
Portsmouth charity Enable Ability supports people with disabilities and their families.
26 Feb 2026,4 mins
Make a Difference Awards 2026: Meet our Judges
Franny & Kenzie Benali are judging the Active Award.
26 Feb 2026,5 mins
Dorset project supporting young people
Space Youth Project offers support to LGBT+ young people in Dorset.
27 Feb 2026,4 mins
Georgia Adams: 'Honoured to judge BBC Award'
Hampshire cricketer Georgia Adams is judging the Volunteer Award.
02 Mar 2026,1 min
"Animal Award nomination was lovely retirement present"
Cleo was a finalist in the Animal category in the Make a Difference Awards for 2025.
04 Mar 2026,5 mins
Actor Michael Fox on judging BBC Award
Downton Abbey's Michael Fox is a judge in the Make a Difference Awards for 2026.
10 Mar 2026,3 mins
Make a Difference Awards 2026: Meet our Judges
Dahlia Jamil from Art Asia in Southampton is judging the Community Group Award.
11 Mar 2026,3 mins