Eight community heroes won in an award scheme run by BBC Radio WM and BBC Local Radio across England.
The awards were given to local champions who have been making a difference in their communities and were nominated by listeners. The winners received their accolade at a BBC Make a Difference Awards ceremony on Saturday 24 September at the Birmingham Hippodrome hosted by BBC presenters Rakeem Omar and Kathryn Stanczyszyn.
Some became a shoulder to others during the pandemic while others are championing causes that are long-term, like breast cancer and the environment, and affect many people. The Make a Difference Awards were set up at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020 and in the latest instalment many Brummie heroes were also honoured for their contribution to the community.
Patrick Hart, Editor at BBC Radio WM, said: “This is an amazing initiative that really captures the rich diversity of the West Midlands and showcases the positive and inspiring stories from our communities. BBC Radio WM is proud to be able to highlight just some of our listeners the make a difference”
Chris Burns, Head of Audio and Digital for BBC England said: “We are delighted to announce the winners of these wonderful awards, which celebrate those individuals who have gone above and beyond, what most of us expect from people. In a world where the news can often be quite bleak, it is a way of showing off the best of people. We have really enjoyed hearing their stories and sharing them with our listeners. A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to nominated someone.”
To find out more about the awards visit: Make a Difference
The eight community champions from West Midlands are:
1. The Together Award Winner, Rev Alex French
This award goes to an individual or group of people who create real change by breaking down barriers and bringing people together for a common cause. Nominated for the work he does in the community like hosting group events like coffee mornings and more. The Reverend Alex French, from St Cyprian’s Church in Small Heath, winner of the Together Award, said: “I am completely overawed. There are so many people who do the tough stuff and so this is for all the people who Make a Difference behind the scenes in the community. When we are brave enough to love people who we have just met, as all the groups have done this afternoon, the world does change around us.”
2. The Volunteer award winner, Sharon Weaver
This award is given to individuals who many a real difference to the community by giving up their time voluntarily to help out a charity or good cause. Sharon is a funeral celebrant and has conducted hundreds of funerals for children.
3. The Key worker award winner, Melanie Griffin
This award is for a key worker who’s gone above and beyond their call of duty to help others. Melanie specialises in suicide prevention after losing her her sister to it. She said: “I feel shocked as most of my work is done behind closed doors with families who are bereaved so I am not used to this. Suicide was nothing to do with us, it was something you read about in the newspaper. But then we lost my sister Chelsea and there wasn’t any support. So after about six months I realised I needed to do something and now we have support groups around the UK. “
4. The Carer award winner, Kiran Sahota
This award is for an individual who improves the life of an individual or group of people by caring for them on a regular basis. Kiran was born in Birmingham and is a Heritage consultant and the founder of Believe in Me Community Interest Company. Speaking during the ceremony, Kiran Sahota, winner of the Carer said: “You don’t have a choice whether you are going to be a carer, they don’t teach you how to do that at school but I was nine when I first started to be a carer. Thank you so much for this award, it means a lot to me.”