Eight Community Heroes Honoured at BBC Northern Ireland Make a Difference Awards 2026
Eight individuals and community groups from across Northern Ireland have been celebrated at the BBC Northern Ireland Make a Difference Awards 2026, with winners ranging from a court therapy dog who supports vulnerable child witnesses to a teenage volunteer who has transformed the school experience for pupils with autism and social communication difficulties. The awards were announced live on the Vinny and Cate show on BBC Radio Ulster on Thursday, drawing an outpouring of public support for the finalists.
Background
The BBC Northern Ireland Make a Difference Awards have become one of the most anticipated community recognition events in the calendar, shining a light on the quiet, often unheralded work that holds communities together across the six counties. Now in their latest iteration, the awards span eight categories designed to capture the breadth of voluntary and civic contribution — from environmental stewardship to fundraising, from neighbourly acts of kindness to the extraordinary courage of young people.
This year's competition attracted nominations from every corner of Northern Ireland, with a panel of judges selecting 32 finalists before whittling the field down to eight winners. The process, which involves public nominations and expert assessment, reflects the depth of community spirit that persists across the region despite the pressures of cost-of-living challenges and stretched public services.
The awards carry particular resonance in a year when voluntary organisations have been asked to do more with less, as statutory funding for community groups has tightened and demand for support services has grown. For many of the winners, the recognition is less about personal accolade and more about drawing attention to causes that deserve wider public support.
Key Developments
The Active Award went to Mencap NI's Healthier Me Ambassadors, a programme that uses sport and fitness to address health inequalities for people with learning disabilities — a group that statistically faces significantly worse health outcomes than the general population. The initiative has trained participants to become advocates for their own wellbeing and that of their peers.
Sebastian, an NSPCC Young Witness Service therapy dog, claimed the Animal Award for his work providing emotional support to children and young people attending criminal court proceedings. The presence of a trained therapy animal has been shown to reduce anxiety in young witnesses, improving the quality of evidence given and reducing the trauma associated with the court process.
The Community Group Award was presented to the Little Forget Me Nots Trust in Lurgan, a charity that provides compassionate support to families navigating the devastating experience of baby loss. The trust offers practical and emotional assistance at one of the most difficult moments any family can face.
Daniel McAfee, a wildlife volunteer and member of the Glens Red Squirrel Group, took the Environmental Award for his conservation work and his efforts to connect young people with the natural world in the Glens of Antrim. The Fundraiser Award went to the David James Richmond Foundation in Newtownabbey, established following the death of David Richmond in 2024, which has since funded over 13 community defibrillators and provided life-saving training across the area.
Stella McGinn received the Great Neighbour Award for her campaign to improve school bus safety measures, a cause she took up in memory of her 11-year-old daughter. Noah Holden, who has volunteered with AccessoLoo since the age of 14 to ensure disabled individuals can access and enjoy live events, won the Volunteer Award. The Young Hero Award went to Ollie Harbinson, a student recognised for his role as a "playground pal," helping peers with autism and social communication difficulties feel included and valued at school.
Why It Matters
The Make a Difference Awards serve a function that goes beyond ceremony. In a political environment where Northern Ireland's public discourse is frequently dominated by constitutional questions, budget disputes, and institutional friction, events like these provide a counterpoint — evidence that civic life here is rich, generous, and deeply human. The eight winners represent communities from Lurgan to Newtownabbey, from the Glens of Antrim to the courts of Belfast, demonstrating that the impulse to help one's neighbour is not confined to any geography or tradition.
The inclusion of categories specifically focused on young people — the Young Hero Award and the Volunteer Award — reflects a deliberate effort to challenge the narrative that younger generations are disengaged from community life. Ollie Harbinson's work as a playground pal, and Noah Holden's years of service with AccessoLoo, suggest the opposite: that young people in Northern Ireland are stepping up in ways that deserve far more recognition than they typically receive.
For organisations like Mencap NI and the Little Forget Me Nots Trust, the national platform provided by the awards can translate directly into increased donations, volunteer recruitment, and public awareness — outcomes that have tangible consequences for the people they serve.
Local Impact
The reach of this year's winners spans the breadth of Northern Ireland. The Little Forget Me Nots Trust in Lurgan serves families across the Armagh and Craigavon area, a region where specialist bereavement support for baby loss has historically been limited. The David James Richmond Foundation's defibrillator programme in Newtownabbey has placed life-saving equipment in community halls, sports clubs, and public spaces across North Belfast and the greater Newtownabbey area. Daniel McAfee's conservation work in the Glens of Antrim contributes to the protection of one of Northern Ireland's most ecologically significant landscapes, where red squirrel populations have been under sustained pressure from grey squirrel encroachment. Sebastian the therapy dog operates within the court system in Belfast, where the NSPCC's Young Witness Service supports children giving evidence in some of the most sensitive cases heard in the jurisdiction.
What's Next
The BBC Northern Ireland Make a Difference Awards ceremony will be broadcast in full on BBC Northern Ireland television in the coming weeks, giving the winners and their stories a wider audience. Several of the winning organisations have indicated they will use the platform to launch fundraising appeals and volunteer recruitment drives in the run-up to Christmas. The Mencap NI Healthier Me Ambassadors programme is seeking to expand into additional community venues across Belfast and Derry in 2027, while the David James Richmond Foundation has set a target of funding a further 10 defibrillators before the end of the year.
