'It has been manic since award', says former BBC winner

A woman who runs a wildlife rescue operation out of her home said she has seen "lots" more call outs and support after winning a BBC award.

Emily Bentham, from Upper Enham near Andover in Hampshire, won Radio Solent's Make a Difference award in 2025 in the animal category for her work rescuing British wildlife.

"Since winning the award I've also had a lot more donations, which has been a massive, massive help," she said.

She said she would urge people to nominate people in their own area who are doing something to give back to society.

Emily began her animal rescue work out of her home when she was just 13 years old: "I'll go out, pick them up, have a look over them, get them checked out by vets if needed…and the goal is to release them back into the wild.

"It started with people local to me knowing me as the girl with lots of animals, and then it kind of took off."

Since she began, she said she has gone from getting a few calls a month, to a few calls a day.

"And then obviously, I got the award, and it's been manic ever since," she said.

"Lots more people have come forward with animals."

"It was very unexpected - I like to keep my head down, and I'm not hugely public about rescuing animals, it's more just word of mouth,"

Despite that, she said she has been recognised after appearing on the regional news programme BBC South Today as part of the awards coverage.

Emily, who works full time, also runs her rescue operation full time, meaning she often has animals dropped off to her at work.

"It's just constant animals, but it keeps me busy," she said.

She said she recommends that anyone nominates someone in their local area who is doing good work.

"Definitely do it...if you've got anyone local to you who does make a difference and you think should be nominated," she said.

"It's such a good thing to be nominated for."

Friends of Bartley Park, a group focused on revitalising their local park in Totton, started with a core group of three people in 2019.

It has now grown to 10-15 regulars on weekdays, with more people turning out on weekends.

Dave Young, founder of the group, said since starting their work, he said he has seen deer, muntjac and otters return to the park which he said was "a bit sterile" before.

And after winning the Make a Difference Green Award in 2025, he said they have also noticed an uptick in supporter numbers.

"Once it first started, it was a bit slow - and then they saw we could do what we said we could do, and now we get support from all sorts of places," he said.

"It was great, it was nice to be acknowledged but it was also great to get Bartley Park's name out there."

But he said the win came as a surprise.

"We felt that there would be a lot more suitable groups of people out there," he said.

"But it's sometimes the quiet groups are the ones that need to be nominated."

He said anyone thinking of nominating someone they know should "get on and do it."

The Make a Difference Awards recognise and celebrate people, across eight different categories, who are going above and beyond to make a difference where they live.

Every BBC Local Radio station will host an awards ceremony in 2026.

The awards are a chance to say "thank you" and show recognition and appreciation for people who love to make life better for others.

Nominations can be made via the BBC Make a Difference website where you can also see full terms and the privacy notice.