BBC Make a Difference Awards open in Cornwall

Nominations for the 2025 BBC Make A Difference Awards (MAD) have opened for Cornwall.

The BBC's annual local radio campaign, initiated during the peak of the pandemic, aims to honour the contributions of people within their communities.

Volunteers, fundraisers, environmentalists and outstanding neighbours are celebrated, along with community groups making a positive difference.

Last year's Community Project of the Year winners, Parky Blinders, went onto secure funding to run free training courses to expand across the country.

Based out of Newquay Boxing Academy, the group runs adapted sessions to help people with Parkinson's disease feel included in exercise and manage the condition.

Founder Richard Power said winning the MAD award was an "amazing" part of a great year for the charity.

"It's getting bigger and bigger and since then loads of people have joined the boxing academy," he said.

"We've expanded our coaching programme, we've created a programme with England Boxing, which is the national governing body for the sport".

The £17,000 funding from Parkinson's UK and England Boxing has allowed the group to train more boxing coaches around the country.

"We're looking at potentially 150 coaches qualified to deliver Parkinson's boxing," Mr Power said.

Ann Curtis-Clarke joined the sessions after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

She told BBC Radio Cornwall that it had changed her attitude towards her condition.

"I had always been pretty physically active and all of a sudden I felt a real disability," she said.

"I turned up at Parky Blinders and I just really loved what they were doing.

"When I started Parky Blinders I was walking really slowly and now I'm back to walking normal pace, so it filters through to your whole life in a really beneficial way."

Each BBC local radio station has 32 finalists, four in each of the eight categories, and their stories are broadcast throughout the summer.

Nominations are open until Monday 31 March, view the full list of categories here.

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