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Defibrillator parents among Make a Difference winners

BBC A woman in a striped top, a man in a branded polo shirt and a woman wearing a hooded top with the same logo stand next to a defibrillator unit and smile.BBC
Arline and David Hursey, pictured with daughter Katie, say they know of at least seven people who have been saved by defibrillators they installed

A couple who campaigned for more public defibrillators after the death of their son are among the winners of the BBC Three Counties Radio Make A Difference Awards.

Arline and David Hursey from Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, who won the Community Award, were nominated for the work done by their charity Defibrillators in Public Places (Dipps).

They began campaigning six months after their son James, 18, died of sudden cardiac arrest in September 2015. They have demonstrated CPR in schools and have installed 127 defibrillators around the country.

Mrs Hursey said: "If we see a location that we think needs a defibrillator we try and put one in, we're like a dog with a bone."

Arline and David Hursey smile proudly while holding a framed photo of their son James.
The couple started the charity after the sudden death of their son James, 18

Mr Hursey added that on the weekends they travel around and check different machines to see they are working properly - and notify authorities if they need replacing.

The couple say they know of seven people whose lives were saved after use of a defibrillator they installed.

Units have been installed in public places, schools and businesses because of the charity, afterwards they would visit the location and show people how to use them.

Despite their achievements, the couple humbly say they do not think what they do is particularly noteworthy.

Mrs Hursey said: "We just plod along... I always think it's thanks to James, we wouldn't have done this, it never would have crossed our mind.

"We don't want thanks for it, we just want to put more out there and get people more aware of defibrillators really."

Sheila Cutler is standing in the entrance part of Hazard Alley near a mock Lloyds Bank
Sheila Cutler has volunteered at Hazard Alley in Milton Keynes for 28 years

Sheila Cutler, 89, received the Volunteer Award for the 28 years she has dedicated to Hazard Alley in Milton Keynes.

The charity has a interactive safety centre designed to look like a life-sized village, where children can learn about hazards and how to call the emergency services.

Ms Cutler began volunteering at the site at about the same time she retired and has helped thousands of children learn about safety.

She said: "I worked with children all my life and thought 'I could fancy some of that'- I walked in and never left.

"Children like to learn visually, and this is the best way to do it. You want the children to point out everything that is dangerous to them."

A group of children standing together in navy and red school uniforms.
The Colour of Generosity fundraise for a food bank every Ramadan

For the last three years a group of 20 young people, called The Colour of Generosity, have donated more than a tonne of food to Watford Food Bank every year.

During the Make a Difference Awards the group won the Fundraiser Award.

The group collects the food from the community at the end of Ramadan every year.

The other winners on the night include:

  • Carer Award: Emily Louise, 14, who cares for her mother, who has a debilitating illness
  • Great Neighbour: Highlands Curtain Twitchers, a group of women who care for people in their Watford block of flats.
  • Bravery Award: 10-year-old Betsy Griffin, who is blind and lives with a brain tumour and runs a Youtube channel with an international audience
  • Green Award: The St Albans Community Pantry which aims to "close the loop between food waste and food insecurity"
  • The Animal Award: Pets in Need, a Hertfordshire charity that provides a food bank for animals.

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