From 365 marathons to century-old brass bands: Cumbria celebrates its everyday community heroes

When public life feels frayed, I find myself looking for the people whose work never appears on billboards. They are the neighbors who spend dark winter mornings dragging sports gear onto public fields, who scrub community hall kitchens, and who walk rural lanes with litter grabbers long after the tourists have gone home. On Sunday afternoon at the Halston Hotel in Carlisle, a roomful of those quiet caretakers gathered as BBC Radio Cumbria announced the winners of this year's Make a Difference Awards. 1

The initiative started during the pandemic lockdowns to link people in immediate need with nearby volunteers. Six years later, it continues as an annual audit of grassroots stamina across the county. A judging panel that included Barrow-born England footballer Georgia Stanway sifted through thousands of public nominations to settle on eight community honorees. 1

The best-known face on stage was Gary McKee of Cleator Moor, who took home the Fundraiser Award. Fellow runners across northern England know him as Cumbria's "marathon man." In 2022, he completed the grueling feat of running 365 standard marathons in 365 consecutive days. Since he began his charity runs in 2003, McKee has raised more than £2.5 million divided between Macmillan Cancer Support and Hospice at Home West Cumbria. 1

Yet the awards also gave equal standing to quieter, neighborhood-level persistence. In the coastal village of Haverigg, four women known locally as The Harbour Ladies—Janice Brown, Leah Lancaster, Joan Tyson, and Samantha Mayne—received the Great Neighbour Award. Operating out of the Harbour Hotel for 30 years, they have organized bake sales, seasonal fairs, and emergency assistance funds for families facing sudden hardship. 1

Further up the coast in Whitehaven, Nigel Goddard earned the Active Award for co-founding the Whitehaven AFC Strollers. Walking football strips away the crushing physical speed of competitive soccer while preserving team camaraderie. Goddard serves as both referee and club treasurer, deliberately designing sessions so older residents, people recovering from illness, and those managing physical disabilities can play together without pressure. 1

Maintaining civic institutions requires someone willing to do the thankless administrative chores week after week. Catherine Clarke from Haverigg took the Volunteer Award for her ten years conducting the Holborn Hill Royal Brass Band near Millom. 1

The band has rehearsed continuously for over a century, providing free musical education and performing at village commemorations. As her nomination made clear, amateur brass bands survive only when conductors like Clarke spend unpaid evenings sorting sheet music, fixing instruments, and encouraging nervous novices. 1

A similar practical ethic drives Annie Garforth from Threlkeld, who won the Environmental Award. Troubled by plastic waste along popular Lake District walking trails, she founded the Keswick Binfluencers. The group organizes regular volunteer clean-ups across fell sides, riverbanks, and scenic view points, hauling out bags of discarded rubbish so the countryside remains clean for residents and wildlife alike. 1

The ceremony reserved some of its warmest applause for young organizers. Rocco Boyd from Whitehaven received the Young Hero Award for his work as co-chair of Pride by the Harbourside, affiliated with Proud and Diverse Cumbria and Northern Equality and Diversity. 1

Boyd focuses on bringing younger teenagers directly into organizational committees, giving them real responsibilities, teaching event logistics, and helping them find their voice in local governance. 1

In animal welfare, the Animal Award went to Eden Animal Rescue, based at Moorlands Head Farm near Penrith. The charity began 30 years ago when a small circle of friends banded together to feed and shelter stray cats. Today, its volunteer network rescues, rehabilitates, and rehomes hundreds of abandoned dogs, cats, and small animals every year across the Eden Valley. 1

The Community Group Award went to ANDYSMANCLUB, which operates confidential peer-support groups throughout Cumbria. The weekly sessions give men a non-judgmental space to talk through grief, job anxiety, and mental health struggles, tackling rural isolation with tea, biscuits, and honest listening. 1

These eight stories show that community resilience is not a vague sentiment. It is a series of deliberate choices: turning up on a rainy Tuesday to coach walking football, sweeping litter off a fells trail, or spending twenty years running marathons so hospice nurses have the funds they need. You can find local volunteer groups in your area through the BBC Make a Difference initiative. 2