Chorley mother whose son drowned 11 years ago nominated for BBC Lancashire Award

Rebecca Ramsay, will find out later this month if she will take home the Volunteer Award at the BBC Radio Lancashire Make a Difference Awards.

The Volunteer Award is awarded to an individual who makes a real difference to the community by giving up their time voluntarily to help out a charity or good cause.

Formerly known as the Community Heroes Awards, the idea of the Make a Difference Awards is to recognise unsung heroes from across the county, with entries being sought in a variety of categories. They are designed to reflect everything from good neighbours to voluntary work.

Created by the BBC, the awards recognise remarkable people, marking their achievements and contributions to lives in their communities.

Ever since her son Dylan, 13, tragically drowned in a quarry in Whittle-le-Woods in 2011, Rebecca has worked with numerous organisations in her quest to help warn of the dangers of swimming in quarries and other open water locations.

Make A Difference was set up at the start of the first lockdown and is a virtual notice board for those offering help and needing support, with over eight million people interacting across all 39 local BBC radio stations.

Categories cover the unsung heroes of every community from great neighbours, inspirational teachers, volunteers and outstanding key workers.

The winners will be announced at the Make a Difference awards hosted by the various local BBC radio stations at a ceremony later this month.

Rebecca said: "I've achieved so much and received so many awards but they are all so bitter sweet as I would rather have my boy back.

"The end goal is not to see drownings happening but that's unrealistic so to reduce the number would be amazing."

The eight categories are as follows:

There are eight categories:

• Volunteer• Community Group• Fundraiser• Carer• Great Neighbour• Key Worker• Environment• Together award

The Make a Difference Award ceremonies will be taking place across England in this month where local BBC radio stations will be celebrating with their communities, sharing stories and revealing the winners in each of the categories.