Bottle scheme campaigner honoured in BBC awards

Richard Walker, co-founder of the Aylesbury Wombles

A campaigner for a national plastic bottle deposit return scheme is one of the winners in the BBC Three Counties Make a Difference Awards 2025.

Richard Walker, co-founder of the Aylesbury Wombles, organised their Plastic Project in September 2024, which saw the team collect 5749 discarded plastic bottles in a month.

He started the project after seeing the effectiveness of a scheme in Ireland, then met with the chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, Mary Creagh MP, to discuss his findings.

"If we already had a return scheme in the UK, using the current Irish bottle return rate of 73%, we would have potentially reduced the number we collected by 4197 bottles," Mr Walker said.

A UK deposit return scheme was meant to launch in August 2023, before being pushed back to 2024, then 2025, and now 2027.

Mr Walker, who won the Green Award at this year's ceremony, described the scheme as a "no-brainer".

Lexie the Young Hero

Lexie Trim and her parents Andrew and Emma

The Young Hero award was presented to 15-year-old Lexie Trim, from Colney Heath in Hertfordshire.

The teenager set up Lexie's Chemo Bags after her mother and aunt were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023.

The bags, given to patients at the Lister Hospital in Stevenage, contain items including bed socks, boiled sweets, a soft toothbrush, and hand cream.

Lexie has handed out more than 500 bags to date and plans to extend the scheme to other hospitals.

Jenna's passion for animals

Jenna Jones from RATS Animal Rescue

Jenna Jones took home the Animal Award for the work she's doing at RATS Animal Rescue in Hertfordshire.

Since volunteering at the kennels in Buntingford in 2020, fellow volunteers say her passion and enthusiasm for the work have seen the service outgrow all expectations.

Ms Jones introduced a fostering network which meant that in 2024 they were able to rehome 120 dogs who came into the service as strays.

"I couldn't have done any of this without the support of everyone else around me," she said.

"Someone has to help these animals and I am so grateful to be part of that."

Make a Difference award winners 2025

Volunteer

Brownie leader Jan Hale from Milton Keynes

Community Group

Forget Me Not Dementia Volunteer Service in Hertfordshire

Fundraiser

Sandra Jeffs from Buckinghamshire for the '30 for 30' campaign in memory of her son Michael

Great Neighbour

Joan Sykes from Bourne End

Young Hero

Lexie Trim, founder of Lexie's Chemo Bags in Hertfordshire

Green

Richard Walker from the Aylesbury Wombles

Animal

Jenna Jones from RATS Animal Rescue in Hertfordshire

Active

Jade Cook from Spectrum Community Arts in Bedfordshire