HEROS Charity scoops a second BBC Make A Difference Award winner in the Animal Category

HEROS charity is truly thrilled and honoured to win a second BBC Make a Difference Award in the Animal Category.  HEROS won the first award in Berkshire at the ceremony held on 3rd September 2024 and the second in Oxfordshire on Wednesday 11th September 2024.

The Charity based at North Farm Stud is the home of HEROS Founder and CEO Grace Muir. The location of HEROS, on the South Oxfordshire and West Berkshire border, meant the charity was eligible to be nominated in both awards ceremonies.

Oxford’s glitzy awards ceremony took place at the Kassam Stadium, with a room packed with inspirational people being recognised for their amazing and selfless acts to make a difference in their communities for people, animals and the environment.

The Animal Award was a new category for 2024 and HEROS was firstly very honoured to be one of the four finalists in both awards ceremonies and didn’t ever expect to win one award let along both, particularly against such strong finalists in both Berkshire and Oxfordshire.

GB Olympian, Morgan Lake chose HEROS to win the BBC Radio Berkshire Make a Difference Award and, in the Oxfordshire, equivalent the judging was the job of BBC South Today Breakfast presenter Allen Sinclair, who by his own emission expressed the judging proved a very difficult assignment.

Before announcing HEROS as the winner, Allen Sinclair commented on the magical bond that can exist between animals and people and said, ‘You can see the quiet difference these animals make in the lives of people they come into contact with, each of them bringing peace, comfort, friendship and smiles to people who otherwise might have very little to smile about.’

He followed up by saying he had chosen HEROS, because so many animals are involved and they show teenagers that if you give trust, you get trust back, a principle that is seen first-hand everyday between the amazing horses and SEN students at HEROS.  

Grace Muir accepted the award that was presented by BBC Oxford Radio’s presenter Katie Tyler and commented: ‘Honestly, I am in shock, to win the Berkshire Award was incredible and beyond our dreams and then to come to Oxford a week later, to another amazing Awards Ceremony and win again, is just unbelievable.

I am so proud of HEROS, my team, our horses and the students. I started HEROS in 2006 with so many hopes and aspirations and I have achieved them all and will continue to do so with my fantastic team behind me and these incredibly, amazing horses and animals.

We were up against very tough competition at both awards ceremonies, the animals in our world do such great work and they don’t get enough acknowledgment, so thank you so much to the BBC for doing Make A Difference and recognising the impact animals have in our communities, it is an amazing thing’

HEROS Charity, is British Horse Racing’s (BHA’s) Aftercare Lead, working in partnership with RoR on aftercare provisions for former racehorses. Since HEROS started in 2006, it has retrained and rehomed 100’s of former racehorses, working hard to find the most suitable new life for each individual thoroughbred that comes through the HEROS retraining programme.

In 2015, HEROS diversified and started HEROS Education, made possible by funding from The Racing Foundation, and now welcomes up to 70 students aged between 11 and 16 a week with Special Educational Needs (SEN). They also run a post 16 Diploma courses for SEN students with EHCPs, with a view to finding them relevant equine jobs at the end of it. HEROS uses former racehorses as a catalyst to spark inspiration into SEN students. The synergy in educating both horses and students is a unique model, that works brilliantly well for both.