The video call that would not end: how a film about Mexico City's canal farmers started a community movement
Three old schoolmates from Xochimilco reconnected over a UN University documentary, then founded a seminar to keep their neighbours talking.
🏡 Community
Local heroes, community projects, and people making a difference.
Through the Wall: Students and incarcerated women in Bangkok design a way back to work
A UN-backed project pairs Thai design students with women in a Bangkok prison to create goods that can be sold outside, and to change how people see those who have served time
Voices from Gaza: Glasgow University project gives young Palestinian writers a global stage
A blog curated in partnership between the University of Glasgow and the Islamic University of Gaza is publishing poetry, fiction and essays from more than 30 student contributors
Clydebank Guide volunteer pounds the pavement — and raises £1,400 for flood-hit Brownie House
Cat Heron's Manchester Marathon run brings the Catterburn restoration a giant step closer
Drumchapel residents call for action as fly-tipping piles up on Belsyde Avenue
Mir Hassan and James O'Connell say bin provision remains inadequate months after the street's only public bin was set on fire
Skip to it: Channel Islanders invited to bounce, scoot and stride their way to work
Better Journeys Week returns to Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man from 18 May, with organisers urging commuters to ditch the car and find their inner six-year-old
Glasgow's First Martyrs Find Their Voice: A New Song for the Calton Weavers
The Tenementals premiere 'The Broken Stones of the Calton Weavers' — an anthem for the six men shot dead in a 1787 strike, and for the city that almost forgot them.
Last orders for the old-man boozer? Scotland's pubs reinvent the night out for Gen Z
From quiz nights to wreath-making, publicans north of the border are rewriting the rules for a generation that drinks less but still wants to gather
Clydebank golf pals to climb Ben Nevis for the hospice that cared for their friend Martin
Thirteen friends will take on Scotland's highest peak in July, raising funds for St Margaret's Hospice in memory of Martin 'Broonie' Brown
Six horses, 150 years and a town that still turns out: Eyemouth retraces its first lifeboat journey
The Berwickshire fishing port marked 150 years of RNLI service by hauling a modern lifeboat along the same streets its first crew walked in 1876
‘Pressure makes diamonds’: Kai on losing his dad, his home, and finding a front door of his own
At 12 he became his father’s carer. At 17 he was grieving and homeless. At 29, Kai is rebuilding — and helping other young people do the same.
From a Dalkeith classroom to the Met: Nadia Pinkney's Alzheimer's-inspired collection takes the world stage
Midlothian art teacher's "Remember Me Knot" — a tribute to her grandmother and great-grandmother — joins works spanning 5,000 years at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
After Thirty Years of Silence, Preston Mill Grinds Again
Thanks to Outlander devotees, an anonymous benefactor and a pair of patiently restored French Burr millstones, the 18th-century East Lothian mill will produce flour for visitors at National Mills Weekend.
Where Glasgow grows hope: the community gardens being prescribed for mental wellbeing
From Cowlairs to Kinning Park, the city's volunteer-run plots are quietly becoming part of the NHS toolkit — and giving lonely, anxious neighbours somewhere to belong
From trowel to therapy: how Glasgow's community gardens are quietly growing mental health
New research from Michigan State University confirms what north Glasgow's gardeners already know — that digging, planting and sharing a cuppa over the compost heap can be powerful medicine
From Maryhill to Partick: meet Ash, the Glasgow student quietly running on kindness
Software engineering by weekday, sorting donations by Saturday — 23-year-old Ash Kasibante is the kind of volunteer Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland says it could not run without
Glasgow's Green Revival: How Community Gardens Are Cultivating Wellbeing
From Govanhill's remembrance orchard to the raised beds of Scotstoun, the city's volunteer gardeners are growing more than vegetables — they're growing a community in recovery
Comic-book kids conquer Downing Street: Clydebank pupils make history
Second-years from St Peter the Apostle High School become the first West Dunbartonshire pupils to set foot on the famous black-and-white tiles of Number 10 — and they left the Prime Minister with homework
Five quiet giants: the Glasgow neighbours holding the city together
From an 11-year-old fundraiser in Maryhill to a Paisley youth worker on her 23rd Christmas shift — meet the unsung heroes keeping Glasgow's communities going
Soup, service and a 90-year-old in Glasgow: BBC Make a Difference Awards return for 2026
From a nonagenarian neighbour in the city's east to a charity born of unimaginable loss, Scotland's 2025 winners show why the BBC's annual celebration of community heroes matters more than ever
Sorting, serving — and a soft spot for the sixties: meet Ash, Partick's student volunteering hero
Glasgow University student Ash Kasibante on weekends behind the till at Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland's Partick shop, the friends he's made, and why volunteering stuck
How Community Gardens Are Cultivating Mental Wellbeing
From Pollokshields to Parkhead, Glasgow's growing spaces are helping people find peace, purpose, and friendship — one raised bed at a time
Bankhead Primary Pupils Transform Knightswood GP Waiting Room With Colourful Community Artwork
Children from the Knightswood school designed bright, cheerful paintings for Barclay Medical Practice to help patients of all ages feel less anxious about visiting the doctor
'No Child Should Feel This Alone': Glasgow Mum Turns Personal Tragedy into a Lifeline for Families
After years of battling for help for her suicidal son, Kirsty Solman launched Stand With Kyle Now — a charity determined to catch struggling children before it's too late
Green Space for All: How New Planning Rules Could Transform Scotland's Urban Communities
A proposal to require trees and green areas in every new development aims to tackle deep inequalities in access to nature — and the health benefits could be transformative
Glasgow Mum Turns Personal Tragedy into a Lifeline for Families
Kirsty Solman launched Stand With Kyle Now after her son's mental health crisis — and the Drumchapel charity is now supporting families across Scotland
From Pine Martens to Planted Forests: How Communities Are Saving Britain's Wildlife
Grassroots conservation efforts across Scotland and the UK are delivering remarkable results — proving that when communities take the lead, nature bounces back
Laughs for a Good Cause: Clydebank Actors Raise £200 for Men's Shed With Comedy Play
Brian Mooney and Alan Hendry staged their own Scottish comedy to support one of the town's most cherished community projects
Growing Their Own: How Glasgow's Community Gardens Are Putting Fresh Food and Real Hope on the Table
From a gardening club in Toryglen to a city-wide movement — volunteers are transforming derelict land into productive food gardens across Glasgow
Last Chance to Nominate Your Unsung Hero for the BBC Make a Difference Awards
BBC Radio Scotland is calling for nominations — but you've only got until 5pm on Monday to put someone's name forward.
Heroes Among Us: Scotland's Unsung Champions Show Why the BBC Make a Difference Awards Matter
Nominations for the 2026 awards close on Monday 31 March — and last year's Scottish winners prove that extraordinary kindness is closer than you think
Time to Get Your Gloves On: The Great British Spring Clean Is Back — and Scotland Needs You
From Glasgow's parks to the banks of the Clyde, thousands of volunteers are rolling up their sleeves for Scotland's biggest mass litter pick. Here's how to join them.
£1.25m and 163 Projects: Glasgow's Commonwealth Games Are Already Changing Lives
A festival fund that started at £250,000 has ballooned five-fold after 400 applications flooded in — now 163 projects across every Glasgow ward will share £1.25m in grants
Glasgow 2026 Is Four Months Away — and There's Still Time to Be Part of It
The Commonwealth Games arrive on 23 July, and the ceremonies team is calling for 700 volunteer performers at the OVO Hydro. Here's how to be part of it.
'Legends Wanted': Glasgow's Volunteer Army Takes Shape as Commonwealth Games Fever Builds
With role offers landing this month and ceremony casting still open until 24 April, thousands are signing up to be the beating heart of the 2026 Games
£1.25m Festival Fund Puts Glasgow Communities at the Heart of 2026 Celebrations
From trapeze artists in the Old Fruitmarket to basketball festivals in Easterhouse, 163 community groups across every Glasgow ward are gearing up for a summer to remember
'A Dream Come True' — Three Clydebank Teenagers Set for London Stage Debut
Lucia Moran, Memphis Mulholland and Nina Konstantinou will perform at Cadogan Hall this Easter as part of Scottish theatre company Movies To Musicals.
Glasgow's Dazza Is Raffling Off His £250k House for £1 — With Charity Proceeds
The Does It Fry? star spent two years convincing his wife to let him give away their family home — and now one lucky ticket holder could win it mortgage-free.
15,000 Letters and Counting: The Pen Pal Scheme Brightening Lives Across Britain
A Shropshire charity's handwritten letter programme has hit a major milestone — and it's proving that sometimes the simplest ideas make the biggest difference.
A Flashlight, a Hard Hat, and a Whole Lot of Heart: How Construction Workers Befriended a Four-Year-Old Awaiting a Heart Transplant
When Brinley Wyczalek shone a flashlight from her hospital window, a crew across the street shone one right back — and started a friendship that's melting hearts across America.
The Yoghurt Ladies Keeping Japan's Elderly Connected — One Doorbell at a Time
In the world's fastest-ageing nation, tens of thousands of women delivering probiotic drinks have quietly become a vital lifeline against loneliness.
What If Your Neighbourhood Could Vote a Bus Route Into Existence?
In Shanghai, passengers — not planners — are designing bus routes. And the idea is spreading.
Alysia Scott Asked the Internet for Help Getting to Prom. They Raised $52K and Crowned Her Queen.
A 22-year-old woman with cerebral palsy set up a modest fundraiser for her first prom — and thousands of strangers turned it into the night of her life.
Texas Dads Surprise Beloved Crossing Guard with a New Car
When Trecia Crawford's car broke down five months ago, she took buses and ride-shares to keep showing up for the children of Moss Haven Elementary — so the school's Dad's Club showed up for her.
A 4-Year-Old Showed Up for Heart Surgery Alone — His Anesthesiologist Adopted Him
When pediatric anesthesiologist Amy Beethe found a little boy sitting by himself before open-heart surgery, she couldn't look away. Neither could her family.
Greg James' Gruelling Red Nose Day Ride Gets a Game-Changing £1 Million Boost
The Hunter Foundation will match every new donation up to £1 million as the Radio 1 DJ pedals 1,000km from Weymouth to Edinburgh — and the whole country seems to be cheering him on.
A Barnacle-Covered Bottle, A Handwritten Note, and a Friendship That Crossed the World
A message tossed from a cruise ship off Norway in 1997 washed up on a Tasmanian beach four years later — and sparked a 25-year friendship that has only just become a face-to-face one.
A Promise Worth Waiting 54 Years For: Father, 99, and Son, 80, Cash In Free Oyster Feast
When Jimmy Rush finally turned 80, he knew exactly where to celebrate — and exactly who to bring.
The Woman Who Turned Slum Walls Into Classrooms
Mumbai artist Rouble Nagi has spent two decades building 800 learning centres across India, helping more than a million children into education — and she just won the world's biggest teaching prize.
A Starbucks Delivery Changed His Life: How the Internet Raised Nearly $1 Million for a 78-Year-Old DoorDash Driver
After a Tennessee woman posted Ring doorbell footage of an elderly delivery driver struggling up her porch steps, strangers across the country donated nearly $1 million so he could finally retire.
The Singing Postman Who Got His Song Back
When a Chicago mailman's doorstep serenade went viral, the community he'd been uplifting for months returned the favor — with a car.
An 18-Year-Old's First Paycheck Could Have Gone Anywhere — He Spent It on 100 Blankets for the Homeless
When Jessie Wade got one of his first paychecks from Burger King, he skipped the new sneakers and the video games. Instead, he loaded up on blankets and hand warmers and hit the streets of Norfolk, Virginia.