– Clare Canning, Broadleaf
Last year was our first ever Hampshire Changemakers Awards and we’re delighted to share that not only did the awards exceed our expectations in terms of the outstanding achievements of the nominees, but we’ve had some lovely feedback from our winners too!
Clare Canning, winner of our overall Changemaker of the Year 2025 said “It was such an enormous honour to win the award this year and it has really helped carry us all through when things have been tough, knowing that the work we put in has been recognised, so thank you hugely for organising the awards.”
Clare and Marie Greenhalgh have been keeping us up to date with how their organisations have moved forward since the awards. Hear their stories since March 2025 when we hosted the awards after our AGM.
Clare Canning – Broadleaf, Winner of the Changemaker of the Year 2025
Broadleaf is an award-winning Family Hub in the heart of the New Forest, dedicated to children who are educated at home.
“Since receiving the 2025 Changemakers Award, Broadleaf has continued to grow as a safe, vibrant and inclusive space for children, young people and families across Hampshire. We have welcomed many wonderful new families, staff members and volunteers into our community, and now support more than 80 families and 120 children and young people each week. Our programmes offer opportunities to build confidence, connection and wellbeing through creative learning and collaboration. Our twice-weekly teen support groups and weekly family sessions for under-10s continue to thrive, alongside art clubs, social groups and a musical theatre programme that nurture self-awareness, self-regulation and self-esteem.
Over the past year, we became a registered John Muir Award Centre and launched a year-long environmental programme, and I was invited to represent the national home-education community in Parliament, giving evidence to the Education Select Committee about Broadleaf’s impact and outcomes. We published our first Progress and Outcomes Report, documenting our unique methodology and pedagogy, and were awarded National Lottery funding for a year-long creative arts programme. Alongside this, we have hosted a prom for 185 young people, developed our Young Leaders and Life Skills programmes, collaborated with the University of Southampton on research projects, and created new parent support groups and craft-based workshops. Through all of this, Broadleaf continues to flourish as a community rooted in creativity, compassion and shared purpose.”
Follow this link for more information about Broadleaf
Marie Greenhalgh – Winner of the Well-being Champion Award 2025 for Inclusion Education
Inclusion Education is a community where every young person, regardless of their challenges, is supported and empowered to thrive. Inclusion Education is breaking barriers and fostering a future where every young person has the opportunity to succeed. True inclusion means no one is left behind.
“ Since the 2025 Changemakers Awards, we have been very busy! We hosted Baton of Hope Basingstoke event, as part of the Baton of Hope National tour. We were one of 20 stops around the country and we created a powerful, community-led moment of remembrance, connection, and action. The event brought together over 130 partners, from lived experience speakers and mental health charities to civic leaders and youth people, across six venues in one extraordinary day. It was raw, real, and deeply human.
We honoured lives lost, gave voice to those still struggling, and made space for hope. From presentations and talks, organisation’s stalls, memorial quilts and art, to music and film, physical health and our Baton Bearers, every moment was designed to say: you are not alone.
Since then, we’ve continued to walk alongside young people through Project Iris, our therapeutic support programme for those aged 11–25 facing isolation, self-harm, or suicidal thoughts. Iris offers green and equine therapy, peer connection, and safety planning in real time, because awareness alone isn’t enough. We need options, and we need them now.
We have also launched Inclusion EB8, our employment transition and Youth hub for young adults. Based in Belvedere House, it provides mentoring, supported work placements, skills development in partnership with local employers, and tailored mental health and wellbeing support, helping young people move confidently into the world of work.
………The Baton of Hope was just over a week ago [September 2025] and we are now working hard on the legacy from that, harnessing the powerful feedback, the raw emotion, and the deep sense of community it stirred. We’re capturing the stories, the connections, and the momentum to build lasting support for people. The event may be over, but the impact is still unfolding, and we’re committed to ensuring it leads to meaningful, sustained change.”
Follow this link for more information about Inclusion Education
Tom Kitcher, Winner of the Community Project of the Year for Southampton City Farm
Southampton City Farm is a lifeline for the community. Home to over 50 rescued animals, it thrives through the dedication of volunteers, young people, and individuals with learning disabilities. In the wake of COVID-19, the farm reinvented itself to meet growing community needs, expanding youth activities, mental well-being support, and free accessible sessions.
“Since the 2025 Changemakers Awards, Southampton City Farm has continued to become more popular with our community, and we have been able to offer more activities to support them, such as toddler activities, more home ed opportunities, and a SEND Holiday Club. As well as this, we have won another award – the Muddy Stilettos award for Best Family Experience in Hampshire, which was just wonderful to win as a small charity. We wanted to take this opportunity to thank our community for supporting the farm, it means we can continue supporting our community.”
Follow this link for more information about Southampton City Farm
Nominate for your 2026 Changemakers!
Inspired by our winners stories? Follow this link to nominate for the 2026 Hampshire Changemakers Awards
