Tuesday 8 October 2024
 10.3°C   NNE Fresh Breeze
Ocean Kinetics - The Engineering Experts

News / Dogs Against Drugs gets royal approval at Holyrood

Michael Coutts with drugs sniffer dog Axel.

THE MANAGER of Dogs Against Drugs has spoken of his delight at getting to raise the profile of the charity on the national stage. 

Michael Coutts was invited to Holyrood for the 25th anniversary of the Scottish Parliament on Saturday as Shetland’s ‘local hero’, selected by isles MSP Beatrice Wishart.

Coutts even came face-to-face with His Majesty King Charles, who thanked him – and the charity – for all that they do in Shetland.

He said it was “a very rare thing” to get the opportunity to bring Dogs Against Drugs to the attention of so many high-profile figures – especially at a time when the charity is urgently seeking more funding.

“It doesn’t happen very often, so that was one of my main reasons for going down,” Coutts said.

“I wore my Dogs Against Drugs shirt, so we got to raise the profile with the Scottish Government when we’re looking to secure more funding”.

Coutts said he seized the opportunity to attend the Holyrood celebration not only to represent his own charity, but also all the other people who “work hard for Shetland-based charitable organisations”.

The 25th anniversary bash was attended by King Charles and his wife, Camilla, who personally greeted all of the local heroes invited to attend from across Scotland.

Coutts said His Royal Highness thanked him, and his charity, “for all that we do”.

“He was very receptive to everyone that they were meeting,” he added.

The Dogs Against Drugs manager said there were speeches from political leaders, as well as chances for those representing charities to mingle and speak about their various projects.

“It was very good,” he said.

“It was a lot of pomp and ceremony for a Shetland boy going down.”

The search for Shetland’s local hero was led by local MSP Beatrice Wishart, with nominations submitted by the public.

Become a member of Shetland News

 

She said: “Michael is a great advocate for Dogs Against Drugs and although he works for the charity what is not so widely recognised is that he also puts in a huge amount of hours voluntarily.

“Dogs Against Drugs plays an important role in keeping illicit drugs out of Shetland as well as running an education programme aimed at young people about the harm from illegal drugs.”

Wishart added Coutts’ trip to Holyrood was a chance to thank him “for his tireless work”, and to “show him and the charity the wide public support in Shetland for its work.”

Become a member of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider paying for membership to get additional features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.

 
Advertisement 

Newsletters

Subscribe to a selection of different newsletters from Shetland News, varying from breaking news delivered on the minute, to a weekly round-up of the opinion posts. All delivered straight to your inbox.

Daily Briefing Newsletter Weekly Highlights Newsletter Opinion Newsletter Life in Shetland Newsletter

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Your Privacy

We use cookies on our site to improve your experience.
By using our service, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

Browser is out-of-date

Shetland News isn't fully functional with this version of .
Head over to the help page for instructions on updating your browser for more security, improved speed and the best overall experience on this site.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Have you considered becoming a member of Shetland News?

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please consider paying for membership and get the following features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.