News / Dogs Against Drugs gets royal approval at Holyrood
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.
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.”
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