Achievements of young volunteers to be celebrated at town hall

A celebration of youth volunteering will be held in Lerwick Town Hall by Voluntary Action Shetland (VAS) on Tuesday to mark the ending of the popular MV Awards and the transition to the newly-adopted Saltire Awards.

The new award system will be rolled out from April onwards and will compliment the Curriculum for Excellence now taught in schools.

This year 67 young volunteers have qualified for MV Award certificates: 24 for completing 50 hours of volunteering, 19 for attaining the 100-hour award accreditation and 24 for achieving 200-hour certificates.

These are recognised by employers of the young person’s efforts in helping to improve their community through volunteering. During the last year, their efforts have improved the lives of others from the north of Shetland to the south.

Young volunteers are a great asset for any organisation and in recognition of this, MSP Tavish Scott will present the awards. While the MV Awards were open to anyone from 16-25 years, the Saltire Awards have extended the age group, and it is now open for those aged 12-25 years. Any hours volunteers have clocked up during the MV Awards year will be automatically rolled on to the Saltire Awards, ensuring a smooth transition.

VAS executive officer Catherine Hughson said: “Voluntary Action Shetland are delighted to be recognising the achievements of so many young volunteers. This enforces the national statistics that show Shetland is still one of the areas where volunteering is high per head of population. Although this marks the end of the MV Awards the new Saltire Awards open it up to more young people to get their contribution to their communities recognised and we look forward to that being as successful as the MV Awards have been.”

The awards ceremony has attracted a large audience this year so the event is being held in the town hall which has a bigger capacity, rather than in the auditorium at the museum, which is the usual venue.