Michael Coutts from Dogs Against Drugs nominated as Shetland’s Local Hero

Scottish Liberal Democrat and Shetland MSP, Beatrice Wishart, has announced that Michael Coutts is Shetland’s Local Hero. He has been invited to attend the 25^th anniversary event for the Scottish Parliament in late September which will welcome ‘Local Heroes’ from across Scotland.

Coutts is the Dog Handler/Project Manager of Dogs Against Drugs, a charity set up in 2002 to prevent the movement of illegal drugs into Shetland. In recent years the charity has struggled to find funding to cover core costs despite the dogs detecting over a million pounds of illegal drugs.

Nominations for Shetland’s local hero were extended until the end of July due to a delay in celebrations, originally planned for 29^th June 2024, following the announcement by Rishi Sunak of the General Election to be held on 4^th July. The event next month is planned to be a day to celebrate the achievements of the Parliament over the last 25 years as well as a celebration of Scottish music and culture.

On the announcement Ms Wishart commented:

“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.

“Michael’s trip to Holyrood will be 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.

ENDS