Argyll and Bute’s Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYPs) have been awarded the John McCann Unsung Hero Award, at this year’s Scottish Youth Parliament Awards.

This annual celebration recognises the work that MSYPs and their support workers do to represent Scotland’s young people. The Unsung Hero Award is presented to an MSYP or group of MSYPs, who have overcome significant barriers to raise the voice of the young people they represent.

Argyll and Bute Council’s youth services, who support them, nominated Katie Burke (Helensburgh), David McLaughlin (Bute) and Fraser Stewart (Dunoon) for their drive, determination and innovation in working together to promote the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) to their peers during their three year term of office.

Their enthusiasm has ensured more young people in Argyll and Bute are involved with the work of the SYP than ever before. This despite the fact they live several hours away from each other and cover a geographical area which is 690,899 hectares - the second largest local authority by area in Scotland - with third sparsest population of the 32 Scottish local authorities. Katie, David and Fraser also cover Argyll and Bute’s 23 inhabited islands.

The hard working trio will soon hand the reins over to Argyll and Bute’s three newly elected MSYPs, Jamie Murray from Rothesay, Stephanie Thomas from Helensburgh and Kyle Renton from Inveraray.