In 2024, 102 awards made to the county’s youngsters. Exactly half of these, 51 were Saltire Awards, including 3 prestigious Saltire Summits.
Tom Kennaugh won a Summit Award in 2023 was delighted to receive his 500 hour Saltire Award. He said:
Receiving my 500 hour Saltire Award is a fantastic honour as I am one of few to have received one. It is also good to know that I am making a difference in my local community, especially with other like-minded, friendly people who I enjoy volunteering with.
Ronnie Taylor received a Saltire Summit Award at the ceremony. He said:
Volunteering has allowed me to get more involved in the community. I’ve met some fantastic people that I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to get to know otherwise, along with doing really rewarding work that has a wider benefit.
Young people host the ceremony and carry out other key roles on the night, helping them gain more confidence in public speaking. Megan was an MC for the evening. She said:
I love hosting at the Orkney Youth Awards. It showcases the amazing volunteering that young people do in Orkney, it has given me confidence when speaking to an audience as I have dyslexia so sometimes struggle with words but hosting the Youth Awards has given me the confidence and courage I’ve needed to speak confidently to audiences.
Volunteers aged between 12 and 25 can register to receive a Saltire Award. Go to the Saltire website to find out more.
