An Aberlour service which works with young people at risk of becoming involved in gang culture in Glasgow has been recognised with a prestigious award.
Youthpoint Glasgow won the ‘Involving Our Community’ category at the Care Accolades on Friday (11th June) , ahead of the other finalists Renfrewshire Council and Action for Children.
The Aberlour service works with young people between the ages of 12 and 19 in the south west of the city where there can be high levels of social deprivation, crime, drug and alcohol dependency and recognised violent gang culture.
Youthpoint Glasgow was recently awarded a lottery grant of £500,000 to allow it to expand to other areas of the city.
A recent report by the University of Glasgow says that men from poorer areas are 32 times more likely to die from knife violence than those in affluent areas and warns that knife crime costs the Scottish economy £3bn a year.
Service Manager, Alex Cunningham, said: ‘This is a wonderful award for Youthpoint Glasgow. It is in recognition of the commitment shown by Youthpoint staff, in supporting the young people we work with in the community and highlights the achievements of the young people involved.
Youthpoint is operated in conjunction with a number of partners, including Strathclyde Police, Glasgow City Council Southwest Community Planning Partnership, Culture and Sport Glasgow and Strathclyde Fire and Rescue.
Now in its seventh year, the Care Accolades, organised by the SSSC in partnership with the Scottish Government, showcases the excellent work happening in social services across Scotland.
The award ceremony at the Macdonald Aviemore Highland Resort was hosted by Radio Scotland presenter Kaye Adams.