By Judith Tonner

Copyright dailyrecord

Young people from across South Lanarkshire were celebrated at an awards event hosted by Regen:FX Youth Trust as the organisation highlighted achievements and success stories from throughout the past year. Special awards were presented to volunteer of the year Callum Russel, youth volunteer Taylor Hunter, personal achievement recipient Connor Clark and community spirit recipient Jack McGinty. The celebration at the council’s headquarters in Hamilton also included a drama performance by members of Givit some Street, who presented their powerful and humorous adaptation of movie Inside Out – adapted to Outside In. Regen:FX, based at Summerlee House in Larkhall, provides a range of year-round activities, training and youth services, and aims to “empower young people to make positive choices and realise their full potential through a range of innovative programmes, including Scotland’s only youth recovery service”. The “stories of success” event also served as the announcement of a further year’s contract extension of funding from South Lanarkshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP), thereby “securing the future of Scotland’s only dedicated youth recovery services and early intervention programme for young people affected by their own or a loved one’s problematic alcohol and substance use”. A total of 2900 young people engaged with the Regen:FX youth diversion programme in the previous 12 months with youth volunteers contributing 4650 hours worth an estimated £68,000 to peer support activities. Three hundred young people were supported by the organisation’s youth recovery services with 168 being new referrals, and 91 young people were referred to the GoTo mental health service and a further 74 receiving counselling through partner agency Liber8 Lanarkshire. Performers from Givit some Street delivered 34 live shows over 10 weeks to 227 people at the Hamilton Hub and youth representatives also participated in a residential consultation experience with the National Lottery’s Young Start Team at Stirling University. South Lanarkshire youth spokesperson Councillor Matthew Buchanan welcomed attendees to the celebration event, and certificates were presented by council chief executive Paul Manning for categories including volunteering, mental health and wellbeing, making positive strides, and pushing through. A spokesperson for Regen:FX said the event was “not just about recognising achievement, it’s about recognising transformation. In the face of funding challenges that affect many in our sector, our young people and dedicated staff have consistently gone above and beyond. “The extension of the ADP contract is a testament to their hard work and a vital investment in the wellbeing of South Lanarkshire’s young people. When we invest in young people, we don’t just change individual lives, we transform entire communities.” * Don’t miss the latest he adlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here . And did you know Lanarkshire Live is on Facebook ? Head on over and give us a like and share!