Cooke Scotland has pledged its support to a Shetland charity committed to safeguarding island communities from illegal drugs.
Dogs Against Drugs Shetland, a community-led project first started in 2002, has received £1,000 from the Cooke Community Benefit Fund to continue delivering drug education throughout all schools in Shetland.
Michael Coutts, Project Manager and Drug Dog Instructor at Dogs Against Drugs said: “Dogs Against Drugs is very grateful to Cooke Scotland for their continued financial support.
“Each sponsorship year we get with Cooke, the grant is spent on our Schools Drugs Education Programme.
“Education to young people is such an important part of our work and it wouldn’t be possible to deliver without the support from organisations such as Cooke.”
The Dogs Against Drugs team has visited every school in Shetland, delivering safety and drug education packages every year since 2003. It is also actively involved in providing drugs awareness training to businesses and community groups all over the island.
The charity relies solely on sponsorship and donations and funding goes towards training Dual Purpose Drug Detection Dogs to enable the canines to find illegal drugs on people and in locations.
The Cooke Scotland team at its Sella Ness office were thrilled to deliver the news of the funding to the charity and also meet Bravo and Hera, the two-year-old springer spaniel brother and sister duo.
Emma Coote, Shetland Sponsorship Committee Member and Cooke Scotland Communications Coordinator, said: “It is important for Cooke as a family company to contribute towards projects that help benefit communities we operate in and where our employees live, work and raise their families.
“The service Dogs Against Drugs provides to our island is so important and keeps our friends, families, and local communities safe.
“Cooke’s core purpose is to cultivate the ocean with care, nourish the world, provide for our families, and build stronger communities.”