Just under 3,000 young voters from South Ayrshire have elected three Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYPs) to represent them for the next two years.
Kai Green and Matt Paton were elected as MSYPs for the Ayr constituency, while Ellie Crawford was proud to be elected to serve the Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley constituency; the second MSYP for this constituency has been elected by young people in East Ayrshire.
The Scottish Youth Parliament represents young people across Scotland between the ages of 12 and 25. The youth parliament is crucial as it helps ensure young people have a voice and are involved in the issues which are important to them.
The votes were cast online between 3rd and 17th March 2017 and the newly-elected MSYPs were keen to thank all those involved.
Kai Green, MSYP for Ayr, said: "It was a great honour to be re-elected as the member of the Scottish youth parliament for Ayr, I look forward to working with my new colleagues Matt and Ellie to uphold and take forward the views of our constituents and to ensure their voices are heard throughout Scotland"
Matt Paton, MSYP for Ayr, added: "I feel very honoured and grateful to have the chance to represent Ayr's young people. I feel as if Kai, Ellie and myself will be able to deliver the voice that Scotland's younger generation need. I'm extremely grateful to the Scottish Youth Parliament for setting this organisation up as it will give people a valid voice in their communities"
Ellie Crawford, MSYP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley added: "I am very grateful to everyone that helped me through the process of becoming a member of the Scottish Youth Parliament; I am really looking forward to working with lots of new people in trying to improve the lives of young people across Scotland."
Eileen Howat, Returning Officer for the election said: "All of those who stood for election should be proud of their campaigns; they have encouraged thousands of young people across South Ayrshire to vote and for many of the voters this would be their first taste of democracy.
"We want young people to feel involved and empowered and these elections are a great way to achieve this. I would like to thank everyone that voted and I wish our MSYPs all the very best for the future, I am sure you will do us proud"
The South Ayrshire candidates for the 2017 SYP elections were:
Ayr
Kai Green
Skye Fenton
Matthew Gallagher
Stephen Harkness
Georgia Lewis
Katie Mathieson
Jennifer McArthur
Matt Paton
Jenny Scott
Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley
Ellie Crawford
Lauren McEwan
Robbie Patterson