TWO young people from Cumnock have been announced as finalists for the Young Scot Awards 2018.

Katy Cockburn, 22, is a finalist in the Excellence in Education category while Cumnock's 2017 Young Citizen and Citizen of the Year Mason Kidd, 12, has been nominated for the Unsung Hero category.

The annual awards ceremony, hosted by Iain Stirling, will be held at 8pm on November 30 at the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow.

Katy – a family support worker for Children 1st – was nominated after she moved back into her dad's house to act as a full-time carer when she was in her second year of a social work degree at university.

While caring for her father – who had pancreatic cancer – Katy continued to make the 120 mile round trip to university three times a week to continue her studies. Sadly, Katy’s father passed away on June 13 2017 and just 13 days later she graduated with a 2:1.

Cumnock's Kindness Kidd – who is also the youngest ever finalist for the Robert Burns Humanitarian Award – took on his own challenge in memory of his older brother Ross who passed away from cancer.

Mason's 18 acts of kindness saw him raise thousands of pounds for charity and bring a smile to firefighters, police officers and dog walkers in his community.

He also bought teddies for the babies at Ayrshire Maternity Neonatal Unit and handed over a cheque for £10,000 to Glasgow Children’s Hospital charity on the day that would have been his brother’s 18th birthday.

The Young Scot Awards aim to celebrate the achievements and inspiring stories of young people and their peers as well as this year highlighting the importance of the Year of Young People and the impact it has had on the country.

Louise Macdonald, chief executive of Young Scot, said: “2018 has been a massive year for Scotland’s young people and we were inundated with inspiring stories about young Scots across the country. Katy and Mason’s inspiring stories show how important young people are to Scotland and their incredible contributions to communities in East Ayrshire.

“A huge congratulations to all of the 2018 finalists; this year’s awards will be held on St Andrews Day and will be a historic moment for Scotland. We can’t wait to celebrate all the finalist’s achievements on the night.”