Auchinleck's latest Citizen of the Year received his well-earned award at the weekend.

Robbie Muir was named as the winner for 2023, standing out among other worthy candidates due to his tireless work in the past year and beyond raising awareness for men's mental health.

The Auchinleck man founded his charity Release in 2018 to ensure there was support available for anyone struggling in the area.

Robbie was selected as Auchinleck Community Council's fourth winner of the now annual awards.

Speaking about his award win, Robbie said: "Thank you so much to everyone in the community who put my name forward and to those who chose me as this year's winner, completely out of the blue.

Cumnock Chronicle: The award presented to Robbie.The award presented to Robbie. (Image: Robbie Muir)

"The main reason behind the award, as many will already know, is the work I've done with Release raising awareness to reduce the stigma around men's mental health.

"I need to say a special thank you to the rest of the team at Release for sticking by and continuing our efforts.

"Again, this award goes to all the Release volunteers who have helped me over the past six years."

The Chronicle first reported on Robbie's efforts in 2019, a few months after he set up Release Ayrshire as a support group on Facebook after noticing a spike in male suicides across the Cumnock and Doon Valley area.

The Facebook page, like all of Release's efforts since then, was aimed at scrapping the stigma around men's mental health and at giving men across Ayrshire a safe space to talk about the things that concern them.

Cumnock Chronicle: Part of the Release team.Part of the Release team. (Image: Release)Robbie's initial volunteer recruitment campaign sparked answers from all over Scotland.

They became a non-profit organisation early in 2019, a step which enabled them to apply for funding to secure more training for their volunteers.

In addition to the direct efforts of Robbie and Release's other volunteers in providing a space for men across Ayrshire to talk, the organisation has also attracted plenty of support from the wider community, including a young man from Mauchline, Declan Chalmers, who ran 100 miles in a month in early 2021 in a bid to raise not just cash but also awareness of the impact of the Covid lockdown on people's mental health.

Later that year, Robbie was joined by pals Scott McIntyre and Adam Gibson in completing the Three Peaks Challenge, with the trio scaling Goatfell, Ben Lomond and Ben Nevis in just three days.

The charity has also attracted backing from the area's sports clubs, with Cumnock Juniors choosing Release and its 'Chat It Out' slogan to appear on the club's away kit in 2022.

Catrine Amateurs also took on Auchinleck Talbot in a pre-season friendly last summer to raise money for the cause.