Auchinleck Community Council (ACC) has chosen the deserving recipient of their 2023 Citizen of the Year award.

Robbie Muir has been named as the winner, standing out among other worthy candidates due to his tireless work in raising awareness about 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.

Cumnock Chronicle: Part of the Release team.Part of the Release team. (Image: Release)

This is ACC's fourth selection for their Citizen of the Year award.

Agnes McConnel was chosen for her dedication to Ayrshire Hospice in 2019-20, with Henry Dumigan receiving the award in 2021-22 in recognition of his work with Auchinleck Talbot Football Club (ATFC).

Last year, Janice Allan was selected for her tireless community work.

Robbie and his team's charity work includes giving talks on mental health, providing support for anyone struggling, and encouraging people to seek help if they need it.

He said: "The very last working day of last year I received a phone call telling me I had been put forward for Auchinleck's Citizen Of The Year and had been successful. I was absolutely over the moon.

Cumnock Chronicle: Robbie and his team have helped so many.Robbie and his team have helped so many. (Image: Release)

"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.

"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 for the past five years.

"Although I've been personally nominated for the award, I need to say a special thank you to the rest of the team at Release for sticking by and continuing our efforts.

"This shows exactly what we have been doing - we have been doing it right."