A Member of the Scottish Parliament has praised a charity that supports young carers.

Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Cowdenbeath, visited Fife Young Carers to see the work they do to support young carers across Fife.

Ms Ewing said: "It was a pleasure to visit Fife Young Carers in the larger and more user-friendly premises that they moved into last year and I was delighted to be able to congratulate them on being named Charity of Year for 2024 at the Scottish Charity Awards.

"Speaking with Fife Young Carers’ CEO, Harvey Carruthers, I heard that they currently support around 1,200 young people across Fife, with around 150 of those in the Cowdenbeath area.

"I was really pleased to learn that there are plans to expand their work in Cowdenbeath next year with another under 18s respite group."

The charity provides support to young people, including the annual Young Carers Festival at Fordell Firs.

Ms Ewing said: "We discussed the potential impact of the UK Labour Government’s hike to employers’ National Insurance contributions and their initial assessment is that this will cost them about £30,000 a year.

"That will inevitably impact on the front-line support that they will be able to provide to young carers and is just one of the thousands of reasons why the Scottish Government is urging the Chancellor to reimburse the costs of organisations like Fife Young Carers who deliver services such as social care."