Four young Clutha people have been awarded $2000 between them from the district's youth development fund.
Beaumont teen athlete Liam Smith received $600 towards the cost of travelling to training sessions in Dunedin. Liam's ultimate goal is to become a member of the New Zealand Special Olympics athletics team.
The year 12 Lawrence Area School pupil has already achieved some impressive results - including first placings in shot put, discus, 200m and 400m at the New Zealand Secondary School Athletics Championships over the past few years.
Elisse Crawford, of West Otago, was also given $600 towards the cost of attending the International Congress of Dietetics in Sydney in September.
Elisse is in her fifth year of dietetics study at the University of Otago. She is based in Invercargill, where she is completing her master's research thesis on the numbers of Southland residents with familial hypercholesterolemia - a genetic lipid disorder which substantially increases the risk of developing heart disease.
Melany Hunter, a Balclutha-based early-childhood teacher, received $500 towards attendance at an Outward Bound course in September.
Mikayla Latta, also of Balclutha, was awarded $300 towards taking part in the New Zealand under-15 mixed touch team's development tour to Australia in October.
The youth development fund was set up by the youth council in 2010 to help young people from the district aged 12 to 24 to achieve their goals by removing some of the financial obstacles.
