The founder of a Troon charity which provides animal companionship for older people has been honoured with a top award.

Louise Russell, who runs Give a Dog a Bone, has won the prestigious Pride of Scotland Community Hero award for her work to combat loneliness.

Louise founded her charity in 2013 and it helps people over the age of 60 afford to home a rescue pet.

It also runs community schemes – in Troon, Shawlands and Alloa – providing free activities and a team of companionship dogs allowing those who love animals to spend time with them.

Louise, 47, was presented with the Pride of Scotland award at a glitzy ceremony hosted by comedians Elaine C. Smith and Sanjeev Kohli at the Assembly Hall in Edinburgh.

She was also delighted to receive a £10,000 donation for the charity from the award’s sponsor TSB, which was presented by Chief Executive Robin Bulloch.

Louise said: “The awards were a fantastic opportunity to be recognised and share the experience with my family. All the winners were just amazing human beings and it was an honour to be counted amongst them.

“It’s lovely to be honoured in this way and I hope it will help it will shed more light on the work we do at Give a Dog a Bone.

“It’s a real team effort and I wouldn’t be able to operate the service I do without a wonderful team of staff and volunteers behind me.”

The annual Pride of Scotland Awards celebrate unsung heroes and recognise Scots who have gone to extraordinary lengths to help others.

Louise was awarded the TSB Community Hero honour after being nominated and then assessed by a judging panel.

Her award was presented by Greg Hemphill and Gavin Mitchell from Still Game along with a special `Well Done’ video message from comedian Ricky Gervais.

Louise had always dreamed of setting up a charity which would address two issues close to her heart - animal welfare and isolation in older people.

She came up with the idea of combating loneliness in the over-60s by removing some of the financial barriers faced by those seeking to adopt a rescue pet and set up Give a Dog a Bone in November 2013.

The charity works by offering those who need it financial support towards the rehoming fee of a rescue animal and ongoing help with insurance costs.

For more information on Give a Dog a Bone and the services the charity provides to see if they can help you, visit the website www.giveadogabone.net or call Louise on 07969 742858.