Georgiana Osborne, the Lord Lieutenant of Angus, singled out the dedication and the vision of the volunteers who run the facility and highlighted it as an example for other towns in Scotland to follow.

"I think that they are really highly deserving of the award," she said. "It is very, very well run and it is important that young people have such a place to come to.

"The fact that the committee is, in the main, made up of young people with adults in the background makes it especially successful and a marvellous environment for young people in Brechin to come along and socialise.

"It has made a huge difference to the lives of many young people and it is great that we have something like that right in the heart of Brechin.

"It is no mean feat to fund and run something like this four nights a week right through the year, so I couldn't congratulate the volunteers more on a marvellous effort and wonderful result.

"The Queen's Award is only given to volunteer groups who make a real difference to people's lives. The Brechin Youth Project does that and has transformed the lives of many young people with its safe and drug free environment.

"When he visited last year, George Reid, who was Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament and the Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, said that every small town in Scotland should have somewhere like this.

"However, every small town in Scotland does not have somewhere like the Attic and that is possibly because they don't have such wonderful and dedicated volunteers with such vision.

"I am absolutely delighted that they have got the award."

A glass trophy was presented to the group alongside a certificate from Her Majesty herself.