The Queen's Award is the highest possible award a girl can gain whilst in Girls' Brigade, and as such does not come easily. Before embarking on the award girls must have attained 75% attendance at the company and at Church/Sunday School in the previous year and must continue to attend church as well as giving useful company service throughout the following two year period.
The aim of the award is to encourage girls and young women to a personal commitment to Christ, while respecting other faiths, inspiring them to greater endeavour in service within the general community and to make a contribution to the worldwide concept of Girls' Brigade.
The first part of the award is the completion of six months voluntary service in the community, Rachael Crockett helped out at Sue Ryder Care Centre whilst Rachel Conkey helped at the VSA Young Carers Centre both in Aberdeen.
In December of the first year a written exam takes place where girls are tested on The Monarchy, The National Flag and it's significance, National General Government, The Scottish Parliament, Local Government, The European Community/European Union, United Nations Organisation/Human Rights
Girls then have to complete an assignment a 6000 – 8000 word project or a creative piece of work along with written details of the work with 800 - 1000 words. Rachel Conkey did a creative piece which involved designing and making jewellery whilst Rachael Crockett did a project on the history of and her experience of volunteering with Sue Ryder Care.
They must complete two initiative tasks chosen by the commissioner of the division and then the final part was the final interviews which were held in Motherwell in March this year and at which girls had a few minutes with 12 different members of GB executive and Queens Award committee members answering questions on various topics from GB Scotland, GB International, their experience of the Queen's Award to Christian values and beliefs.
The girls were presented with their awards at a National Ceremony in South Lanarkshire Council Buildings, Hamilton on Friday May 9 along with 28 others from throughout Scotland.
There was a special service in Newtonhill Church on Sunday morning to recognise the girls' achievements. The four Queens Men also were presented with their Boys' Brigade Queens Badge while Elizabeth Platt was commissioned as a new officer in the Girls' Brigade Company too.