A group of West Dunbartonshire residents, who have been recognised for services within their local community, rubbed shoulders with royalty at the Queen’s Garden Party earlier this month.

A 20 person strong group of attendees was invited to the event, held in the grounds of the Palace of Holyrood House, in Edinburgh, for their contributions and dedication to the places and people of West Dunbartonshire.

The group was welcomed to Clydebank Town Hall by Depute Provost Karen Conaghan before they travelled through to Edinburgh for the celebration.

When they arrived, the Queen was introduced to a number of guests, and were joined by fellow Royal family members Prince Andrew and Prince Edwards on the palace lawn.

Among the attendees was Tracy Brittan, named Citizen of the Year last year after 15 years of tirelessly volunteering and raising money for Children's Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS), who took her 90-year-old father Derrick Robinson along with her to the event.

Tracy, from Renton, has raised thousands of pounds for CHAS since the charity launched an appeal to build Robin House hospice in Loch Lomond in 2002, all while working full-time, being a mum and, more recently, a gran.

She said: "It was an absolutely fabulous day, and such an honour to have been invited along.

"We saw the Queen, Duke of York and Earl of Wessex – it is definitely a story to tell the grandchildren.

"It was lovely to be in the company of the Royal family but speaking to the great people who had been invited and hearing why they were there and the good they had done was truly inspiring.

"After winning my award, this was just the icing on the cake."

Tracy was joined at the party by Balloch's Patrick Muir, who won a Provost Civic Award in 2017 for creating impressive wood carvings from tree stumps in Balloch Park, and his partner Julie Doyle.

He said: "We had a fantastic time, it was a beautiful day and the gardens were magnificent.

"We didn't expect to be so close to the Royal family – Prince Andrew was standing right beside me chatting.

"I was a bit terrified he would talk to me to be honest.

"It's a day we'll always remember and I'm glad we got to go."

Other invited guests included council employees who had previously been praised through the Employee Recognition Awards.

Depute Provost Conaghan said: "It was great to see such deserving residents so excited to be part of the Garden Party.

"It's a small gesture to let these people know how much their hard work and dedication means to the communities around West Dunbartonshire.

"These are the people who make our area what it is and I was delighted to have the opportunity to say thank you to them in person."