April 2010 - The Boys' Brigade

THE OFFICIAL QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE BOYS’ BRIGADE
In this issue
> Recruitment Campaigns
> A look at eDofE
> Engage a Generation Conferences
PLUS: British Youth Council
Volume 118 No 2 | April 2010

The Boys’ Brigade
Patron: H.M. The Queen
President: Professor Sir Kenneth
Calman KCB
Brigade Secretary: Steve Dickinson
Headquarters: Felden Lodge,
Felden, Hemel Hempstead,
Hertfordshire HP3 0BL
Tel 01442 231681; Fax 01442 235391;
Email: enquiries@boys-brigade.org.uk;
Website: www.boys-brigade.org.uk
Registered Charity Numbers
305969 (England and Wales) and
SC0038016 (Scotland).
Our Object
The advancement of Christ’s Kingdom
among boys and the promotion of habits
of Obedience, Reverence, Discipline,
Self-Respect and all that tends
towards a true Christian Manliness.
The Gazette
The Gazette is the official publication
of The Boys’ Brigade. Official notices
to members appear under Brigade
Announcements. Opinions expressed
in any other articles are those of
the author of the article and do not
necessarily reflect Brigade policy.
Design & Print
Christian Publishing & Outreach,
Garcia Estate, Canterbury Road,
Worthing BN13 1BW;
Telephone: 01903 264 556;
Website: www.cpo.org.uk
EDITORIAL
Change, for the Kingdom’s sake
I was very interested to read the address of the Rev’d David Gamble,
President of the Methodist Conference, to the General Synod of the Church of England.
In the address the President stated that the Methodist Church was willing to cease to be
a separate denomination if the cause of mission was better served by so doing. “We are
prepared to go out of existence not because we are declining or failing in mission, but for
the sake of mission. In other words we are prepared to be changed and even to cease
having a separate existence as a Church if that will serve the needs of the Kingdom.” It is
difficult to disagree with such a statement in principle as it centres on the core mission
of the church and not on the practices that have arisen. Such a challenge is especially
appropriate as we approach Easter and we each confront the trappings and practices
that have arisen in our own lives that hinder us in our daily walk with God.
For Christmas I was given one of those “100 things you must do before you die” books. I
wasn’t sure whether the motivation of the giver was to encourage me to try out a few more
adventurous activities or to state that, you’d better get on with this as you’re getting on a bit.
I will, after all, have reached one of those significant birthdays by the time this reaches you.
Over the weekend I have tried out an activity I had not done before. On Friday evening
and Saturday I was bag-packing at the local Tesco with the Seniors who are going on a
school building project to Jamaica in the summer. It was, to say the least, an interesting
experience and it was good to see the young men explain what they were doing and the
positive response from members of the public. These Seniors are the final group who
were in the Company Section when I stepped down as Captain and attended my final
camp as 12/13 year olds in 2005.
Boys of 2005 have grown into young men of 2010 and it is always a privilege to be with
them. But, what has this to do with Rev’d Gamble’s challenge? Assisting young people
with exploration of faith is our core mission. What opportunities have I, the BB and the
church missed over these past years to share our faith and explain its meaning in our
lives with these young men and what have I allowed to simply get in the way? As Easter
approaches, am I prepared to be changed if that will serve the needs of the Kingdom?
Steve Dickinson
PS. I would recommend bag-packing – the group raised over £1100 towards their venture.
Steve Dickinson
Editorial Team
Mary Care, Steve Dickinson, Chris
Norman, Jan Williamson
Submission of copy
All material submitted with a view to
publication in the next issue of BB
Gazette should be addressed to the
Editor at Brigade Headquarters to
arrive by 1st May 2010.
Small Advertisements
Small Advertisements should be sent
to BB Headquarters;
email: gazette@boys-brigade.org.uk
Display Advertisements
Enquiries regarding display
advertising space should be to
Chris Norman: Tel 01442 288 552;
Fax 01442 235391;
Email gazette@boys-brigade.org.uk
38 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette April 2010
Diary Dates
Northern Ireland
1 April CS Golf Competition
13 April Entries due : CS Rugby 7-a-side
(Junior & Senior)
16-18 April Expedition & Outdoor Leadership
19 April Closing Date for JS Activity Weekend
24 April CS 7-a-side Rugby Competition
(Junior & Senior)
1 May National Competition Final : Badminton
(N Ireland)
7-9 May JS Boy Activity Weekend
15 May Vaulting & Gymnastics Part 2
10 June NI District Annual General Meeting
(Rathmore House)
18-20 May BTO Training Part 2 (Completion)
17-23 July KGVI Leadership Training
Scotland
7-9 May Expedition Leadership – Training & Assessment
- Carronvale
8/9 May Practical First Aid Course - Carronvale
21–23 May Seniors’ & Young Officers’ Adventure Weekend
– Craggan Outdoor Centre
16–21 June Duke of Edinburgh Open Gold Expedition
29-30 June Seniors’ & Young Officers’ trip to the
Heart of Europe
19–25 July Seniors’ & Young Officers’ Adventure at Sea
24-31 July Company Section Squad Drill Competition,
Dublin
31–7 Aug KGVI Leadership Training
England
10 April National Chess Finals, Kirkham
28 April Engage a Generation Conference – London
28-31 May Firm Foundations – Felden
23 June Engage a Generation Conference
– West Midlands
31-6 Aug KGVI Leadership Training
Wales
10 April Basic First Aid Course
16-18 April Home Nations Football Event
25 April Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Practice Walk
15/16 May Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Qualifier
23 May Company 5-a-side Football
12 June Anchors’ Fun Day @ Amelia Trust Farm
Republic Of Ireland
8 April Training & Activities Committee, Dublin
10 April Five-A-Side Football Fun Day, Dublin
11 April Northern Region Service, Killeshandra
14 April Midlands Region Leaders Meeting, Athy
18 April Midlands Region Service, Edenderry
21 April Northern Region Leaders Meeting, Cavan
25 April South East Regional Service, Baltinglass
26 April South East Region Leaders Meeting, Bunclody
8 May Anchors Fun Day, Dublin
10 May Regional/Executive Meeting, Dublin
22 May Sports Day, Cavan
29 May Junior Section Activity Day, Co Wicklow
10 June Regional Annual Council Meeting, Dublin
12 June Football Blitz, Bunclody

CONTENTS
40
Recruitment
Launch of new resources for recruiting
Company Section/Seniors Members
YFC’s Uncut
Find out about new resources
produced by Youth for Christ
42
43
Engage a Generation
An update on our work engaging
new churches
47 49
eDofE
An introduction to the new eDofE
system
2009 International Camp
Boys’ and Girls’ Brigade of Neenah-Menasha visit Scotland
55
Street
Child World Cup
59th Birmingham Company support
street World Cup
Bulgaria Trip
Members of 4th Sutton Coldfield
Company refurbish orphanage
in Bulgaria
58
67
Return to Uganda
First Minister hosts
reception
Other items
53.............Are we going to camp?
54.............British Youth Council
56.............A basis for growth
64.............North of Scotland Development worker
69.............Stedfast Association News
Regular Features
44.............Brigade Announcements
48.............Chaplain’s Corner
50.............Here and There
60.............Around the Regions
65.............Global Fellowship
April 2010 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette 39

Do you want your Company
to engage more young
people?
Does the adventure really
begin here for young people
in your area?
These are the questions
we want to put to you... and
set a challenge for you to
look at recruitment into the
Company Section and Seniors.
Before we started developing the recruitment resources for the older age groups
we undertook a survey amongst young people in the BB focusing on how we could
best equip them to recruit more young people into The Boys’ Brigade.
Below are some key findings:
• Outdoor, sporting and music-related images were seen as the most appealing for their
peers, as was a sense of achievement.
• Younger members of the age group liked to be associated with “older” activities.
• 60% of the young people surveyed said they had invited a friend to come to BB.
• 30% said they started coming to BB because of the invitation of a friend.
• Very few young people responded that they wouldn’t want to help recruit.
The survey showed that the strongest method of recruitment is existing members inviting
their friends along and this is coupled with retaining members moving up from Junior Section.
The Challenge
We know from research that 83% of young people believe that their community
doesn’t care about them, so let’s get out there and show them that not only do we
care but God does as well.
Your challenge is:
• To grow each section by at least one new member
• To have at least 10 young people in the age group
• To retain at least 3 /4 of young people as they transfer sections
40 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette April 2010

New resources have been produced to assist recruitment in
Company Section & Seniors. The resources include a ‘Recruitment
Tool Box’ which brings together a range of ideas for recruiting,
and will help your Company decide what it should do. To
complement the Recruitment Tool Box there are additional
ideas, sample programmes, templates and a video are available
on the BB website.
The Recruitment Tool Box has been circulated to all Companies
with the April 2010 Company Mailing and is also available to
download at www.boys-brigade.org.uk/recruitment/
A range of leaflets and posters have been designed aimed at
young people in this age group. These have space for local
contact details to be added. These items are available to
purchase from BB Supplies from Wednesday 7th April (as BB
Supplies is closed for annual stocktake from 26th March
to 6th April).
Items available to purchase from BB Supplies:
Company Section/Seniors
Recruitment Leaflets – Boys
(pack of 50)
31 931 0
£3.50 per pack
Company Section/Seniors
Recruitment Leaflets – Mixed
(pack of 50)
31 932 0
£3.50 per pack
Company Section/Seniors
Recruitment Posters
(pack of 5)
31 933 1
£3.00 per pack
Company Section/Seniors
Recruitment Poster Laminated
31 934 1
£1.75 each
leaflet
poster
April 2010 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette 41

"ok boys, next week we're going
to be looking at
faith "
...cue a loud collective groan!
You may as well be saying, ‘ok guys,
next week we’re going to watch paint
dry, do some flower arranging, and
make daisy chains together!’
It’s an age old problem. How do you
make the faith, that means so much
to you, come alive for the kids who
you care so much about.
You know your young people all
have incredible potential, and you
feel completely at ease nurturing their
sporting flare or creative gifts, but when
it comes to talking about Jesus, it’s
another story entirely. Your youth look to
you for leadership, encouragement and
inspiration. They seem more than happy
to discuss their struggles and worries with
you; they’ve turned to you for advice more
times than you can remember. And yet...
And yet, when you mention God or
Jesus, you detect the shutters coming
down. It can be so hard to help young
people reflect on what God would think
about their situation or what it would
mean for them to live a life of faith.
So, how DO you take your
conversations deeper, and enable faith to
feature in the lives of your young people
Monday to Saturday, as well as once a
month on a Sunday? Where do you start?
What’s the answer?
One solution is a brand new resource
called UNCUT, from Reflex, an
organisation that seeks to equip
local youth workers with relevant and
innovative resources! Reflex have
42 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette April 2010
long felt frustrated by the lack of
engaging resources out there to help
dedicated youth workers introduce their
young people to the Christian faith. They
developed UNCUT in response to this
blatant and widespread problem area.
One of the first people to use UNCUT
was Brendan Quinn, the Captain of the
8th Birmingham Company, based in
Woodgate Valley – a council estate in
South Birmingham. Brendan is used to
tackling the challenges of an inner-city
company head on. Having used
UNCUT over 6 weeks, he told us:
“UNCUT is an excellent resource that
has engaged our young people, exactly at
their level, in a manner that has provoked
questions and debate about Jesus and
faith in the lives they are leading. The
format has been well developed enabling
a focus upon topics that are essential
to our young people, but which rarely
receive the relevant discussion and
teaching they warrant.”
The UNCUT course consists of six
thought-provoking sessions that look at
the Christian faith in an honest and edgy
way, without the ‘cringe-factor’.
UNCUT comes with a DVD and each
session contains a 7 minute video where
four young
presenters
speak to
camera about
life and Jesus
in ways that
young people
can relate to. The four featured young
adults throw out ideas, opinions and
personal experiences in a conversational
style to help young people to think
about who they are and what their
purpose in life is. Accompanying these
videos are detailed group session
materials with ice breakers, games and
optional activities for low, medium or
high focus level groups .
The UNCUT videos also boast
some striking imagery. In one clip, for
example, a hooded man jumps from
a giant metal bridge, this powerful
bungee jump scene clearly depicting
a leap of faith. In another video, an
urban masterpiece emerges before the
viewers’ eyes, on a giant canvas behind
the presenters, as a skilled graffiti
artist adds his contribution. There are
some really clever and powerful images
throughout UNCUT.
Ultimately, UNCUT helps young people
explore issues relating to identity and
choices, and let’s them consider the
impact God makes on people’s lives
when they encounter Him. The last
section allows young people to look at
the life of Jesus, what He said, what He
did, why He died and what our response
should be. The course tackles the most
pressing everyday issues that affect
so many young people. It has been
specificially developed to ‘bridge the
gap’ between ‘relationship building’, in
other words ‘hanging out’ with young
people. and introducing them to the
Christian message.
Recognising the important work that
BB does across the country, Reflex is
offering a 15% discount for a limited
time. Simply visit www.yfc.co.uk/uncut
and enter promotional code BBmju10.
If you have any questions, or to order
by phone, you can call Reflex direct
on 0121 502 9647.
As part of ‘Youth for Christ’, Reflex
specialise in working with youth from
disadvantaged or abusive backgrounds,
and are experts in engaging ‘challenging’
individuals who are most in need of help.
To find out more about their work and
how they can help you in yours, visit
www.reflex.org.

Raising our profile
amongst churches
and especially
amongst churches
that have not
traditionally
turned to Boys'
Brigade to support
their work is
critical if we
are to reach
more children
and young people.
he Brierley Research indicated
that there was still a perception
that BB was old fashioned and
inflexible and although we know
this isn’t the case, if this is the
perception then we have to look
at different ways of getting our
message across.
Advertising in the church press can be
costly and there are not always simple
tangible results by which to measure
success. However, in the last year we
have started more Companies than in the
total of the previous three years and there
are many positive signs of resurgence in
interest in what BB can offer.
Further Engage a Generation
Conferences are to be held targeting
specific locations and these augment
the work done by development workers,
locally employed staff and key volunteers
in promoting the work of the Brigade.
Again, these are costly and we are
grateful to those funders who have
supported this campaign.
All of us can help promote BB in a
constructive way. At Headquarters we
hear countless stories of young lives
changed through membership and of the
positive impact of Companies on local
communities and churches. We are going
to start passing on these accounts to the
denominational press and encourage you
to do the same. The greatest advert for
any Company is a member telling their
friends how great it is to belong and the
friend then wanting to be a part. Let’s
all tell the churches the great things that
God is doing through BB and continue to
pray that the movement can be a real tool
of mission in many new churches.
April 2010 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette 43

Brigade announcements
New Year’s Honour
Congratulations are offered to
Margaret Elise Perfect, known to
friends as Peggy, who received
an MBE for voluntary service to
the 8th Watford Company in which
she has been involved for 60 years.
Cenotaph Parade
Whitehall
The Boys’ Brigade is allocated a
number of tickets to attend the
Remembrance Day Parade in
Whitehall, London, in November.
If any Company would like
to take part – Company Section
age upwards – please contact Jan
Williamson at BBUK Headquarters
jan.williamson@boys-brigade.org.uk.
Please be aware that due to restricted
ticket allocation we may not be able
to meet all demands and we issue
tickets on a first come first served
basis. The tickets are primarily for
young people and officers should
not take more than two tickets
(preferably one) per Company.
Correct uniform is required and
will be a condition of ticket allocation.
Brigade Training Officers
– Scotland
Congratulations to the following
officers who qualified as Brigade
Training Officers in September 2009:
David Buntain – StrathkelvinBattalion
Alan Summers – Edinburgh, Leith &
District Battalion
Niall Rolland – ScottishHeadquarters
DONATIONS TO CHILDREN’S
HOSPICES APPEAL
We gratefully acknowledge the following
donations to the Children’s Hospice Association.
Although the appeal has now formally closed we
realise that there are a number of Companies
with monies still outstanding and will continue to
forward donations to the Association.
NEW COMPANIES
The following new Companies have been enrolled since the last Gazette
Company Captain Church
3rd Emsworth Chris Ware (acting) New Life Christian Church
3rd Fareham Margaret Tucker St John The Evangelist
125th Glasgow James McVean Robroyston Parish Church
4th Harrogate John Broadberry (acting) St Peter’s Church
1st Lincoln Darren Coy St Giles Methodist Church
1st Newtownstewart Kathleen Finlay (acting) Church of Ireland
1st Norbiton Nguyet Hong St Peter’s Church
1st Stafford Richard Jones Stafford Baptist Church
Northern Ireland District Anchor Boys £13415.88
2nd Benburg £1500.00
South East Hampshire Battalion £867.16
North Staffs Battalion £840.00
9th Waltham Forest £330.00
Solway Battalion £500.30
1st Newbury (Vodafone Foundation
matched funding)
£288.00
10th Enfield £1000.00
1st Annan £600.00
MEETING OF THE BRIGADE EXECUTIVE – 27th/ 28th February 2010
The meeting was held at Brigade Headquarters, Felden Lodge. This is a summary of the main items covered.
• Finance
The Brigade Treasurer reported on
the Brigade Finances for the nine
months to 31st December 2009. The
Brigade was running a deficit of just
over £100,000. Much of this was due
to timing issues and it is expected that
these will be resolved at the end of the
financial year. The Executive agreed
the Finance Committee’s proposed
budget for 2010/11 and associated
capitation fees.
• New appointments
The Executive was pleased to hear
of the appointment of Mr Simon Smith
to the post of Development Worker,
North of Scotland.
• Ordinary Resolutions
The Executive agreed a number of
ordinary resolutions to Brigade Council
in the name of the Brigade Executive.
(These appear elsewhere in the Gazette).
• Business Director
The Business Director updated the
Executive on the statistical return
process and on registration of
leaders. The Executive agreed a
change in order to speed up the
registration process and removed
the requirement for Battalions to
recommend appointment of leaders
for Company positions. Battalions
will receive regular updates to ensure
they know the status of all leaders
in their areas.
• Activities for Girls
In light of a specific request the
Executive received legal opinion
and discussed the issue of Battalion
activities and upheld the advice
given in the Brigade’s mixed gender
work leaflet.
• Director of Youth and
Children’s Work
The Director of Youth and Children’s
Work updated the Executive on the
development of the NVQ scheme,
staff training, resource development
and the work of the Brigade’s
Safeguarding Panel.
• Reports
The Executive received reports from
Regional Directors and the minutes
of Regional Committees.
• Brigade Council
The Executive received an update
on Brigade Council 2010 at the City
Hotel, Armagh. The format of future
Council weekends was discussed
and it was agreed to ask the Wales
Region to look at a one day event at
Cardiff in 2011.
• Trustee Training
Members of the Executive received
training on their roles as Trustees
from OnBoard Consultancy.
• National Competitions
The Executive received a report
from a sub-group looking at the
national competitions and will
have further discussions with the
Regional co-ordinators.
44 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette April 2010

Brigade announcements
BRIGADE COUNCIL
The provisions of the Company’s Act extend
the right to appoint a proxy to all categories
of membership. Accordingly the calling notice
below for the Annual General Meeting of The
Boys’ Brigade utilises such provision whereby all
voting members of Brigade Council will have a
right to vote by proxy.
All members may vote in person if present at the
meeting or if cannot be present may alternatively
either appoint a general proxy or vote by post.
THE BOYS’ BRIGADE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the ANNUAL
GENERAL MEETING of THE BOYS’ BRIGADE
will be held at the Armagh City Hotel, Friary
Road, Armagh, BT60 4FR on Saturday 4
September 2010 at 9.30am to consider and, if
deemed fit, to approve the following resolutions,
all of which are being proposed as ordinary
resolutions. (See previous Gazettes, Company
mailings and website for further details of the
Brigade Council weekend event)
AGENDA
1. To receive and adopt the Accounts for the
year ended 31March 2010 together with
the Reports of the Brigade Executive and
Auditors thereon
2. To fix the annual capitation fees for the
2010/11 session as proposed in Appendix A
3. To reappoint Whiting and Partners as auditors
of The Boys’ Brigade and authorise the
Brigade Executive to fix their remuneration
4. To consider the following constitutional
motions (ordinary resolutions) in the name
of the Brigade Executive as proposed in
Appendix B
5. To appoint Brigade Office Bearers for 2010/11
session as proposed in Appendix C
6. To transact any other lawful business
By order of the Brigade Executive
Steven Dickinson
Brigade Secretary 1st March 2010
All Members of Brigade Council as defined by
the Articles of Association are entitled to be
present and vote at this meeting or, in their
absence, they may appoint a proxy to attend
and vote on their behalf. A form of proxy will be
sent to all members with the July Gazette and,
if used, should be returned to the Company’s
Registered Office not later than 9.30am on
Thursday 2 September 2010.
The Members of Brigade Council are:
Companies, Area Groups (Battalions &
Districts), Members of the Brigade Executive
and Members of Regional Committees.
The Annual General Meeting is the statutory
part of the Brigade Council weekend. After
the conclusion of the legal business, the
meeting will move on to discuss particular
aspects of Brigade Development.
APPENDIX A – PROPOSED ANNUAL CAPITATION FEES
Capitation Fees for 2010/11
1 The Capitation Fee structure with effect from 1 September 2010 is:
Category
Fee
Annual Company registration fee £125.00
Fee per young person £11.00
Officer fee
Company Officers £25.00
(second officer at the
same address)
Battalion & District Officers
not on Company roll
Officers in receipt of state
retirement pension
Officers in full time
education or training
£20.00
£25.00
£19.00
£19.00
2 The fee in respect of an Associate Member is £27.00
3 The maximum fee that a Company may pay in respect of young people
is £1,400.00
APPENDIX B – ORDINARY RESOLUTIONS IN THE NAME OF
THE BRIGADE EXECUTIVE
Amendments to Regulations
The following amendments to Brigade regulations in the name of the Brigade
Executive are proposed to be brought to Council in Armagh:
1. In Brigade Regulations, section 3 – The Organisation – Regulations
and Procedures, Schedule C, the following amendments shall be
made by Ordinary Resolution:
(a) in clauses C1 and C12, delete “31st May” and replace with “31st
March”, and
(b) in clauses C4 and C15, delete “15th June” and “30th June” and
replace with “15th May” and “31st May” respectively.
The purpose of the above amendment is to allow for elections to take place
prior to the summer break which falls earlier in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
2. In Brigade Regulations, section 3 – The Organisation – Regulations
and Procedures, Schedule A, the following amendment shall be
made by Ordinary Resolution:
In the Regional Electoral Areas delete the table referring to the Wales
Regional Committee and replace with the table below.
Area
Wales
Companies within...
Number of Reps.
1 City & County of Cardiff 2
2 City and County of Newport, together
2
with the Counties of Monmouthshire
and the County Boroughs of Torfaen
and Caerphilly
3 The County Borough of The Vale
1
of Glamorgan
4 The City & County of Swansea,
1
together with the County Boroughs of
Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Neath
Port Talbot and Carmarthenshire
5 Mid & North Wales 1
The purpose of the above amendment is to recognise the restructuring of
The Boys’ Brigade in Wales as approved by the Wales Regional Committee.
April 2010 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette 45

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Brigade announcements continued
3. In Brigade Regulations, Section 3 – The Organisation
– Regulations and Procedures, clause 60.1, the following
amendment shall be made by Ordinary Resolution:
In clause 60.1 delete the words “clause 5” and replace
with “clauses 5 and 6”
The purpose of the amendment is to clarify that adult members
of the Brigade who have not attained their 26th birthday may take
part in elections of young people to the Regional Committee.
4. In Brigade Regulations, Section 3 – The Organisation
– Regulations and Procedures, Schedule B, the following
amendment shall be made by ordinary resolution:
In clauses B 2, B 4, B 7 and B 8 add the sentence “The period
of service shall start on 1st September following election.”
The purpose of the amendment is to clarify the service
terms of members elected to Regional Committees and the
Brigade Executive.
APPENDIX C – BRIGADE OFFICE BEARERS
PROPOSED FOR 2010/11
President: Sir Kenneth Calman KCB
Vice Presidents: Mr C L Row
Treasurer:
Mr N W Batty
Mr T W P Donaldson
Mrs J A Dando
Mr C Bygrave
28-31 May 2010
Felden Lodge
http://ff.boys-brigade.org.uk
postcard FINAL:Layout 1 7/9/09 15:11 Page 1
27-30 August 2010
Thirsk, North Yorkshire
northernsaints.org.uk
23-25 April 2010
Ganaway Activity Centre
turningpointni.org.uk
the north
A new Christian festival in
for young people aged 11 plus
27 - 30 August 2010
Check out northernsaints.org.uk
for more details and to book
Brought to you by the Northern Saints Partnership: The
Boys’ Brigade, The North East Region of Diocesan Youth
Officers and The Girls’ Brigade England & Wales.
46 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette April 2010

Introducing an exciting online system that
revolutionises the way DofE activity is recorded
eDofE is an interactive online system that helps young people to
manage their DofE programme and Leaders to monitor their progress.
Accompanying the system will be a new Welcome Pack for participants
eDofE is an interactive online system
It provides encouragement to
that helps young people manage their complete each section and ultimately
and DofE the programme facility to and create Leaders an monitor offline ‘Record the achievement Book’ that of young a full Award. people
their progress.
can keep on achievement of their Award. 6. Enables direct communication
Accompanying the system will be a
using the latest technology
What new Welcome are the Pack benefits? for participants 7. Gives Leaders instant and access participants to useful can resources
and the facility to create an offline
eDofE
communicate
keeps Leaders
through
up to date
the messaging
directly with
‘Record Book’ on achievement of their system. Leaders can post news items
information on courses, conference and learning
Award that young people can keep.
that are instantly distributed to their
1. Easy to use
opportunities. It gives young people resources
whole group.
The Benefits system has been designed so that anyone to help them plan their programme.
7. Gives instant access to useful
HRH The Earl of
from 14 years old to an adult Leader with limited 8. Keeps
1. Easy to use
resources participants involved
Wessex launched
IT experience can use it. It’s simple and easy
We have designed the system so
Young eDofE people keeps have Leaders complex up lives, to date moving house, the eDofE pilot on
to navigate.
that anyone from 14 year old to an leaving directly home, with going information to University. on courses, eDofE means
14 October 08.
2. Any adult time, Leader any place, with limited anywhere IT
that conference the young person and learning can stay opportunities.
connected with
eDofE experience allows young can people use it. and It’s Leaders simple to DofE It no gives matter young what people life changes resources they are to
engage and with easy the to DofE navigate. at times and places going help through. them plan And after their Gold, programme. eDofE can be
convenient 2. Any time, to them, any making place, anywhere
every possible used 8. Keeps to encourage participants Gold Award involved holders to
effort eDofE to ensure allows that young eDofE people is accessible and to become Young the people next generation have complex of Leaders. lives,
any young Leaders person to engage or adult with engaged the DofE with at 9. Helps
moving
the
house,
DofE continually
leaving home,
improve
going to
the programme, times and places regardless convenient of ability, to them. University. eDofE means that the
By producing clear and accurate trends on
background We are or making location. every possible effort to young person can stay connected with
participant activity, the DofE can continually
ensure that eDofE is accessible to any us no matter what life changes they
3. Connects
young person
with young
or adult
people
improve the quality and relevance of the
engaged with
are going through. And after Gold,
The use the of programme, an online system regardless allows of DofE ability, to programme
eDofE can
for young
be used
people.
to encourage
DofE Managers
Gold
appeal background to young people or location. and work with them and Award Leaders holders will be able to become to access the reporting next
using the technology with which they are already about generation their groups. of Leaders.
3. Connects with young people
familiar from their everyday lives.
The use of an online system allows 10. 9. Helps Efficient the DofE continually improve
4. Exciting us to appeal evidence to young people and
By giving By producing Leaders access clear and to easy accurate summaries
Young work people with can them record using their the DofE technology activities of individual trends on activity participant and a quick activity, and the easy DofE way
in multiple with which formats they – from are photos already and familiar videos to approve can continually evidence, improve it will cut the down quality on
from their everyday lives.
and relevance of the programme for
to blogs and pdfs. Their evidence can be
paperwork and allow face-to-face time to be
young people. DofE Managers and
uploaded 4. Exciting direct evidence from computers, cameras used more effectively to guide and support
Leaders will be able to access
and mobile Young phones. people can record their DofE young people through their DofE programme.
reporting about their groups.
activities in multiple formats – from
5. Encourages progression
Find out more at www.dofe.org
photos and videos to blogs and pdfs. 10.Efficient
eDofE
Their
makes
evidence
it easier
can
for young
be uploaded
people to move By giving Leaders access to easy
between direct the from sections computers, of their DofE cameras programme and How summaries is The of Boys’ individual Brigade activity introducing and a eDofE?
and to mobile advance phones. from one level to the next. It
quick and easy way to approve
provides encouragement to complete each section Young evidence, People it will in England cut down & on Wales and Northern Ireland (Scotland
5. Encourages progression
and ultimately the achievement of a full Award. will paperwork start to use and eDofE allow from face-to-face Sept 2010)now time have the option of using
eDofE makes it easier for young
eDofE to be used when more starting effectively out on their to guide award. To enable your young
6. Enables people direct to move communication
between the sections
and support young people through
of their DofE programme and to
people to use eDofE you first need to enrol your Company to use
using latest technology
their DofE programme.
advance from one level to the next.
the eDofE system (Download and complete the enrolment form at
Leaders and participants can communicate www.boys-brigade.org.uk/d-of-e.htm). It’s then just a case of
through the messaging The Duke system. Of Leaders Edinburgh’s Award, logging Gulliver in House, and off Madeira you go! You Walk, will WINDSOR, receive all SL4 the information 1EU and
can post news items that T: are 01753 instantly 727400 F: 01753
support
810666
you
E:
need
info@DofE.org
when you enrol
www.DofE.org
your Company.
distributed to their whole group.
April 2010 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette 47

Press on towards the goal
One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and
straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards
the goal for which God has called me heavenwards
in Christ Jesus Philippians 3:13-14
by Stuart
Jennings
Iwould never have dreamt that running a race and
ploughing a field with a team of horses shared anything
in common, but they do and the proof is in the practice.
A few years back at a county show there was a display
of ploughing, using teams of shire horses and the men
who gave the display made it look so easy and offered an
invitation for members of the public to have a go. Never one
to miss a challenge I came forward full of confidence. Unlike
the demonstrators though I found it impossible to plough
a straight furrow and mine ended up looking more like a
snake than a straight line. ‘What am I doing wrong?’ was my
exasperated plea to which I received this reply ‘Lad, you are
too busy looking at what has gone on behind you, learn to be
fixed on what is ahead – identify a focus to aim for. Then and
then only will you make progress’.
Jesus had taught the same truth in the Gospel of Luke
where he said
No-one who puts his hand to the plough and
looks (continuously) back is fit for service in the
Kingdom of God [9:62]
As a young man I occasionally represented my local county
at running the 200 metres sprint. Even to this day I can hear
my coach constantly shouting out to
me ‘Jennings, it doesn’t matter what
is going on behind you, focus only
on the winning post’. When I kept glancing
backwards it slowed me down allowing the other runners
to catch up and pass me. Like ploughing, the secret of
success is to stop being obsessed with what has gone on
(is going on) in the past and focus on what lies ahead.
The passage from Philippians above shows us that for
the apostle Paul this was an essential truth to be lived if the
believer was to advance in the service of Jesus. The past is
gone, it is in God’s hands, the secret is to focus on what lies
ahead, keeping our eyes fixed firmly on Jesus. The same
is true for the life of The Boys’ Brigade and each and every
Company; we learn from the past, give thanks for the past
but live in the present striving for the future. To quote Paul, we
‘press onwards’ not backwards to meet the risen Christ who
calls us ever forward. The 21st century presents The Boys’
Brigade with many challenges and changes and some of
them can be a little frightening to think about, but the best
of all is that God is with us in Christ and when he is the focus
of our pressing forward, all things are possible.
48 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette April 2010

2009 INTERNATIONAL CAMP
Twelve members of The Boys’
and Girls’ Brigade of Neenah-
Menasha were chosen to
represent the Brigade overseas in
Scotland, for its 2009 International
Camp. The group spent months
fundraising to make enough
money for the trip.
From Chicago O’Hare International
Airport, they were off on their adventure,
to make lifelong friendships, and to
make memories that would last a lifetime.
Dinner that night
was a traditional
fare of Haggis,
Neaps and Tatties
– a new delicacy
for many of
the Americans!
Friday the 26th of June 2009 – the
Americans received a warm welcome
from the 1st Bearsden Company Pipe
Band, along with many familiar faces from
previous exchanges. The visitors went with
their host families, somewhat jet-lagged!
Four days were spent under canvas at
Glenlyon. The Americans saw scenery
they had never seen before as they
wound through tiny mountain roads with
breathtaking views, grass as green as
a Crayolo crayon and sheep, who lived
merely feet away!
They paraded to the local church for
Sunday morning service at Innerwick.
The Campers enjoyed onsite physical
activities and challenges and the evening
walk around Glenlyon. There were trips to
Pitlochry fish ladder, sampling local fish
and chips (a definite favourite with the
Americans), sightseeing and shopping,
the Killiecrankie visitor centre, the
Soldier’s Leap and the Queen’s View.
One day the camp held its own
Highland Games, which included
tossing the caber and the ‘welly’ – it
was definitely a fun experience for
the American visitors! The campers
journeyed to the Scottish Crannog
Centre and saw the Fortingall Yew Tree
(apparently the oldest living thing on
earth!) Dinner that night was a traditional
fare of Haggis, Neaps and Tatties – a
new delicacy for many of the Americans!
This was followed by a campfire and
camp concert.
By 12.30pm on Wednesday camp was
struck and the group headed north for
Inverness to stay in a youth hostel for
three more nights. A tour guide, dressed
in kilt, took the group on a tour of
Inverness, which was enjoyed in glorious
sunshine! Everyone was so glad to have
an actual bed to sleep on! (Even though
the tents were gone, the campers were
still subjected to dorm inspections!). On
the final evening there was a very special
US Independence Day Ceilidh and
supper with a live ceilidh band.
Just as all good things must come to an
end, so ended this wonderful adventure.
It was heartbreaking to say goodbye to
the people they’d come to know and
love. Almost all of the trippers are still in
touch today and though separated by
thousands of miles of land and ocean,
they still consider these people as some
of their best friends. It seems as though
it wasn’t goodbye after all, but rather,
‘ta-ta’ till tomorrow…!
April 2010 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette 49

HERE & THERE
40th Belfast
The 40th Belfast Company celebrated its 100th Anniversary on 13th January and a
special weekend of celebrations took place in March. Pictured are the boys who
marked this occasion by making a huge 100.
19th Leith
Members of the Company were at
Murrayfield to support the Scotland Rugby
Team against Australia. The Seniors also
met the challenge to go to a sporting
event that they would not normally attend.
1st Dalgety Bay
As part of Dalgety Parish Church’s
Harvest Appeal, boys from the 1st
Dalgety Bay did their bit, washing cars
to raise funds for their twin church in
Encongolweni, Malawi.
7th Bangor
Members of the 7th Bangor Company
received certificates for completing a
six week course on citizenship,
community and substance abuse.
2nd Guernsey
Boys of the 2nd Guernsey Company
learned rock climbing skills on a recent
weekend course.
1st Elworth Top
Gear Challenge
The Anchor section of the 1st Elworth
Boys’ Brigade rose to the Top Gear
challenge in a novel way at a recent
meeting. There were a series of races
in “high tec” cars, some of which nearly
fitted them. Nobody is quite sure who
won but a great time was had by all.
1st Mid Suffolk
(Stowmarket)
Three members of the Company received
certificates and prizes from the Mayor
of Stowmarket for designing and making
crowns for St. Edmund the ancient
King of East Anglia.
50 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette April 2010
2nd Ness Bank
(Inverness)
To mark the retirement after 60 years
of service as a boy and officer in the
2nd Ness Bank Company (Inverness),
Robert MacKay (left) was given a
celebration lunch. Also pictured
(right) is Willie MacBean, retiring
after 20 years of service.
Alfie Bell, 1st Cookstown
Alfie Bell of 1st Cookstown Company Junior
Section raised £901 for Africa Missions
during BB Week. Alfie is pictured in the front
row sitting between Rev Dr Stafford Carson,
Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in
Ireland and Mrs Carson.

7th North Staffs
Members of the Company undertook
a sponsored walk to raise funds for
Samaritan’s Purse International Water
Aid fundraising appeal. They raised
£375, which was presented to the
local organiser who also collected
100 Operation Christmas Child
Shoeboxes, which were donated by
the Company and Church members.
2nd Tonbridge
celebrates 50 years
The 2nd Tonbridge Company, based
at Tonbridge Baptist Church celebrated
its 50th anniversary last October. Around
250 past and present members, family
and friends viewed memorabilia from
each decade, enjoyed a superb tea,
prepared and served by members of
Amicus, were entertained by past and
present band members, and the evening
concluded with a firework display held
at a local school.
The Mayor took the salute at the
Sunday morning Church Parade service.
The service involved past Chaplains
and members and was evidence of
how Jesus had worked in their lives
through the BB.
Top of the Form
Pictured are the winners of the ‘Top of
the Form’ Strathkelvin Battalion Boys’
Brigade trophy.
The 1st Lenzie team (who hosted
the latest quiz) saw off challenges from
1st, 5th, and 6th Kirkintilloch Companies,
scoring highly in the general knowledge
and FA cup final rounds. Team Captain,
David Bell, pictured holding the trophy
said “It will be nice to have another
1st Lenzie inscription on the shield.”
Glasgow Battalion Anchor Boys’ Theatre Trip
More than 200 Anchor Boys and Leaders from across the Glasgow Battalion took
over the Tron Theatre for the afternoon performance of ‘Ya Beauty and the Beast’ on
Saturday 5th December. Everyone enjoyed the performance and would like to give
special thanks to all at the Tron for making them most welcome, incorporating them into
the script and allowing a couple of boys from each company on to the stage for
the photograph above.
2nd Blairgowrie
The 2nd Blairgowrie Senior Boys, as
part of their project on Crime, recently
had a very informative and enjoyable
Q&A session with Mr John Swinney
MSP. He talked with them about various
aspects of Parliamentary work including
how decisions made by the Scottish
Government affect the courts, the police
and the citizen on the street.
Southport & District
Junior Section
On the 9th January 2010 Southport &
District Junior Section went to Blackpool
Tower and Circus and a fantastic day
out was had by all. Over 30 boys went
with staff and parents. The highlights
of the day were Jungle Jim and the
pantomime circus with Mooky Doolittle.
1st Rugby – Thank
you from Lions
Members of the 1st Rugby joined the
Rugby Rokeby Lions in its charity fund
raising over the Christmas period and
as a thank you, two representatives
from the Lions presented a cheque to
the Company, which will be used for on
going work.
April 2010 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette 51

HERE & THERE
Valentine’s Meal
The 1st Mid Suffolk (Stowmarket)
Company held their second
Valentine’s Meal on Friday 12th Feb.
The recently refurbished kitchen
was officially opened by the Mayor
of Stowmarket, Councillor Mrs Vera
Waspe. Stowmarket Town Council had
provided a generous grant of £2500
towards the cost of refurbishment.
Twenty-four people including parents,
friends and members of the
congregation from Stowmarket United
Reformed Church (URC) enjoyed a
meal, which was cooked by boys
from the Company Section, led by
Martin Gray and Barry Bloomfield.
Guests were served by members of
the Junior Section and Anchor Boys
smartly dressed in shirts, ties and
waistcoasts. Acting Captain Julie
Brown hosted the evening, with
Heidi Bingham and Fiona Scarffe
serving a selection of non-alcoholic
cocktails and Lisa Hardy keeping
things moving in the kitchen with
endless washing up! Guests were
invited to use their imagination to
complete the traditional valentine
rhyme ‘roses are red, violets are
blue ....’. A variety of answers were
received ranging from the romantic
to the quirky and funny.
HOSPICE DONATIONS
Glasgow Battalion
Youth Leader
Training Course
On Sunday 22 November a total of
50 candidates from Glasgow and the
surrounding area completed the last part
of their Youth Leader Training Course
at Springfield Cambridge Church in
Bishopbriggs. The course finished with
a dedication service with the proceeds
of the offering of £240.59 going to the local
Marie Curie Hospice. The picture shows the
candidates on the final day of the course.
South East
Hampshire Battalion
The five Companies set a Battalion target
of £2,000 and the first major event, a 20
mile sponsored walk, got them off to a
really good start. Some months later they
dared to raise the bar and double their
target to £4,000. With home collection
boxes and the proceeds of their annual
parade, they were able to hand over a
cheque for nearly £4,247.20 to Hillary Jukes
from Naomi House, their local hospice.
2nd Benburg
Members of the 2nd Benburg presented
a cheque for £1500 to Mrs Pogue and
Mrs Irwin, local representatives from
Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice.
The Junior Section raised £300 by
collecting 1p, 2p and 5p coins and the
Company Section raised £1200 by bag
packing in two local supermarkets over
the Christmas holidays.
12 Hour Table
Tennis for Haiti
During the February half term over £400
was raised by Company Section members
of 10th Enfield Company who took part in
a 12 Hour Sponsored Table Tennis event.
The money raised along with a further
£300 raised by Junior Section members
a week earlier will go out to Haiti, to help
those affected by the earthquake.
52 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette April 2010
Portadown and
District Battalion
Smiles all round as 150 Anchor Boys
from Portadown and District Battalion
represented Northern Ireland District in
the hand over of a cheque for £13,415.88
to the Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice.
North Staffs
Battalion
Pictured is Christine Hunter from the
Donna Louise Trust receiving a cheque
for £840 from members of the North
Staffs Battalion.

Ever since the 1st Glasgow first went
to camp at Tighnabruiach in 1886,
boys in BB Companies all over
the world have been asking their leaders
where their next camp is going to be. BB
Camp is often rightly recognised as the
highlight of the BB year.
The BB is proud that our Founder had the
inspiration to start organising residential
experiences for young people and in doing so
set the trend for all other youth organisations.
But did you know that when William Smith
first proposed the idea parents were
aghast at the thought that their children
would be sleeping in tents?! Today we
think nothing of it and indeed research carried
out by the Brigade indicates that camps and
other residential events are some of our most
popular activities.
Recent statistics at HQ indicate that currently
only around one third of companies went to
camp or had a residential experience last year.
As we approach the 125th Anniversary of
the first BB camp it would be good if we
could ensure that all of our young people
in the Juniors, Company Section and
Seniors have the opportunity to experience
a residential through membership of BB.
Today BB camps take many forms; some
people still follow the traditional model and
take over a field for a week. Others use outdoor
centres or youth hostels, while some decide to
venture further afield and take their members
overseas. In the last few years groups have
visited Austria, America, Jamaica and France,
to name just a few places on the globe.
We do appreciate that many Companies
may not have sufficient who that are able
to lead a camp for a week, but even a
weekend camp is great fun and would
be greatly appreciated by your members.
Many Battalions now take the lead and
organise Battalion camps too, especially to
support Companies who couldn’t go alone.
Battalions and BB HQ can arrange
appropriate training on camp and holiday
leadership, and do remember to fill in your
camp notification form before you go!
So are you going to camp this year? If not
perhaps you might want to look at a joint
venture with other groups near you. More
importantly, will you be able to meet this
challenge and see if you can arrange a
camp in 2011 – the 125th Anniversary of
BB Camping? The Brigade Executive will
be giving consideration how to mark this
milestone anniversary.
April 2010 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette 53

The British Youth Council
(BYC) has recently launched its
General election Manifesto. ‘Our
Parliament, Our Vision’ details five key
changes that young people across
the UK are challenging politicians
to make to improve their lives.
These were created following 600
online submissions by young people,
which were shortlisted by 250 young
representatives from around the UK
and voted at the BYC Annual Council
Meeting last year.
The General Election Manifesto five
priority actions are:
• Lower the voting age to 16
• Support a national youth transport
card that offers young people a third
off public transport fares
• Create an equal national minimum
wage for everyone over 16
• End child poverty in the UK by 2020
• Invest in comprehensive mental health
services for young people
You can find out more about BYC’s
general election manifesto at
www.byc.org.uk/gec. Why not take
a look and debate some of the issues
with your young people?
Boys’ Brigade does not currently
take up all of its places at the annual
conference. If young people are
interested in representing BB, then
please contact the Brigade Secretary.
In addition BYC is running a series of
summer conventions:
Antrim 1st July
London 3rd August
Cardiff 5th August
Glasgow 10th August
York 12th August
BYC Summer Conventions are planned
to include a choice of workshops,
a chance to share ideas with other
young people and youth workers, a
topical panel debate and lots of fun.
There are no limits on the numbers of
young people who can attend and if
booked before 31st May the cost is
£25. For further information go to
www.tinyurl.com/BYCconventions
One of the young people making a real contribution to BYC is Joshua Snape.
Josh is a Staff Sergeant in 1st Haverhill Company and is the youngest ever
Trustee of the British Youth Council. He was also the winner of the Make a
Difference Award in the England Region in 2009. We asked Josh to tell us a
little about BYC and his role.
As a trustee of the British Youth Council one of the first things people often ask is:
What is the British Youth Council and what do you do?
The British Youth Council is an organisation for young people led by young people
aged 25 and under across the UK.
What does this actually mean?
BYC is made up of large and small youth organisations across the UK; Boys’
Brigade is one of the larger members, as well as St. John Ambulance and the
Scouts, and among others.
BYC works with young people to seek out the issues that affect them and campaign
for change. We can then represent the views of young people to the government,
decision-makers and the media.
BYC is unique in the way it is governed by young people. The board of trustees
who make the management decisions of the charity (similar to the Brigade Executive)
must be between the age of 16-25. We as trustees make all the important decisions
that affect the charity, and are legally responsible for its affairs and as young
people we are able to directly connect and understand the many challenges faced
by British youth.
Young people are at the forefront of our campaigns. We launched our General
Election Manifesto on the 15th February. There are five campaigns that we want
politicians across the political spectrum to sign up to and as a rallying call for young
people to fight for change.
What can the British Youth Council do for The Boys’ Brigade today?
We are enthusiastic about encouraging greater participation for young people in
all areas of their lives. The BB is entitled to seven delegates at our annual meeting
where they can elect trustees and decide on campaigns and policy. The delegation
is also able to meet other delegations from other large youth organisations at our
national members’ meetings where youth organisations can work together towards
shared goals for young people.
In your company
Do you have young people who would like to have a voice within BB to tell us
what affects them the most?
You can use the BYC General Election manifesto to debate what matters to young
people today.
Use this resource as part of company senior programme – community or use as
part of your Queen’s Badge work
What issues affect young people in the BB today?
Tell us: Get your young people to visit the BB @ BYC Facebook group
Find out more about BYC at www.byc.org.uk
54 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette April 2010

59th BIRMINGHAM
BB COMPANY supports
On Sunday morning 16th
January a service was led by
boys of the 59th Birmingham
Company at its church, Quinton
Methodist, in conjunction with the
church’s Alternative Worship Group.
The service was prepared
after a series of classes on worship
and how a modern service might
look from the position of street
children. The boys of the Company
wanted to do more so on the evening
of Friday 29th January through
until the morning of Saturday 30th
January, they took part in a 12-hour
sponsored football event at the
Church to raise money to support
the Deloitte Street Child World Cup.
Nineteen boys played football in stints
throughout the night. All monies raised
will go directly to help 80 street children
from four continents to take part in the
Street Child World Cup. This is a brand
new international sporting event to
raise awareness of and build a better
future for the hundreds of thousands
of street children across the world and
59th Birmingham Company wanted to
do its bit to support the event. With the
last sponsorships coming in it looks
as if £1,000 will have been raised. The
highest scorer of the night was Dan
Houten who scored a grand total of 120
goals in 12 hours. Final score between
the two sides was 386-358! Furthermore,
the 59th has now also got local football
club West Bromwich Albion excited by
the project. Chris Wood, West Bromwich
Albion and New Zealand international
football staff presented two signed
WBA shirts, which will be auctioned,
along with other donations from local
businesses, at an open morning which
it is hoped will also help recruitment in
the company.
The Deloitte Street Child World Cup was
officially launched in London last November.
“The Street Child World Cup and its
legacy is not only wonderful news
for Umthombo and street children in
South Africa, but also for street children
from across the world. I am proud to
be a part of this campaign.”
Biza Madolo – Former street child
and coach of South African team
The inaugural Deloitte Street Child
World Cup took place in Durban, South
Africa, from 13-22 March 2010 and
played host to eighty disadvantaged
children from four continents. The
7-a-side football tournament provided
a platform for the youngsters to launch
a campaign for the right of all street
children to a full, healthy and dignified
life, as well as providing a curtain raiser
to the 2010 South Africa World Cup.
The inaugural Deloitte Street Child
World Cup, organised by a network of
NGOs and voluntary groups, led by the
Amos Trust, brought together children
from Brazil, India, Nicaragua, the
Philippines, South Africa, UK, Ukraine
and Tanzania.
The tournament had the backing
of leading international politicians,
dignitaries and football figures.
Further details are available about
the Street Child World Cup at
http://streetchildworldcup.org/
April 2010 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette 55

RECRUITMENT
A basis for growth
As a village Company 1st West
Kilbride has been at the centre
of the community since 1918.
Many Companies in the 1990’s saw a
dramatic decline in their fortunes to
the point that late in the decade there
was talk of the Company closing due
to the usual well documented problem
of a lack of boys and officers.
This shock generated stirrings of revival
within the village and focussed minds with
a vision for the Company and the church.
The key to the recruitment of boys is the
creation of an expectation that if you are a
boy in the village then the Company can
offer you a range of activities that cannot
be offered elsewhere. It creates a natural
home for the boys and young men of the
village if the BB is seen as main stream,
accepted, and indeed, expected.
Getting the programmes/activities/events
in place well in advance with constant
publicity through the local press and within
the village increases the profile of the
Company and indicates to parents that it
can offer a balanced, well organised safe
range of activities to their son/s. This can
be through simple tasks such as creating
a parental handbook relevant to each of
the sections, outlining the expectations
and activities on offer throughout the
year, good relationships and links with the
village primary school, having a column
in the local press outlining all the activities
in the week to come and collecting
the parents’ e-mail addresses so that
communication can be more effective.
The programme of activities needs to
be creative and engaging for the boys on
the parade evenings. This was created by
blocking the badge work into five week
groups. It is difficult for individuals to be
able to say that they cannot give up five
evenings, for an hour and a half, in a year!
Thus, the boys have been able to enjoy
Friday night activities such as bugles,
mountain bike maintenance, building
computers, samba drums as well as the
‘normal’ activities such as drill, Christian
faith, first aid, sports and the big draw
for many – gymnastics.
The Company needs to be able to offer
more than just the parade evening so there
are now activities every night of the week
for the boys to enjoy, such as bagpipes,
drumming, cross country, hiking, sports
clubs, and football and gardening clubs.
The church plays a key role in the growth
of the Company with the BB noted as
a standing item on the Kirk session
meetings. This allows the elders an
active role and indeed an expectation to
become involved in the work of bringing
boys and young men to Christ.
Constantly looking for new activities
for the boys keeps us all motivated
and the boys engaged so they always
have something to look forward to,
such as gymnastic competitions, the
Cleveland hike, summer camp or the
national competitions.
This full and engaging programme
linked with the support of parents,
the church and individuals across the
community, has enabled the Company
to go from strength to strength in the
last eight years, to a point where
nearly every boy in primary 2 and
3 in the village school joined the
Anchors Boys creating a section
in 2008/2009 of 47 boys. This
constant recruitment of boys
through the Anchors into the
Juniors has allowed the Company
to grow to around 130 boys in
2009. We still have much room to
grow with the Company Section, just
now beginning to see the benefits of
the work in place lower down and we
are all hopeful and prayerful that the
next 2-3 years will see the Company
Section double in size from its
present number in the mid 30’s.
This work ensures that The Boys’
Brigade remains relevant within the village
and the church, but more importantly,
within the hearts and minds of the boys
and young men of our community.
Alex Jack
1st
West
Kilbride
56 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette April 2010

Top Team Challenge 2010
The National Top Team Challenge is an activity for Company and Seniors, where a large number
of Companies across the country take part in the same tasks in their own meeting place.
Principles of the Challenge
A Company only needs to have four members in order to enter a team
Joint Company entries may be accepted where units have a small number in their Company Section
Each Company can enter the Challenge without leaving their hall
Every Company that enters the Challenge will receive a certificate showing their position in the final results table
The Challenge must be judged by an adult who is not a leader in the Company
Date of the Challenge
The 2009-2010 Challenge is now taking place! You have until 1st May 2010 to complete the Challenge in your Company
and submit results to BB Headquarters. If you would like to take part please request your pack(s) – a sealed pack is required
for each team taking part.
Go to www.boys-brigade.org.uk/top-team.htm to request your pack online or contact BB Headquarters (Felden Lodge).
Go MAKE A DIFFERENCE Awards
2010
“celebrating inspirational young people”
Have you considered nominating a young person for a Go MAD Award?
We all know young people (15 to 19 years old) who make a significant difference
in the lives of others. We want to recognise commitment through the Go Make a Difference
awards to acknowledge, encourage, reward and most
importantly promote the positive achievements of our young people.
Nominations for the award are open until 1st May 2010.
Download the nomination form at
www.boys-brigade.org.uk/madnominationform2010.pdf
or contact your Regional Headquarters.
Brigade Council 2010
from 3rd to 5th September 2010 in Armagh, Northern Ireland
Come to Brigade Council in Northern Ireland in 2010...
Brigade Council 2010 is being held in the city of Armagh during the weekend 3rd to 5th September 2010.
The city of Armagh has many historical and other interesting visitor attractions both within the city and in
the nearby towns and villages. Located in County Armagh, it is well-known as the Orchard County.
Accommodation and the Council Meeting will be held at the modern Armagh City Hotel which is a
very central location with shops, restaurants and visitor attractions within walking distance. Armagh’s
proximity to all main motorways and access points makes it a convenient and easily accessible location.
The weekend will get underway with a civic reception on Friday evening, which will give everyone the opportunity
to meet informally and renew friendships. Accommodation will be booked directly with the hotel at a special weekend
rate (see reference number on the booking form). The Annual Council Meeting on Saturday will be held in the Fisher Suite of the hotel.
For those not attending the Council Meeting there will be the opportunity to participate in a tour to local attractions, enjoy a relaxing lunch,
with some time also set aside for shopping. On Saturday evening a dinner and entertainment will be held in the hotel. Worship on Sunday
morning will be held nearby in the Mall Presbyterian Church with which 1st Armagh Boys’ Brigade Company is connected.
To find out more about Brigade Council 2010 and to download the Booking form visit www.boys-brigade.org.uk/council.htm
April 2010 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette 57

Ten cute boys ar
in Sliven orphan
We were
told scary
stories
about
going to
the gypsy
village...
On Saturday 24th October, ten young
men from the 4th Sutton Coldfield
Company travelled to Sliven, Bulgaria
to work alongside two partners from Sutton
Coldfield Baptist Church. The week long trip
was the culmination of twelve months
of fundraising activity towards the £5000
needed to refurbish and pay for new play
equipment in an orphanage.
We stayed in a high rise block of flats with 10
young men sharing two bedrooms just yards from
the nearby local mafia headquarters. Most of the
time was spent preparing and decorating the play
room, looking around the orphanage, and meeting
the children there. The local press came along to see
what we were doing, and the following day a headline
appeared in the local paper
reading “Ten cute boys arrive
in Sliven orphanage”. The
press complaints commission
should have had a field day
with that, but nevertheless
their egos were boosted!
As well as all the hard
work at the orphanage there
were opportunities to spend
time with the local church
and visit a nearby gypsy
church. The latter was a great experience. We were
told scary stories about going to the gypsy village,
and advised not to bring anything with us. Even after
running someone over (no time to go into this here,
but they were fine!), we were given such a warm
welcome. The church was in a room underneath a
house. They had a guitar and a bongo drum and
although we couldn’t understand a single word they
were singing, spiritually we were in tune! Afterwards
we spoke about how it was like God had put our
own words into our mouths and heads instead.
Over the week we filmed just about everything
we did, and at the end of each day different people
produced a video diary of their experiences. This
created a lasting record of not only what we did,
but what we felt and experienced. Every day
we also spent some time reading the Bible and
praying together. This had a special significance
and God really spoke to us during these times.
58 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette April 2010

ive
age
...or so the
papers say!
There was no better way to read the Bible
than to relate it directly to our experiences
We experienced huge generosity from our hosts
and heard about how they installed a new water
heater just for our visit. In the evening we then read
together the story about the old widow with the two
small coins. There was no better way to read the
Bible than to relate it directly to our experiences.
At the beginning of the trip we went out expecting
to make a real difference in the lives of the children
in Bulgaria. We didn’t just want to talk about what
God’s love is like, but to demonstrate it through
what we did. However, in reality, despite all that we
did we were left absolutely convinced that we had
been given back more in return.
“I’m going to take
two things away.
The first was their
hospitality. When
we went around
to someone’s
house for dinner
they refused to sit
down and eat with us, and preferred to
just serve us. That meant a lot to me,
because she put us first. It shows us
that we should put others first too! The
second was seeing the children play in
the room when it was finished. That 45
minutes was the culmination of twelve
months work and it was totally worth it.”
(Nick Drury, 16)
“The staff in the
orphanage really
loved the kids and
treated them like
family. I hope that
what we take back from this country
is how to show God’s love like they do.
(Brad Maybury, 16)
“When you’re at home you don’t see
these things or you hear it on the news
and pass it by. But when you actually
look it’s really bad... Building the
playroom really
helps them as they
don’t have any toys.
It’s adding to their
education because
all kids learn from playing. We came
here thinking we were doing a job,
but it was God’s work we were doing.”
(Benji Maycock, 17)
“In England we have
a nice house with
loads of stuff in it
and they had nothing.”
(Dave Cobbald, 16)
“I hope that, coming
away from here,
I understand that we
don’t have to be
in Bulgaria to do this sort of thing. Instead
we can do it everyday of our lives. I’ll go
home with the attitude that not everything
that we’ve got is there to be used and
abused. Instead it’s there as a gift and
we should take advantage of what we’ve
got.” (Stuart McCaw, 17)
“The new activity room looks fantastic
but the best part was when the young
children first came into the room
and we could
see the smiles,
excitement and
joy on their little
faces.”
(Irene Liddy, group leader)
“My highlight was
going to the church
in the gypsy village.
I was so shocked.
It was the grottiest
cellar, but it was transformed as soon
as they started singing. The worship
was amazing. They brought the place to
life. It showed me it’s not just about the
building, but it’s the people inside.
They are committed and really do
worship God. It doesn’t matter where
you are in the world you can do that!”
(Chris Hodkinson, 17)
“My prayer is that
through coming to
Bulgaria that God
will plant things in our
hearts to do when
we go home. That we will be changed.
We came to make a difference, but the
people here have also made a difference
in our lives.” (Paul Bridge, group leader)
April 2010 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette 59

Around the regions
ENGLAND
Worship with a WOW
Plans are now well underway to make Firm Foundations 2010
better than ever before.
A number of worship speakers have been booked for the
event including Matt Summerfield, Executive Director at
Urban Saints; Rachel Gardner from the Romance Academy;
Phil Knox from Youth for Christ and Mark Greenwood from
the 40:3 Trust.
An action-packed programme of activities is being put
together including woodcraft sessions, team/problemsolving
activities, archery, abseiling, various field sports
and canoeing.
The Festival will also offer a great range of entertainment
including performances from up-and-coming bands, a quiz,
talent show, variety show and a talk show.
The latest speakers, worship bands, entertainment acts
and activities can all be viewed on FF’s website
www.firm-foundations.org.uk as can profiles of selected
speakers and performers.
The theme for this year’s festival taking place between Friday
28 May and Monday 31 May 2010 will be based on iCan –
taken from the Bible verse Philippians Ch.4:13 ‘For I can
do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.’
The FF Office is open 9am-12pm every Tuesday and then
between 17 to 21 May the office will be open 9am-12pm on
Monday, Tuesday and Friday, and 2-5pm on Wednesday and
Thursday. The office will be open full time during the week
immediately before FF – please contact 01442 288551.
If you need to contact anyone regarding FF outside of these
times please email firm.foundations@boys-brigade.org.uk
but please note it may take a few days to respond.
Festival
Preparations are well underway for a brand new festival, which
will take place over the August Bank Holiday weekend 27th –
30th August. This fresh and exciting event will enable young
people from all over the north to enjoy a great festival experience
without having to travel to the other end of the country.
Designed for boys and girls aged 11 plus, the event will take
place at the Hollybush Centre near Thirsk in Yorkshire where
there is plenty of space for camping. The site has its own
showers, toilets and two great indoor venues, the largest having
a 600 seating capacity with state of the art sound, lighting and
visual equipment.
Catering facilities will be available or you may choose to cater
for yourselves.
The site will be divided into villages and groups and individuals will
be assigned to a village on arrival and introduced to their hosts,
who will be there to ensure youngsters get the most out of the
festival programme, as well as offering all kinds of other support
and encouragement. By running a village system it is hoped
that individual young people as well as groups will attend. This
might suit smaller companies (although groups of any size will be
welcome) that wouldn’t normally be able to go away on a camp
or some other kind of residential, and also young people that are
perhaps the only ones in their church.
Each day a full programme will take place, which will include
worship in different styles, workshops including circus skills,
activities, games, competitions and loads of time to chill out around
the site. In our own tent city there will be a Beauty Zone offering
nail painting, hair braiding, make up tips etc. Our own Electronic
Games Arcade area will feature large screen games using Wii and
X Box. We will have our very own Big Brother Diary Room, 23’ Pink
Air Dancer, Labyrinth and Climbing Wall. We are also hoping to have
a Zip Wire, Sports Coaching, Fire Eater, Football Cage, Art Project,
Canoeing and an Assault Course. In the evening, concerts featuring
all kinds of bands ranging from young people just starting out to
professional artistes will take place and we will have our own version
of the ‘X Factor’ as well as quizzes, films, drama and theme nights.
The cost is just £50 per person and the programme will begin
around tea time on Friday and finish after lunch on Monday. Check
out our website as the weeks go by to see the latest details of
what’s happening during the weekend www.northernsaints.org.uk;
booking forms are also available for download. Don’t miss out on
this great opportunity for your young people.’
Interested in Athletics?
The Halifax Battalion is interested in finding out if there are any
other battalions interested in a National Athletics competition.
Interested Battalions are asked to contact Robert Batty on
robertbatty9015@hotmail.com or through his mobile at 07872832244’.
60 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette April 2010

NORTHERN Ireland
Junior Section
Musician Of
The Year
Competition
2010
In its fifth year the Northern Ireland Junior
Section Musician of the Year competition once
again attracted a good entry with 36 boys
from throughout Northern Ireland taking part.
A range of nine different instruments was played
along with four boys who sang solos. They
entertained the very appreciative audience
throughout the afternoon. The boys selected
their own piece(s) of music and this provided
a varied and entertaining selection of music.
All boys performed extremely well and the
overall standard was very high. The adjudicator,
Mr Alan Beattie, had a very difficult job in
selecting the top three musicians. In his
remarks he provided very useful guidance
and advice along with encouraging comments.
The results were as follows:
Around the regions
Place Name Company Instrument Piece Performed
1st Joseph Parkes (10) 6th Carrickfergus Tenor Horn The Trout ; Pink Panther
2nd Matthew Edgar (11) 8th Carrickfergus Piano Tuxedo Jazz
3rd Lewis Rodgers (10) 1st Ballygowan Bagpipes John McCall’s March to Kilbowie Cottage
The winner was presented with the Robert Renwick Cup, and 2nd/ 3rd places awarded small trophies. All boys received a
Certificate of Participation. Three Highly Commended Certificates were presented to Jonathan Dempster, 4th Lisburn (trumpet);
Michael Doyle, 4th Portadown (voice) and Andrew Moore, 3rd Ballyclare (piano). The Northern Ireland District President,
Professor Norman Nevin, presented the certificates and trophies.
Skills for Queen’s
Badge Course
The Skills for Queen’s Badge Course
held on 8th to 10th January at Rathmore
went ahead despite heating problems.
April 2010 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette 61

Around the regions
Scotland
Cheque Presentation
The Boys’ Brigade
(Church of
Scotland) World
Mission Fund
presented the
Moderator, the
Rt Rev Bill Hewitt
with a cheque
for £12,000 at the
annual cheque
presentation
evening, which this year was held for the first time in Stornoway.
Hosted by the 2nd Stornoway Company in Martin’s Memorial
Church, the evening showcased a diverse range of BB activities.
Trophies were presented for the highest collections in the
various sections of the organisation with winners this year from
2nd Stornoway and 45th Glasgow. The money will enable
young people in CCAP Synod of Livingstonia to set up small
scale business enterprise schemes.
The Moderator thanked the boys and girls for their fundraising
efforts and encouraged them in all the activities they undertake.
He also commended all the leaders, but especially Colin and
Margaret MacMillan of the 2nd Stornoway Company for their
dedication over 40 years of service to the BB.
The project for 2009-2010 was also launched. “The Real
Transformers” seeks to raise funds to fund rehabilitation
equipment for the Bethesda Children’s Hospital in Budapest.
Future Jobs Fund
Scott Richardson has been
employed under the terms of
this scheme as an IT Assistant
at Scottish HQ. Scott started
work at Carronvale on 5th
January. The Future Jobs
Fund is a new initiative from
the Department of Work
and Pensions to help young
unemployed find work and the
position is fully funded for six
months by the UK Government. The Brigade in Scotland has also
bid for other places at Carronvale and in Glasgow and Aberdeen.
In Scotland the Future Jobs Fund is being administered by the
Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations and to-date around
250 young people have been found new positions.
New Cabinet Secretary
for Education
Members of the BB in Scotland were quick off the mark to
meet the new Cabinet Secretary for Education and Life Long
Learning, Mike Russell MSP. The Director for Scotland and
some seniors from the Edinburgh, Leith and District Battalion
met Mr Russell at an introductory event he recently hosted
at Heriot-Watt University.
CashBack for
Communities
Carronvale in the Snow
Burns’ Supper
The first ever (we think!) BB National Burns’ Supper was held
at Carronvale on Monday 25th January. This proved to be an
excellent evening with great BB fellowship and some very witty
toasts and speeches. BB leaders from all over Scotland took
part and the evening was rounded off with a sing song featuring
some of Burns’ most popular songs. Around £250 was donated
to the Friends of Carronvale Appeal as a result of the evening.
We were delighted to receive funding from this scheme to assist
with Seniors’ activities in the Falkirk Area. The money will be used
for additional activities such as ten pin bowling, go-karting and
also to encourage more Seniors to achieve their Queen’s Badge
and participate in The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. The CashBack
grants are all the result of funds raised via the Scottish Courts
from the Proceeds of Crime Act.
62 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette April 2010

Around the regions
Scotland continued
Seniors’ Activities in Scotland
Spring/Summer 2010
The BB in Scotland will be offering three special events for Seniors
and Young Staff. If you are aged between 16 and 22 and are keen
for a challenge then one of these might be for you
• Adventure Weekend at Craggan Outdoor Centre 21st-23rd May
Over this weekend you can get the chance to try a range of activities
ranging from canoeing and geocaching to white water rafting.
BB Scotland
live on
Facebook
BB Scotland now has a presence
on Facebook. Find out more about
what is going on in Scotland by joining
the group “Boys’ Brigade Scotland”.
• Visit the heart of Europe 29th-30th June
A two day trip to Brussels where you will have the chance to explore inside
the European Parliament and other institutions. This unique experience
would not be complete without taking a close look at Belgium’s Capital.
• Adventure at Sea 19th-25th July
In partnership with Ocean Youth Trust Scotland, the BB has arranged 12
places aboard an OYT yacht. Sailing off Scotland’s spectacular west coast,
there will a number of chances to drop anchor and explore. You will have
the chance to learn new skills and be part of an ocean yacht’s crew.
For further information and to check if there are still places available contact
Niall Rolland on 07538 079381 or by email niall.rolland@boys-brigade.org.uk
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
Swimming Gala
Over 70 young people
took park in the recent
Swimming Gala held in
Portarlington. Many exciting
races with nail biting
finishes were held during
the afternoon in what
proved to be an afternoon
of fun and fellowship. The
picture shows participants
and winners with their
medals and trophies
following the prizegiving.
Anchors Fun Day
Fort Lucan, a fully supervised outdoor adventure playground
for children aged 2-14. Kids create their own adventures as
they discover secret slides, climb 40 foot towers and high
walkways before zipping across the aerial runways. Escape
your friends in the maze or challenge them on the army-style
assault courses. Fort Lucan will be the venue for the Anchors
Fun day on Saturday 8th May 2010.
Junior Section
Adventure Day
Knockree, located in the magnificent
glaciated Glencree valley near Enniskerry in
Co Wicklow providing modern facilities in
a spectacular location will be the location
for the Junior Section Adventure Day that
will take place on Saturday 29th May 2010.
April 2010 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette 63

Long Service Awards
Awards are available for Battalions/Districts to present to volunteers to recognise long service to
the Brigade. The awards are available for 15, 20 and 30 years, with a badge/broach and certificate.
Items available as follows:
Bronze Badge (15 years) £3.50
Bronze Broach (15 years) £3.50
Silver Badge (20 years) £3.50
Silver Broach (20 years) £3.50
Gold Badge (30 years) £3.50
Gold Broach (30 years) £3.50
Certificates (suitable all awards) £1.50
To order download the order form at http://www.boys-brigade.org.uk/forms/longserviceawards.pdf or contact
BB Headquarters (Felden Lodge).
New Development Worker
in Scotland
Simon Smith is now in post as
the new Development Worker
in the North of Scotland.
Simon comes from a background in
information technology, outdoor pursuits
and church youth work. Based with his
family in Inverness, Simon brings 20
years of experience of engaging young
people in the Christian faith through
the disciplines of sailing, canoeing,
mountain biking and hiking.
The focus of Simon’s work is going
to be in the Inverness and Moray
areas. Speaking after his appointment
Simon said “I am eager to meet all the
Companies in the next few weeks, and I
am very excited at the prospect of all the
challenges and adventures ahead.”
64 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette April 2010

Global Fellowship:
FDF has started a new mission project in Zambia
Since March 2009 a campaign group in FDF has
worked to prepare a new mission project in
FDF. It is called “ZAMBIA – everybody has the
right to food”.
Access to food is important for all people in order to live
a good life, but there are still many people who go to bed
hungry every night. In Zambia the lack of food is a major
problem, which means that a large part of the population
is undernourished. The main theme of FDF’s mission project
is, therefore, the right to food.
The lack of food is closely related to many other challenges
for development in Zambia. FDF has chosen four themes
related to food security for the new project. These are:
• Development of farming methods: For a lot of families
farming is the most important source of food.
• Orphaned children: The orphans often live with relatives,
but are not fully accepted in the new family and, therefore,
not allowed to eat with the family.
• Hiv/aids: The medicine only works with the right diet.
• Access to water: Without water it is difficult to farm as
well as cook meals.
The project is made in cooperation with Silkeborg Folk High
School and Dan Church Aid. Dan Church Aid has provided
contacts to its partners in Zambia working with food security.
These partners will receive the money collected in FDF
during the campaign. Silkeborg Folk High School will send
a group of students to visit the partners in Zambia where
they will learn about different food security projects so that
they can tell local FDF groups about their experiences when
they return to Denmark.
The information campaign in FDF
The campaign in FDF started in the beginning of 2010 and
its aim is to inform children and young people about the
challenges for people in Zambia and encourage members
of FDF to raise money for the partners in Zambia.
The campaign will run for two years. During this period,
children, young people and leaders in FDF will learn about
Zambia through activities in the local groups, through the
project website, FDF.dk/zambia, through national and
regional gatherings such as the National Camp in 2011,
young leader training courses, the general assembly in
FDF in 2010 and so on.
Our international friends in Fimcap, European Fellowship
and Global Fellowship will have an opportunity to learn about
the ZAMBIA-campaign at the National Camp 2011. There
will be a large tent on the main square with information and
activities from Zambia. You can also buy a piece of cake to
support the project.
We look forward to seeing you in the ZAMBIA- tent at the
National Camp 2011,
On behalf of the campaign-group
Sara Fyhn, project coordinator
sara_fyhn@fdf.dk
April 2010 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette 65

your
New year resolutions
‘‘
I am delighted to say that my request
for New Year Resolutions from BB
Companies proved fruitful. The winner is
the 2nd Sutton Coldfield Company, which
set out some important tasks, including
seeing the Company mentioned more
often in the Gazette! They list nine really
interesting resolutions, from seeing more
church involvement in the Company to
increasing the number of boys in the
Company. An excellent set of resolutions.
As a runner up, the 6th Ipswich Anchor
Boys’ list sounds great fun, and their
wish to have a snowball fight in the park
couldn’t have come at a better winter
than this one. I just hope you all had a
good time. Well done to all.
’’
Professor Sir Kenneth Calman KCB
1st Blists Hill Company – Giving
our future a place in ‘the past’
Using our history to publicise
our name and establish our
present-day relevance may
seem to be counter-intuitive. However,
on BB Founder’s Day, Tuesday 27th
October 2009, a large gathering of BB
folk, from Wolverhampton, Shropshire
and Birmingham, witnessed and
experienced a unique occasion.
Everyone went back in time to the
year 1900!
The location was the ‘Blists Hill
Victorian Town’ part of the World
Heritage site of the Ironbridge Gorge
area of Telford, Shropshire. The Town
is a massive open-air ‘Living Museum’.
The event was the opening of a ‘Boys’
Brigade Hall’ - the HQ of the ‘1st
Blists Hill Company.’ Performing to a
large crowd, a complete historical reenactment
of the opening of the Hall
was the culmination of a piece of
ongoing BB publicity. Needless to say,
all the participants were dressed in
correct period uniform. The building,
which is now officially called ‘The Boys’
Brigade Hall’, will be used throughout
the year for school groups who visit the
66 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette April 2010
Museum and the permanent exhibition
will not only recall the Brigade’s past,
but also and perhaps more importantly,
feature the present, including the
website details and modern literature.
This publicity coup uses our history
to our advantage because many
youngsters will visit the hall and see the
BB connection. Literature distributed
has already led to enquiries about
joining. BBC Radio Shropshire was
present at the opening along with local
newspapers. The other good news is
that on Founder’s Day each year, the
Blists Hill Victorian Town will have FREE
ADMISSION for all Brigade groups.
(Normal admission is more than £13 for
adults and £8 for children!). The BB Hall
has been offered for use as a base for
any of the local companies who want
to do ‘Community Service’ based at the
Museum. Some years ago, one of the
local companies, 2nd Oakengates, was
involved in helping to create part of the
Museum. It looks like there will be no
shortage of volunteers.
Robin Bolton Wolverhampton
PHOTO: Shropshire Star

Down Battalion returns BB
to BB School in Uganda
In March 2010 the Down
Battalion celebrated
the 10th anniversary of
building a Primary School
in Uganda as part of its
millennium celebrations.
The school is out in the
Ugandan bush, 30 minutes
drive from Nakasongola,
which is about 120 miles
north of Kampala. The
school has become
known in the area as
‘The BB School’.
When we went to build the
school in 2000, 97 pupils met
under a tree, (now the BB tree) for shelter
from the sun and the rain. In three weeks
the team of 29 men had constructed two
brick buildings with three classrooms in
each and over 100 desks, which would
seat up to 300 children. This would be
more than enough for the forecasted
numbers of children who might attend
the school. Ten years on and the school
now has over 750 pupils (aged from
5-15) and a staff of 15 (10 of them
Christians) led by a wonderful Christian
headmistress called Annet.
When a doctor from Northern Ireland
visited the school in 2006, with a BB
Company, he found that all the children
suffered from dysentery and other
illnesses due to drinking dirty water.
The Battalion, on hearing this, raised
funds to dig a borehole. This provided
the school and community with clean
drinking water.
Last summer a team of 34 BB leaders
and seniors, including the doctor and a
nurse, went back to the school to do two
weeks of outreach (Holiday Bible Club
teaching) and maintenance. They were
greeted by over 300 children singing “we
are very thankful for our visitors –
you are very welcome.” Some
of the children held up hand
painted posters welcoming us
home to the BB school; it was a
very emotional time for us all. We
held 28 sessions, many of them
outdoors as the classrooms were
being painted. We told them about
ourselves, sang, learnt a memory
verse and a Bible lesson. Some of
the classes had up to 200 pupils and
although the children learn in English,
the teachers interpreted for them.
The work done by the team included
making 100 desks which would seat 300
pupils. They painted the classrooms
inside and out and in both of these
tasks members of the team taught the
senior boys in the school basic painting
and joinery skills to help them gain
experience in the workplace.
The senior girls and teachers were
taught how to use the ‘Singer’ treadle
sewing machines, which were provided
from funds raised. The Battalion gave
£10,000 to provide solar panels for
the school resulting in power for the
teachers’ two accommodation blocks
and four classrooms. Three laptops
and data projectors were also taken out
and the teachers were taught how to
use them.
Time was spent playing games and
sports with the children and judging from
the noise, excitement and enthusiasm they
thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
The money for the cost
of a site, and other essentials to enable
a High School to be built
in January this year by a
team from Hope builders in
Northern Ireland, was raised
by two officers from the
‘Mourne Men’ BB company.
This
will enable more children
to have the opportunity of
High School education.
The children live in very
basic homes; some of them
still live in small mud huts,
mostly used just to sleep
in. All cooking and eating is
done outside, and they have
no running water unless it rains. There are
no televisions and very little furniture. The
school provides them with one good meal
each day. If it is the dry season there will be
very little else to eat. There are no X-Boxes
or PS3s, a bicycle is not a toy but a valued
means of transport used by all the family.
Shoes are an unnecessary luxury. Even so,
every child is very happy. Is this because
they have not forgotten to praise and thank
God, not for the abundance of what they
have, but for the real value of what they
have – their faith, their family, their food and
their friends of which the Down Battalion
are humbled to be part of? Are we really
millionaires in comparison?
In conclusion, please pray for Annet and
the teachers of the Primary School and the
new High School. We give thanks to God
who has enabled Down Battalion to have
the privilege of helping a community so
much in need.
Mervyn Murdock
Battalion President on behalf of the Team

“THE CLEVELAND HIKE”
THE OLDEST AND BEST OF BOYS’ BRIGADE HIKES.
26 – 27 JUNE 2010
The Cleveland Hike is the largest hike of its type and takes
place the last full weekend in June.
TYPES OF TEAMS
All teams must be three persons, the only exception being the Expedition
Team – (which is split into teams of three but you can all walk together;
this is for safety precautions and to comply with the CSR).
Normal Teams 12 – 19 years of age.
Expedition Teams 12 or younger with an experienced adult.
The Leader of the Expedition teams must be capable of reading a 6 figure
map reference and all members of the team must be fit enough to walk 25
miles plus over the weekend.
Veteran Teams 19 – any age.
Adult groups of more than three are welcome, but they will be divided into
teams of three. This is for safety reasons and does not mean that groups
cannot walk the route together.
Checkpoints are set along the route with incidents for teams to try.
Walking in teams of three enables us to monitor and ensure safety of teams’
progress on the North York Moors. We have a large number of bodies on the
Moors over the weekend, which include Cleveland Search and Rescue who
have specified certain Safety Rules and Regulations regarding the numbers
in each team and have asked us to ensure all teams are restricted to a
maximum of three in older age groups.
The BB Cleveland Hike nearly always finishes at Danby on the North York
Moors. When the last team completes the Hike the presentation takes
place, which includes The Boys’ Brigade Cleveland Hike Trophy. There are
certificates for all who complete the Hike including re-starters.
The Boys’ Brigade Cleveland Hike Committee hopes that the above
mentioned information has encouraged members to join us on the weekend.
For more information or a Hike pack: telephone: THE HIKE HOT LINE on
01302 869006 ask for Clive or Carole.
ORGANISED AND RUN BY THE B.B. CLEVELAND HIKE COMMITTEE
WALTHAM WALK 2010
22-23 MAY 2010
THE TOUGH ONE – WW2010!!!
Can you, through walking and communication, work as
a team and accept the challenge of a weekend expedition
with a difference in the Essex/Herts countryside
(OS Explorer maps 174 & 183)?
Teams of 3 or 4 to compete in one of the following:
18+ years the Super Vets – 30 miles plus overnight camp
18+ years the Veteran Event – 17 miles Saturday route
School years 9, 10, 11, 12 &13 the Main Event – 30 miles
plus overnight camp
School years 7, 8 & 9 the Mini Trek – 15 miles plus
overnight camp
For further information, sponsorship and entry forms
please contact John M Brookes, 27 Rudland Close,
Thatcham, Newbury, Berks, RG19 3XW.
Telephone Home 01635 867099
Work 0118 963 5048
e-mail publicity@walthamwalk.org.uk
web site www.walthamwalk.org.uk
(entry forms from January 2010)
BB MEMORIAL GARDEN
£8.00
Inclusive of
Post &
Packing
Mr. R. Bolton
116, Aldridge Rd
Aldridge WS9 0PF
Cheques: ‘West Midland District Boys’ Brigade’
Next Step
The study session at the European Youth Centre in
Strasbourg, organised by European Fellowship and
Fimcap is back.
17th – 23rd October 2010 will see 40 young people
gather and is aimed at the next generation of leaders for
our International events (Easter Course / Euro Course etc).
Further details and application forms are available from
www.europeanfellowship.org
68 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette April 2010

News • News • News
The Stedfast Association working in partnership
with The Boys’ Brigade, Bromley & West Kent
Battalions present a Bugle Band Music & Training
Event on Sunday 23rd May 2010 from 1.30 – 4.30 pm
at Park Road Baptist Church (8th Bromley BB HQ)
Widmore Road, Bromley. Please contact:
David Kemp Tel: +44 (1634) 581 649
Email: lsabugleband@aol.com or
Mike Ford Tel: +44 (20) 8464 0689
Email: bbmford@aol.com
The Bugles & Drums of The Stedfast Association seek new and additional
members to embark on an exciting new music venture – a combined bugle/
wind/brass marching band, which can also play in a concert/formal setting
when required. If you are interested in being part of this exciting new venture
then please contact us at www.stedfastassociationbugleband.btik.com –
LSABugleBand@aol.com – +44 (7964) 019454
If you would like to contribute anything for future columns, please contact
Philip Daley, The Stedfast Association, Unit C1 Nutgrove Office Park, Nutgrove Avenue,
Rathfarnham, Dublin 14 or email boysbrigade@eircom.net or telephone +353 (1) 296 4622.
The Federation Annual
Council Meeting and
Fellowship Weekend will
take place from Friday
21st to Sunday 23rd May
2010 in the Best Western
Bromley Court Hotel,
Bromley Hill, Bromley,
Kent BR1 4JD England,
hosted by the London
Stedfast Association.
OBITUARIES
We pay tribute to BB members who
have died during the last few months
and thank God for their faithful service
to the Brigade and church and their
witness in the community.
MICHELLE OWEN and her two sons
CALLUM and ETHAN died in a car
accident near Grantown on Spey in
early December 2009. All three were
members of the 1st Scone Company.
Michelle was an officer in the Junior
Section and had just taken on the role
of Battalion Training Convener. Callum
was 13 and in his third year in the
Company Section; he took part in all
Company activities and was liked and
respected by his peers and also by the
younger boys. Callum was very proud
of his Welsh roots and proudly wore
his Welsh rugby shirt at camp. Ethan
was 11 and in his first year in Company
Section; he was like a younger version
of his mum, cheekily bright and always
smiling. Ethan was a keen footballer
and played for Scone Thistle.
Their deaths have left a large gap
in the Scone Company, but the boys
and staff have been greatly comforted
and helped by the messages and
support which they have received
from the wider BB family.
JAMES CHRISTOPHER BECKWITH
died unexpectedly on 10th October
2009. James was paralysed from the
neck down following a car accident
when he was two; his specially adapted
wheelchair enabled him to use his head
and mouth and carried his ventilator.
He joined the 25th South East Essex
Company in his home village of
Hullbridge in 2000 and took part in most
activities and events, never letting his
disability interfere with his sense of fun.
He was an inspiration to everyone he
met and the boys and officers of his
Company will miss his cheerful smile
and wicked laugh.
JAMES K CUBIE (89) had a life-long
association with the 130th Glasgow
Company and served as Captain
from 1952 to 1961. Under Jim’s
leadership, the Company thrived in
the post-war period. After stepping
down as Captain, Jim continued to
assist and support the officers and
boys as well as playing an important
role within Broomhill Church of
Scotland, serving as an Elder with
great care and dedication.
STEVE LOWER (52) began his BB
career in the Life Boy section of 2nd
Strood Company. He became an
officer and was involved in most of
the company’s activities. He loved
canoeing and enjoyed instructing on
its skills. Steve gained the Queen’s
Badge. In 1989 he joined the 1st
Sittingbourne and started a Company
band, which won the National Band
Competition in 2009. He was also
involved in Duke of Edinburgh
expeditions, the Honeyhill Campsite,
Barden Road Canoeing Centre and
the National Canoeing Club. Such was
his character that he was known as
‘Mr Dependable’.
ALEXANDER SOUDEN joined the Life
Boy Team of the 18th Paisley Company
at the Methodist Church in Central
Halls, Paisley. He moved through the
ranks and in 1972 was appointed
captain of the Company and remained
in that post until 1989, thereafter
becoming a Battalion reserve officer. He
also served as Battalion Band convenor,
was a member of The Christian
Education Committee, the Company
Section Activities’ Committee as well as
helping in civic and community events.
KEITH GUYLER became an Officer
in the 3rd Gravesend Company in the
early 1960’s and became active in the
North Kent Group and later North Kent
Battalion and North West Kent Battalion.
When the 3rd Gravesend closed, he
formed the 4th Gravesend Company
and became its captain, whereupon it
flourished under Keith’s leadership. In
April 1984 Keith received the Brigade
President’s Commendation, a rare
event for an officer, in recognition of
his work with the Company during his
illness. Retiring to Great Steeping in
Lincolnshire in 1994, he and his wife,
Stella, became active in the village
Methodist Chapel. Keith was a devoted
Christian and an inspirational leader.
April 2010 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette 69

SMALL ADS
Small Advertisements Copy to BBHQ, Felden Lodge, Hemel Hempstead, Herts. HP3 0BL. The Boys’ Brigade takes no responsibility
for statements made in any advertisements here or elsewhere in the BB Gazette. Advertisements for the July 2010 issue should be
received not later than 1st May 2010. The cost is 20p per word.
Approved Campsites
The following sites have been officially
approved, having met Guidelines laid down
by the Brigade, and local Fire and Public
Health Authorities.
AUCHENGILLAN OUTDOOR CENTRE
offers a choice of camping areas and modern
indoor accommodation in an unrivalled setting
in the central Scottish Highlands near to Loch
Lomond. Visiting groups can undertake an extensive
range of challenging and adventurous activities
(on-and off-site) and there are lots of places of
interest to visit close by. Free colour brochure
available from Auchengillan Outdoor Centre,
Blanefield, Stirlingshire G63 9AU.
Tel: 01360 770256; Fax: 01360 771197;
E-mail: centre@auchengillan.com
Website: www.auchengillan.com
FELDEN LODGE CAMPSITE 2010/2011.
BB canvas campsite (operated by 10th Enfield)
fully equipped for up to 50 (smaller camps
welcome) at the BBUK HQ in Hertfordshire (from
June to Sept). Contact Chris Norman on
(t) 07703 571915
or (e) chris@boys-brigade.org.uk
HONEYHILL CAMP (NW Kent Battalion).
12 acres Bearsted near Maidstone. Easy access
to coast, places of interest, sports facilities.
Building with kitchen, gas, electricity, mess tent.
Contact Dennis Hatt, Tel: 01795 873392
Mob: 07749 790413.
Email: dennis_1stminster@talktalk.net
WEST MIDLAND DISTRICT CAMPING CENTRE,
DYFFRYN ARDUDWY. The Boys’ Brigade
Camping Centre at Dyffryn Ardudwy has available
3 camp sites all suitable for mixed camps. The
largest main centre site caters for up to 90
people, has a fully equipped kitchen and dining
area. Also provided is dormitory accommodation
for 40 people and meeting room/Chapel. Ridge
tents are provided on the adjacent 5 acre field
which can also be used for sports. The 2 smaller
3 acre sites each cater for up to 50 people and
include individual kitchen and store with gas
range, grill, instant hot water heater, fridge &
freezer. Tents and marquee are supplied for
each 3 acre site. All three sites have their own
flush toilets, wash and shower facilities. Details
from Jamie Copson 01905 480 955.
Email: info@bbcamping.co.uk
Website: www.bbcamping.co.uk
VECTIS YOUTH CAMPS. Two beautiful
campsites on the Isle of Wight with permanent
kitchens, showers and toilets. Each site is self
contained and is in easy reach of safe beaches
and all the attractions of the Island. All tenting
and equipment included. Prices from £41 per
person per week. Ideal for organized camps
of between 25 and 250 people. Telephone
01344 430203. Email: siteadministrator@
vectisyouthcamps.org.uk website:
www.vectisyouthcamps.org.uk
GLENGARRY CAMP 2010/11, Chideock,
Dorset (near Lyme Regis). Fully equipped
approved BB site 10 minutes from beach. Brick
cookhouse, running hot and cold water, gas
cookers and grills, chip fryer, new fridge freezer
etc. White canvas for 30 – 70 including 45’ x 30’
marquee. Nearby leisure centre with indoor
pool 10 mins. Contact Mark 020 8903 1116
or email mark.myhan@talk21.com
CRAGGAN, the Outdoor Centre of Edinburgh,
Leith and District Battalion. Set in glorious
countryside by Loch Tay, Perthshire. The Centre
is recently refurbished, has disabled access,
sleeps 30, is self-catering and is ideal for
weekend and other camps. Well situated for
outdoor and water activities with own canoes and
jetty. Contact craggan@thebb-edinburgh.org.uk
or 0131 551 1200 ext 20.
WOOLACOMBE NORTH DEVON. Overlooking
the sea our campsite accommodates up to
70 people. We have a permanent cookhouse,
showers and toilets. Call Geoff Hills at the
farm 01271 870501 or visit our website
www.warcombe.org.uk.
Camp 2010/11. Popular site at FRESHWATER,
ISLE OF WIGHT, available August. Fully
equipped, flush toilets, mains gas/electric
cooking, electric fridge, freezer and lighting.
Close to safe, sandy beaches and leisure
centre. Minimum charge 20 campers. For free
information pack and further enquiries contact
Kirk Lakin, Freshwater Camp Equipment Trust,
100 West Court Road, Worthing, West Sussex,
BN14 7DP. Tel: 01903 205353.
Email: info@freshwatertrust.com.
Website: www.freshwatertrust.com
Camping/Holiday
Activities
BLACKPOOL AREA. Self-catering accommodation.
(1) Accommodation for 44 in comfort. 4 single
bedrooms for staff. 2 shower rooms, bedding
and crockery provided. Fully equipped kitchen.
(2) Small Party Unit for 16 persons, including
two staff rooms. Fully equipped as above.
(3) Camp site with camp kitchen/dining room,
shower and toilet facilities. The complex includes
a large sports hall with climbing wall and sports
field. Quiet situation near Kirkham, a market
town on the Fylde Coast. Within easy reach of
Theme Parks and Lake District. For brochure
contact: The Warden, The Boys’ Brigade,
Carr Lane, Treales, Kirkham, PR4 3SS.
Tel/Fax: 01772-685000.
www.TheBoysBrigadeInTheNorthWest.org.uk
ROCK UK ADVENTURE CENTRES.
Bring your Company/Battalion to one of our
spacious venues. Carroty Wood (Kent), Frontier
Centre (Northants), Halls Green (Kent) and
Whitaugh Park (Scottish Borders). We’d love to
send you a brochure! Contact Sally McGuire,
Rock UK Adventure Centres, Frontier Centre,
Addington Road, Irthlingborough, Northants,
NN9 5UH quoting BBG Tel: 01933 654120
www.rockuk.org or email sales.info@rockuk.org
SOUTHERN SCOTLAND. Spacious Edwardian
house in its own grounds within the lovely town of
Moffat. Rent the Well Road Centre for a self-catering
conference/ activity weekend/week. Open all year.
Two meeting/ activity rooms. Large kitchen and
dining room. 13 comfortable bedrooms of various
size. Indoor sports hall. The beautiful Moffat hills for
hiking/orienteering. Suitable for groups of 20 to 65
in number. Only your group in occupation during
your stay. For brochure contact: Well Road Centre,
Moffat DG10 9JT. Tel: 01683 221040 or website:
www.wellroadcentre.co.uk
GREENMOOR CENTRE, S35 7DX, Sheffield
& District Battalion’s residential self-catering
Centre. Sleeps 28 (3 dormitories, separate 2-staff
bedroom and 2-staff/disabled bedroom). Toilets,
showers and fully fitted kitchen. Situated in the
Upper Don Valley, north of Sheffield on edge of
Peak District National Park, within easy reach
of M1. Grid ref SK280994. Contact Sue Cowie
01246-274021, email jmcowiefts@tiscali.co.uk
CAMP 2010/2011 – STOKE GABRIEL, SOUTH
DEVON. Come and camp in our fully equipped
white canvas next to farm/holiday park near
Paignton. Shop/telephone and showers on
Holiday Park. Many local attractions. Please
enquire to Clive Gordon 0121 544 0904 / 0771
876 1150. Email cliveg04@yahoo.co.uk or
Jim jimdrew@blueyonder.co.uk
More info/campsite photos on website
http://3warley.boys-brigade.org.uk
TORBAY. Indoor accommodation during the
summer holiday available at a Methodist Church
operated by 1st Goodrington. We are near the
Devon coast with a wide range of sports, leisure
and visitor attractions close by. Small/medium
groups or first time campers welcome. Contact:
01803 551574 or email: demartin@sky.com
MAGAZINES FOR SALE:. Collection of Stedfast
Magazines, Junior Stedfast magazines and BB
Gazettes for sale (will discuss price). Contact
Phillip Stallard 029 2082 5631 (daytime) or 01633
215753 (evening) for details.
70 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette April 2010

newly refurbished Thurso
Centre is now available for groups
to use. It is ideal for weekends
RefurbishedThe
away with Juniors or Company
Section members, as well as
Thurso Centre
youth and church groups.
For more information and prices
please contact:
Colin watts, Centre Manager
Email: felden.lodge@boys-brigade.org.uk
Tel: 01442 288557
The centre has accommodation for
up to 27 people and comprises:
• 1 bedroom (sleeping 5 persons)
• 3 bedrooms (sleeping 4 persons)
• 2 bedrooms (sleeping 3 persons)
• 1 bedroom (sleeping 2 persons)
• 1 bedroom (with disabled facilities
sleeping 2 persons)
• Kitchen (fully equipped)
• Dining Room
• Activity Hall
• Toilets & Showers
The centre can also be used to
complement canvas camping or in
addition to accommodation in the
main house, enabling larger groups
to stay at Felden Lodge.
Belchamps Scout Centre
The friendly Scout and Guide
campsite near the seaside
6 buildings, 20 activities,
campfires and full
time staff
www.belchamps.co.uk
info@belchamps.co.uk
Tel 01702 562690
Holyoak Lane,
Hawkwell,
Essex SS54JD
April 2010 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette 71

BB SUPPLIES
31 804 1 Safety Handbook .............................................................................................. £4.50
3rd Edition (October 2009)
Scripture Union Resources
A selection of devotional resources produced by Scripture Union ideal for those
working with under 11’s:
36 350 0 High Five............................................................................................................£9.99
Eight sessions for a midweek club or special event for children
based on a Bible reading structure from Mark.
36 351 0 So why God? ....................................................................................................£9.99
So, Why God? is a 12-week discipleship course for children aged 7-11.
36 352 0 Ultimate Creative Prayer .................................................................................£9.99
Ultimate Creative Prayer is crammed full of creative and imaginative
ways to help you and your group get praying.
Bibles
Ideal for presentation at Company displays:
35 358 0 International Children’s Bible (6-11 year olds) ............................................ £16.50
35 355 0 NCV Youth Bible (11 to 18 year olds) ............................................................ £16.50
BB Supplies, Garcia Estate, Canterbury Road, Worthing, BN13 1BW
Telephone: 08707 442 292 Fax: 08707 203 842
Order online 24 hours a day through the Online Shop at http://shop.boys-brigade.org.uk
Also available at local depots around the UK (See Supplies Catalogue or Website for more details)