In recent weeks it has been wonderful to see a number of new BB groups get started across the country, including our newest one on the Isle of Skye.

Meeting at Dunvegan Community Hall, the new group held its first session on Tuesday this week and their Leader-in-Charge, Gary Wilson, shared with us how it went.

Gary said: “We had 22 children and young people join us for games, crafts, singing and lots of fun, so a big thank you to all of the leaders and to BB Headquarters for their support and the wonderful resources that we have been blessed with.”

The parents/carers were equally enthused, with one commenting: “It was really nice to see so many children and young people enjoying activities together. It got a good review in our house; my child said that he didn’t just have fun – he had loads and loads and loads of fun!”

It’s fantastic to hear that the group has got to a great start, and we pray for them and all of our groups across the country as they continue to provide opportunities for children and young people to experience “life to the full” (John 10:10).

If you are interested in starting a new group or would just like to have a chat about what The Boys’ Brigade could offer your Church please get in touch by calling 0300 303 4454 or sending an email to support@boys-brigade.org.uk

Pictured are leaders at 1st Isle of Skye taking part in our Youth Leader Training course ahead of the group’s launch.

In a world that’s more connected than ever, our leaders and young people across the country are doing fantastic work in using social media to share the joy, learning and community that The Boys’ Brigade offers.

Whether it’s a captivating photo or a short video that highlights how we’re helping young people to experience life to the full, or a post about how the group gets involved in the local community, there are lots of great examples out there of sharing the BB story.

To celebrate the creativity, dedication and hard work of our volunteer leaders and young people, we’re thrilled to announce The Boys’ Brigade Social Media Awards!

These awards are our way of saying a massive ‘thank you’ for your efforts to keep our community vibrant, connected and growing.

Find out more about the award categories and how to submit a nomination at boys-brigade.org.uk/social-media-awards

We are delighted to welcome Jack Spong to the Development and Engagement Team at BB Headquarters.

Supported by the funding we were awarded from the Uniformed Youth Fund, Jack will be working with groups on support and development needs as well as helping to establish new groups, primarily in the South & West of England, West Midlands and Wales.

Jack said: “I’m delighted to have joined an organisation that is incredibly passionate about young people experiencing ‘life to the full’. I am humbled by the 140-year history of The Boys’ Brigade and I am excited to be a part of this journey.”

“I’ve worked with young people in various capacities before, specifically in coaching and mentoring, as well as working with Churches across the UK to deliver excellent programmes for young people. I’m looking forward to working as a Development and Engagement Worker in the South & West of England, West Midlands and Wales to support existing groups, as well as set up new ones in the area. I look forward to working with you!”

To contact our Development & Engagement Team please email development@boys-brigade.org.uk or phone 0300 303 4454.

As part of our new Spring resources for BB groups to use we are pleased to launch a themed programme based on Eric Liddell, one of the UK’s most famous Olympians.

This year marks 100 years since Eric’s famous gold medal at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris. Alongside his successes on the track, his Christian values and example helped to ensure his legacy lives on today.

Our new themed programme has been developed in partnership with The Eric Liddell Community, an Edinburgh-based care charity and community centre, as part of The Eric Liddell 100 – a series of events and activities being planned throughout 2024 to celebrate Eric’s life and achievements.

The themed programme is primarily aimed at our Seniors age group (14-18 year olds) and enables young people to spend time finding out more about Eric’s story and how his values still inspire.

John MacMillan, CEO of The Eric Liddell Community, said: “As CEO of a charity named after Eric Liddell, I felt a duty to ensure that his life, sporting achievements and community service are remembered and valued. The Eric Liddell 100 brings together a wide range of partners to help secure, cherish and celebrate the legacy of Eric Liddell for future generations across the world. It is being planned around 2024, the centenary of his historic success at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris.”

“I am delighted to have been able to work in partnership with The Boys’ Brigade to develop this fantastic Eric Liddell programme, which will engage young people in Eric Liddell’s story, the values he led his life by, and the inspiration that they bring.”

Download the themed programme and accompanying activity sheets here.

Find out more about The Eric Liddell 100 at ericliddell.org/the-eric-liddell-100, email EL100@ericliddell.org or search for The Eric Liddell Community on social media.

In this season of Advent we recall that the coming of Christ into the world is the greatest story of hope, and that our role as a Christian youth organisation is for us to share this message.

From a personal perspective the past 12 months have been more challenging than navigating through a global pandemic. One leader reminded me earlier this year that our focus can easily become about what has been lost, when really our focus should be on the possibilities and opportunities that these situations present.

In January we were delighted to learn we had been awarded significant funding from the DCMS (Department of Culture, Media & Sport) Uniformed Youth Fund. Our application was centred on delivering our strategy to improve the quality of experience for children and young people, but we have also set targets for starting new groups and growing existing groups and we’re delighted with the number that have already signed up to be part of the Building Stronger initiative so far.

Another important focus of our strategy is the role young leaders. We made a start by establishing a new Young Leaders Network last year, and one of the highlights of 2023 for me was the filming that took place in five Companies in England and Scotland earlier in the year, which focussed on young people talking about the benefits and barriers of being part of our organisation.

This year we also celebrated our 140th birthday, an incredible achievement. Of course the organisation hasn’t reached this milestone by chance, but through the dedication and resilience of thousands of volunteer leaders over the years, committed to supporting children and young people.

As well as giving thanks and celebrating all that has been achieved, it is vital that anniversaries are as much about looking forward as looking back.

Working in partnership with Youthscape we were delighted to publish our Youth Culture and Trends report at a reception in Parliament hosted by the Speaker, the Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP. We will be holding webinars in the New Year to support our leaders to explore the findings of the research how to respond to the needs of children and young people in their own group.

Our new Ministry Team, which we were able to create following the funding received from the Uniformed Youth Fund, alongside our Christian Faith Group have been reflecting on ways in which we can help support the Faith Journey of young people.

We will be doing this in a variety of ways, including through a new initiative called Spaces which will complement our existing model in equipping and supporting an increasing number of Churches to share the Christian faith with young people.

May I take this opportunity to thank all our amazing volunteer leaders for what they do in communities across the country. Thank you also to our supporters, funders and partner organisations that we work with that allow The Boys’ Brigade to do more and be more as an organisation.

Wishing you all a happy Christmas and peaceful new year.

Jonathan Eales
Chief Executive

This week thousands of members of The Boys’ Brigade have taken part in activities and events as we remember all those who sacrificed so much for our freedom.

A contingent of young people and leaders from 41st Edinburgh, 3rd Falkirk, 1st Loanhead, 31st Northampton and 1st Tewkesbury represented the Brigade at the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph on Whitehall in London. Taking place on the morning of Remembrance Sunday, the event was broadcast live on the BBC and included a march past and the laying of wreaths.

In addition, Brigade members took part in Remembrance events in their local Churches, schools and communities. Events have included services, civic commemorations, taking part in collections for the Poppy Appeal, and lots more.

Children and young people have also been getting involved as part of their regular programme of activities, learning about Remembrance and why it is important as well as getting creative by making Remembrance-themed displays.

BB groups have been posting about their involvement in Remembrance on social media. We encourage groups to post and tag The Boys’ Brigade, and use hashtags #WeWillRememberThem and #BoysBrigade. You can also email us at newsdesk@boys-brigade.org.uk

Check out some photos below showing how our children and young people have been getting involved in Remembrance this year . . .

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The Boys’ Brigade has been working in partnership with Youthscape to explore the trends and pressures on the lives of young people today.

An Insight Report from this research was recently launched at an event at the Houses of Parliament, hosted by the Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, Speaker of the House of Commons, to celebrate our 140th anniversary.

The new report, Youth Culture and Trends, focuses on:

• Health and wellbeing
• Identity, values and beliefs
• Behaviours and lifestyles
• Relationships
• Education and the future
• Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic

This research will help to shape and inform the work of The Boys’ Brigade, including providing volunteer leaders with a resource to help ‘see’ young people and the worlds they inhabit with clarity and compassion.

Find out more and download the research at boys-brigade.org.uk/youth-culture-and-trends

Chris Curtis, Chief Executive of Youthscape, commented: “Working together with The Boys’ Brigade, our Centre for Research has conducted what I believe is the first post-pandemic analysis of how life is different for teenagers compared to a decade ago. It’s exhaustive, drawing from more than 90 pieces of published research.”

“Only organisations who are willing to listen to young people are likely to be regarded by them as having anything worth saying. That puts The Boys’ Brigade in a strong position going forward.”

Jonathan Eales, Chief Executive, added: “As well as giving thanks and celebrating our 140th anniversary, it is vital that significant moments like this, are as much about looking forward as looking back. There is so much we can learn from this report and about the challenges facing young people today, like loneliness, isolation and the impacts on mental health.”

“It’s also an important reminder that what our local groups do and what we offer young people within the BB is so important.”

We’re pleased to announce that The Boys’ Brigade and PGL are working in partnership to help even more children and young people to have adventures, try new things and develop life skills.

Our new partnership will provide groups with access to discounted rates at all PGL’s adventure centres around the UK. A typical visit to a PGL centre often includes the opportunity to take on exciting adventure activities such as high ropes, zip wires, aeroball, axe throwing, rifle shooting, paddle boarding, fencing and much more!

These residential opportunities not only encourage children and young people to step outside of their comfort zone, but also provide brilliant moments for our members to work on crucial life skills such as teamwork, problem solving, overcoming fears and building confidence.

What Benefits Can BB Groups Now Access?

• Lower Prices
• £10 +VAT discount for every member
• Free BB leader place for every 8 children/young people
• Additional discount for larger groups over 50 people
• Book 2 or more visits and save 10% on the lowest priced break.

We’re also pleased to share that an exclusive competition for BB groups to enter, with the chance of winning a PGL break worth up to £1,500 will be launching soon.

To find out more about what PGL has to offer and to explore which of their 15 UK centres is closest to you, click HERE

To claim your exclusive price, quote ‘The Boys’ Brigade’ when booking.

Recognising Nights Away

Don’t forget that you can also celebrate children and young people taking part in residential opportunities, with our Nights Away Award. These badges, now in partnership with PGL, can be awarded to members on reaching key milestones including 1, 3, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 75 & 100 nights away.

All residential nights away count towards these awards, including summer camps, sleepovers, activity centre weekends, DofE expeditions & international trips.

Badges can be ordered via BB Supplies.

Over the last few weeks, thousands of children, young people and leaders have got involved with celebrations for our 140th anniversary!

It has been fantastic to see groups across the country get involved with a range of special activities, challenges and events, providing members with an opportunity to take part in these celebrations and create unique memories.

140 Monopoly Challenge (Company & Seniors)

On Saturday 30th September, over 700 young people and leaders came together across four cities to kick start our 140th celebrations.

140 teams took part in our 140 Monopoly Challenge in London, Manchester, Glasgow & Aberdeen, with teams racing around these cities trying to visit as many properties as possible on that city’s Monopoly board in five hours.

This saw teams across the UK visit major landmarks and locations such as The Ritz, Old Trafford, Glasgow Cathedral, Marischal College, The Midland Hotel, Hamden Park, Nelson’s Column and many more!

Congratulations go to our winning teams in each location, 1st Lindfield (London), 1st Rainford (Manchester), 4th/5th Kilmarnock (Glasgow) & 1st Rosehearty (Aberdeen).

It was also great to see many other groups take on the 140 Monopoly Challenge in their local area, covering other towns and cities such as Birmingham, Bath, Leeds, Durham & Cheltenham.

Juniors 140 Sleepover

2,000 Juniors continued the 140th celebrations on Saturday 7th & Sunday 8th October with our Juniors 140 Sleepover.

This involved sleepovers in over 100 locations across the UK, including in church halls, trampoline parks, adventure centres, castles and even in South Africa.

Throughout the evening, children took on our specially created sleepover programme, including party themed minute to win it challenges, our Juniors 140 quiz, toasting marshmallows, the sleeping bag prayer, litter picking, a pizza party and more!

We also were able to bring 1,500 Juniors together on Saturday evening for our online gathering, almost certainly our biggest BB online gathering ever! This saw us checking in with some of the locations, setting some fun on the spot challenges and hearing a special message from Christian magician, Paul Brown.

Anchors 140 Challenge

Throughout October Anchors have also been getting involved with the 140 celebrations, with their own challenge.

Anchor age groups have been tasked with creating the number ‘140’ in the most creative way possible.

This challenge is still ongoing, however so far we have already seen lots of brilliant submissions, including using glow sticks, BB uniform, games equipment, cakes, food bank donations, seashells, candles and more!

Celebrating through termly programmes

Groups have also been making use of our 140 activity cards to celebrate over the last few weeks.

This has included seeing Anchors create time capsules that they can open when they are Seniors, Juniors exploring The Boys’ Brigade in numbers, Company taking on our ‘Big BB Quiz’ and Seniors travelling back to 1883 in our ‘140 Years’ activity.

Groups have been sharing photos of these activities in action on social media using the hashtag #BB140.

140 Prayer & Thanksgiving

On Wednesday 4th October, the day of our 140th anniversary, our Ministry Team hosted an online thanksgiving and prayer gathering as part of the celebrations.

We were joined by Jonathan Eales, CEO; Rev Stuart Cutler, Brigade Chaplain; and dozens of leaders from across the country. We thanked God for all that he has done through the ministry of The Boys’ Brigade over the last 140 years and prayed for the ongoing and future ministry of the Brigade.

Gallery

Check out some photos from the various celebrations below…

[Show slideshow]

The Boys’ Brigade, a Christian youth organisation which provides opportunities for children and young people to learn, grow and discover, celebrates its 140th anniversary today.

Founded in 1883 by Sir William Alexander Smith, BB was the first voluntary uniformed youth movement in the world. In fact, many of today’s organisations for young people can trace their roots back to the BB. To mark the milestone, The Boys’ Brigade will be planting an oak tree to commemorate the life and legacy of its founder in a special Heroes of the Faith Woodland which is being created on the outskirts of Birmingham.

The Heroes of the Faith Woodland is part of the same site where the Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer will be built.

Richard Gamble, Founder of the Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer, commented: “We’re delighted that The Boys’ Brigade is sponsoring a tree to be part of the Heroes of the Faith Woodland. The tree celebrates the legacy of its founder, Sir William Smith, and over 140 years of this wonderful organisation rooted in the Christian faith.”

At a local level, BB groups across the country are celebrating the anniversary in different ways. Activities included a live Monopoly Challenge last weekend for young people in the Company and Seniors age groups which took place in London, Glasgow, Manchester and Aberdeen, as well as a national sleepover for the Juniors age group this coming weekend and an Anchors 140 Challenge.

Jonathan Eales, Chief Executive of The Boys’ Brigade added: “An oak tree seems a particularly fitting way to celebrate our founder’s vision for a Christian youth organisation which started in Glasgow but grew across the UK and around the world.”

“As well as a celebration of our history, we are also celebrating the opportunities and experiences we continue to provide children and young people today. We’re going to be launching new groups, while also working with our amazing volunteers to welcome new members to existing groups.”

With more than 750 local groups in communities across the UK and RoI, the organisation supports more than 20,000 children and young people today with the help of thousands of dedicated volunteer leaders. The BB is also active in over 50 countries around the world.

To find your nearest BB group please visit boys-brigade.org.uk/find-a-group

The Boys’ Brigade is pleased to announce that Very Rev Dr Martin Fair has been co-opted as Co-Chair of our Trustee Board, the Brigade Executive.

Raised in Glasgow, Martin studied at both Strathclyde and Glasgow Universities and later at Princeton Theological Seminary in New Jersey. His 31 years of parish ministry were spent in Arbroath during which time his primary focus was on transforming the congregation into an outward-looking family, committed to serving and addressing needs in the wider community and world.

Martin served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland (2020-2021) and now works in a national Church role focusing on recruiting and training the leaders of tomorrow.

Martin commented: “I’m delighted and sensing the privilege that is mine to be joining the Brigade Executive as Co-Chair and hope that I’ll be able to contribute positively to the work of the Executive and, ultimately, to the life of the Brigade itself in the time ahead.”

“But first and foremost I’m looking forward to getting to know people and to listening and learning and to joining what is already a great team. Here’s to exciting days ahead!”

Jonathan Eales, Chief Executive of The Boys’ Brigade, added: “I am delighted that we are welcoming Martin to the Brigade Executive as Co-Chair. He brings so much experience and understanding of both the challenges and opportunities for the Church today, which is so important for us as a Christian youth organisation.”

We are delighted to welcome two new members of staff to the team at BB Headquarters.

Jonathan Muir joins us as Finance Manager, while Anne-Marie Methven takes up the role of Finance Support Officer. Both will be based at our Carronvale House office and will take responsibility for the Brigade’s financial function, including providing support to our Chief Executive, Treasurer and Finance Committee.

Welcome to the team, Jonathan and Anne-Marie – we wish them both all the best in their new roles!

The Boys’ Brigade is delighted to announce that we will be working in partnership with Refresh PR over the next two years to help raise awareness of our work with children and young people.

Refresh was appointed following a successful project earlier this year, which saw the agency develop a campaign focusing on the benefits and barriers of being part of the BB.

This three-month campaign centred around engaging video content, featuring young people from five different BB groups. The campaign was recently shortlisted for two awards from the Chartered Institute for Public Relations (CIPR) – Best Not-for-Profit Campaign and Best Channel Delivery.

Thanks to the agency’s creative ideas during the pitching process, and approach to the initial project, The Boys’ Brigade decided to extend our partnership for a further two years.

Refresh will work to deliver an integrated communications strategy which will help drive recruitment of young people and leaders, whilst shining a light on the opportunities that the organisation provides in communities nationwide.

Laura Mashiter, Managing Director at Refresh, commented: “We love working with organisations which are doing great things. The campaign will be a combination of internal and external communications, from influencer activity and social media management to media relations and generating owned content. It will showcase what BB is all about: learning new skills through experiences and opportunities while enabling its young people to grow into caring and confident individuals.”

Refresh are currently developing some new resources for leaders which will help raise awareness about what groups are doing locally. They have also been developing some programme activities with a themed programme for the Seniors age group set to be available in the new Autumn term resources.

As you may have seen over the last few months, we have been working with our Young Leaders Group to highlight some of our amazing young people and leaders across the country. We wanted to hear what they had to say about the benefits and barriers of being part of The Boys’ Brigade.

We asked Refresh, the PR and communications agency who helped to deliver the project, to share what they learned during their time working with us…

As a PR agency, we work with a whole host of different businesses and organisations, so it was great to get to work alongside children and young people who are so passionate about The Boys’ Brigade and the work their groups do in the local community.

From getting to know the members and leaders, we got to hear what some of their barriers were when they first joined The Boys’ Brigade, or what they think is stopping their friends at school from joining.

A welcoming place for everyone

A common barrier that we picked up on is that people assume they must be Christian to attend. However, we know that whilst The Boys’ Brigade’s work is rooted in the Christian faith, it is welcoming to people of all faiths and none, so this was one of the key messages we wanted to share.

When speaking to one of the brilliant young leaders, Sam, he said that The Boys’ Brigade is “a safe place [for young people] to come, share their values, explore their faith and learn at the same time with friends, who don’t necessarily need to be part of a group because when they come, we’re all just one family”.

Hearing this come from one of the respected leaders and being able to feature it in our video campaign will no doubt encourage others to join The Boys’ Brigade and assure them that everyone is welcome.

Supportive and inspiring leaders

We also got to listen to the young people who faced barriers when first joining and are now fully fledged members of the organisation.

Jordan, a member from 2nd East Kilbride, said: “I was really scared to come at first but everyone was really nice, I made friends really quickly and the leaders are all really great and supportive.”

We could see first-hand, from visiting five different BB groups, just how supportive the leaders are. The connection that the leaders have with the members is a very special bond. Anyone could see just how much respect the members have for their leaders and vice versa. When speaking to another of the leaders, Rachael at 53rd Manchester, she talked about how she wants young people to take away the fact that they “can be who they want to be”.

Rachael continued, “and hopefully we can steer them in the right direction and equip them for the real world!”

Thank you for inviting us into your groups East Kilbride, Manchester, Glasgow, Rainford and Sheffield! We hope you’ve all enjoyed watching the videos and we can’t wait to continue our work with The Boys’ Brigade’s leadership team to help break down these barriers and spread the message of what a welcoming organisation The Boys’ Brigade is.

Claire Newmarch
Account Manager, Refresh PR

We would like to say a massive thank you to BB young people across the country who spent over 11,270 hours volunteering as part of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in the year from 1st April 2022 to 31st March 2023!

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a voluntary, non-competitive and flexible programme of activities for all young people aged between 14 and 24, whatever their background or ability.

We are incredibly proud of the dedication and efforts of our young people, which has made a huge impact in their own groups, Churches and local communities, and has had an estimated social value of over £54,000!

If you’re a BB leader and would like to find out more about running the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in The Boys’ Brigade, get in touch at support@boys-brigade.org.uk (or nihq@boys-brigade.org.uk if you’re in Northern Ireland) for more information.

We are delighted to welcome Dave Martin to the Staff Team at BB Headquarters as our Development and Engagement Worker for the North of England.

Our recent additions to the team follow the award of funding from the Uniformed Youth Fund, which is allowing us to invest in providing more resources and support to Companies, volunteer leader recruitment, developing our Church partnerships and raising our profile.

As part of our Development and Engagement Team, Dave will work to support and develop existing groups and establish new groups primarily in the North of England, along with the development of resources and strategies to enable this.

Dave said: “I am really excited to take on my new role as the Development and Engagement Worker for the North of England.”

“I have spent the last 10 years in Church ministry pioneering and growing ministries involving children, young people and families. I have served at multiple HTB Churches, been a part of the national Messy Church leadership team and spent a lot of time speaking into intergenerational discipleship at various conferences and events.”

“I am married to the lovely Rebecca, produce electronic music in my spare time and love to adventure around the world when I get the chance! I am looking forward to meeting you all and supporting your Company if you’re in the North of England!”

We are delighted to welcome Alistair Bassett to the Staff Team at BB Headquarters as Ministry Support Worker.

The Boys’ Brigade is passionate about its partnership with the local Church and building bridges into communities to engage a generation of children and young people with a message of hope rooted in Jesus.

As part of our newly-formed Ministry Team, Alistair will support our work to develop strategies and tools to help equip local Churches to reach out to children and young people in their communities, including looking at new ways of working in partnership with local Churches and increasing the awareness of what The Boys’ Brigade can provide to support children’s & youthwork ministry in Churches across the country.

Alistair said: “I joined 22nd Northampton at the age of five and it’s an honour to have been part of the BB family ever since. For the past four years I have been working for local Churches doing children’s & youth ministry, and I recently got married.”

“I’m excited to be joining the Ministry Team and to be looking at how we can strengthen and develop our faith along with our Object, Vision, Mission and Values throughout all aspects of BB, including our relationships with local Churches and wider Christian organisations.”

Applications to stand in the Scottish Youth Parliament’s 2023 elections are now open.

Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYPs) are 14-25 year olds from every part of Scotland who have been elected to represent Scotland’s young people and campaign for positive change.

MSYPs are elected every two years, and the next elections will take place in November 2023, when two young people will be elected to represent BB members in Scotland.

Prospective candidates have until Monday 31st July 2023 to register their interest in standing to become an MSYP. Young people will then receive training to help them develop their skills before they launch their election campaigns in the autumn.

Across Scotland, young people will then cast their ballots to choose who they want to represent them for the next two years between Monday 6th November and Sunday 19th November.

Mollie McGoran MSYP, Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament said: “We’re excited to launch our elections for people aged 14-25 across the country to stand to become MSYPs. This is a chance to join a uniquely youth-led organisation to campaign for change on the important issues that young people care about.”

Jonathan Eales, Chief Executive of The Boys’ Brigade, added: “This is a great opportunity for two young people in Scotland. It’s so important for our members to have a voice on important issues being discussed at the Scottish Youth Parliament.”

Young people interested in standing for election to the SYP can find out more and register online at syp.org.uk/elections

As part of the Uniformed Youth Fund which The Boys’ Brigade was recently awarded funding from, a Youth Advisory Board is being created that will support the evaluation of the projects being funded and the impact that uniformed youth groups have on young people.

This opportunity is open to young people (aged 16-18) who are currently part of the BB in England.

Advisory Board members will:

• Work alongside the research team to provide advice and ideas from a youth perspective
• Influence decision about how the research and evaluation is done
• Have opportunities to learn about social research, data collection and interpretation

Natalie Whipday, the BB’s Director for Operations, said: “This is an amazing opportunity for two young people within the BB in England to develop their knowledge, skills and experiences. As well as getting to meet young people from other organisations, they will also be working alongside research professionals and government officials.”

To find out more and apply please check out the Application Pack – available in PDF or Word formats. The closing date for applications is Friday 9th June 2023.

BB groups across the country have been taking part in a range of events and activities to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III.

On Saturday 6th May, a group of young people and leaders had the opportunity to see the Coronation Procession in person from a special viewing area for uniformed youth organisations on The Mall. Following this, the organisations were able to lead the walk to Buckingham Palace to view the Royal Family’s balcony appearance and the flypast from right outside the palace gates.

Max, a Company age group member who was part of the group, said: “I loved being able to go and watch the procession, it was a memorable occasion and really exciting to see the King and Queen in person along with everything else that went on. I had the best day!”

The following day, a group from our Young Leaders Network came together at Windsor Castle with around 20,000 other people to enjoy the Coronation Concert.

BB members have been getting involved in local events linked to the Coronation, including thanksgiving services, community lunches as part of The Big Lunch and events to showcase volunteering through The Big Help Out.

Groups have also brought the Coronation into their regular meetings, using our specially-designed range of programme resources to help celebrate this landmark occasion, to explore more about the King and the Coronation, and to pray.

Check out some photos from Coronation events around the Brigade below. You can also check out what groups have been sharing on social media by searching #BBCoronation

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We are delighted to welcome Gillian Hay to the Staff Team at BB Headquarters as Leader Development Co-ordinator.

Based at our Carronvale House office in Larbert, Gillian’s role will see her co-ordinating delivery of leader training across the organisation, and she will also work with our Leader Development Community – our newly-established, volunteer-led community of trainers – to create a collaborative and enthused network.

Gillian said: “I am really looking forward to my new role working to support our Leader Development Community across the country. I’ve been involved in The Boys’ Brigade for over 40 years in different roles and am also a leader in Girlguiding. Outside of work and volunteering I enjoy camping, crafts, music and travelling.”

We are excited to welcome Steph Goodwin to the Staff Team at BB Headquarters as Programme & Events Team Member.

Our recent additions to the team follow the award of funding from the Uniformed Youth Fund, which is allowing us to invest in providing more resources and support to Companies, volunteer leader recruitment, developing our Church partnerships and raising our profile.

As part of our Programme Team, Steph will work to support the development of resources as part of our termly programme of activities across all age groups, provide support and guidance to volunteers and staff on running high-quality, accessible and adaptable programmes, and support and manage the delivery of events and training for children and young people.

Steph said: “Having worked with children throughout my career, I am very excited about my new role with the BB. I have been a volunteer leader with 1st Mid Suffolk for the past 10 years and am Leader-in-Charge of their Juniors age group. During lockdown I delivered the #BBatHOME activities at our group, and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the photos of the activities. I am looking forward to sharing my programme ideas with you all and being a part of the wider Brigade family.”

We are delighted to welcome two new additions to the Development and Support Team at BB Headquarters.

Fiona Spooner joins us as the Development and Engagement Worker for Central Scotland, with Caroline McBain joining to undertake the same role in Central England.

Both Fiona and Caroline will work to support and develop existing groups and establish new groups primarily in their respective areas, along with the development of resources and strategies to enable this.

Fiona (pictured left) said: “I’m delighted to be joining the Staff Team as the Development and Engagement Worker in Central Scotland. As a Captain within Paisley Battalion, I enjoy working alongside other volunteers to support children and young people to learn, grow and discover.”

“I’m looking forward to finding out about all the fantastic things our groups across Scotland are offering to our young people and supporting them to grow, as well as looking at opportunities to start new work.”

Caroline, right, said: “I’m delighted to be joining The Boys’ Brigade as the Development and Engagement Worker for Central England. I have worked in the voluntary youth sector for a number of years and look forward to learning about and working with different groups within the BB.“

“I am passionate about youth work and excited for the opportunities available to young people within the BB and my role in encouraging our young people to experience life to the full.”

We are incredibly excited to welcome Peter Andrews to the Staff Team at BB Headquarters as Ministry Lead.

As an organisation we are passionate about our partnership with the local Church and building bridges into communities to engage a generation of children and young people with a message of hope rooted in Jesus.

In this newly-created role, Peter will be working to develop strategies and tools to help equip local Churches to reach out to children and young people in their communities. This will include looking at new ways of working in partnership with local Churches and increasing the awareness of what The Boys’ Brigade can provide to support children’s & youthwork ministry in Churches across the country.

Peter said: “Having come to faith in the BB at the age of 16, I’m delighted to be re-joining the organisation as Ministry Lead. I’m excited to journey with you as we explore faith development pathways and resources, fresh ways of outworking our Vision and, above all, seeing what God has in store for our children and young people over the next few years.”

The Boys’ Brigade has been awarded significant funding from the Government’s Uniformed Youth Fund which will allow us to support more young people to learn, grow and discover over the next two years.

Funding has been allocated to 43 organisations from the Uniformed Youth Fund and is aimed at helping 45,000 more young people access regular, positive activities every year. This will support their wellbeing, give them opportunities to develop vital skills for life and empower them to be active members of their local community.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said: “I want every young person to have the opportunity to access the kinds of life-changing activities which expand their horizons and allow them to develop vital life skills.”

Jonathan Eales, Chief Executive of The Boys’ Brigade, commented: “We are delighted by this investment from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and recognition in the value of our work with young people. The funding means we can increase the capacity and reach of our impact on young people in a range of local communities and is aligned to our five-year strategy to improve the quality and consistency of experience for young people.”

Natalie Whipday, the Brigade’s Operations Director, added: “Although this funding is specific to our work with young people in England, the impact will reach across the Brigade, allowing us to invest in developing resources for leaders, strengthening Church partnerships and developing our profile. The funding has allowed us to recruit a number of new roles and we look forward to welcoming new staff to the team over the coming months.”

Read more about this new investment on the DCMS press release.

We are blessed as an organisation to have over 10,000 volunteer leaders across the country who support children and young people to learn, grow and discover.

It’s important to give thanks and celebrate the amazing work that our volunteers leaders do.

We also know that volunteer recruitment is a big challenge, and so it’s also important to highlight the variety of people that become BB leaders, and the benefits and sense of reward that come from volunteering.

The Big Help Out is a national day of volunteering taking place over the Coronation weekend, on Monday 8th May. It’s about inspiring a new generation of volunteers and is set to be one of the centrepieces of the celebrations for the Coronation. It’s a great opportunity for the BB to be seen in local communities and start conversations with potential volunteers.

We are asking for parents/carers as well as children and young people in BB groups to get involved by sharing their own messages of thanks for everything leaders do in their group and wider community.

They can write a short message, or even submit a short video message by using our online form before 24th April. We will then be sharing these messages on our website and social media from the Big Help Out on 8th May through to the end of Volunteers’ Week (1st to 7th June).

If you are a leader, please share the link with parent/carers and children/young people involved in your group. Thank you for everything you do as a volunteer within the Brigade!

The Brigade Executive (Trustee Board of The Boys’ Brigade) is seeking to co-opt an experienced, dynamic individual with a passion for the work of the organisation to the Board with a view to taking on the role of Chair of Trustees from September 2023.

The Brigade Executive has responsibility for overseeing the work of the organisation across the UK and RoI. As the legal Board of Trustees, its role includes ensuring the organisation effectively fulfils its charitable objectives, determining the overall strategic direction of the organisation and ensuring availability of resources.

Jonathan Eales, Chief Executive commented: “This is an exciting opportunity to help deliver our five-year strategy to improve the quality of experience for children and young people, and assist in shaping the future direction of the organisation.”

The Boys’ Brigade was founded nearly 140 years ago for the purpose of engagement and outreach to children and young people to advance Christ’s kingdom. Everything within the Brigade, whether within a local group or our support structures, including the Brigade Executive, is there to serve this purpose.

Find out more about this role and how to apply at boys-brigade.org.uk/job-vacancies

Find out more about the Brigade Executive at boys-brigade.org.uk/our-trustees

Find out more about our five-year Strategic Plan at boys-brigade.org.uk/who-we-are/our-strategic-plan

BB groups across the country have been taking part in a range of activities to link to Children’s Mental Health Week (6th to 12th February 2023).

Now in its ninth year, Children’s Mental Health Week is an initiative which was launched in 2015 by the charity Place2Be to shine a spotlight on the importance of children and young people’s mental health.

As part of our termly programme for the Spring 2023 term, fully resourced activity cards were provided for each of our four age groups to support leaders in exploring the topic of mental health with their groups.

These activities enable children and young people to think about their feelings and emotions, how to look after their mental health and what support is available to them, all in a safe and caring environment.

Jonathan Eales, our Chief Executive, said:

“Children and young people in The Boys’ Brigade come from a range of backgrounds and have different needs and abilities. It’s so important that our programme supports their health and wellbeing, giving young people a space to explore how to cope with tough moments in their lives.”

Leaders can access the resources, which are available to use at any time, on our Programme Hub.

The Boys’ Brigade has partnered with Fearless (part of Crimestoppers) to produce a ‘Fearless & Crime’ activity card aimed at the Seniors age group (14-18 years).

Fearless is the dedicated youth service from the independent charity Crimestoppers. The new activity card encourages young people to explore a series of scenarios and discuss what someone might do in each situation as well as think about the consequences of some of the choices being made. It follows this by introducing the Fearless crime reporting system and shares more about how it works.

Our Chief Executive, Jonathan Eales, said:

“It’s great to be working in partnership with Fearless to produce a new resource for our Seniors age group. This activity card aims to raise awareness of an important service that was developed through consultation with young people, which aims to break down any barriers that might prevent young people from reporting crime.”

Leaders can access the ‘Fearless & Crime’ resources via our Programme Hub.

For more information about the Fearless crime reporting service please visit fearless.org

If you are a BB leader running the activity, be mindful that this may lead to disclosures from young people. It is important that any disclosures made to you are followed up through BB Safeguarding procedures. For more information visit boys-brigade.org.uk/safeguarding or contact the Safeguarding Manager at BB Headquarters by emailing safeguarding@boys-brigade.org.uk

The Boys’ Brigade has partnered with The Children’s Society to produce a Child Criminal Exploitation Themed Programme, an informative and interactive resource aimed at the Company age group (11-14 years).

This partnership is the first of its kind for a uniformed youth organisation, with similar resources only having previously been provided in educational settings.

Child criminal exploitation is prevalent across the UK, with the most well-known example being county lines. It impacts thousands of children and young people every day, putting them at risk of gaining criminal records, prison time, violence and more, whilst the exploiters get the rewards. Our programme resources are designed to enable young people to explore the signs and consequences of exploitation, as well as what can be done to help disrupt this criminal activity.

Last week The Children’s Society hosted a webinar for BB leaders, providing more context to the issue as well as giving tips for how leaders can use the resources confidently and safely in their groups.

One leader who attended the webinar commented:

“Thank you for an excellent webinar, which I found really interesting and informative. It opened my eyes to an area that I wasn’t aware of.”

Leaders can access the programme resources and a recording of the webinar here.

Frederick Fowler and Julie Goreham from The Children’s Society commented:

“The Children’s Society is delighted to be working together with The Boys’ Brigade through our Disrupting Exploitation programme. BB leaders across the country build important relationships with the children and young people getting to know them, their families, and circumstances. This means that BB leaders are in a strong position to be able to identify and disrupt exploitation.”

Leaders are encouraged to complete a short feedback survey to help The Children’s Society know more about their knowledge and confidence on child criminal exploitation up to now, and the impact of these resources in building this up. Feedback can also be shared with the Programme Team at BB Headquarters by emailing programme@boys-brigade.org.uk. All feedback received will assist The Children’s Society’s ongoing work in this area.

If you are a BB leader with any concerns about children and young people linked to child criminal exploitation and you are not sure what to do, please contact the Safeguarding Manager at BB Headquarters by emailing safeguarding@boys-brigade.org.uk

You can find out more about The Children’s Society and the BB’s partnership with them here.

The Boys’ Brigade has over 10,000 volunteer leaders across the country who support children and young people to learn, grow and discover. Over the course of 2022 we are sharing some of their stories each month as we celebrate our amazing leaders.

Meet Neil

Neil Meadow is the Captain of 2nd Wigan as well as being Leader-in-Charge of their Anchors age group.

What is your current career? 

I have had many roles while with BB, but currently I am the health, safety, and compliance supervisor for an environmental and geotechnical investigation consultancy.

What skills have you gained from BB that have helped you in your career?

The main skill I have learned and took into all my roles is leadership and compassion for others – how to look at things from their perspective.

What been your proudest BB moment so far?

My proudest moment was standing in Church while one of my young people collected their Queen’s Badge. Their journey had not always been easy, but we had been there for them since their fifth birthday. Another very proud moment was when my own child got their Queen’s Badge.

What would be your top tip for other BB leaders?

My one piece of advice would be to make your first priority the joy of your members, followed by how you can make them feel loved. I believe that’s how Jesus related to people (“love thy neighbour”) and that’s good enough for me!

Looking to the future, what are you excited about in BB?

As a relatively new Captain I am excited to keep our heritage while creating a future to grow in mission.

The Boys’ Brigade has over 10,000 volunteer leaders across the country who support children and young people to learn, grow and discover. Over the course of 2022 we are sharing some of their stories each month as we celebrate our amazing leaders.

Meet Ian

Ian Packham is Captain of 4th Bromley and Vice-President of Bromley Battalion. He was recently a finalist in BBC Kent’s Make a Difference Awards for 2022, having been nominated for his work within his own BB group as well as supporting other groups within South East London.

Why did you become a BB leader?

I recognised what others had done for me and wanted to give something back. I felt that God was calling me to work with young people.

What is your highlight of your time in BB so far?

There are so many highlights. As a leader seeing those excited and smiling faces enjoying the fun and excitement of being at summer camp, singing their hearts out in worship and just being there for one another.

What do you do when not at BB?

I work as a lithographic printer and spend time caring for my family. I also enjoy listening to music and watching movies.

How would you describe the BB in three words?

Fun, faith, discovery.

We remember and celebrate the life of John Neil OBE, Honorary Brigade President, who died earlier this month.

John began his BB journey in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, but could have had no idea then of the part the organisation would play in his life. 

John would go on to be at the centre of many national initiatives and events, both as a Training Officer for the Brigade, followed by an appointment as Secretary to Glasgow Battalion, in which he carried responsibility for the planning and presentation of the Centenary celebrations in Glasgow in 1983.

He served the wider youth work sector as Chair of the Board of Directors of YouthLink Scotland and was also Chair of the Church of Scotland’s Internal Audit and Central Co-ordinating Committee.

John served as Brigade President from 2004 to 2005, during which he and his wife Nan travelled extensively across the country meeting leaders and young people.

He was appointed an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Her Majesty The Queen for services to young people in 1995.

Earlier this year we asked BB leaders to complete our first-ever Company (Group) Census.

We wanted to establish a clear picture of where organisation is today that will help shape the support and resources provided to leaders.

It was encouraging that over 800 Companies took part in the Census, representing nearly three-quarters of all Companies, providing a strong representation from across the organisation.

The data collected was independently analysed to provide us with an external check against our plans and ensure that the aims and ambitions of the current five-year strategy are still the right ones.

To read the full independent report visit click here.
A presentation summarising the independent report is available here.
To find out more about our Strategic Plan click here.

Key learning…

• Opportunities for growth certainly exist, particularly in the Anchors and Juniors age groups.
• The relative weakness of partner Churches is a challenge, but the data supports the BB as a tool for mission and community engagement.
• Our greatest challenge is leader recruitment.
• Whilst there are some geographically based differences from the Census, none are particularly significant.
• There is evidence of progress against our five-year strategy and its focus on improving the consistency and quality of experience offered to children and young people. Organisational investment in our programme has been particularly welcomed by leaders.

We will be sharing key information from the Census with Battalions, which we hope will be helpful in providing direction for the support they provide to their Companies locally.

We are delighted to launch our Young Leaders Network, a new community which is designed to help leaders aged 18-26 to grow into their role and assist them in discovering opportunities to continue to build skills, share experiences and shape the future of The Boys’ Brigade.

By investing in young leaders and giving them opportunities to develop, we believe this will help to build the leaders of the future and ensure the BB can meet the needs of future generations.

Rachael Knowles, Chair of the BB’s Young Leaders Group, said: “I’m really excited about the launch of our Young Leaders Network. Following on from the success of our first Young Leaders Weekend, I’m looking forward to joining with other young leaders to explore how we can shape the organisation going forwards as well as to share ideas, build relationships and get to know each other.”

Jonathan Eales, Chief Executive, said: “The new Young Leaders Network is central to our five-year strategy. It will enable young leaders to speak for the organisation, and even more importantly, to meaningfully shape our priorities, both now and for the future.”

“This is an exciting new initiative, and I hope we can all encourage young leaders to get involved with it. This is an opportunity for us to turn our words into actions and let the voice of young people lead the way.”

Find out more about the Network, what it does and opportunities to get involved at boys-brigade.org.uk/young-leaders-network

Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Wales today visited St Thomas Church, home of 1st Swansea Eastside Boys’ Brigade & Girls’ Association, as part of their first visit to Wales since taking on the roles.

Over the past two years the Church has been transformed into a community hub, committed to improving the lives of those who live in the local area. The Church now incorporates a foodbank (open five days each week) a baby charity (Swansea Baby Basics), and a not-for-profit café and conference/wedding reception venue.

During their visit, the Prince and Princess spoke to volunteers at the Church as well as children and young people from 1st Swansea Eastside, watched a cookery demonstration and met members of the public outside the Church.

Amber, aged 13, said: “The Prince asked me why I joined the BB. I told him about how the Church has always been a big part of the community, so when BB started here it was a great addition – it has given me lots of big opportunities like this one!”

Lily, also aged 13, said: “The Prince and Princess were both shaking hands with people, engaging in lots of conversations and were so friendly! I was nervous to meet them but they were so lovely and really seemed to care about what we do at St Thomas Church.”

Photo from BBC News.