First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has hailed the impact that the work The Boys’ Brigade in Scotland has on both local communities and young people as she met with Lewis Shillinglaw from the 1^st Loanhead Company to present him with this year’s Make a Difference Award at the Scottish Parliament.

The Make a Difference Award is given to a Boys’ Brigade young person who has made a significant contribution to their local community.

Working for his Queen’s badge with the charity Thornton Rose, Riding for the Disabled, he carried out in excess of 220 hours of volunteering. Lewis, 17, from Loanhead and pupil at Beeslack Community High School, has been with The Boys’ Brigade for 10 years.

He said:

“The people at Riding for the Disabled were fantastic and made me really welcome. I started just to do some hours for my Queen’s Badge, but enjoyed it so much that I wanted to keep on volunteering. It was a really rewarding thing to do. I am now looking forward to doing my training to become a BB leader.”

Following the presentation to Lewis, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:

“I was delighted to present Lewis with his trophy and hear more about the excellent work he has done within the community.

“There is no doubt that his efforts have had a huge impact on the lives of those he has worked so closely with, and it is wonderful that he has been given the recognition he so rightly deserves.

“Lewis is a truly admirable young man, and his commitment and dedication to helping others is a shining example to Scots both young and old. His achievements underline the role The Boys’ Brigade, and other youth work organisations, have in helping young people reach their full potential and play an active part in Scotland’s communities.”

The Make a Difference Award was established in 2009 and is a UK & RoI-wide award which recognises and celebrates the achievement of a BB young person who has gone above and beyond to help others in their community.

Bill Stevenson, Director of The Boys’ Brigade in Scotland said:

“Congratulations to Lewis. We are exceptionally proud of him and the commitment he has given to Riding for the Disabled. He gives his all to helping the local community as well as his Boys’ Brigade Company and deserves this recognition.”

 

 

 

He added:

“This year around 400 young people will receive the Queen’s Badge which means that collectively they have spent well over 20,000 hours helping to make Scotland a better place. The Boys’ Brigade is growing and all this hard work demonstrates that we are as relevant today as when we were founded over 130 years ago.”

Tags: Make a Difference, queens badge, Scotland, youth volunteering