Now that the 2013-14 season has finished, the first under new captain, Dr Gordon Cunningham – The 1st Saltcoats Boys Brigade would like to share some of the things that they have been doing this year.

Membership Increase Last summer, two of the club’s young leaders, Ryan Boyce and Daniel Hunter, completed their KGVI training to become officers. This award has been accredited by the SQA as an equivalent to an Advanced Higher in Leadership skills. Thanks to a number of local businesses who put up recruitment posters for them, the club are delighted to report that the number of boys in all three sections of 1st Saltcoats is up compared to this time last year.

Visit from Local MP On October 4, 2013 as part of their badge work, local MP Katy Clark, was kind enough to come along to visit the company section boys and answer any questions they had on a range of subjects. The Q and A lasted around 45 minutes.

BB Trip to PGL Adventure Centre Boys from 1st Saltcoats Boys Brigade along with some of their friends from 1st Kilbirnie went up to PGL Dalguise, near Perth, for a weekend of fun. The boys took part in a number of exciting activities including abseiling, raft building, archery and rifle shooting. For many of the boys in the Saltcoats group, this was the first time away from home. The Saltcoats group were all P4-P6 and they absolutely loved the experience. They were having so much fun that not one of them wanted to go home early. They are all eager to find out more about their next adventure!

Battalion competitions Over the course of this season, the club took part in a number of competitions where they were competing with boys of similar ages from across North Ayrshire. They are delighted to report that they won gold medals for Company Section Scripture Knowledge, Pool and 7-a-side football. They also won bronze for 5-a-side football at both Company and Junior Sections. This was the first year that 1st Saltcoats competed this much and they are looking forward to more of the same next year.

Fundraising As with any organisation, 1st Saltcoats Boys Brigade have to do their own fundraising. Their biggest expenditures are annual capitation fees, display materials and Battalion fees (although there are no Battalion fees next year). They have also been fortunate enough to be able to buy new equipment for our boys, such as a pool table. They have taken part in a sponsored walk around Cumbrae, held at stall at the North Ayrshire Battalion Gala Day and the club gratefully received a donation from the Saltcoats Community Council. They have also been helping out in the community such as with the Ardrossan Highland Games and the Dalry Blair Gymkhana. On behalf of the boys, the club would like to offer sincere thanks to these organisations as it is only through fundraisers and donations that they are able to offer the boys as many opportunities as they can.

Sponsorship Appeal What the club would really like to achieve is to find someone or a business who could sponsor the boys or otherwise help us with fundraising activities. In particular, they are looking to buy new football strips for our Company Section boys who are aged 12-18. Of the three sections, this is the hardest section to retain members due to a number of factors, especially peer pressure from classmates. Rather than having them hanging around street corners on a Friday night or sitting in the house playing video games, the club are actively trying to promote a more constructive environment so that they can learn new skills.

Enrolment The enrolment evening for next session will be on Friday, August 22 6.30pm–7.30 at St Cuthbert’s Church, Saltcoats.

The club are always looking for new members for our Anchor Boys (P1-P3), Junior Section (P4-P6) and Company Section (P7-S6).

Why not bring your son along and see what it is like ? Don’t be shy, give us a try! There are also regular updates on the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/1stSaltcoats.