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3rd Kilsyth was started in 1952 and offers fun activities for Boys from age 5 until age 18. The Company operates 4 different age related sections – Anchor Boys, Junior Section, Company Section and Senior Section. All sections meet in Kilsyth Anderson Parish Church Halls on Wednesdays from the end of August until the beginning of May.
Anchor Boys meet from 5.45pm until 7pm and is for Boys in Primaries 1 – 3. They play games, make craft things, watch DVDs of Bible stories, sing and listen to stories. Dodge Ball is their favourite when they make lots of noise! The Boys can work for one badge per year – firstly the red badge, then the green and lastly the blue. From time to time we have outings – ten pin bowling, children’s pantomime, soft play etc.
The Junior Section which is for Boys in Primaries 4 – 6 meets from 6.30pm until 8pm. They have similar activities to the Anchor Boys, but also do some figure marching and some simple gymnastics. They too work for badges. After a boy has been in the Junior Section for a few weeks he can gain his Target badge, followed by his Bronze in Year 1, Silver in Year 2 and Gold in Year 3. They, like the Anchor Boys occasionally have outings, but the highlight of their year is the opportunity to spend a weekend away from home at a Junior Section holiday.
The Company Section is a follow on to the Junior Section, and is for Boys in P7 – S3. Their badge work takes a different format as they work in 3 wee blocks. They cover all sorts of life skills from money management to DIY, from smoking, alcohol and drug abuse to healthy lifestyles and, of course, there is a Christian element contained within the programme. The Boys begin by gaining their Compass badge which is awarded after about 6 weeks in the Company, and then go on over the four year to gain Skills, Physical and Community badges at 4 different stages. We try to arrange some special activities for this age group too. They have played football against deaf children from Donaldson’s School for the Deaf both in Kilsyth and in Linlithgow and had the opportunity to go to Outdoor Centres.
Those older Boys who are in S4 – S6 make up the Senior Section. They can aim for higher awards – President’s Badge, Queen’s Badge and Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at Bronze, Silver and Gold, all of which speak volumes on a CV. They also have challenges in which they can participate gaining them Seniors’ Badges at bronze, silver and gold levels. These Boys are usually the ones who represent the Company in National Competitions. For a number of years now, we have entered teams in Badminton, Chess, Table Tennis, Junior and Senior football and a Masterteam (quiz). The teams have travelled the length and breadth of Scotland playing other companies – from Greenock in the west to Leven in the East, from Largs in the South to Inverness in the North and many places in between. Twice our badminton team has represented Scotland and our Chess team once in the National British finals – they didn’t win, but they were there! These older Boys are also given the opportunity to go on to be Officers in the Company. While working for their D.Of E Gold award they attend a training course which spans a 2 year period, resulting in their gaining not just their Officer status, but also a National 6 and 7 qualification. A number of our Officers have done this elite training and are working with the Boys.
As a Company we have a Church parade 4 or 5 times a year. This gives the younger Boys a chance to mix with the older ones and see what they might be aiming for. Special events are celebrated and we sometimes have a whole company activity. There’s a lot going on in the BB. We try to find things that are appropriate for the age group and things that will keep the young people interested
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Boys' Brigade Scotland Website
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The Boys’ Brigade is a Christian organisation which was founded in Glasgow by Sir William Smith 130 years ago. Today there are BB companies all over the world.
