The object of the Boys' Brigade is the advancement of Christs' Kingdom among boys and the promotions of habits of obedience, discipline, self-respect, reverence and all that tends towards a true Christian Manliness
The First Randalstown Company of the Boys' Brigade is a Christian youth organisation which offers boys and young men between the ages of 5 - 18 a safe environment to let off steam.
Our Company consists of three sections:
Anchor Boys - They meet on a Wednesday night between 6.30 and 7.30 pm. On a typical Wednesday nights the boys can be found listening to bible stories, colouring in, playing games their particular favourite seems to be dodge ball or just having fun, fun and more fun. They have also had visits from the RSPB and the police.
Junior Section - The Juniors meet on a Monday night from 7.00 to 8.30 pm. As well as football, uni-hoc and other games the juniors can also be found playing bowls and chess.
Company Section - Company Section meets from 7.30 to 9.30pm on a Wednesday night. The night starts with bible class, followed by drill and badge classes. The boys let off steam by playing football, cricket, dodge ball or a number of other games (always very enthusiastically). In addition to the normal Boys' Brigade awards we have also introduced the Duke of Edinbrugh Award Scheme allowing the boys to obtain their Bronze, Silver and Gold awards through their participation in the BB.
BB Connect is a group for those aged 16-30 and involved with the BB in any form which meets throughout the year for special events organised by the Batallion. This group differs in one main aspect, it is primarily run by the boys and young men of the companies within the Batallion.
New members are more than welcome and we would encourage boys to come along and try it for themselves.
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During this past year, we were fortunate to have a visit from our chose charity of the year, Dogs trust. Cathy brought along her dog Jed and together they taught us how to look after our dogs and the boys were able to play with Jed. The boys then fundraised £160 for Dogs Trust by collecting coppers. We also had a visit from 'Klass Kids'. This was an enjoyable night as we watched a puppet show and played lots of fun games!
A team of Anchor Boys competed in the local Batallion, 'It's a knockout' competition. They came in second place so congratulations to those boys. For our trips this year we enjoyed a trip to Adventure Island and a game of bowling at Ballymena Sportsbowl; both nights were a big success and a lot of fun was had by all.
As usual our Wednesday nights were busy and throughout the year we learned about the Olympic and Paralympic games. The boys displayed their sporting skills during the display as well as their torches which they had made.
Anchor Boys are back again for another fun filled and busy year and we are glad to see old and new faces coming along. We would like to encourage any boys aged between 4 (before 1st September) and 8 to join us on a Wednesday night, 6.30 pm to 7.30 pm. You can like 1st Randalstown Anchor Boys on Facebook for updates on what we are getting up to.
Anchor Boys
The Junior Section started the session this year with 21 boys eager to get going for another year of fun, with a good number coming up from the Anchor Boys and some new to the company altogether. As always we have a packed programme of Bible Teaching, singing, drill and sports as well as a number of trips throughout the year, the most recent being a rugby trip to Ravenhill to see Ulster thrash Edinburgh, although I think our boys would have enjoyed it regardless of the result.
Where possible the boys take part in Batallion and Regional competitions where they can compete against other BB's and learn the skills of good sportsmanship, and a trip to McDonald's afterwards always seems to help.
The Junior Section meet on a Monday night from 7.00 pm to 8.30 pm and is available to all boys between the ages of 8-11, and all will be made most welcome.
Junior Section
Having had a lower numbers for a few years, the Company Section has greatly increased in size and now has 20 boys taking part in a varied programme, with many boys now going through to obtain various BB and Duke of Edinburgh Awards. With this increase in numbers we have been able to attend, and more actively compete in, a number of Batallion competitions which led to our Junior Boys (ages 11-14) securing the Football cup for the first time since 1978.
A welcome return, for the boys, was the weekend away where we took most of the section to Shepherd's Lodge in Newcastle for a number of activities and some time to relac with each other in the beautiful setting of the Mourne Mountains.
The Company Section meet on a Wednesday night from 7.30 pm to 9.30 pm and is open to all age 11-18. During a typical night we have 'fall in' to commence the evening, followed by a Scripture Class where we are following Christianity Explored , as chosen by BB NI. Some of the badge classes this year are being based on the Paralympics and the impact that various disabilitis can have. The end of the evening is usually filled with sports and physical education classes, which this year are being taken by a former Army Physical Training Instructor, hopefully he will go easy on them!!
Company Section
For more information about any of our sections please visit our new website
Boys' Brigade Northern Ireland
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