BB camp was a massive hit

Jul 21 2010 by Kenny Smith, Rutherglen Reformer

THE school holidays might be in full swing now but summer started early for one group of local youngsters with a trip to Boys’ Brigade camp.

The camp, which took place at Whithaugh Park Adventure Centre in the Scottish Borders, was organised by the BB’s Cathkin District.

A total of 43 boys from the 229th, based at Cambuslang Parish Church’s St Andrew’s building, as well as BB lads from East Kilbride, Netherlee and Cathcart attended the weekend event, taking part in a number of activities including swimming, archery, kayaking and abseiling, as well as football and other team games.

There was even a surprisingly high turnout on the Saturday morning for a 6.30am jog, which was followed by a full day of activities, then a barbecue and camp fire.

The sunshine, fresh air and exercise obviously took their toll, though, as there were no takers for a similar jog on Sunday morning!

Now in its third year, the District Camp – for boys in P4, P5 and P6 – is open to all companies within Cathkin District, which covers the South East of Glasgow and stretches as far as East Kilbride and Eaglesham. Particular emphasis is given to sections either too small or without enough leaders to organise a similar trip by themselves.

A spokesman said: “Everyone had a really good time – including the leaders.

“The weather was fantastic, which made sure we got to enjoy all of our activities, and the boys were mostly well behaved.

“Even the midges behaved themselves, although a few unfortunate souls did get nasty bites. And on the bus back home, there was even talk of what we'll get up to next year.

“Obviously a lot of planning goes into an event such as this, and financially it's one of the most expensive things the district does.

“With that in mind, we'd like to thank both the Gannochy Trust and South Lanarkshire Council for their generous donations towards the cost of our camp. These donations subsidised the cost of the weekend for our boys, allowing some to come along who wouldn't otherwise be able to attend.”

The Boys' Brigade, founded in Glasgow over 125 years ago, is open to all boys of school age and all companies will make new members very welcome.

To find your local company, visit the Glasgow Battalion web site at http://www.bbglasgow.org.uk/