44th. Glasgow Company Boys, Brigade Captains Report Session 2023-24 It is with pleasure that I submit my thirteenth Captains report. I would like to start by thanking all Company staff and helpers for their efforts over thè last year. Company, Oistrict and Battalion events are more or less back to where they were pre Pandèmic however it is noticeable that thè events are not as well attended due to many Companias struggling for numbers and indaed some Companies no longer operating. The session started off on a sad note with the death of had been mémbèr of thè Company for over 50 yèars and was captain from 1979 through to 1993. Following the death of his wife moved through to Fife for a fresh start but never lost his ties to the Company and always made a point in visiting when we wèré down at tamp. through his frièndships in the Seahouses area and in particular with was instrumental in securing tha field at Annstead where the Company spent many camps. All three sections resumed in September. Junior and Company Section numbers remained largely static throughout the session however Anchor Boys number5 increased due to an influx of Primary I's from various schools. Thèrè arè some agè groups that havè very fèw boys mèaning that èach 5ertion have to plan on the ba515 of this which add5 to the workload. We Should still actively aim to recruit across all three sèctions. I still maintain that best way of attracting boys is through the programme we offer and word of mouth. All staff completed Safeguarding and Managing risk è- module training with thè majority of staff attending a Cofs Safeguarding course in Jubilee House. The Anchor Boys once again utilised Jubilee House for their meeting5 and provided the boys with programme of event5 that included Craftwork, Games, a Halloween Party, and a Pantomime. It was di5appointrng that the intended end of se55ion activity got Postponed at the last minute- 11 credit to thè staff in hastily rèarranging thè èvening activities. Thanks to and her stsff for thè work that they do for the section. Gètting boys in early and kèeping them entertained supports the Company as a whole. Wè Wish well with thè planned birth oftheir sècond child in the summer. The Junior Section continued to operate in the Church Hall and offered boys a varied programme. They had a number of away nights where they attended local arnenities including Swimming and Ten Pin Bowling and participated in a Subway Challenge competition run by the Battalion. Thanks to and his staff for all thè work that thèy do with thè boys. has dècidèd aftèr more than 50 years involvement with the Company to retire from Company activities. I took great pleasure in thankingfor his servicè and prèsentingWI with a commèmorativè gift on behalf of the stsff. The Company Section operated throughout the session from September through to March in the Church Halls. De5Plte getting a couple of boys up from the Junior 5ertion our numbers dropped slightly from 23 to 20 due to a number of lèavérs. Attendance was very good with an avérage weekly attendan¢e of around 17 boys each week. Boy age5 were as follows.. 2 S5,5, 4 S4,5, 4 S3,5, 2 $2's, 6 Sl's and 2 P7's.
The Company section varied the programme by utilising the Church Hall, Jubilee House and the occasional trip to local amenities like laser planet and ten pin bowling. My thanks to for organising these events.
The senior boys S3-S6 as usual had their own programme of events which ran in Jubilee House in the latter parts of the Friday evening programme. Thanks to for working with the younger boys and to for operating the senior programme.
Jubilee House continued to be used for Table Tennis tuition, Anchor Boys and the Senior boys on a Friday.
The Company Section once again decided to have a prizegiving at the end of March – Nicola Ross kindly agreed to present the prizes. Principal prize winners were
J C Hutton Trophy – Best All Round Recruit –
Archibald McLaren Memorial Bowl – Best All Round Private –
McLachlan Cup – Best All Round Boy –
Presidents/Queens Badge
Following the Pandemic it is good to see that we are starting once more to get a steady flow of Presidents Badges and boys working towards their Queens badges.
all gained their Presidents Badges this year and have began working on their Queens Badges. Five other boys continue to work towards their Queens Badges in the hope that they will be awarded in May 2025. Thanks to for organising the charity work with ScotsServe and to Hillington Park Church for allowing boys to work at the Foodbank.
Cen+25 Arrangements
The staff have set up a sub-committee to look at arranging activities to celebrate of 125[th] . Anniversary in December 2026. This will be based on what we did for our centenary celebrations but brought up to date to meet the staff, boy and ex-staff expectations. A Church Parade, a canvas camp and a centenary meal at Ibrox Stadium are being looked at and further work will be done in the coming session.
Camp
Camp once again was held in Seahouses Hostel. 16 Company Section boys and 8 staff attended the event. It also allowed us to promote a family environment with five of the staff present bringing their children to the event.
While at the hostel we were able to by and large run similar events to what we did when we camped at Annstead. We have booked the hostel again for this year and although lighter in numbers we have a strong set of activities on offer for the boys to enjoy.
Assets
The Company have a considerable amount of assets with Jubilee House and the minibus being the main draw on our finances. Use of assets has increased over the last year but there is still opportunity for increased usage. During the year we had to install a new boiler in Jubilee House, a new trampette was purchased for Company use and we employed a gardener to keep the surrounds of Jubilee House tidy over the summer months.
There are still a number of items that are being looked at and considered and these will continue to be investigated in the coming months
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Replacement of bus with a bus that all staff can drive
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Removal of dangerous walls surrounding the hall
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Further development of the mast facility to include 5G capability
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Increase revenue by opening up hall to local organisations
As detailed earlier has decided to retire from Company work which includes looking after the assets. I thank for agreeing to take on the role of hall convener moving forward.
Finance
Early in the session we had to replace the boiler in Jubilee House at an expense of over £5000. Hopefully, if properly maintained this will support the activities of the Company for many years to come. Our main income came from Boys subscriptions, the mast at the back of Jubilee House, a legacy from the late and the Quiz Night. We are very grateful for the legacy left to us from . Although never a member of the Company he was a keen supporter of the work that we do and was keen to leave us a sum of money to support our activities. Thanks to for organising the Quiz Night and all sections of the staff for their efforts in this. The Company finances are in a healthy state but we should be cognisance to the fact that outwith extraordinary events expenditure exceeds income on a yearly basis.
My thanks to for managing the Company Section finances, for managing the junior/anchor boys finances and to for his audit activities.
Office Bearers and Church
Thanks are due to all of the honorary office bearers -
for their support and counsel. Thanks to for carrying out the role of treasurer so diligently and to for his support as secretary throughout the session.
Our Chaplain has resigned from the post of minster of Cardonald Parish Church. We thank for their support over the last 6 years and wish them well for the future. Thanks also to the Kirk Session and in particular Session Clerk for their support through the year.
28[th] . June 2024
Captain
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