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New Contact System

The new contact system has now been placed live. You can now contact groups and certain individuals in the Battalion via the website "Contact Us" page. The new "Contact Us" is primarily designed for people contacting the Battalion for the first time, however it can be used by anybody! If you require any new groups to be added to the Contact form, please let the Webmaster know and we will be happy to set the new Group up.

http://bella.hodcon.com/contactnew.php

Battalion Church Parade

The Battalion has a long list of people to thank this year for their part in the 125 Celebration Church Parade! We would like to thank the BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester, for recording the service. We all very much look forward to hearing that! We would like to thank all of the Dignitaries for joining us in worship. We received high praise from all, who seemed to enjoy themselves. KCJ put on a fantastic service that was enjoyed by all! We would like to extend our thanks to them for leading us in our 125 Celebration. We look forward to seeing them again in the future! We would also like to thank Worcester Council and everybody else who played a part in making this very special parade possible. Lastly and most importantly, we would like to thank each and every one of the Companies, Officers and Lads who attended. Without which, such fantastic days like these would not be possible. We look forward to seeing you all next year and hopefully before! Many Thanks! The Battalion Executive

Car Parking at the Battalion Church Parade

The Battalion would like to put out a quick reminder that the Cornmarket car park has been closed off by the Council and the Police for use of the Parade only. As such, the car park is not to be used for parking of any vehicles. There will be parking space available at St. Martins Gate. Many Thanks Sam

Battalion Parade Orders 2008

The Battalion Parade Orders for the 2008 Parade have been issued and can be found at the following link: Battalion Parade Orders 2008.pdf This document can also be found in the Documents Area. For further details please contact Dave Butler @ 1st Halesowen.

Info on Up and Coming Anchor Boys Events

It is proposed to have a trip to Dudley Zoo just before Easter 2009. It is also proposed to have a Summer Sports Day in June which will likely to be at Carters Lane and possibly another event to be held at Kiddeminster. We would welcome imput from all Companies on what type of events Anchor Boy Officers would like to see arranged and hear from anyone is happy to host events. For further information or suggestions, please contact Sue Haden-Walker. For contact and login details, please email the Webmaster.

Please Vote AGAIN ! Support the National Memorial Arboretum

Thanks for your votes - We are in the Finals........ Now PLEASE VOTE AGAIN! The Armed Forces Memorial at The National Memorial Arboretum has entered the finals for the Best Heritage Project category that recognises the nation's favourite Lottery-funded projects. To win this Award we need your votes all over AGAIN!! This final round of public voting runs from 21 July - 8 August, and all votes gained during the earlier round will be reset to zero. Simply visit www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards and click on the Best Heritage Project category and cast your vote! Alternatively you can call 0845 386 4459 to register your phone vote. Voting continues until Friday 8 August and every vote counts! Please tell as many friends and contacts as possible. The winner in each category will be announced during a special Saturday night BBC One Lottery show in late August. The National Lottery Awards are an annual search to find the UK's favourite Lottery-funded projects. The aim is to celebrate and recognise the difference that those projects have made to people, places and communities across the UK. Winning the award will help us to further commemorate the brave service people who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. It will also help acknowledge the suffering of the families and loved ones left behind, including those affected by current conflicts. Is this Memorial popular? You bet! 83,000 visitors came during the months of May and June this year. That's over 300% up on the same period last year. We now expect around 300,000 visitors for the whole year compared with 78,000 in 2007. Will you give us your support too? Simply visit www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards and click on the Best Heritage Project category and cast your vote! Alternatively you can call 0845 386 4459 to register your phone vote. Voting continues until Friday 8 August. Every vote counts! Vote for us and please send to all your contacts. Every vote counts! We really can win this and greatly appreciate your support. Best Wishes, Henry Sir Henry Every Bt Consultant Special Projects National Memorial Arboretum Croxall Road Alrewas Staffordshire DE13 7AR Tel: 01283 792333 Fax: 01283 792034 web site: www.nationalmemorialarboretum.org.uk Registered in England Company No: 2927443 VAT No: 806 6197 19 Charity No:1043992

http://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards

Wyre Forest Rescue

Wyre Forest Rescue On Tuesday 22nd July the 1st Kidderminster and 1st Lye Boys’ Brigades were camping in the Wyre Forest near Bewdley at Coopers Mill for the week. We had been playing some games in the forest when one of the boys told me that our Captain, Mrs Criddle, needed my help along with that of Warrant Officer Robert Clarke. So I ran down to the mill to find a young lad called Rhys who explained that his younger brother Andrew had fallen out of a high hide used for spotting wildlife and was in a lot of pain. We then ran over a mile up and down some hills in the very hot sun to the spot where Andrew was laying on the floor. There was no signal on Andrews’s uncles mobile to phone for help so I ran back to Coopers Mill with Robert to pick up my mobile phone leaving Mrs Criddle at the scene to give reassurance. I then ran up the hill behind the mill to try and get a signal but couldn’t so I then ran about half a mile further on and managed to get a signal. I rang 999 and gave instructions and details to the controller, but this still wasn’t easy with a poor signal and being in a forest with little landmarks to give reference. I was told the ambulance was on its way and ran up to the main road to meet the vehicle. I was met by the off road ambulance and the paramedic asked me to get in which was a relief. I gave directions as close to the spot where Andrew was and I carried the oxygen cylinder and walked with the paramedic to Andrew. The paramedic gave treatment for Andrews’s ankle which was badly sprained from the fall and then went back and drove her ambulance up to us. Once the pain relief was working and a splint applied I assisted in lifting Andrew into the front of the vehicle and took him and his uncle to hospital. Robert arrived back with water which was very welcome drink. We then walked back to the mill and took Rhys back home to Kidderminster. On the return I had a well earned break and counted the blisters on my feet but I was glad that we were able to help out. Graham Knight 1st Kidderminster Boys’ Brigade

http://bella.hodcon.com/documents/Wyre%20Forest%20Rescue.doc

Battalion Parade Goes Digital!

The Battalion has had confirmation that the Battalion Church Parade to be held on the 5th October at 15:00pm at Sansome Walk Baptist Church, will be recorded for BBC Hereford & Worcester Radio! This is a fantastic opportunity to advertise what the Brigade is all about. As the Parade will include the GB, there will be a number of Special Guests from the BB and the GB as well as the VIP's and Mayors. As this Parade service will be broadcast on BBC Hereford & Worcester Radio, we are really hoping for a very strong attendance from all the Companies in the Battalion. This will be an unmissable opportunity to advertise not only your company to your local area but the whole Brigade and all for absolutely free! We would also like to stress that this invitation is open to all of the Girls Brigade companies as well so please bring them along as there will be Special Guests from the GB present also. This year celebrates 125 years of Boys Brigade and will be led by the BB national worship group, KJC. The service can be heard on BBC Hereford and Worcester on October 12th A copy of the flyer being sent to all companies can be found in the Documents area.

http://bella.hodcon.com/documents.php

Birds of Prey Evening

On Tuesday 1st July, 1st Pensnett BB hosted a Birds of Prey Evening. The Falconry Centre in Hagley came and demonstrated a Harris Hawk, and Golden Eagle Owl and a Golden Eagle- all of which were amazing. Jack in the Anchors had a close encounter with a Harris hawk and Hayley, the company officer had a brief encounter with thKash the Eagle Owl. It was a fantastic night and all sections enjoyed it, even when the eagle did a whoopsey on the carpet. I would definitely recommend the falconry centre. £95 per session and its very interactive. A great time was had by all and good way to end a Brigade Session. Jamie Haden-Walker Captain 1st Pensnett.

http://www.thefalconrycentre.co.uk/

Website Update

We would like to provide you with regular small updates on how work on the new site is getting along! Recently we're been working on the follows areas. * Resource Centre The Resource Centre will be an area of the site where you can get ideas and information about Games and Camp Locations for all the different sections. Work is currently under way designing a search facility to make it easier for you and others to filter the results to find exactly what you're looking for. However, this database of resources needs constant contribution. So we are looking to you, the Officers and Members to send us details of games and camps you've been doing. We will design an input area for you to contribute ideas so you can contact us directly from the website! Until that input page is designed though, we would be very grateful if you could email us details. Just contact the webmaster if you have anything you would like to put in the area. * History The old Battalion website had an area describing the History of the Battalion at great length. A great deal of work was done to build this detailed history so we feel it is important to bring this information to the new site! The History of the Battalion section will do live once we have formatted the information to the new website.

Battalion AGM Meeting

May we remind everyone that the Battalion AGM will take place at Milton Hall Baptist Church (1st. Kidderminster) Kidderminster on Wednesday 2nd. July 2008 - Notice needs to be given as from today to the Battalion Secretary. The evening will commence at 7:30pm with devotions (Holy Communion). All those who need to make reports Loz would appreciate them ASAP (preferably in a format which is ready for copying).

Brand New Website

The Battalion has now launched its brand new website! Please bear with us, as there is still some creases that need ironing out. We would like the Battalion members to send us through as much information as possible to add to the site. Below is a brief run down of all the functions of the site: Resources: The resources section will likely be a large area of the site and will take a considerable amount of time and information to get it up to scratch. We would greatly appreciate all input in adding to this area. Calendar: The Calendar again is dependant on the member sending information through to us, via any medium. Be it post, email or phone. Gallery: The Gallery is an area for the Battalion members to post their pictures of events, be it Company or Battalion events. It will be nice to show the rest members what happens in your own Company. Please bear in mind that the Gallery section has a few features that still require some work and so is still limited in its functionality. Please also note that any pictures displayed here will require proof of consent. News: The News section is for all items of news (such as this) that are not Calendar events. For example, minutes from meetings or announcements that the Battalion would like to make. Companies: The Companies area is the new Battalion Directory. It contains as much details as the Battalion has on its Officers. The Company details are available, such as the Church they meet at, and (soon to be) times of section meetings. It does not however display Officer details until a user has logged in. We would like to thank everybody who has taken part in the collection of data so far, and hope for your continued support. Please be aware that users will be added to the website over the next few weeks. If you would specifically like access to the site sooner than that, contact the the webmaster either by email, phone or post. He will be happy to add you as a user. You can find the new websites at the following address: http://www.bb-worcestershire.org

Battalion Council Meeting - 29th February @ 1st Redditch

Please be advised that there is a Battalion Council Meeting at the home of the 1st Redditch, Headless Cross Methodist Church, Redditch. The meeting will start at 7:45PM on 29th February 2008.

BB Memorial Garden

For 125 years the BB has been an important part of the lives of many thousands of people, young and old. Each BB Member has left their mark upon the Movement and made it what it is now. The Garden will, hopefully, be a place of pilgrimage where members and ex-members may reflect upon those who have served the Brigade.

http://midstaffs.boys-brigade.org.uk/memgarden/