Camp 2011 6 -13th. August 2011

New letters and posters are out at BB evenings on Camp 2011 - please ask if you have not seen them.
booking forms and payment cards are also available.

The Camp is at Eaton Vale, just short of Norwich and is a Scout / Guides indoor and outdoor activity centre, so people can sleep both indoors, in a new building and / or outside in a camping area. ( We have exclusive use of the house). Many activities, including indoor and outdoor climbing, archery, target shooting, canoeing and kyaking and a simulated ice wall, are all onsite !!! Families can come if they chat to me first. Cost is £190 person, but if the price is a problem please chat to me !!!!!
We are anxious now for people to book, so we can begin planning. CLOSING DATE FOR BOOKINGS 1st. MAY 2011 !!!!!!!!

Any questions please ask John Boon

Community Development Co - Ordinator

We are pleased to announce Sacha Pavitt, our Administrator at the BB office, has been asked to work full - time, on extending our programme in the community, as Community Development Co - Ordinator.
Sacha will commence on Monday January 10th. 2011.

This provision, has been funded through Essex Community Foundation for hopefully a two year period and will focus on work with our community partners - other groups who work with young people in the Witham area and with two particular geographical areas within Witham town.

We will from time to time annouce new initiatives - so watch this space for further details.

Thanks John Boon 7th. January 2011 on behalf of the Trustees

Update on our financial position - new update 12th. January 2011

NEW NEWS !!!!!!!!

Last night ( 11th. January), the BDC Local Area Committee met and we were granted money to completely fund now, the first floor construction at the workshop unit and put in central heating. Our thanks go to them for their continued support, although with government restraints, this stream of funding may cease !!!!

Some subs are still due, and we would ask all parents to be vigilant in completing Annual consent forms and Gift Aid forms too, so we can reclaim income tax on your subs payments. Forms are available from the office, or on any BB night. Gift Aid forms only have to be completed once!

We are so grateful for the following donations / grants -

Essex County Council YCF Fund and Braintree District Council Witham LAC Committee - £46,300 towards the purchase of the workshop unit
The Garfield Weston Foundation again towards the Workshop purchase, as was also The Boys’ Brigade UK NCA Fund and Witham Town Mayor’s Fund.
Essex Community Foundation - Greenfields CIP and Community Fund for core funding and specific programme areas including Community Development focussing on two key areas of Witham town over a two year period.

The Essex County Council YOF Fund for funding in the following areas:
Music, Camping / hiking, Leadership training, transport, craft and cooking, woodturning and IT equipment for filming and other graphics uses. Thanks go to Ross Playle and Michael Grant for all their hard work in these applications!!!

Young Roots Heritage Trust toward funding at Twinstead land project, including new compostable toilets, and new coppice management together with hedge laying courses and work along the lane. It is hoped to encourage support from more local young people there, through schools and Parish Councils.

It’s great to receive so much support, but we cannot be complacent at funding issues, especially in the light of the current economic downturn. So fund raising will continue and increase too.

We are awaiting news of our new Bike Club UK application, created by James Fairley - well done James for all your efforts. Let’s hope we can start a bike club soon. Watch out for more details !!!!
The Trustees wish to record their thanks to the following people -
Brenda Towle, Executive Officer Essex Council for Voluntary Youth Services and Sheila Cook Funding Officer Braintree District Voluntary Services Agency for their help and support in making funding applications. Their assistance has been invaluable.

John Boon

BB Recycling, Ebay sellng and the sale of woodturning pieces at Witham tourist information

We have just received our first Cheque of £33.00 from the BB Recycling for ink cartridges and old mobile phones….Well done !!!!!, But please keep your empty cartridges and old mobiles coming ....we cannot accept Epson cartridges but accept all others and toner too!!. As at January 2011 we are nearly ready for another batch to be sent off too! So come along look for your old phones and cartridges too please !!!

We recently sold some items on Ebay too and this raised over £100 and a similar amount raised by selling wood turning pieces at the display stands at Witham Tourist Information
/ Town Hall site !!!! thanks to everyone who helped !!!

We now own our workshop facility !!!! January 2011

Thank you to everyone who has helped us in our quest to keep the workshop on Eastways. We now own a long long lease and effectively it’s ours !!

We are now raising funds to install a first floor for activities, storage and possibly the office in a couple of years - already plans and loading calculations are done and Building Control application looming nearer !!! We will re - decorate the outside and have a formal opening ceremony, to which everyone, including all members, families and funders will be invited. Thanks to David Double our Landlord for all his help and support, and to John May who is working on the planning application and drawings too.

Thanks to everyone who has supported us in this, as detailed elsewhere
John Boon 2nd. January 2011

Farewell Declan

Declan has now very sadly left us, after a great year of real effort from him ! Thanks Declan for all you have done - may God bless you in your search for employment now too. Thanks too for taking the boys to Dawlish on camp - looks like your had real fun !!!

Morrison’s Bag Packing - Update April 2011

Many young people, staff and parents took part in the bag packing at Morrison’s on Monday December 20th 2010, you will all be pleased to know that we raised £1001.39 p. ...a superb amount and will go towards activity costs. running the minbus and new equipment .It was a great effort by everyone that turned up !!! Thank you and very well done . We have asked Morrisson’s for a different day in 2011 Christmas time so watch this space !!!! Sorry to hear of those ill on the day and the atrocious weather conditions for travelling too - so thanks for the huge effort !!!!!!

The next Bag Packing at Morrison’s should have been at Easter, but we could not get a slot…..watch out for the letters coming out soon if we can get a summer day !!!

John Boon 16th. April 2011

Facebook and Friends Reunited

We now have a 2nd. Witham BB website registered on Friends Reunited and a Company site on Facebook too ! If you are an old boy etc., please leave your details on one of these please. We want to build up a list of old boys and supporters, in readiness for our 40th. Birthday in 2012 !!! It was a real joy to hear from Robert Russell in 2005, an original member in the 1972 era ! He is now married with two children and living in Surrey, working as a Prison Officer ! As at this month several more ex 2nd. Witham folk have registered and many more on facebook too - August 2010

Re start of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award April 2009

Following the success of a grant, we are re- starting D of E scheme as from 24th. April this year. Watch out for the questionnaire from Luke and the start dates for expedition. The letter will give full details of the new scheme.

We are also looking for Luke to train up a couple of people - adult and seniors, to take over after one year.

Call John if you want to join or for further information. It’s been a long time since Peter Hodge died and we ran D of E properly - let’s hope we can keep it going well this time.

We now have 12 young people signed up for this project so if your interested let John or Luke as we start properly sessions in September 2009

John Boon

Tesco Vouchers

Tesco vouchers are avialbe again, as are Sainbury’s too - we are collecting both. Just bring them in any BB evening or pop them into the office.
The Tesco vouchers are really important !!!! THANKS