Location and Leaders
First Omagh Anchor Boys meet at First Omagh Presbyterian Church Hall every Tuesday Night from 6.30 pm to 7.30 pm. The Anchor Boy Leaders are Miss Dorothy Henry, Mrs. Valerie Alexander and Mr. David Bell. We are always looking for people to help out with the boys. If you can spare some time on a Tuesday evening please speak with a leader.
Age
Anchor Boys is a section within the organisation for boys who are in Primary 2, Primary 3 and Primary 4. We regret that we cannot take boys in P1. Older boys are accommodated in the Junior and Company sections.
Uniform
The Boy’s uniform consists of a red sweatshirt (with the BB emblem), blue polo shirt, grey school trousers, grey socks and black plimsoles or shoes (not trainers). Uniform is marked at every meeting and boys are encouraged to maintain a high standard.
Behaviour
The aim of the Boys’ Brigade is “to advance the kingdom of Christ among Boys and to promote habits of obedience, reverence, discipline and all that tends towards true Christian manliness.” The boys’ are expected to be mannerly and courteous and to follow any orders given by officers and leaders of the company. Boys who continually disrupt the enjoyment of the night for other boys will have points deducted for bad behaviour and in extreme cases a report slip will be sent home. A boy may have his membership suspended indefinitely if the officers and captain of the company feel that it is necessary. In this case any membership fees would not be reimbursed as they are sent straight to London.
Photographs
It is possible that BB members may appear in photographs of Company activities that will be used for publicity purposes in the local press or on the website. Parents should note that in some exceptional cases boys may be identified by name for example if they won a special award. If you would prefer your son not to be included in such photographs either tick the box on your white consent form or make this known to us in writing within two weeks of joining.
Data Protection
The Boys’ Brigade is registered under the Data Protection Act. Any parent may request a copy of relevant information held by the company. Enquires should be directed to the Company Captain.
Collecting Your Child
Please collect your child at 7.30pm sharp each evening as all Leaders and Officers are voluntary and also have family commitments. You should also note that on many nights it is essential that we are out by 7:30pm as other sections within the company and other organisations often need to use the hall.
Points and Prizes
Although Parents’ Night is a long way off yet, the boys can receive points every night they attend. The boys are marked from the second week they attend until the end of the season in April.
Each night the boys can receive a maximum of 5 Points for their uniform and general appearance. Points go towards prizes for Best Boy, Best New Boy, Best Uniform and Best Team. Often we have several boys who tie for these awards and these boys normally have full points all year so you can see that it is important to turn up in full uniform every night.
Attendance is also marked every night and is taken into consideration for some of the above prizes. All boys who have had full attendance and those that have missed only one meeting will receive a small prize as well.
Fees and Fundraising
Parents are reminded that the membership fee you pay is sent to BBHQ and is not part of company funds. This fund-raising is the only source of funding that the Anchor Boy section has and we therefore require at least 3 Smartie Tubes to be filled during the year to cover expenses for art and craft material, games and other items. First Omagh Boys’ Brigade supply all Smartie Tubes free of charge, the tubes are to be returned with the name of the boy and amount collected written on a label on the side of the tube. Once the tube comes in a new one will be issued to the boy. There is a prize awarded at the end of the year to the boy who collects the most money. Please note that we do not appreciate foreign currency or other items in the tubes.
Keep us updated
In the event of an accident we will need to contact you and we may need to forward relevant medical details of your child to health authorities. Therefore if throughout the year you move house, change telephone or mobile number or if there is a change to the medical records we hold for your boy – it is important that you let us know!
