To celebrate the end of another fun and busy year at the 1st Bletchley Company, we held our customary end-of-year BBQ, which would usually happen in the Galilee Gardens round the back of the church. Unfortunately, the weather had other plans with the heavens opening at exactly 6pm. This meant switching to plan B, with the BBQ taking place under a gazebo and everyone gathered in the Assembly Room and Youth Hall. Nevertheless, everyone remained in good spirits and there was plenty to do inside to keep the younger sections occupied. Over 80 burgers were handed out in total, which was only possible due to all our volunteers who kindly helped with the preparation.

Towards the end of the evening, we held our Awards Presentation to celebrate members’ achievements from across the different sections. Notable achievements included recipients of the ‘Volunteer Staged Award’ and one of our Seniors being promoted to Sergeant. The winners of this year’s ‘Inspection Hall of Fame’ from the Junior and Company sections were also announced, which can be viewed here.

We also said farewell and a big ‘thank you’ to Lynda, who is stepping back after helping to lead the Anchor Section for a dedicated 14 years. The evening ended with a rendition of the BB Vesper and a prayer. We wish all our members an enjoyable summer and look forward to seeing them back in September.

If you are interested in your child joining us for the new year or would like to volunteer (helpers are always needed!), feel free to contact us.

This Tuesday, the Company Section made macaroni and cheese from scratch. Everyone had a job to do, from grating the cheese, to stirring the milk and boiling the pasta.

The end result was well-received by all, with one member who previously didn’t like macaroni cheese even expressing his approval for the recipe. We were all enjoying the macaroni cheese so much that we only remembered to take a picture once most of the tray had been consumed!

Many thanks to Shaun for providing the ingredients and guiding Company members through the whole process!

In our first session back after the summer holidays, we set aside some time to reflect on the Queen’s extraordinary life through several different activities.

Our ‘Thank you Ma’am’ activity (below) provided an opportunity for the Juniors to draw or write their own tribute to our Patron.

Through our interactive timeline, we also thought about Her Majesty’s life and what events she had experienced and witnessed.

You can read the Company’s statement on the death of HM The Queen here.

It is with immense sadness that the 1st Bletchley Company learnt of the death of our Patron, Her Majesty the Queen, on Thursday. The Company joins together with the Boys Brigade nationally and worldwide in mourning her loss.

The Queen was Patron of the Boys’ Brigade for the entire duration of her reign (from 1952), meaning that she was Patron for 70 out of the 96 year history of the 1st Bletchley Company (which began in 1926).

The Company always valued the Queen’s support for the Boys’ Brigade. It was only recently that we celebrated her Platinum Jubilee with members and their families at our afternoon tea. Back in 2011, members of the Company saw the Queen in London as part of the royal wedding between the now- Prince and Princess of Wales and over the last century many members have received the Queen’s Badge, the highest award that can be gained in the BB.

The main Boys’ Brigade website contains an obituary and further information on the shared history between the Boys’ Brigade and The Queen throughout her long reign, which was marked by a strong faith and Christ-like service.

“She will be remembered as a Patron who cared about our work and the stories told to her by members, and as a supporter of our Object and values.”

The Boys’ Brigade UK and RoI