The London District Trustees hope that you had an enjoyable Christmas and New Year.

Many of you will have had plans changed at the last minute and it appears as we enter 2021, that the year is going to be as difficult as 2020 was for many of us. We are now in lockdown until at least February half term and possibly beyond whilst vaccinations are rolled out and we protect each other from new strains of COVID-19. We would like to encourage you to continue to engage with your members this year, through virtual activities, #BBatHome activities, or just through WhatsApp or a telephone call. There are many ways in which we can communicate and keep in touch. Parents really value BB leaders taking an interest and caring about how their children are getting on with home learning or the challenges of every day lives!

We are hearing stories of Boys’ Brigade companies working together, helping to provide the technology so that their members can confidently engage with online learning whilst not at school, once again showing the value of being a member of BB not just on a meeting night but more generally as well.

The final thought as we enter the new year comes from an article in The Guardian newspaper which talks about the value of face-to-face Youth Work and how youth provision is being reduced across the country. Independent youth groups are closing, Council-run youth provision is being cut and even the Scouts are having to sell off some of their activity centres. In comparison, BB is doing relatively well but there will be challenges ahead and we would encourage all companies to engage with their churches in 2021, to really emphasise the value of The Boys’ Brigade in providing practical support to the children and young people of their community, in addition to bringing them the message of Jesus Christ.

Please do get in touch with us if you require any support or guidance in the new year.