Nearly a blast for BB
BOYS' Brigade adventurers very nearly had a blast on a recent expedition in the Mourne Mountains.
Boys from 1st Bluestone, 1st Magheralin and 1st Moira were up the Mournes for a Lurgan & District Battalion Duke of Edinburgh bronze expedition when they made an unexpected discovery.
The young men had set up their tents and given that it was a fine evening they decided to go for a ramble up Hen Mountain led by Lt Geoffrey McNabb.
Halfway up, the Bluestone officer stood on a fin-like, grey metal object which turned out to be an unexploded World War Two bomb.
Upon careful investigation it was decided to evacuate the area and call in the PSNI, who duly arrived 20 minutes later to seal and monitor the area until the next morning, when two vans of ATOs arrived to carry out a controlled explosion.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Boys’ Brigade’s Duke of Edinburgh work has gone off as planned.
Five boys from the 1st Bluestone Methodist Boys' Brigade Company, were the recent recipients of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme (Gold Standard) in a special presentation ceremony held at Hillsborough Castle in the presence of His Royal Highness, Prince Philip.
Timothy Forde, Barry Quinn, David Marsden, Darryl Mills and Lt Alan Macartney received their certificates at the recent ceremony. Also, former BB member, Mark Hand, was in attendance to receive his award, with the cadets.
Billed by the scheme's promotional literature as the "world's leading achievement award for young people", the highlight for the Craigavon unit was the expedition section, which involved a week-long excursion to the English Lake District. Based in the Keswick area and taking in a route that involved camping in the Buttermere, Stonewaite and Glenridding sites. The 50-mile hike, although demanding and challenging at times, saw the young men take in some breathtaking scenery and reach the finish in jubilant fashion at Pooley Bridge village.
For the service section, the boys did BB and hospital radio, whilst association football featured in the physical part, with the residential stays involving several BB Leadership, Outdoor Pursuits and Personal Development weekends. Finally the skills part involved learning to drive, committee skills, and the restoration of an old 1948 James Autocycle.
The boys are the first successful gold group from the company and also the first, in the forty year history of the Lurgan & District Battalion, and they thanked all those who helped to support them in any way, especially their families, BB officers and friends.
Special mention goes to the Battalion Duke of Edinburgh Advisor Lt George Bibb, Lt Geoffrey McNabb (company DofE officer) and Captain Michael Wilson (2nd Portadown Company and DofE Assessor).
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Weather for Lurgan
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
