MORAY MP Douglas Ross has praised two Boys’ Brigade Companies for their role in celebrating the organisation’s 140th anniversary.
Sunday, February 4 saw a special commemorative baton, which is being passed round BB Companies in the north, depart Buckie on its way to Lossiemouth.
Conveying the baton from 1st Buckie Company to their colleagues at 4th Lossiemouth was the Lord Lieutenant of Banffshire Andrew Simpson, who was taken across the water between the two towns on Buckie’s RNLI lifeboat William Blannin. He was presented with the baton on behalf of Buckie BB by Mason Bennetts (7).
Mr Simpson and representatives from 1st Buckie were met at the harbour before being piped to Station Park where it was formally handed over to the Lord Lieutenant of Moray Major General Seymour Monro.
One of those attending was Mr Ross, who serves on the Boys’ Brigade All Party Parliamentary Group in Westminster.
He said: “It was a real honour to be at the ceremony in Lossiemouth to see the baton handed over. 1st Buckie company did a fantastic job, and it was great to see them travel along the coast in the lifeboat.
“I know 4th Lossiemouth company have exciting plans while they have the baton and it’s really positive it is travelling around all the companies in the north of Scotland.
“Marking 140 years of the Boys’ Brigade in this way has highlighted the work done by everyone connected to the Boys’ Brigade in the north of Scotland and I look forward to following the baton on the remainder of its journey.”
The baton, which contains a message from King Charles and a reply from James Allan, North Scottish President and Captain of the Lossiemouth BB, started its journey in September at the Braemar Gathering and will be passed on 140 times in the North Scotland Area where the message from the King will be read to every Company. By the end of its journey will have travelled to all Boys’ Brigade Companies in Aberdeenshire, Banffshire, Buchan, Highland, Moray, Orkney, Shetland, and the Western Isles.
The brass baton originally created by Sir Henry Duthie to mark the BB’s 100th anniversary.