MEMBERS of the 1st Vale of Leven Boys’ Brigade Company have been recognised for their hard work and commitment at a special ceremony.

The group held its first awards presentation day since May 2019 outside Bonhill Parish Church on May 5, after more than a year of meeting virtually due to Covid-19 restrictions, with church minister Reverend Barbara O’Donnell doing the honours.

Captain Hugh Hutchinson said: “The highlight of the day was the presentation of the Queen’s Badge and the Duke of Edinburgh Silver award certificate of excellence, along with a Saltire certificate to Sergeant Euan Middlemiss.

“This was a great achievement for Euan as he completed most of the work requirements during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award was modified to meet tackle the challenges posed by the pandemic.

“Euan had planned to volunteer for work in a charity shop but was instead able to volunteer at home by coaching his mum in computer and internet skills.

“Euan taught himself to play the keyboard at home, and the boys watched his progress on our Zoom sessions.

“He had planned a programme of gymnastics but this was changed to running sessions of up to 5km from home.”

The ceremony also allowed Captain Hutchinson to thank all his staff and helpers publicly for helping keep the group going during the challenges of Covid-19.

He also thanked the organisations who gave financial support to get the group going virtually, who supplied IT equipment to enable some of the boys to stay in touch, and who provided funding for outdoor events and weekend holiday activities planned for later this year and moving into 2022.