From the silence of mid-winter

I can therefore only report on the scant news which spasmodically reaches my ears. 8th Falkirk (Bainsford Church) managed to have a photograph of some boys and officers in the national BB magazine the ‘‘Gazette’’. They were seen there to be collecting cheques from Asda in Grangemouth and Stenhousemuir in the amounts of £200 from each, as part of the store’s giving support of the local community. Well done 8th Falkirk for seeking funds in this way, which I’m always on about as very much required to support the work with the boys we seek to engage. Interesting to note the stores involved. They are to be commended for such support and, hopefully, the local companies there had other fundraising irons in the fire?
Several local companies survived the first round of the mational Masterteam quiz to compete in round two. 7th Falkirk (Baptist Church) and 1st Polmont A & B (Brightons Church) were drawn against 200th Glasgow and 128th Glasgow. 5th Larbert (Grace and Baptist Churches) was up against 2nd Gourock, 65th Edinburgh and 2nd East Kilbride. I wonder if the deafening silence since indicates less than a likelihood of further progress to the Scottish final on February 24? For my part as a frequent quizmaster, supported by my F & D Stedfast Markers, I oversaw the round hosted by 26th Stirling (Alloa) with teams from 2nd Blairgowrie, 3rd Perth, 1st Dalgety Bay and 1st Newport/Wormit with 3rd Inverness opting not to travel due to the tail end of storm Caroline. In the warmth of the Moncrieff Church in Alloa, skipper John Forrest made sure all the teams were well catered for during a closely run competition which eventually went the way of the team from Newport/ Wormit.