The Lord-Lieutenant of Stirling and Falkirk, Alan Simpson, officially opened the new Army Cadet Force (ACF) building at Bo’ness last night.
Cadets and adults of The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Battalion ACF Bo’ness Detachment will use the facility, and many of them were present for the opening, held in accordance with COVID-19 social distancing measures.
The £340,000 building is of a modular design specifically built for installation on the site of former Spooner huts, and it was designed to the specifications of the ACF and HRFCA by Jam Studios in Aberdeen and made and installed by Elite Modular Buildings Solutions.
It forms one part of HRFCA’s £1.4 million programme of cadet building replacements. A similar build and installation has already taken place at Newport in Fife, with several more to follow in the near future.
Opening the building, the Lord-Lieutenant said: “Highland RFCA have done a fantastic job of replacing old, tired cadet huts on this site as part of a continuing programme to improve and rebuild cadet real estate throughout the HRFCA-area.
“The Association has come up with an excellent, flexible design that meets the needs of the detachment. The high standards that cadets deserve are here for all to see.”
Addressing the cadets, he added: “With this new hut in Bo’ness you are ready to take the history of the ACF in the town forward into the future, and I wish you all the best in your new home.”
Colonel John Tonner, Commandant of The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Battalion, thanked the Lord Lieutenant for opening the building.
Also present at the September 22 opening were Bo’ness Detachment Commander SSI David Naismith and, from HRFCA, Chairman Captain Nick Dorman, Deputy Chief Executive Andrew Macnaughton, and Senior Estates Officer Brian McMillan.
Following the opening, the Lord-Lieutenant presented a Cadet Forces Medal to Captain Niall Archibald, the former Battalion Commandant, to recognise his 12 years’ service with the ACF.
Captain Archibald remarked that his new medal was “eclipsed by this great new building” and told the cadets to make the most of the building and their opportunities in the cadet force.
