Credits
From 1st September 1983, a completely new badge scheme was introduced into the BB in the UK. The twenty-four proficiency badges were reduced to five groups, with a single badge awarded for each: Leadership, Adventure, Community, Interests and Physical. Credits, in the form of foil stickers were awarded to boys on the completion of the required period of training. When awarded they could be fixed in the appropriate page of the Boys’ Handbook, or on the Boys’ Wallchart, both of which were available from BB Supplies from late 1983. Once the requisite number of credits had been achieved then the appropriate group badge or stage ‘flash’ was awarded.
Credits were self-adhesive metal-foil ‘stickers’ in over 50 different designs and colours, and between 1983 and 2008 were available through BB Supplies. The three Leadership Credits were slightly larger (63mm x 35mm) than the others (55mm x 30mm).
The credits were coloured according to the activity, the only exception being the three Leadership Credits which were provided in Bronze, Silver and Gold, denoting 1st, 2nd and 3rd Grades in each case. The Credits were provided in designs to cover all the activities which were included in the Award Regulations.
A few years after introduction the scheme was reviewed, and the BB Gazette of February 1988 announced the changes:
- Boys may gain two Credits on the same subject, in the one Session from Wayfaring, First Aid, Music, and Physical Recreation. In order to achieve the two Credits, the instructional sessions will require to be held over a 12/16 week period except in the case of Physical Recreation which would require 24 weeks of instruction. Boys were still allowed to gain as many Arts, Crafts and Hobbies Credits in any one Session as he wished.
- Some activities were transferred from one Activity Group to another: Communications was moved from Adventure to Interests, and both Canoeing and Sailing were moved from Physical to Adventure.
- New credits were introduced to the Scheme: Pioneering into Adventure Section, Computing into Interests Section, and Drug Awareness into Community Section.
Additional changes were made to some of the syllabus and structure of the awards to more closely align with the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.
The red Boys Handbook had been expensive from its introduction and by September 1992 the BB Gazette recorded that: The present Boys’ Handbook, which is very expensive to produce, will be abolished. Credits will therefore not be required for their present purpose, but may be reused on a Company wall-chart if desired. The replacement ‘credits’ will take the form of mini-certificates, which will be able to be collected in a binder in the style of a Filofax.
The metal foil credits were still available to purchase from BB Supplies until 2008, however, they were discontinued shortly after.
