South West Post - September 2023

The International Association of Lions Clubs

District 105SW

SEPTEMBER 2023 NEWSLETTER

In

this

Cabinet dates

Tiverton Lions

Budleigh Salterton

Fowey River Lions

‘Sendinglovetoukraine’

Frome Lions

Blackmore Vale Lions

Minehead Lions

Environmental Photo Competition

Special Photo Competition

105SW Environmental Project Competition

Radstock & Midsommer Norton Lions

Weymouth & Portland Lions

Truro Lions

Message from the editor

I always enjoy visiting Clubs in our District and I began my travels during August. From day one, literally the 1st of August Lion Gail were given a warm welcome by the Lions of Camborne & Redruth who are very active in their community. On the way there however we encountered the Chiverton Cross traffic disaster area, as it is well known to the locals. On the way back I ignored all the commands of my Satnav which insisted

District Governor, Lion James Mathers with Lion Paul Bray, Camborne & Redruth Lions,

that I join the A30. Going through Chacewater was a much better alternative.

District Governor - Lion James Mathers

and with Lion Martin Jewell, Oakhampton Lions,

month with a visit to Plymouth Lions. I am also pleased to say that following a meeting of the five clubs in Zone E the President of Callington Lions Don Berrey volunteered to become their Zone Chair.

As many of you will know the first District Cabinet meeting was held during August using Zoom to avoid holiday traffic on the M5 and A30 on a Saturday. I introduced new procedures which enabled us to get through the various reports in record time. This gave us the opportunity to discuss important topics which on this occasion included Insurance and our youth programmes. Another important departure from previous Cabinet meetings was to have circulated all the

various reports that District Officers have submitted. It is my view that we should be more inclusive and an insight into what takes place at District level will benefit all, especially new members.

I would like to finish with a request. As District Governor it would be my pleasure to attend as many of your major events as my schedule permits but naturally since I live in the “pointy” end of the District there may be many that I am unaware of so please don’t hesitate to drop me an email. That also goes for Charter celebrations. It would be impossible to attend them all and I have already had to decline one having accepted an earlier invitation.

Lion James Mathers

and with Lion Stephan Bouloux, Exeter Lions,

and with Lion Linda Brewer, Launceston Lions.

Exeter Starlites Group to benefit from Tiverton

Lions generous £200 donation.

Exeter Starlites has a packed calendar of events as their reputation and popularity continues to grow both locally and nationally. They can be seen on their website, exeterstarlites.co.uk

Cloe is a member of the Exeter Starlites Group who perform acrobatics and gymnastics to music. They design their own routines around popular music; the girls range from 5 to 18 years of age.

Chloe's troupe have recently won a national competition and been selected to go to France for a European competition to represent Devon. Each girl must provide their own finance for travel, accommodation, and costume of around £1500 pounds. Chloe is at present working to obtain her goal.

Lion James Mathers

Lion David Fitzpatrick

Lion President Ivor Payne and Club Treasurer Margaret Drew presented a cheque for £200 to Chloe Clarke of Cullompton.

Unite Carers also benefit from another Tiverton Lions £200 donation.

Lion President Ivor Payne presented a cheque for £200 to General Manager Sharon Trerise at her office in Bridge Street, Tiverton.

Unite Carers was established in 2003 and strives to provide support, information, activities and friendship to unpaid carers who look after someone who is dependant because of illness, frailty, disability or vulnerability in the Mid Devon area.

Around the Tiverton area there are a number of centres run by Unite Carers where carers, and those in care can meet, get the support needed or just have tea and socialise. Their incredible team of Unite volunteers give up their time with enthusiasm, sensitivity and warmth, to help unpaid carers and former carers.

For more information visit unitecarers.org.uk

Mayors Charity collection at Weymouth Fireworks display goes with a bang

Every Monday evening through out August

Weymouth Town Council sponsor the evenings fireworks display on the main beach at 9.30pm.

On Bank Holiday Monday 28th August thousands of residents and visitors thronged the main esplanade to bag the best viewing spots prior to the final bank holiday display. Lions Ryan Hope, Kevin Brookes, John Davies and Trevor Stratton were all on duty shaking a bucket in aid of the Town Mayor’s Charity Fund.

Lion David Fitzpatrick

Lion Kevin Brookes

Weymouth Town Mayor, Cllr Kate Wheller with Lewie Hope and Club President Ryan Hope

Lion Lesley Chudley

Introducing Lion Tom Milner, the new MD105SW Diabetes Officer

for the Club. He is not a healthcare professional, and he does not suffer from diabetes, Tom freely admits it was a steep learning curve!

However, over the last year he has done a huge amount to raise diabetes awareness in the Budleigh area. He has liaised with the local healthcare professionals and with Diabetes UK.

Thanks to Tom most of the Budleigh Lions' events now have a Diabetes Awareness stand and pull-up banner. Diabetes UK leaflets are displayed and are available for people to read or take away.

He has also established smaller permanent displays in some public locations within the town.

As part of the Lions Club International 'Strides for Diabetes Awareness' program he invites other Lions, friends, and family to join him at the weekly Parkrun in Exmouth. He has also organised a Budleigh Lions Club

Tom joined Budleigh Salterton Lions Club in March 2022. He immediately became an active member of the Club, joining in with litter picks and beach cleans and helping at the monthly Bingo and other events.

In July that year he volunteered to be the Diabetes Officer which was a brand-new role

'Striding for Diabetes Awareness' day which was a lot of fun and involved both local people and visitors to the town. With his partner Lion Kathy (who is the Club's Hunger Officer) he has raised £1000 for Diabetes UK and JDRF (a type 1 diabetes charity) through their charity cycle rides.

He is now an ambassador for the Diabetes UK wide cycle ride which he is keen to promote throughout the District (https://www.diabetes.org.uk/get_involved/fundraisingevents/uk-wide-cycle-ride).

Please do get in touch with him thmsminer@gmail.com, He is looking forward to hearing from you and hopefully meeting you at various Lions events in the future.

Lion Richard Allen

Two new members for Fowey River Lions Club

We are delighted to welcome two new members to our club, Kevin, and Ruth Rouse. They have set to work already, gaining many prizes for our recent Auction for Marie Curie and we are looking forward to working with them in future.

Auction for Marie Curie

In July we held a Live Auction at the New Inn Tywardreath in aid of Marie Curie. We had an amazing 51 lots from chocolates to boat trips, lunches, accommodation stays, pamper boxes, golf days and much more. It was a fun evening with plenty of amusement from our auctioneer Andy Stevens. Despite wide publicity we only had a small audience, so we were delighted to raise just under £359.43. All unsold lots will be used by Marie Curie at future events.

Cornwall Youth Football select International Tour to Germany

Fowey River Lions are delighted that they were able to help sponsor Theo Robinson, of Lostwithiel, when he was chosen to be part of the under 15’s Cornwall Football Team on a trip to Germany. At our August meeting, held in Lostwithiel, the president welcomed Theo with his father Christian. Theo showed a short video of the team in Germany and thanked the club for allowing him to have the experience, he then went on to describe his experience very eloquently. The tour took place between 21st – 31st May 2023 and Theo was part of an 18 member Cornwall team for under 15’s. It had taken eight months to select the team. The group travelled though the Euro Tunnel and on to Germany. It was a happy but long journey and the first day was spent settling in. Theo complimented their host in making the team welcome, the chef gave them English food as

Lion Lynne Goold

Left to Right - Lion Ruth Rouse, Lion President Tony Bartlett and Lion Kevin Rouse

….well as German and even tried making pasties. Training started on the second day and the facilities were very good with level pitches. Robotic mowers were used for keeping the pitches in good order. Their first friendly was against Holland and they won 12-0 and after the game were welcomed by the Dutch team. They went onto play another friendly against the local club and won 15-0. They also had an opportunity for a private stadium tour which introduced them to the psychology of colours in the visiting teams changing rooms which was designed to make visiting teams feel “uncomfortable”. The home team changing rooms were much more comfortable with all mod cons! Another private tour showed them how the pitch could be moved outside the stadium whilst the stadium was used for another event. The pitch quality was then maintained for the players. Team building was a very important part of the tour, and they visited the local swimming pool. As the tournament started the weather became very hot, each game lasted 20 minutes and the first ones were easier than Theo’s team expected, with them winning 6-0, 3-0 and 1-0. The quarter finals were on the same day as the group games and high spirits followed their 10-0 victory. The following day the semi-final was much harder, but they still won 3-0 and noted that the Dutch and German had a very different playing style to theirs. The final was against the Bundesliga Academy, after 15 minutes, of the 20-minute game, the score was still drawn but in the last minute they gained a free kick to win 1-0 to the delight of the Cornish teams. During their visit they scored 72 goals and did not concede one. Next season Theo has been invited to play for Truro under 18’s.

The club thanked Theo for the presentation, congratulating him on his achievements and wished him well in the future.

MJFs applied for using the paper form scanned and emailed to Oakbrooke are taking anywhere from 10-16 weeks to process which is causing huge frustration. If clubs use the online link shown below it speeds the process up considerably.

https://members.lionsclubs.org/EN/lcif/mjf-request-form.php

The next trip will be leave Cornwall on the 18th September 2023. To donate please follow the link to the sendinglovetoukraine website.

https://sendinglovetoukraine.org

Lion Lynne Goold

Lion Lesley Chudley

The Lions Club of Plymouth, following their worldwide motto of “We Serve”, and the club’s intention to serve mainly the local community, acted quickly when aware that the Plymouth Food Bank had a good number of empty shelves.

President Bob Dight accompanied by Community Service Chair Lion Phil Greenwood and wife Lion Pam, with the agreement of all club members presented Rachel Javan, warehouse co-ordinator, with a cheque for £500.00 to purchase more food items.

The money donated was raised by public contribution to many fundraising activities held by the Lions Club of Plymouth for use within the local community.

Plymouth Foodbank helps people who are in financial crisis by providing them with much needed food (plus toiletries and cleaning items), a listening ear and useful support. Over 140 different agencies can provide clients with Foodbank vouchers. Short term provision is given, with each food parcel containing enough tinned and dried food for a balanced diet for 3 days.

During the month 1st July - 1st August this year, 883 people were served, two-thirds of them adults and one-third of them children. This provided 7,947 meals.

The Foodbank relies on donations of food, toiletries, and money. Last week alone they spent £3,000 of donated money to supplement donated goods. There are still some empty shelves in the warehouse. Donations can be taken to Plymouth Foodbank, The Oasis Project, 28 Manor Street, Stonehouse, PL1 1TW.

For more information, please contact info@plymouth.foodbank.org.uk 01752 254981 or follow them on Facebook or twitter.

Lion Roy Russell

THERE’S SILVER IN THEM THEIR BATTERIES

Button batteries contain a small amount of silver.

A member of Southend Lions has the ability to extract this and dispose of the rest, environmentally safely.

One kilogram of batteries will yield £50 of silver at today’s prices. Please collect these from care homes, medical outlets, chemists, hearing aid providers or anywhere that will save them for you, and bring them to zone meetings, cabinet, or post them to Lesley Chudley.

All monies generated will go into the MD Vision Screening Programme.

SO we are helping the environment and vision in one go!

WIN! WIN!

£10,000 Cheque donation to Julias House and £4,000 donation to Active & In Touch.

of all the teams that took part raising funds for both their own clubs and nominated charity Active & In Touch.

Pictured is Swim organiser Lion Greg Wood presenting the cheque to Active and in Touches Jackie & Carol accompanied by New President Richard Phillips and several of the Frome Lions.

CHEQUE DONATION TO JULIAS HOUSE

Frome Lions club recently presented the regional charity Julian House with a cheque for £10,000 which was the proceeds from its 2023 sportsman’s Dinner held at the end of March. This

At their recent club meeting held at Frome rugby club, Frome Lions were pleased to present a cheque for £4000 to two of the Trustees of Frome based charity Active and in Touch Jackie and Carol. The charity helps and befriend people who have become isolated or out of touch with the community around them.

The £4000 was the proceeds from the clubs 2023 annual Sponsored Swim which was held in Marchat the Frome Leisure Centre with 24 teams taking part including a team from Active & In Touch.

Frome Lions would like to acknowledge the generous sponsorship from AGGREGATE INDUSTRIES and the fabulous fundraising efforts

year’s guest speaker was Steve Harmison MBE, DL. the former Durham, Yorkshire, and England first class cricketer who represented England in 63 Tests, 58 One Day Internationals, and 2 T20s. between 2002 -2009.

Julian House is a charity that supports vulnerable and at-risk individuals. These include adults and young people experiencing homelessness, escaping domestic abuse, adults with learning difficulties and people who need support after leaving prison.

Lion Mike Geake

Anthony White is awarded Young Leaders In Service Award

from Minehead Lions Club.

Minehead and District Lions Club are very proud to have awarded a Young Leaders in Service to Anthony Knight. Anthony attends Taunton School and lives in Minehead. He is an accomplished violin player and used his talents to uplift spirits during Covid by playing in elderly people’s homes. He is also playing and raising money for the Ukraine refugees. To date he has raised over £12,000 and is continuing his studies and travelling to concerts around the country. A well-deserved award! The presentation was attended by Anthony, his family, Minehead Lions and sponsors, 1st VDG Kevin Moore and Catherine, YLIS Officer Colin Marsh and members of Minehead Rotary. We all enjoyed a wonderful buffet whilst Anthony gave a recital, showcasing his incredible talent. The club also donated £100 together with £60 from Rotary, towards his appeal.

Lion Colin Marsh

President Iris presenting Anthony with his cheque

Anthony playing his violin

YLIS Officer Colin Marsh presents Anthony with his award

Blackmore Vale Lions receive International Award for Charitable giving.

At its recent business meeting Peter Oswick, President of Blackmore Vale Lions Club (BVLC) surprised us by announcing that the club had received a Lions Club International Foundation award for its work collecting and donating money to international and domestic charities as part of

We are holding a bucket collection on August Bank Holiday Saturday (26 Aug) and have been getting ourselves for that and the Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival (9 & 10 Sept) where we staff one of the entry gates and run a stall from our gazebo. We are looking forward to attending a presentation by the two venture scouts whose visit to Iceland for trekking and other adventurous pursuits the club sponsored. Reports will follow.

On a bright and sunny day (no don’t fall over in amazement!) members of the club and their wives visited the Poole Lifeboat Station to present a cheque to RNLI for £120.00 raised from a raffle at our Charter Day celebrations.

A great day out was had by all who were able to attend. Just after the group left there was a “shout” to go out and rescue the lead singer of Mungo Jerry (If you remember, you are a very experienced person!) who’s boat had suffered a mechanical failure in shallow but dangerous water.

the LIONS CLUB INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION 100 project. The award in the form of a plaque from LCIF 100 was admired by members at the meeting. Some months seem quiet, but they never are, something is always bubbling away underneath the surface. Recently we have marshalled another road race, this time the SturminsterNewton Half Marathon organized by the Dorset Doddlers. Little unusual to report except that some drivers never cease to amaze. We have held the first planning meeting for our own half marathon, the Blackmore Vale Half on 4 Feb next year. Early preparation is advisable because we must notify local authorities and agencies to get permissions in place. We are always looking for extra help to make this an enjoyable day for the runners. If your club can find a couple of people to help it would be most appreciated.

Lion Tim Otter

Lions President Peter Oswick with Lions Ian Simpson, Bill Brown, David Birt and Colin Mcleod

RNLI Volunteer David Wall with Lions Peter Oswick, Bill Brown and David and Brenda Birt

Budleigh Salterton & District Hospiscare receives £1,750 from Budleigh Lions

Last month Budleigh Salterton Lions Club sold raffle tickets for several days in the High Street, and they hosted a Jumble Sale and a Bingo evening over one weekend in the Public Hall. All these activities were held to raise funds for 'Budleigh Salterton & District Hospiscare'.

'Budleigh Salterton & District Hospiscare' is an independent local charity which raises its own funds to cover all costs of patients registered with Budleigh Salterton Medical Centre and Woodbury Surgery who are cared for by Hospiscare's end of life services.

Martin Briggs, Chairman of 'Budleigh Salterton & District Hospiscare' said "We are financially independent of 'Hospiscare' and do not receive any funds directly from the NHS or any other public

bodies. We rely entirely on the support of the local community for our funds and these funds raised by the Lions will help us to continue our important work in the community and make a real difference to local families in our area.

At the Lions' Business Meeting on Tuesday 8th August, Martin Briggs the Chairman of the Charity together with Claire Jones (Fundraising & Support Manager) were presented with a cheque for £1,750, the total proceeds from the Lions fundraising events mentioned above.

Martin added, "Thank you and your fellow Lions for the magnificent fundraising carried out on our behalf. £1,750 is a truly amazing effort – beyond my wildest dreams! We are always impressed by the community engagement that the Lions can achieve, so it was a privilege to be the beneficiaries of your hard work and the generosity of your supporters. Please pass on our gratitude to all the Lions who helped to make the weekend such a success."

Lion Richard Allen

“£1,750 is a truly amazing effort - beyond my wildest dreams”

Bingo - Meet old friends and make new ones

Budleigh Salterton Lions Club holds a monthly Bingo evening in the Public Hall. The money raised supports various charities and local good causes.

The Club also has a Diabetes Awareness stand and collection points for food donations for the local Food Bank and unwanted foreign currency for the LCI Gift for Living project.

The Bingo evening is also an opportunity for the Lions and other members of the local community to come together and have some fun, meet old friends, and make new ones.

Lion Richard Allen

Lions Gill & Steve

Lions Gill, Steve, Richard and Jim

Bingo caller Geoff

Full House

Lion Lesley Chudley

Lion Lesley Chudley

A fitting tribute to Russell Ford - a much-loved Lion and friend of St Chad’s and Chilcompton Surgeries

The Radstock & Midsomer Norton Lions has joined forces with the Friends of St Chad’s and Chilcompton Surgeries in the purchase of a phlebotomy Chair for the Chilcompton surgery’s new phlebotomy room as a tribute in memory of the late Russell Ford, who was a Lion and a Friend of St Chad’s. The Lions donated £850 in memory of the late Russell Ford, and the Friends added £400+ to complete the purchase. Russell had served as a member of the Friends for well over 10 years until he retired in 2011 and was a long-serving member of the Lions Club. We are all very grateful to the Lions for their generous support.

The GP Practice has equipped a new room at their Chilcompton Surgery to enable them to provide more blood clinics at both surgeries. The

chair is especially necessary for patients who may be frail or have other special requirements. The intention is to make tests simpler and more comfortable for patients.

In our photograph you can see Joyce Ford, Russell’s widow and a long-time member of the Friends Jenny Evans, ‘road-testing’ the new equipment. We were also proud to unveil a plaque on the door paying tribute to Russell’s long service with both organisations.

(The photo features Vanessa from St Chads Surgery, Jenny Evans Friend of St Chads, Joyce and Andrew Ford Russell’s widow and son, Carol Russell’s niece, Lion President Rob Jamieson, Lion Rex Gregory, and Lion Derek Livsey.)

Lion Sarah Oughton

Lions Youth Brass Band goes Can Can crazy on Weymouth Esplanade

Every summer during the school holidays The Lions Youth Brass Band from Sandbach in Cheshire go on a summer tour. This year they decided to come down to Dorset and asked local Lions Clubs to help them find suitable locations to play during the week. Weymouth & Portland Lions Club were only too pleased to assist them. They played for two days on Weymouth Esplanade wowing the crowds with music such as military marches, music from film and stage and finishing off each set with a rousing rendition of the Can Can. During the week the band also played in the Methodist Church in Easton Gardens, Portland

and a evening concert in The Dorford Centre in Dorchester which was promoted and organised by Dorchester & District Lions Club. From all accounts the week was a great success and the band can’t wait to return to Dorset and Weymouth again in the near future. The band also played at Poole Quay and on Bournemouth esplanade.

Lion Kevin Brookes

29 years and still going strong

The weather was sunny and a bit breezy at times but that didn’t dampen the spirits of local entertainers who had all volunteered their services once again to make Weymouth & Portland Lions Club’s 29th Annual Street Busk a great success.

The afternoon mellowed slightly with sessions from Brian Lincoln with some good old country songs and Ken Watkins who gave us his version of Carly Simons hit, “Your so vain”.

The day got off to a very lively start from dancers from the Let’s Dance school followed by Briana who sang songs from film and stage. Sisters Eloise and Isabell were next up on stage.

Local instrumental group Ukadelics were next up followed by a new young duo called Kleptomaniax. These two are an off-shoot from last years debut act The Dark Descendants.

The afternoon came to a close with Ann and Lion Norman Stagles on stage. To see the selected highlights of this years busk. Follow the link to Weymouth & Portland Lions Club You-Tube channel.

(23) Weymouth & Portland Lions Busk 2023 - YouTube

Lion Kevin Brookes

On Saturday the 26th of August the annual Porthscatho Regatta was held. Superbly led by the incredible Hilda Powell who never considers stopping year after year and her son Lion Steve who were very ably supported by Lion Alan

Downie and his wife Lesley, Lion President Richard Moore and his partner Beryl, Lions Liz Barnes and Sue Gibbs raised a phenomenal amount of £1,000! from the Tombola Sales of cuddly Lions. This is a record for our event at Porthscatho and comes on the back of other similar events at Tregony Heavy Horse Show

and Veryan fete which together raised a total of £471.

A massive thank you to the public who participated in all 3 events raising money for Lions local good causes and congratulations to all Lions and partners who manned the stall on August the 26th and to Lion Mick Pawlak and his wife Jenny Lion President Richard and Beryl who assisted Hilda and Steve at Veryan and Tregony.

Lion Geoff Kaye

Lion Kevin Brookes