Cheddar Vale Lions Club were delighted to present Lydia Osborne with a Gold Young Leaders in Service Award at the Bath Arms on Friday 17th January.
Lydia achieved her award by her many hours of volunteering for Avalon Camps. Avalon Camps is a local not-for-profit organization based in Mark, Somerset, which gives disadvantaged children from Bristol the opportunity to have a holiday in the countryside. Lydia has been closely involved with Avalon Camps for many years and speaks passionately about the importance of this opportunity for the children who attend and the positive impact on the young leaders who volunteer their time.
Lions International Peace Poster Contest 2025 -2026 “TOGETHER AS ONE”
Peace Poster Packs are now available.
Packs can be purchased from MDHQ ( £14 each + Postage) or can be downloaded in digital format. Peace Poster Packs will also be available to buy from the Lions Shop at 105 Convention, saving you postage. If you would like to reserve a pack(s) for your Club, to collect from the Convention Shop, please let me know as soon as possible.
Lion Theresa Warrell
District 105SW Peace Poster Officer ta.warrell@btinternet.com
News from around the District—Tavistock Lions Club
At a recent meeting of the Tavistock Club, President Alan Wroath presented three cheques of £2,250 each to representatives of Marie Curie (Tavistock & Yelverton), Derriford Children's Cancer Services and
raised came from the Lions' Trees of Light which illuminated the front of the Town Hall over the Christmas period and where the lights had been spon-
Alan
A few days later a similar presentation was made to Children's Hospice South West. All of the money
of all the charities expressed their grateful thanks to those who had donated the money and to the Lions Club for choosing them as the recipients. They all said that it was a difficult time financially for all charities and that these wonderful donations will give their funds a much needed boost.
Also at the meeting, Alan presented the Club's ten Young Ambassadors with Certificates of Appreciation for their assistance during Carnival Week and for the fund raising efforts over Christmas which resulted in a cheque for £200 being presented to the local branch of the RSPCA. Alan also advised that the Young Ambassadors will be receiving Young Leaders in Service awards from Lions Club International in recognition of their service with the Club and other local organisations over the past few
Lions Chris Northey (the co-ordinator of the Trees on behalf of the Club), Annabel Roberts - Area Fund Raiser for CHSW and Lion President Alan Wroath
Jan Smith - Committee Member, Lion President Alan, Gill BassettCommittee Member, Lion Chris and Lyn Roberts - Treasurer
Back row: Lez Parker - Trustee of the local RSPCA branch, Lion President Alan and Lion Therese Frattaroli
Environmental Action for 105SW
The United Nations celebrates World Environment Day annually on Thursday 5th June. This Day encourages worldwide awareness and action for the protection of the environment and highlights the importance of urgent action to halt biodiversity loss, reduce the effects of greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, plastic waste and restore environmental benefits for future generations.
The United Nations recognise that we cannot turn back time, but we can grow forests, revive water sources, and bring back soils. We are the generation that can make peace with the land.
This year the theme is “Ending Plastic Pollution with the aim of strengthen global commitment to
this urgent cause and inspiring collective action for a sustainable future.
Some Lions Clubs in 105SW have already formed partnerships with local organisations promoting plastic free communities. For those new to this area, Thursday June 5th is a chance to join the plastic-free initiatives.
Please consider promoting 5th June as a day of reflection and action at your local events, on your social media channels and advertising mediums. ns
News from around the District—Paignton Lions Club
Lion Alan Sanderson MJF
Paignton Lions Clubs annual 2024 Boxing Day Walk into the Sea was attended by the RNLI and their lifeboat. So they presented them with some refreshments etc for their attendance.
The picture shows Roy Tuttle ex chairman Lifeboat ,Lion Alan Tozer ,Ian Barnaby Chairman Lifeboat ,Lion President Carol Beasley, Lion Patrick Beasley, Lion Diane Goff, Lion Martin Rogers, and Lion Ian Snell.
News from around the District– Newquay Lions Club
Newquay Lions Free Easter Egg Hunt
Newquay Lions pride themselves on, fundamentally, being a community focused club.
For many years, our club has held, free of charge, an Easter Egg Hunt on Easter Sunday on the famous
The eggs are either donated by local Businesses, or we approach our County Councillors to access pots of community funding. Although we have never run out of eggs, we regularly come very close, and the participants can easily go through 180-200 eggs.
12 large, gold painted stones, (only a few inches deep) Raking the area hides the evidence and at 1 o’clock we let the children loose, with accompanying parents and pets. The aim is to find the ‘Golden Eggs’.
Everyone is provided with a small beach spade and
We also, are donated spades by one of the local beach businesses, who throughout the summer season, collects all the abandoned spades left by our beach visitors.
Recycle, reuse! The equipment we use has been in the club for years and is used for other events, keeping the overall cost of the event to a minimum.
We are also considering purchasing a ‘badged’ gazebo, in partnership with NQ Towan Blystra Lions Club, to further promote the event and our Club’s involvement in the local community.
It is a very popular, fun event, well attended, even in bad weather and promotes the involvement of our club, and its activities to the community.
The 12 winners all receive a large egg and the ones who are not successful, a smaller egg.
Newquay Lions Holiday for Deserving Families 2025
Newquay Lions Club are proud to announce that they will, once again, be running the Holiday for Deserving Families 2025, at the award-winning Hendra Holiday Park, in Newquay.
We never know why the families are selected, but we know they need a holiday, and living in Newquay means that we have the knowledge and the facilities to provide one.
Over the 30 years that we have been running these holidays we have provided a break to over 600 families, a figure of which we are immensely proud.
There are many people and organisations involved, including the family owner of Hendra Holiday Park, who allocate 25 vans for us to fill every year.
A small team of NQ Lions send out an invitation, initially to Lions Clubs who have supported or shown an interest in the past, before offering the holiday to the rest of our Lions family. This is a crucial part as without the support of other organizations, this event would not happen. Some clubs may approach social services and local schools to find a family, others are approached themselves, by other organisations.
This year the cost of a week’s holiday, per family, is £500, regardless of how many are in the family. (we
Newquay Lions Monthly Bingo
cater for 2-8 per van). We draw up an itinerary for the families to include days out, use of the sites swimming pool and other facilities, evening events and pasty and pizza evenings. There is also the sites entertainment hub providing live music and bingo.
Over the week, members of our club come and meet the families, joining in with the events or days out. Sometimes, members of the sponsoring club will visit their family, joining in the fun. We have up to 25 families who arrive as strangers and very often leave as friends.
Not to blow our own trumpet, we believe that this is one of the most community lead projects around. It involves so many different groups, not just Newquay Club and the holiday park, but the other clubs who sponsor a family.
Local attractions give us reduced entry fees, companies donate pasties and the local bus drivers give up their time to drive us around. There are far too supporters to mention fully.
We have already reserved our vans this year for the 26th September to 3rd October, so if any club is interested in supporting a deserving family from their local area, please contact barbarahannan@btconnect.com and I will forward an information pack.
Newquay Lions Club are always looking for new ways to fund raise so when Bingo was suggested, the Club jumped to the challenge.
It was decided to alternate prize bingo one month and cash bingo the next. This was well received, as some prefer winning prizes (the most popular being the Chicken dinner for a full house) whilst others prefer going back home with a few extra pounds in their purse.
Whilst this was initially intended as a fund-raising opportunity for the club, (it raises between £200-£350 per session) we very soon realised that it has become more of a social club for many members of our local community, many of whom are either elderly or live on their own (or both).
Newquay Lions are the proud owners of a community minibus, that regularly proves its worth. A former Lion, on moving back into the area, was coming to the sessions in his powered wheelchair. Whilst living in a local care home, his health has recently deteriorated and the minibus, which has a powered tail lift, has been
instrumental in allowing him to join in. Now there are other members of the care home who, courtesy of the minibus, are also able to come down to play.
One of our charter members, Denis Dent, who also sadly has health issues, has landed the perfect job at the Bingo. He collects the entry fee and welcomes everyone to play, giving him a fulfilling role as part of the club. No one gets past our Denis without paying their entry fee.
This last month we were joined by members of Truro Lions, who wanted to observe how the Bingo is run. Their intention is to investigate the possibility of another session starting in Truro. It was suggested that if they run their event on a different day to Newquay’s, then we could share the equipment, until such time that they set up regular games themselves.
News from around the District—Plymouth Lions Club
ship when they badged up new member Lucy Peters at their January business meeting.
Lucy, a 28-year-old podiatrist was introduced to the club by her grandfather George Poad, a former club president and long-serving Lion.
Lucy lives in Plymstock where she grew up and
A DONATION of £500 has been made by the Lions Club of Plymouth to the Plymouth Foodbank.
Lion Pam Greenwood, who chairs the Lions Club’s Community Service Committee, says: “The foodbank helps local people in crisis, providing three days' emergency food and support.
“In 2024 they helped 13,316 people. Donations have reduced over the past few years, because of Covid and rising costs. Food donations need to be quick and easy to cook, because of the cost of fuel, and also because some people don't even have a home to cook in.
“Donations such as cleaning materials and personal
attended the local secondary school. She subsequently studied in Cardiff, graduated last year, and now works at a private clinic in Launceston.
Commenting on her decision to join the Lions, Lucy said: “I am looking forward to the opportunity of meeting people and helping where we can.”
Lion George, who was for a number of years a member of the former Plym Valley Club, has served as a club president on seven occasions during his time as a Lion.
He said: “It is a great pleasure to see my granddaughter Lucy badged up on joining this great organisation and I hope she gets as much pleasure as I have, making many friends and being there to serve those less fortunate than ourselves.”
hygiene products etc are also needed.”
In fact, the foodbank does more than provide food. Helpers run art classes and coffee mornings and are proud to now have a full-time Citizens' Advice worker who can offer help and signpost clients to relevant organisations.
Plymouth club President Lion Lionel Marsh presents the £500 cheque to Mark Haydon (far right) of the Plymouth Foodbank watched by (left to right)
Andrew Denham (Plymouth Foodbank) and Lions David Turvey, Pam Greenwood (Community Service chair), and Immediate Past President Bob Dight.
City of Wells Lions Club
City of Wells Lions Club have been delighted with the level of support provided by the local community and businesses who have sponsored the variety of their fundraising events held throughout the year.
This month the club donated £100 to YMCA Wells Youth Club towards the purchase of Arts and Crafts for their evening club meetings and a further the sum of £280 was given to Somerset Prostate Support Association towards the cost of running a free testing session for men aged 40 or more to be held on the 10th May 2025 at Croscombe Village Hall. Additionally, from the donations for stars on the ‘Tree of Light’ £150 has been given to the St Cuthbert’s Church Disaster Emergency Committee ‘Middle East Humanitarian Appeal’.
Thanks to sponsorship by Peter Douglas of Wells in Broad Street and support from St Thomas’s Church, the club intend to run a Rock ‘N’ Roll evening on Friday 28th March 2025 in the church featuring the everpopular Steve Abbot, your local plumber, and the Loose Ends. The proceeds will be used to support The Lawrence Centre, a local charitable organisation that does so much to support our older Wells community.
City of Wells Lions have also distributed the Daffodil boxes at various establishments in Wells and will be collecting for Marie Curie in the entrance of Morrisons Supermarket on Saturday 1
News from around the District Weston-Super-Mare Lions Club
At our November Business Meeting we had the pleasure of being joined by the First Vice District Governor Lion Richard Allen. It was a privilege to have him witness Lion Dave being presented with the Melvin Jones Foundation Award (MJF). The MJF is one of the highest awards that can be presented to a Lion. It is in recognition to the individuals outstanding service within the Lions Community.
We were thrilled to welcome two new members to our team. Lion Ann and Lion Robert who have already proven to be valuable assets to the club. Lion Robert has been lending his support at the Langford Covid Clinic and the Weston Carnival, while Lion Ann has supported us with the Weston Lions Charity Real Ale & Cider Festival and our Mud Master obstacle course race for the past two years.
It was a delight to present the Weston Air Cadets with a donation to assist them in purchasing a new laptop. The new laptop will undoubtedly be a valuable resource for the cadets, enhancing their ability to engage in educational programs and manage their projects more efficiently. We are proud to support the youth in our community, fostering growth and learning opportunities.
We were honoured to have our President, Lion Grant, award Lion Chris and Lion Jo with their 20-year membership certificates. Both Lions actively contribute to our club and play significant roles in fundraising and supporting our local community. Their dedication and passion have been instrumental in driving the success of our initiatives, inspiring fellow members to continue making a positive impact .
We started the year off strong with this year's Pines for Pounds tree collection. It was a remarkable team effort working alongside other voluntary organisations. We are thrilled to share that a total of 27 vehicles collected trees across Weston-superMare and the
Weston-Super-Mare Lions Club
surrounding areas. Over 85 volunteers assisted with driving, loading, and logistics. In total, 944 trees were registered for collection, with a few surprise additions on the day. We managed to drop off 7,280 KG of trees at the Weston refuge depot, along with additional trees at other locations in North Somerset. All these efforts resulted in an impressive total of over £14,000 raised, plus Gift
December was a busy month. The Weston Lions hosted three casino nights at Batch Country House. One being in aid of Breast Cancer UK. We transformed the elegant venue into a vibrant casino setting, complete with poker tables, roulette wheels, and blackjack, to create an immersive experience. All guests were encouraged to dress in glamorous attire.
During the festive season, we proudly presented Weston Hospicecare with a Christmas hamper brimming with delightful treats. They were thrilled, especially after successfully raising £500 from their previous hamper. All money raised goes to palliative care for people with life-limiting illnesses. Additionally, we donated another hamper to The Monkey Tree Charity. They provide Children who have terminal/life limiting diseases and their families with free meal vouchers so they can come and eat for free at our community cafe. They also provide age-appropriate wheelchairs for the children as and when they need them to help them maintain their independence.
The Weston Lions gathered to celebrate our accomplishments from 2024 and raised a toast for an even brighter 2025 at the Weston Lions Christmas Party, held at Beachlands Hotel. Club members, along with friends and family, dressed up for the special event. Everyone relished a delightful three-course meal, followed by a festive quiz, a raffle and entertainment to round off the evening.
Weston-Super-Mare Lions Club
We started the 2025 donations with great pride in announcing three donations to local charitable organisations dedicated to supporting our community.
Firstly, we contributed to The Salvation Army team based in Weston, which operates 356 days a year to assist those in need providing practical help for people in need, defend those who are vulnerable and abused, and fight against injustice.
Secondly, we supported White Shades Media, an organization that promotes Weston and highlights the resources available within our community.
Lastly, we donated to Freewheelers EVS, a remarkable charity staffed entirely by volunteers who are on call 24/7. This invaluable service facilitates the transportation of blood, breast milk, and emergency medical supplies to as well as other critical tasks to hospitals across the South West region.
News from around the (World) District—Crediton Lions Club
“My name is Bob Chambers I am a lions club member in Keene Ontario Canada about 2 hours east of Toronto. I was watching the television show Escape to the Country and I noticed the Crediton Lions Club logo on a volunteer reading for hearing impaired subscribers of the local paper. It truly is a great organization to belong to. Just thought I would send a message to your club. It made me so proud. Keep up the great work yours truly Lion Bob”
Crediton Courier editor, Alan Quick, Lion Peter Bryan
Lion Eric Parkes, Lion Karen Todd, supporter Richard Adams and show presenter Sonali Shah
News from around the District Newquay Towan Blystra
Date announced for Newquay Beer Festival tickets to go on sale
Newquay Beer Festival, Cornwall’s Friendliest Charity Festival organised by Towan Blystra Lions Club, returns to Hendra Holiday Park for the twelfth year from Fri 19 to Sun 21 September 2025. Tickets go on sale from the evening of Friday April (should be 4 not 7) and, until 10am on Monday April (should be 7 not 10), will be at a super saver price of around 40% off with no increase on the entry price of the past two years.
Headliners this year are confirmed as Cornwall’s great party band, The Qwest on Friday evening; MidCornwall’s fabulous ‘get on your feet and dance’ band, One for the Road on Saturday evening and, finishing off the festival weekend at tea-time on Sunday,
the one and only ska/two-tone tribute band, Rudi’s Message. All the headliners are coming back by popular demand and they will be supported by a great line up of local musical talent on all three days so it’s sure to be another fantastic event.
Not forgetting the beers and ciders too though! Absolutely brilliant quality and quantity of cask, craft and keg beers from Cornwall and further afield, with many you won’t have tried AND a whole load of ciders with some cracking names and variety of tastesit’s not all about apples you know! Felling peckish? Then Katy’s Cornish Hotpots will once again be onsite to provide the nourishment plus Hendra’s pizzas, fish and chips and terrace cafe covers wide range of other tastes. Yumm!
Leave the car at home too - stop over at reduced rates in your tent, motorhome or caravan and take a look at other static chalet and caravan opportunities at great prices. Just ring Hendra to book accommodation and, to buy tickets to the festival from 7 April visit www.newquaybeerfestival.co.uk.
LIONS CUB MEMBERS WHO WOULD LIKE TO VOLUNTEER FOR SHIFTS ARE VERY WELCOME. JUST LET US KNOW YOU’D LIKE TO JOIN US AND WE WILL SEND YOU A ROTA NEARER THE FESTIVAL.
News from around the District- Torpoint & Rame Lions Club
Equipment for Sailing Cadets from local Lions
Lion President Paul Goodall presented a cheque for £1000 to the Commodore of Torpoint Mosquito Sailing Club, Dee Casey Brown which will help towards training equipment for the Cadets at the Club at their Charter Dinner. Building on past donations such as the donation towards their
The Torpoint and Rame
Peninsula Lions Club recently held their 48th Charter Dinner at the 200 Club in Torpoint. Lion President Paul Goodall hosted members from neighbouring clubs with the superb buffet dinner being enjoyed by many Torpoint and Rame Peninsula Lions and their guests.
Membership Matters
Grant applications
Editors Note: Clicking on the QR Code doesn’t work but if you take a photo with your phone you will be directed to the form, alternatively use this link https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?
News from around the District—Budleigh Salterton Lions
The Budleigh Salterton monthly Bingo night is a popular event that sees people of all ages pack into the public hall for an evening of fun, food, sociability and most importantly, lots of amazing prizes.
The Lions regularly join forces with other local charity groups on the night, who are given the opportunity to run the kitchen to raise funds for their causes.
In January, it was the turn of Bicton College who used the chance to sell homemade cakes and hot drinks in aid of Progression Pathways; an initiative that offers different pathways to enable young people to develop skills and confidence to prepare for adulthood and make future life choices.
A total of £600 was presented to representatives of the college by Budleigh Salterton Lions Club President Alex McDiarmid, who said “It’s wonderful to share the success of our Bingo Night with other local causes and Bicton College have a very worthy mission that really
does deserve our support - to support young people to be independent, confident and resilient.”
News from around the District—Frome Lions Club
The 17th Frome Lions Sporting Charity dinner was held at Elmhay Park, Orchardleigh, Frome. on the 6th of February.
This year’s chosen charity was the Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance. A representative from the charity Charlotte Humber was in attendance and informed the guests that the Air Ambulance provides lifesaving, pre-hospital critical care to those in urgent need across Dorset & Somerset. She said that Since March 2000 the Air Ambulance has responded to emergencies across the region bringing advanced medical care to patients wherever they are. The dedicated teams include expert pilots, critical care practitioners, paramedics, nurses , doctors working together 19 hours a day from 7.00am to 2.00am every day of the year. The Air Ambulance is funded by charity giving. Last year they responded to 2,909 missions, with each mission costing £3,500. 1,397 of these were using the AW169 Helicopter and critical care car & 1,512 were using their outreach cars. The Guest speaker for the night was the former England cricketer Sir Alistair Cook CBE. He is England's most-capped specialist test batsman and captained the England team in 59 Tests, as well as in 69 ODIs. He is the second highest run-scorer in Test matches for England, and the youngest player to score 12,000 Test runs. He scored a record 33 Test centuries for England and is the first England player to win 50 Test matches.
Also in attendance was Mr Kevin Butcher, CEO of the Richard Oatley foundation who have again this year generously agreed to match fund the amount raised by the Lions. The Late Richard Oatley was a farmer who spent his entire life in the Frome area and was great supporter of charitable causes. At the end of his life, he set up the foundation in his name to support numerous well-known organisations whose work was close to his heart.
Following an auction of donated items conducted by Mr Martyn Hemmett, The 200 guests sat down to a splendid meal and afterwards to hear an engaging talk from the guest speaker in which he regaled the guests about his time and experiences as an England cricketer and the captain of the national side.
At the time of going to press the final proceeds from the event are still being finalised but it is anticipated that the Lions will be able to donate at least £12,500
to the charity which will be matched by the Richard Oatley foundation which means that the night will have raised the fantastic sum of £25,000 for the Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance charity.
Pictured is Lion President Dan Norris welcoming guest Speaker Sir Alistair Cook CBE. & Sir Alistair addressing the Guests.
News from around the District—Blackmore Vale Lions
You have heard of Four Weddings and a Funeral well Blackmore Vale Have suffered Four Storms but fortunately no Funeral! I was intending to write about the Blackmore Vale Half Marathon and raising money for charity. However, our fourth named storm of the winter Storm Herminia arrived with a vengeance over the week before the event. Having been struck a glancing blow from Éowyn more a deluge than wind and been embraced by three others and sundry yellow weather warnings in the Christmas Period the ground was already saturated and the streams, ditches and watercourses full and overflowing.
When it started raining in torrents on the Saturday and continued over the whole of Sunday the Race Director decided to go and take a look around the course on the Monday of the week of the event. What greeted him was not quite biblical because Mount Ararat was at least visible but gaining access to the village where race HQ is was difficult because the A road leading into and out of the village was blocked by floods in two locations at both ends.
The course was under stress, there were deep puddles on and fast flowing water crossing and following down the lanes the event it run on. The water runoff from the surrounding farmland was likely to be long lasting. Even now more than three weeks on from the storm there is standing water everywhere. The sports pitch we use for the start and finish was underwater and suitable for neither of these activities except perhaps as an open water swimming event and certainly not for car parking. Whilst he was there the heavens blackened, not just darkened, thunder and lightning, snow, sleet and yet heavier rain came which continued for the rest of the day. The only conclusion was that a postponement was inevitable.
The ever-faithful team of hard-working club members have set to notifying everyone involved. First major lesson cancelling something in a bit of a rush is actually quite difficult, merely postponing it is even more so. Now they faced with the even more difficult task of reinstating it. Not to do so is to wipe out a major source of charity income, already down due to Hermania’s brothers and sisters so we are now setting to to reinstate the Blackmore Vale Half Marathon for Sunday July 13th .
This in itself has proved to be no easy task finding when there was a gap in the running calendar and the service providers-the hall, the medics, the marshals etc etc were free on the day in question is equally no easy task. Without this developing into a wet shaggy dog story we will keep you posted.
News from around the District—Fowey River Lions
At our February meeting President Steve Jones presented Lion Malcolm Trethowan with a bottle of aged port to commemorate his 50 years as a Lion. Many of you will remember Malcolm as a Looe Lion until he joined Fowey in 2000, so 25 years with each club. He has been President several times and served as community service lead for many years. Malcolm will be retiring at the end of this year, and he will be sorely missed as a valuable Lions member. In January we were delighted to welcome Ann Munford as a new member to Fowey River Lions, pictured with Lion President Steve Jones.
This month we have been able to support The du Maurier Fowey Literary Festival with their request to help with funding to introduce more authors into schools to encourage the love of reading and literature. A local girl with her ambition to improve her football skills to later join a major team and another university student on an ambitious photographic trip to South Africa. Both are going to come and give a presentation on their experiences in the autumn.
News from around the District—Glastonbury & Street Lions
A local group has received a boost to their funds from the Glastonbury and Street Lions Club (CIO) to help renovate an old Portacabin used as a classroom .
Glastonbury and Street Sea Cadets applied to the Howard Martin Memorial Fund to install new heaters, purchase a small dehumidifier and find re cycled classroom chairs and tables to finish off a renovation project at their headquarters in Glastonbury. The classroom used by the Junior Cadets required rejuvenating and the youngsters organised a sponsored event that raised almost £1000 towards the project by kayaking, running and cycling around Cheddar Reservoir.
A spokesperson for the Cadets said "The benefits to our Junior Cadets will be enormous. The Portacabin was leaking and damp with paint peeling off inside. The project has given the Juniors pride in their dedicated area - a warm inviting space ready to learn and enjoy the sea cadet experience in comfort that is the least they deserve."
A Lions spokesman said "When we looked at the application we were impressed by the effort that the Cadets had put into raising some funds towards the rejuvenation themselves. The Howard Martin Memorial Fund was set up to help support young people in our area and this grant certainly ticks all the boxes and more. When we visited T.S. Excalibur we were made most welcome and appreciated the opportunity that Sea Cadets offers in developing young people."
The President of Glastonbury and Street Lions Club presenting the cheque to the Glastonbury and Street Sea Cadets
News from around the District—FVDG Richard Allen
The Great British Spring Clean 2025 is the nation’s biggest mass-action environmental campaign and will take place from 21 March to 6 April.
A small act of kindness, like collecting just one bag of rubbish, can make a huge difference to our streets, parks, beaches and greenspaces.
You can pledge to pick up a bag of litter or more at https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/get-involved/ support-our-campaigns/great-british-spring-clean
This year 'Keep Britain Tidy' is spreading the word that the environment belongs to everyone! Since the campaign was launched, millions of #LitterHeroes from communities, faith groups, schools, businesses and local authorities have united to help tackle litter – we all have a role to play.
Budleigh Salterton Lions Club members are organising a joint litter pick and beach clean with Plastic Free Budleigh, the Town Council and Seachange (a community support hub in Budleigh).
Many litter picking volunteers regularly find ‘retro rubbish’ that was dropped many years ago but is still causing harm to our environment today, releasing greenhouse gases as it slowly breaks down in our soil and water, which contributes to the climate crisis.
Litter-picking is a simple action that anyone can do to make an immediate and visible difference to the environment where we live, work and play. In fact 97% of people surveyed after 2024's campaign agreed they felt they had made a difference to their local area, and 86% said they felt part of a national movement that is taking action to tackle litter.
Last year, the Keep Britain Tidy army of amazing #LitterHeroes pledged to pick more than 425,000 bags of litter!
Ahead of the Great British Spring Clean, more than 31.6 million people said ‘litter-free’ streets would help them love where they live – and 72% of UK adults said seeing litter makes them less proud of their neighbourhood.
So if you want to inspire others, protect our wildlife and the places you love this Spring, join in and pledge to pick up a bag – or more – today!
News from around the District- Ilminster and District Lions
ENVIRONMENTAL POSTER COMPETITION
We are delighted to showcase the winning entries of the Environmental Poster Competition organised in conjunction with Herne View Primary School in Ilminster. The Year 6 students did not make judging an easy exercise - everyone had put a lot of thought into their entries which demonstrated their creativity and environmental awareness.
Our thanks go to Art Lead, Amber Eaton, for her help in organising the competition which encouraged students to express their ideas on protecting the planet through vibrant and thought-provoking artwork.
The children were enthusiastic about the challenge, with Maya saying, “It was a really fun opportunity. We all enjoyed taking part, even if we didn’t win. The top entries were so good!” Another student Athena added, “It was lovely to complete posters about the environment as we are the generation that can make things change for the better in the future.”
The event not only fostered creativity but also inspired a deeper understanding of environmental responsibility among the young participants.
BURNS NIGHT
We spent a lovely evening celebrating Burns Night, thanks to the Shepton Beauchamp Events Team. All made an effort to dress for the occasion, Scottish themed corsages were worn, and the food was fabulous!
News from around the District- Ilminster and District Lions
YEOVIL FREE WHEELERS BLOOD BIKES
On the 17th February we welcomed John Edwards, Vice Chair of Yeovil Free Wheelers Blood Bikes, to make a presentation on the work that the charity does to support the NHS.
Blood Bikes support the NHS by transporting any urgently required medical items that will fit on a bike! The bikers are all trained to a high standard and always act within the law and with a high awareness for safety. The 65 riders cover Somerset and Dorset (24 hospitals) and are managed by controllers who co -ordinate what is required with who is available. Modern communications are used to ensure that not a minute is wasted, and that collections and deliveries are facilitated effectively. This service saves the NHS £400,000 per annum.
Volunteers run the service and all running costs are covered by fundraising. John emphasised that you do not have to ride a bike to be able to help as, in order to provide the service and keep the bikes on the road, administrators, controllers, maintenance technicians, IT support and health and safety support is required to name but a few! Some people like to just help with fund raising. He encouraged anyone interested in volunteering to make contact.
It was acknowledged that, nowadays, volunteers are a little older than when the service commenced and believed that Yeovil has the oldest volunteer rider in the country!
At the end of the presentation Lion President Shirley presented a cheque in the sum of £250 and a retiring collection, amounting to £130, was also donated. Jennie Furlonger, Treasurer of the Yeovil Freewheelers, said “All of the YFW riders really appreciate your support, and this will certainly help in ensuring our service continues to be available to all our local hospitals. President Shirley acknowledged the vital work of the group, showed an appreciation of the bikes used and empathised with the need for ongoing support.
Diabetes Awareness
For this month I thought I would offer some advice for potential club diabetes officers. There are not many of us so it would be good to gain a few more. Diabetes is forever increasing in the UK with 20% of the population now suffering from diabetes. Most club diabetes officers tend to be individuals who have diabetes and they have a good knowledge of the condition. The best candidate would be a senior consultant from the Macleod centre, but they seem to be quite busy. The worse candidate is probably me. I took on the role because it was vacant (bad idea), I knew very little about diabetes (another bad idea), I thought I could learn as I went along (not really). I muddled along for a couple of years before I found the Exeter Diabetes Support Group. Here was a group of people with an abundant knowledge of diabetes who could not wait to off load it onto me. Terms such as basal insulin, Type 3, monogenic diabetes and lots of words ending in ‘ide’. It was time for a better understanding.
By chance someone suggested I enrolled on a diabetes course- Level 2 Certificate in Understanding the Care and Management of Diabetes offered by the South West Skills Academy Unit 8 Water -Ma-Trout Helston, Cornwall TR13 0LW United Kingdom.
It is a free course, takes about 3 months, is easy to understand, with assessments but no exam. It can all be learnt on line. I completed (and passed!) the course and would recommend it to any aspiring diabetes officer. This is not essential, but diabetes is complicated and when individuals with diabetes talk to you at events, there is more respect if you understand what they are talking about. But, if studying diabetes does not appeal, then the Lions have some useful videos to watch: https://www.youtube.com/playlist? list=PLFbSkxpfBoseI2Le7t1gxviX0FWkkTiVt
DiabetesUK have a good selection on YouTube https://youtu.be/X9ivR4y03DE
Diabetes Awareness and Budleigh Salterton Lions
We have had a good start to the New Year promoting Diabetes Awareness. We have had two well attended Strides Walks around the Lower Otter Estuary. Strides is a Lions initiative to promote exercise as way of managing diabetes, but several of our walkers live on their own and join us for a talk and walk. We usually stop for a tea/coffee, making it a nice social event.
the Budleigh Diabetes Support Group. The group is funded and organised by Budleigh Lions with assistance from DiabetesUK. It is intended to be affiliated to DiabetesUK in the near future. Again, it was well supported.
Late in January, we had our first monthly meeting of
There was a good mix of Type1,Type2, pre-diabetes and newly diagnosed which led to an interesting discussion. In fact the meeting had to be drawn to a close with everybody still chatting, otherwise we would have been locked in for the night. Our next meeting is February 27th.
Finally, the Lions joined in with a ‘Cooking on a Budget’ session, a course which is also based on healthy eating. Diet and healthy eating is an important part of managing diabetes, so the idea is to connect diabetes awareness to the course and support it in the future. The re- sult was a delicious three bean chilli, full of nutritious ingredi- ents, no sug- ar and only 55p/ por- tion.
