Lions go Large!

Sunday 4th June saw the Lions Annual Family Fun Day in Buckingham Park, Shoreham, which was their biggest ever event!

A small committee of Lions Members plan the event over the proceeding year and thankfully it went off without a hitch (ie certainly no problems with rain this year)!

Together with Coles Fun Fair, Mike Bird’s Bouncy Castles, over 115 Classic Cars (plus 5 Fire Engines & 5 Army Vehicles) and our usual Donkey Rides, there were over 40 Stalls, selling a variety of craft and country items (even artisan Gin)! Arena Events, such as the Samba Band and Rosario Gracia’s Afro-Brazilian Dancing kept the crowds entertained throughout the afternoon. We also had all day demonstrations from The Vikings, Shoreham Allstars, Shoreham Fort Society and 1066 Falconry. Children’s entertainment such as Magic shows, Punch & Judy and Face Painting also went down a treat, not to mention the Lions Tea & Cake Tent, Beer Tent (provided by our neighbouring Rottingdean & Saltdean Lions Club) and the numerous other food and refreshment vans on site. My personal favourite is always a cool blue Slushie! Various photos show just a fraction of the fun, courtesy of Southwick Camera Club, who are another of our regular attendees.

Along with the Lions usual Games, such as Wine & Water, Hook a Duck, Higher/Lower and our new (battery-operated) Racing Rabbits Game, the Lions also ran their first ever Dog Show - which, by all accounts, was a resounding success and attended by many well-behaved pooches. Best in Show (who also came top for Waggiest Tail), was won by the lovely red fawn Vizsla, pictured here with their owner and the Technical Director of Higgidy, Tessa Bissonnet (photo courtesy of Southwick Camera Club).

The Lions could not run this event without the help and support of many additional organisations. Whether that’s our local businesses who advertised in the Family Fun Day Programme, Higgidy for sponsoring our Dog Show, or the many young volunteers helping to get our tents & gazebo’s up; staking out several arena’s or helping to park cars litter pick throughout the long day, such as the Air Training Cadets (ATC), or the Southwick Scouts. After all expenses have been paid (and there are many), it’s anticipated that we will have raised just over £6,500 which will be held in our Charity Account. This money is then used to provide much needed assistance in our local community.

If you would like to learn more about us (or help us plan next year’s event), we always have a stall at the Shoreham Artisan Market on the fourth Saturday of the month. The next Market is on 22nd July and we would love to have a chat, when you can find out more about us, what else we do and how we distribute the money we raise. Alternatively, check out our Facebook page at www. facebook.com/AdurEastLionsClub or call us on 0345 833 7356

Finally, thanks again Shoreham, Fishersgate and Southwick for helping support this event. We couldn’t do it without you. x