RADSTOCK and MIDSOMER NORTON LIONS CLUB
		in Lions District 105W of Multiple Lions District 105 - British Isles and Ireland
		Radstock is in South West England HOME

Club NEWS 2015

• Thursday 10 December: Presentation to Carers' Centre.

  The Carers’ Centre is an independent Carers’ Charity and is the leading provider of support, advice, breaks from caring and influential lobbying for the 20,000 people who are carers in Bath and North east Somerset.  The centre provides a wide range of free services to carers throughout the area and manages projects to actively seek out “hidden carers” so that they can benefit from the help, support and services that they provide.  The Carers’ Centre is a network member of the Carers Trust. Janine Woodward-Grant, of the Carers’ Center says “we are incredibly grateful for the support shown by the Lions.  We rely on donations and sponsorship to continue our work supporting carers – like offering breaks and respite to people who otherwise might not be able to take any time for themselves.” Photo L-R: Welfare Chairman, Lion Russell Ford; Carers' Centre Senior Development Manager, Janine Woodward-Grant and Lion Derek Livsey, Vice President and Zone Chairman, presenting the cheque for £200.

  Tuesday 1 December: Business meeting.

  We were pleased to welcome the 2nd Vice District Governor, Lion Steve Petty to our business meeting.     Photo: L-R Lion President Rob Jamieson and 2nd VDG Steve exchange friendship banners.

  Saturday 28 November: Supermarket Draw

  We recently held a draw at the Radstock Cooperative Store,  organised by Lion Alan Denham The winners were: £100.00 in vouchers to be spent at the Coop, ticket number 00260 was won by Miss Button of Westfield. £50.00 in vouchers to be spent at the Coop, ticket number 00261 was won by Mrs M Hinge of Writhlington. £30.00 in vouchers to be spent at the Coop, ticket number 00348 was won by Mrs S Wait of Chilcompton. We thank the Radstock Coop for their co-operation and the cups of coffee to keep us warm! Photo L-R, Lion Alan Denham, Store manager Dave Meagor and Lion President Rob Jamieson.

  November: Presentation to Bath Stroke Group

  The club was pleased to present a cheque for £200.00 to the Bath Stroke Support Group towards the cost of their Christmas meal. Bath Stroke Support Group support Stroke survivors and their families across Bath, Paulton and the surrounding areas providing weekly social activities that enble them to meet and develop friendship and support. Their range of activities including quizzes, bingo, games, special events and lunches out. To find out more, contact Sarah Hewitt Email: sarah.bathstrokegroup@live.com Phone: 07597 242886 Photo L-R Lion Russell Ford, Lion President Rob Jamieson and Sarah Hewitt.

  November: Presentation to Lewis Higgs

  The club was pleased to present Lewis with a cheque for £1,000.00p on completion of a very gruelling cycle ride to Mexico. He covered 2,300 miles averaging 90 miles per day with very many hazards to contend with. Lewis was raising funds for 'Time is Precious' charity and the money will to go towards a new Teenagers Chill Out Room in the RUH. The new room will be used by teenagers from all over the area including Midsomer Norton and Radstock. Time is Precioous is a totally voluntary run charity, every penny raised is used, no wages etc, taken out. Photo L-R: Nicky Halford, Lewis Higgs, Lion President Rob Jamieson and Lion Russell Ford.

  Saturday 7 November: Maesteg Male Voice Choir

  We welcomed the Maesteg Male Voice Choir at the Methodist Church, Midsomer Norton, together with their musical director, Huw Morgan, accompanist Ryan Wood and compere Ben Fish. The choir sang a varied programme of traditional Welsh, operatic and more modern pieces. The soloist for the evening, soprano Sally Kingsbury, delighted the audience with her varied repertoire of operatic pieces and songs from the musicals. To start the second half, the choir sang a welsh hymn after which, a 2 minute silence was observed. Thanks are due to Lion Russell Ford for entertaining the audience prior to the concert and Lion Derek Livsey for organising the concert. Thanks to our sponsors; Andy Payne, The Star at High Littleton, Fowlers garage, Thompson’s Hardware, La Campagna, John Martin Coaches, Allen residential, Old Ford Garage and Eve’s Kitchen. The concert was organised in aid of the RUH Forever Friends Oncology Centre appeal. Photo: L-R Lion President Rob Jamieson, Huw Morgan, Ryan Wood, Sally Kingsbury and organiser Lion Derek Livsey.

  Tuesday 3 November: Business meeting, Induction of new members.

  November started on a sad note as we recorded the passing to higher service of Lion Jack Church.  He had served the club for 34½ years, being secretary for some time and president in 1991.  A minutes silence was observed in his memory. On a happier note, we were pleased to welcome two new members, Sarah Oughton and Margaret Burdon who will form the core of the new Peasedown St John branch club. Photo: L-R Sponsor Lion Derek Livsey with Sarah Oughton, Lion President Rob Jamieson, Sponsor Lion Alan Denham with Margaret Burdon

  Tuesday 1 September: Business meeting, donation to Blood Bikes.

  During her year of office, Past President, Margaret Small, supported Freewheelers EVS (Blood Bikes). At our last business meeting, we were pleased to make a donation of £3000 to Freewheelers EVS. Photo: Lion Margaret perched on the blood bike, carefully watched over by Jason Phillips from Freewheelers.

  Saturday, 29 August: High Littleton & Hallatrow Village Day.

  As has been the case for many years, the High Littleton & Hallatrow Village day was held on Saturday of the August Bank Holiday weekend.  Considering the weather we have had during the last week, we were lucky not to have any rain!  We could be found amongst the many and varied stalls, distributing Message in a Bottle and running the Lions Tombola .  Two large lions together with a number of smaller lions and key rings were won during the day.   Our thanks to the public for their support and our thanks to the Village Day Committee for a well organised event.  Here’s looking forward to next year!   Photo: one young lady with the large lion won by her older sister.  Club Secretary, Lion Alan, trying to hide, looks on!

  Saturday, 11 July. Duck Race.

  Last Saturday, hundreds of bright yellow ducks floated down Midsomer Norton’s River Somer. This traditional fundraising event was organised by Lion Alan Denham and fellow lions of Radstock and Midsomer Norton Club, with the proceeds going to Lions local charities. The winner will receive £50, with £30 and £20 going to the runner ups. They are Lorrie Ogle, Karon Kelley and John Crocker. Newly elected Club President, Robert Jamieson, thanked all those Lions who helped at the event, together with members of the local community who supported and gave generously, so helping others. The duck race was the opening event of the Midsomer Norton Summer Fayre and Lions, together with other community organisations, were present during the afternoon with their Lions tombola. They were also promoting MIAB (Message In A Bottle) which can safeguard vulnerable people in their own homes.   Photo: Lions and spectators watch at the finish line.

  Monday 1st June, Charity Golf Competition.

  Golfers throughout the area joined together for the Radstock and Midsomer Norton Lions Club annual charity golf competition, played at the Farrington Golf Club. The proceeds will be shared between EVS Freewheelers (Blood Bikes) and Lion President Margaret's local charities. The event is for seniors in a 4BBB Stableford competiton. Thanks are extended to local business for their hole sponsorship and raffle prizes. In a damp and cloudy day, the competition was completed before rain stopped play! Winners were D. Metcalf & M. Bradbury with a score of 46, runners up were T. James & S. Mitchell with 44, P. Bryant & L. Salter, R. Clarke & D. Brown, P. Thompson & T. Waldron all with 43. The event was well organised by Lions Geoff Moore and Derek Yelling, ably assisted by Lions Trish Rouse and President Margaret Small. It was a great success despite the damp day. Thanks are extended to Farrington Golf Club for their hospitality and help in running this competition and to the golfers in the area for their support. Photo: Winner M. Bradbury, (D. Metcalf absent), receiving the prize from Lion President Margaret Small, with Lions Trish Rouse and Derek Yelling accompanied by Chris Nourse, Vice Chairman EVS Freewheelers, completing the photo.

  23 & 30 May, PSJ Leafleting

  We have been out in force distributing leaflets inviting residents of Peasedown St John to an inaugural meeting on the 9th June at the Cricket club. Photo: Lions Derek and Alan with the leaflets and poster.

  2 May, Collection for Nepal Earthquake relief

  In the wake of the 7.9 magnitude earthquake in Nepal on the 25th April, LCIF (Lions Clubs International Foundation) immediately awarded a $100,000 major catastrophe grant.  Local lions in Nepal are hard at work providing disaster relief in the affected areas, helping with the distribution of aid.  They have also organised emergency blood donations.  Lions of Great Britain and Ireland have supplied water purification tablets and water filtration units which can be used to treat over 13 million litres of water. Your local lions club have obtained a street collection licence and collected £360 in Midsomer Norton on Saturday.  We will collecting through this coming week in Radstock and Peasedown St John, finishing with another collection in Midsomer Norton on Saturday 9 May. Please give generously to this appeal.  Lions fund their own administration costs, every penny donated will be used for aid in Nepal. Photos:  Lions donating blood in Nepal and Lions Russell, Colin, Sally and Tony together with Pearl and Pat Benton, collecting outside Martin’s Newsagents in Midsomer Norton.

  19 April 38th Charter Anniversary Lunch

  We celebrated our 38th Birthday with a Sunday Lunch at Cameley Lodge.  We were joined by members from other clubs around our district, including our District Governor, Lion Tony Buchan who lives nearby in Frome.  We also welcomed Mayor of Midsomer Norton, Councillor Paul Myers and the Vice Chairman of Freewheelers EVS, Chris Nourse. Our hosts, John and Paula Harris provided a wide choice of dishes to their usual high standard.  Lion President Margaret Small welcomed everyone and thanked them for sharing our Charter Lunch.  She thanked her fellow Lions for their support during her year of office and proposed the toast to our organisation, Lions Clubs International.  Responding, Lion Tony congratulated our club on its achievements and brought greetings from our International President, Lion Joe Preston. Chris Nourse talked about Freewheelers EVS.  This charity, founded in 1990, more commonly known as “Blood Bikes” provides an out of hours service to the NHS.  This operates every night and throughout the weekend.  Their bikes can be mistaken for police motorcycles, as they have similar high visibility markings and are equipped with blue lights and sirens.  Not only do they transport blood, but also pathology & microbiology specimens, patient notes and other medical supplies.  The service is run entirely by volunteers with no paid employees and, like the air ambulance, receives no government support.  Margaret, our president has selected this worthy cause as the charity for her year of office, and we will be donating £2000 to them. Vice President, Lion Rob Jamieson proposed the toast to our partners and guests and Councillor Paul Myers responded, saying he looked forward to our duck race at the Midsomer Norton Fayre.  He thanked the club for its work in our area, saying that without voluntary organisations, life would be much more difficult for people in need. Photo: Margaret, Chris, Rob, Paul and DG Tony Master of Ceremonies, Lion Alan Denham, conducted the proceeding with his usual aplomb and dignity.

  7 February 2015 Lions wonderful concert.

  Loud applause from a near capacity audience emphasised the appreciation for a brilliant performance by 70 teenagers.  Bath and North East Somerset Music Service presented the Schools Philharmonic Orchestra and Cantelina Choir in our concert, Saturday 7 February, at the Prospect Theatre, Writhlington.  Cantelina performed counterpoint by Katy P Rothimer as the final piece which brought the house down with audience participation.  The four soloists for the evening, Alessia Watson, Bartholomew Scattergood, Alexander Dziadulewicz and Samantha Mitchell received appreciation for their fine singing and instrumental entertainment.  Conductors Timothy Parker (Cantelina) and Rainer Dolz (Schools Philharmonic Orchestra) performed with fine control of the large number of students who have committed to practice and rehearsal in addition to their other school work.  Cantelina’s programme included Wild Mountain Thyme, Falling Slowly, Hear our Prayer, Somebody that I used to know, and Comedy Tonight.  The Schools Philharmonic Orchestra’s programme included Adagio from Spartacus, The Suite from Downton Abbey and Mars, The Bringer of War.  The evening’s performances were excellent and enjoyed by all.  It will be repeated in 2016! Thanks were extended to Bath & North East Somerset Music Service, by Lion President Margaret Small.  Additional thanks were extended to the programme sponsors, Michael Gould, Rose Crafts, Radstock Carpet and Flooring, BIKE IT, FOLK 2 FOLK, L J Developments, William Rose & Co, Loveat Short, Past & Present Upholstery and Fowlers. Tonight’s proceeds will be divided between Bath & North East Somerset Music Service and Lions local charities. Photo: Conductors and Soloists together with Lion Derek Livsey, event organiser and Lion President Margaret Small.

  21 January 2015 Community Service Minibus

  The Midsomer Norton & Radstock Community Service Vehicle Trust was formed in 1967.  Its aim was to provide a vehicle for the use and benefit of handicapped, disabled and infirm people, resident in the local area and other local voluntary organisations.  It has fulfilled that aim now for nearly 48 years, becoming a registered charity in 1978.  Wednesday January 21 saw the inauguration of its 6 vehicle which can accommodate 12 passengers.  Two wheelchairs can also be accommodated with a reduction in seated passengers.  Radstock and Midsomer Norton Lions are pleased to be able to support the work of the trust.  We supported the purchase of the 5 vehicle and now we are very pleased to support the purchase of the latest vehicle with another grant. Photo L to R: Lions Derek Livsey & Russell Ford, Welfare Chairman, Melvin Johnson, Trust Chairman and Lion President Margaret Small.

  January 2015 Business Meeting.

  We received a letter from Jack Bridges, a sixth form student from Radstock, who is taking a year out of further education in order to gain life experience before going onto a Medical education.
  Jack said “On 28 March, I will be going to Ikorodu, located in Lagos State, Nigeria for 3 months with the VSO as a youth volunteer.  The title of the project is ‘Youth Participation and Governance’ which means I will mainly be working with individuals around my age, in order to get them interested in their local community, so that they are fairly represented as a generation.  While out in Nigeria, I will be staying with a host family and will be partnered with a local youth volunteer from the village, to guide me through my placement.  As a volunteering group, we will be doing a variety of activities.  These will include organising social events to get the community interested in our project, and also fundraising to improve the facilities that they have over there in more rural parts of Ikorodu.  We will also be training local individuals, with help from our partner charity, WARDC (Women’s Advocates Research and Documentation Centre), to make sure that they are able to sustain such local youth parliament systems after we leave.  This will hopefully mean they get a greater say in issues that matter to them, so they can act as the drivers of peace in their local communities and set an example for the nation as a whole.”
  Photo L to R: Lion Russell Ford, Welfare Chairman, Lion President Margaret Small, Jack Bridges receiving a £200 cheque and Lion Trish Rouse, Welfare Member

  We were also pleased to welcome Lions Colin and Sally Marsh who have transferred from Haywards Heath Lions Club, following their move to Hallatrow.  Retired with two children and five grandchildren, they were very active members of their previous club.  Colin held in a regional chair position within district SE and Lion Sally is the Young Leaders in Service Officer within our multiple district.  Speaking about Haywards Heath club, it became evident of the similarities in activities of that club and our own, both working for local and international causes.  Their hobbies are walking, gardening, youth affairs, wine making and of course, Lions!  Addressing the meeting, they both thanked the club for keeping them in the loop as far as club activities were concerned and they thought that the carol float was excellent.  Colin joined Caterham, Oxted and Goldstone club in 1981 and Sally became their first Lady member in 1998.  They have both served as presidents.  Sally has been assigned to the welfare committee and Colin to the Fundraising and Activities committee.  Lion Colin presented our club with a friendship banner from the Hayward’s Heath club. 
  
  Photo L to R: Lion Russell Ford, Welfare Chairman, Colin Marsh, President Margaret Small, Lion Trevor Hipwood, Membership Secretary, Sally Marsh and Alan Denham, Fundraising Chairman.

   

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