Reading Lions Club Newsletter‘52 years of volunteering in your community’

Registered Charity no: 1126848

April 2017

In This Issue

Where have your donations been used

We explain our simple life saving Message in a Bottle scheme

Lions Clubs are celebrating 100 years of service across the globe

Our forthcoming events for 2017

Visit our website www.readinglions.org.uk Catch us on face bookand twitter

Contact Ussecretary@readinglions.org.ukRegistered Charity No: 1126848Editor:Lion Jo Hamblin

WelcomeWelcome to our first edition of 2017. We hope you are now seeing signs of spring and feeling positive about the year ahead. The members of Reading Lions Club have been busy during the winter months and we are already planning a full programme of community service and fundraising for the year ahead. Our December Santa Sleigh collection raised £8,000 and our November Fireworks event another £12,000, enabling us to do so much more for the local community. We are very grateful for the continued support we receive from those of you who live and work in the Reading area. You are helping us to ‘make a difference’.

A busy time answering calls for help:We answered a number of requests for assistance recently including: a washing machine and food vouchers for a single parent family a replacement carpet for a disabled lady food vouchers for local families a donation towards a respite care sleep-over for severely disabled children a donation towards a specialist motorised wheelchair for a disabled young

woman funding for a Children’s Christmas Party for the Reading Albinism Society food vouchers and cinema tickets for a local family a new fridge freezer for a single Mum with a child with special needs toys for a local Special Needs Pre-school a donation towards the Hearing Dogs for Deaf People charity a donation in support of the Reading Women’s Aid Group

We currently have a number of other requests for assistance under consideration from local groups and individuals.

Please contact us if you know of someone in need of assistance or of a cause that needs support.

Another successful Prostate Cancer Awareness & PSA screening event A record 1,500 local men attended our latest prostate cancer awareness and screening event at the Circle Hospital Reading on March 11th. In addition to reaching out to new men, we also encouraged those that have attended in previous years to come along for a re-test, as it is important to have regular checks.

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With one man dying every hour from prostate cancer and 40,000 new cases every year, the Lions Club of Reading and Circle Reading Hospital aim to provide a FREE PSA blood test to as many men over 45 as possible (who chose to take the test). It's well proven that early detection and treatment may vastly increase your chances of survival. Your kind donations help us to

continue to provide this valued community service. If you would like to support our next event please donate here.

Forthcoming events:9th April 2017– recycling used spectacles

Each year the Lions Club of Reading collects thousands of unwanted prescription spectacles for the annual Lions Spectrek Day!!

Every April throughout Central, Southern England Lions Clubs gather together for the annual ‘Spectrek’ event. This is the day when all the unwanted prescription glasses collected throughout the year are boxed and delivered to Chichester Lions Club (via Midhurst Lions) who help with the storage and packing.

The specs are sorted and repacked and any breakages are discarded. Where gold is present in the frames, arrangements are made to extract this to raise money for the Southampton Hospital Eye Department. Twice a year the repacked specs are loaded on to a large transit van and taken across the channel to a small charity in Le Havre.  This Charity is run by a group of nuns and manned by a number of disabled people. They grade the specs and prepare them for the last leg of their journey to sight projects in Africa and Asia.

Any money collected en-route or donations received from other Clubs, is donated to Eye Camps in Africa.

We are very proud of our combined efforts. Over the last 30 years more than 2.5 million pairs have been recycled.

How can you help?Please consider donating your unwanted prescription glasses. Take them along to Specsavers at 45 Broad Street Reading RG1 2AA who have a Lions collection box. Your help is very much appreciated.

‘The longest journey starts with the smallest step’

7th May 2017 - Paultons Park visit: Each year Lions Clubs in the South of England get together and provide a "Day out with the Lions" for those less fortunate, disabled or vulnerable members of our community who would really enjoy a day of fun at Paultons Park in the New Forest. This year, Reading Lions Club is arranging for a group of families who are clients at Reading Mencap to attend. It promises to be a fun day!

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7th July 2017 – Charity Golf Day in aid of Prostate Cancer Awareness: This is the third year that we will be holding our Charity Golf Day at the stunning Hennerton Golf Club in Wargrave, Berkshire. Once again it will be in aid of our Prostate Cancer Awareness Event.18 holes of Golf / Stapleford / Shotgun Start / Free on course refreshments/ Champagne and Canapés Reception/ Two course meal / great prizes and lots of fun.

Visit our website for more information and to book your place or contact Elaine Elliman on: elaineelliman@btinternet.com

20th August 2017 - Our second Dragon Boat Festival Following on the success of last year we will be involved with our second Dragon Boat Festival this summer. This is a great opportunity to raise funds for your own charity of choice and local good causes and have great fun at the same time.Dragon Boat racing is becoming ever more popular throughout the world. We are providing FREE entry and parking, with plenty taking place landside too.  You can picnic or party and race from just £25.00. For more details or to register your team visit: www.readingdragonboatfestival.co.uk

What else have we been doing?Our County Lock Clean-up:

Some years ago, with the approval of Reading Borough Council, we adopted an area of green space at County Lock in Reading with the aim of keeping it clean of litter so that it could continue to be enjoyed by the local community. Periodically a group of Lions attend the site and clear leaves on the paths, pick litter and remove any debris.

Our Message in a Bottle scheme:The message in a Bottle Scheme is a simple idea designed to encourage people living on their own to keep their basic personal and medical details in a common location, where they can be found in an emergency. How does the scheme work? As the name suggests, the personal information is kept in a small plastic bottle. The bottle has a push-fit lid and is big enough to hold the necessary information.

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The bottle is then kept in the fridge, where the emergency services will expect to look for it in the event of being called to your home. They will be alerted to your membership of the scheme by two ‘green cross' labels. One is fixed to the back of the front door (or the door most used to access the premises) and the second is attached to the door of the fridge.

Where can you get your own bottle?Simply email: john.rowe@readinglions.org.uk – they are provided free of charge to those who use them.

Our catering van:We have our very own fully equipped catering van that we take to local community events. We are able to provide hot and cold drinks, burgers, bacon rolls and hot dogs. It is a great way to raise funds, have some fun and increase public awareness of our Lions activities.

Recognising our Young Community Leaders: Many Lions Clubs across the UK are involved in this annual awards scheme. The objective is to of recognise and reward the efforts that many young people put into their local communities. Despite the prominence given by the media to the troublemakers in society, the vast majority of our young people are good, honest, hardworking young citizens who give up a lot of their free time to help others less fortunate than themselves.The scheme is open to Young People between the ages of 11 and 18. The awards recognise the achievements of young people who provide significant levels of service to their communities. There are two award levels:The Silver Seal Award for young people who provide at least 50 hours of service to their community during a 12 month period.The Gold Seal Award for young people who provide at least 100 hours of service during a 12 month period.Some examples of service that qualify include:

Service to the elderly or children / Safety training / Education. Environment, planting trees or clearing litter / Services for the homeless. Fund raising for local charities Taking a leaders role with Cadets, St John, Red Cross, Church, Cadets,

Guides or Youth group.We are seeking candidates right now. If you want to find out more about these awards or know of a young person that might qualify please contact Sarah Kidd-May, Reading Lions Club Youth Officer, sarahkiddmay@gmail.com

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Our International efforts:The Lions Club of Reading is a member of an International organization known as Lions Clubs International. Around 10% of the money raised locally here in Reading

goes to our international charity, the Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF).When natural disasters strike, in addition to being there to offer help and support, Lions are able to rely on disaster relief grants and funds from LCIF to assist with crucial immediate needs. Through the generosity and compassion of Lions and donors, in the last 10 years the Foundation has been able to award more than US$100 million in disaster relief funds.LCIF is there to assist with immediate needs, short

term relief services and long term reconstruction / equipment.For more information about this and our other international projects visit our LCIF website here or view a short video here.

Lions celebrate 100 years: a brief historyIn 1917, Melvin Jones, a 38-year-old Chicago business leader, told members of his local business club they should reach beyond business issues and address the betterment of their communities and the world. The very first Lions Club was created and soon after Lions Clubs International was formed. In 1930: Lion George Bonham paints a cane white with a wide red band to aid the visually impaired after he witnesses a blind man having trouble crossing the street. In 1939: Members of the Detroit Uptown Lions Club turn an old Michigan farmhouse into a school to train dog guides for the visually impaired, helping to popularize guide dogs worldwide.In 1944: The world's first eye bank is created.In 1948: Only three years after World War II, Europe sees its first Lions Club in Stockholm.In 1950: It was thanks to the support of Canadian Lions – and the interventionof Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, that the first Lions Club in London was founded in 1950. Canadian Lions had provided invaluable support for

children orphaned in the Second World War. To thank them, the then Queen sent her equerry to Canada. He was so impressed that Windsor (Ontario) Lions Club agreed to sponsor the first London Lions Club.

In 1968: The Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) is established. Since its founding, LCIF has given more than £800 million in grants.In 1987: The association amends its bylaws and invites women to become members. Women are now the fastest growing segment of new members.In 2007: The Financial Times ranks LCIF as best non-governmental organization worldwide.In 2013: LCIF partners with the GAVI Alliance to protect millions of children from measles and rubella.Today, HRH The Countess of Wessex is a member of the Wokingham Lions Club and Royal Patron of the Lions Clubs of the British Isles.2017: We are proud to be celebrating 100 years of service to our communities.

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And finally: Although winter seems such a long time away, please remember Saturday

the 4th November 2017 for our annual Spectacular Fireworks Display at Scours Lane Reading.

Our next newsletter will be coming out in September 2017. In the meantime have a great summer and please keep in touch with us via our website, facebook and twitter for the latest news.

‘New members and volunteers welcomed - We’d love to hear from you.

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The Lions Club of Reading is a member of an International Organisation known as Lions Clubs International. There are more than 1.3 million members in over 46,000 Clubs in 209 countries, all serving their local communities and worldwide projects. To learn more about who we are and what we do visit www.readinglions.org.uk

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