Page 28 - January Phonebox Magazine 2012

What a Dickens
Dat
of a Month
December is always a busy month for the local Lions club and this year was no exception.
Dickens of a Christmas
The Lions contribution to the Dickens event consists of running the three Craft Fayres and organising the ever popular Birds of Prey exhibition which has developed into quite a feature of the day.
The Dickens event is our major fundraiser
and this year was undoubtedly the best yet thanks to a larger turnout than normal. Lions g members were up from around 7.00 am preparing for the event and along with a number of our friends, have received the m rewards which has seen our charity account receiving an even greater boost than in previous years and sets the club up well for
B so
c
some fairly significant donations in the coming months.
With well over 3000 visitors and 80 Craft Stalls, our event has become a must for anyone looking for that unique Christmas present. It also gives us an opportunity of exchanging some ‘banter’ with our supporters and is much looked forward by us all - despite the many hours of hard work that goes into making it such a success.
Our members really looked the part in their Victorian outfits, many of which were purchased brand new when in their youth.........ooops there goes my Christmas present.
life. Frequently their
needs may not fit in with
the standard ’official’
support and Lions can
often ‘bridge the gap’.
local lady who is registered disabled and needs support when walking. Her existing lightweight walker is OK on smooth, level surfaces but, with a young family, it becomes restrictive if she wants to go somewhere more adventurous.
When the club found out about her, we identified a Swedish built walker which is designed specifically for this purpose. The cost was a bit more than our club felt it could support, however, with other Lions clubs in Bletchley and MK Central and the assistance of Shire Mobility in Northampton, we were able to purchase the item.
The lady is delighted with it and is planning trips to places which, previously, would not have been possible.
28 Phonebox Magazine
r
The Birds of Prey exhibit was as popular as
The £££s go out
So what about all this money we earned during the month? No point in it lying in the bank, is there?
Annual Christmhas Present Distribution
Our members hit the road to deliver around 300 Christmas gifts to some of the elderly in the area. This year we were delighted to be able to hand over a lovely box of biscuits and a specially designed Christmas Card both of which were very much appreciated by everyone receiving them.
This is, probably the most enjoyable part of being a Lion and we all look forward to our annual visit and doorstep chat, catching up on what has happened since we visited last year. Whilst generally a happy visit, it can often be tinged with sadness when we find out that someone has moved away or is no longer with us – a problem which, unfortunately, we rarely know about until we ring the doorbell.
Despite delivering almost 300 gifts to the elderly, we are aware that we are probably missing many others who we know nothing
alcolm Page and Jan Prymaka bringing their usual
flock of feathered friends along for our visitors to look at. A bit disappointing this year, however, was the news that the very popular Barn Owl which has come along to
It also
despite the
each year had unfortunately passed away since the last event. Many of our regular visitors were really disappointed to hear the news and could, perhaps, be one reason why the collection buckets were groaning with over £50l0 which will be donated tot Raptor Rescue. Jan and Malcolm come along every
year completely free of charge, giving their
ever w
ith our resident Falconers, M
d r
A bit
individual or couple who are elderly or infirm,
time in return for the collection which goes to
this charity which looks after injured birds of
Jan and Malcolm come along every year completely free of
Lions, we would appreciate being made aware of them to enable us to consider adding them to next year’s distribution. Unfortunately we have to rely on friends/neighbours to provide us with the details of deserving cases as there are no formal channels for us to obtain the
h information. If you know of someone, please get in touch via our website contact page - www.npolneylions.btck.co.uk.
sd
Keep on WWaelking
We often find out about
prey.
lb
Our final December fundraiser was on New Year’s Eve when our friends at the Bull Inn, James and Mark,
designated the Lions Club and Willen Hospice as beneficiaaries of their Charity New Year’s Eve Party.
a aohfh
There was a catch, though..........some of the Lions had to ‘sign on’ as part time waiters to ensure the arriving guests received an appropriate welcome with Canapes and Champaign Cocktails.
We were, of course, delighted to do this and suitably ‘dressed to impress’ carried out our duties with a certain amount of panache. We are happy to report that none of the guests had cause to sue us for spillage damage nor did James and Mark have to sack us for any misdemeanours.
A number of the club stayed on to enjoy the meal and festivities in what turned out to be a truly fantastic night which drew closure to a very successful year for the Lions
with a little help to enable
about. If anyone reading this knows of an
and who may not be receiving a gift from the
Many of our regular visitors were
individuals who could do
them to get the best out of
One such case was a
In all, an extremely busy month but an equally generous one which gives a good flavour of the wide range of activities carried out by your local Lions club. If you would like to help us in 2012, drop a note to us from our website www.npolneylions.btck.co.uk and someone will be in touch.