Lion Magazine October November 2012
Transcription
Lion Magazine October November 2012
LION The magazine of the British and Irish Multiple District of Lions Clubs International Lions Clubs International We Serve October/November 2012 le p o gs e p n i h y r gt a in zin d or ama Remember the INTERNATIONAL in Lions Clubs THE MESSAGE OF THE INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT O ne of the great privileges of serving as an International Officer is the opportunity to travel the world and meet people from many nations and backgrounds. It has been said that people are the same everywhere. I can tell you that is true. People want comfort, security and happiness for their families. It’s also true that Lions everywhere are basically cut from the same cloth. Our Clubs provide many forms of service, but they serve in the same way–meeting the various needs of their own communities. I point out our basic similarity as Lions as part of my encouragement to Lions to take pride in being part of Lions Clubs International and to participate in it. Join Lions worldwide in the Global Service Action Campaigns: aid the blind in October, feed the hungry in December/January and improve the environment in April. Take part in this year’s literacy campaign. Contribute to LCIF. Use social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter to communicate with other Lions or at least to gain ideas from others. It is great to focus on our communities. Let’s keep doing that. But we also belong to the worldwide community. We are a global village. When I was young, my parents were very welcoming at the dinner table. Maybe my mom’s brother’s family would show up at dinner time or other relatives materialised. That didn’t bother my parents in the least. There would always be enough food. I’m sure that smalltown hospitality still exists. But because of the media and technological advances in communication we now know that many people far from our hometown are in need, and we must display a global hospitality. We need to feed the hungry, help the blind see and teach reading skills, which are so important to success in life. We need to serve not only our neighbour but also other places and other people. Remember the words of Helen Keller, who knew a few things about trust and faith: “When we do the best we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another.” In A World of Service, we Lions transform lives, communities and the global village. Wayne A. Madden Lions Clubs International President Mission statement of Lions Clubs International: We Serve “To empower volunteers to Serve their communities, meet humanitarian needs, encourage peace and promote international understanding through Lions Clubs.” ON THE WEB: Multiple District 105: www.lionsmd105.org e-mail: [email protected] Lions Clubs International: www.lionsclubs.org/ OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 LIO N 3 LION WE SERVE COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT 2012-2013 Chairman: PDG Ian Thornhill 67 Montague Crescent, Garforth, Leeds, LS25 2EJ. Tel: 0113 2873 203 Email: [email protected] Deputy Chairman: DG John Savell 8 North Close, Tiddington, THAME, OX9 2LT Tel: 01844 338078 Email: [email protected] CONTACT GOVERNOR: DG John Savell (as above) VDG John Hall 28 Beacon Road, Bridlington YO16 6UX Tel: 01262 679475 Email: [email protected] PDG Tom Tyson 40 Alexandra Road, Crosby Liverpool L23 7TF Tel: 0151 931 2393 Email: [email protected]: EDITOR: Lion Margaret Kimberley 3 Rosebank Road, West Mersea, Colchester, CO5 8NH. Tel: 01206 384663 Email: [email protected] ADVERTISING: Warners Group Publications Plc Advertising Manager: Sarah Hubbard Tel: 01778 392048 Email: [email protected] Production Co-ordinator: Sue Woodgates Tel: 01778 392062 Email: [email protected] The Maltings, West Street, Bourne, Lincs. PE10 9PH. Patron of the Lions Clubs of the British Isles Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex * * * * * * LION British and Irish Edition is published by Multiple District 105 and printed by Warners (Midlands) plc, on behalf of Lions Clubs International, 300 22nd Street, Oak Brook, Illinois 60570, USA MULTIPLE DISTRICT SECRETARIAT 257 Alcester Road South, Kings Heath, Birmingham B14 6BT. Tel: 0121 441 4544. Fax 0121 441 4510 4 LION OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 EDITORIAL On page 29 of this issue will be found information about the new look at how we display our wares to the people we serve. Great things are planned on the PR front for the near future . When I was in Brussels recently at the meeting of LION Editors from all over the world, the emphasis was similarly on this question, quite some time being devoted to how Lions use Social Media - YouTube, Facebook, flickr, Linkedin,Twitter, myspace.com, and a whole raft of other interactive forms of media, many of them not familiar in our countries. The lesson was: ‘Get out there and get on them’ - not least because that is where the younger generation goes to for its information on just about anything, and where we can reach young people and ‘talk’ to them on their own terms. International Headquarters at Oak Brook has seized with enthusiasm the potential of these communication channels, not only for reaching out to those who might not have a clue about Lions, but also for putting Lions in touch with each other and hearing about their activities and news. The people at International HQ want to hear from you, the Club members, about your activities and interests, and to broadcast them world wide. They also want you to be proactive about putting out news on social media within our own Multiple District. Also, get out those video cameras. International Headquarters are very anxious to receive short footage of Club and any Lions-related activities. The video can be sent to International Headquarters (see page 4 of this issue for the address) marked for the attention of Dane la Joye, or, of course, can be sent over the web… Get Twittering! • Margaret - Editor The Power of Education Our International President Wayne A Madden in his ‘Presidential Theme’ reminds us that Education is the key to unlocking human potential and he considers ‘the ability to read as the foundation of an education’. The celebrated author and champion of the oppressed, Charles Dickens, the 200th anniversary of whose birth is being celebrated this year, would certainly agree with him. In his address to the Manchester Athenaeum on 5 October 1843 he declared that ‘the wicked axiom’ that ‘a little learning is a dangerous thing’ was ‘arrant nonsense’, and said that he would like to carry people who thought like that to certain jails and night refuges he knew of and convince them that ignorance was the prolific parent of crime and all misery, and that he would love to be a police magistrate so as to get a chance to show all classes the vital importance of education! • Lion Seán ÓCeallaigh Glasnevin Lions Club, 105-I IN THIS ISSUE OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 17 UR TTE’S E OPA TRI O L UM AR PH H C BLED GAME S DISA 21 OK AT OU W LO RP E N R A RONT M CONF S -.%EA"!$% SL N O ES '#% "!-.) /%+)"%) !.!'!+'!(% LI + ,-5#63 '(& /$ 0<:6.#-1 7</ 0/1;#50; 4-5!6-! !9$$-# 0/4%6:05;:/1! !90< 5! 8:!:/1 6/!!* <-5#:1" 6/!! /# 2#5:1 .545"+ )50< %/91. ;<5; 3/9 ":8;/ -1. 4-5!6-! 0/96. !58;<- 6:$- /$ /1- 0<:6. 29 22-23 -&* ,+*'.%*) 0*$&/ +1" !1$(# ,$ !+1,&"1 %*,- $1.+&*/+,*$&/ ,-+, +1" )"+#*&. ,-" "22$1, ,$ "&# '"+/)"/3 "$/,0-,!. *, 1!, &1)+%/ &,12',2 -+20$!(# @(P! -!%N4!N =26L6%L6H! 6N H!/A !C#6L!" %2" 10L636NL6# %$1JL 1J/ 2!F 0%/L2!/NP60 F6LP .612N& :6LP 3!3$!/N 62 3%2A -!%N4!N =26L6%L6H! 0/61/6LA #1J2L/6!N7 .612N #%2 0/1H6"! %2 !CL/!3!4A H%4J%$4! #13$62%L612 1R N1#6%4 31$646N%L612 %2" 1/Q%26N%L612%4 #%0%$646LA7 F6LP 0146L6#%4 %"H1#%#A7 LP%L #1304!3!2L 1J/ 1LP!/ 0%/L2!/ 1/Q%26N%L612 %#L6H6L6!N&> O E 2"/ !% B%A7 GC!#JL6H! I6/!#L1/ 1R KP64"/!2<N ?!%4LP7 ;26L!" ,%L612N D1J2"%L612 CONVENTION 20 D 13 M @+2! 1R LP! #P%44!2Q!N 1R LP! )QPL %Q%62NL 3!%N4!N7 %2" 1R 633J26N%L612 62 Q!2!/%47 6N LP%L A1J<H! Q1L L1 5!!0 %L 6L& 81J<H! Q1L L1 $! /!4!2L4!NN7 $!#%JN! #P64"/!2 FP1 2!!" L1 $! 0/1L!#L!" %/! $1/2 !H!/A "%A& 81J "12<L H%##62%L! 12#!& 81J "1 6L A!%/ %RL!/ A!%/& ON 412Q %N A1J "17 #P64"/!2 %/! N%R!& MJL FP!2 A1J NL107 #P64"/!2 "6!&> : E 6446%3 ?& B%L!N7 */&7K1'#P%6/ %2" (/JNL!! 1R (P! M644 9 -!462"% B%L!N D1J2"%L612 It’s 31-34 Torquay! 27-28 April International President’s Message 8. A look at our finances 12. Visiting the Blind Veterans 22-23. The Measles Initiative 37. 39. Obituary 40 Youth Camp 2012 42. LIBRA 50. News from HQ 53. Lifeskills 54-55 Medic-Alert Letter of Intent ✃ TH CAMP 201 YOU 2 40 3. INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT MORE ABOUT LIONS? Your local Club contact is:............................................................... ............................................................... ............................................................... ............................................................... Tel:........................................................ COVER: Charlotte from 105-BN – See page 17 JUNE/JULY 2012 LION 3 ✃ We have no Money So we have toThink PCC Philip Goodier – MD 105’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, takes a look at our finances T have aggregated meetings; on occasion individuals hat quote, ascribed to various attend three meetings on one day/weekend so that individuals including Winston only one travel cost is incurred. Churchill, has been the guiding This places a strain on those involved and principle over the past few years means individuals may be away from home for 10 for the Multiple District Finance or 12 hours, or, as happened to one Lion recently, Committee and the Council of following three meetings in one day, you get to Governors when setting the within 30 miles of home only to find the budget and developing the Dues Resolution for motorway is closed following a serious accident presentation at the MD Convention and you arrive home at 01:30 the next day! Actually, the Multiple District does have money, We all know that fuel costs have increased in the form of Reserves. However, Council is significantly over the past few years, so it is conscious that members have traditionally been reasonable to increase the mileage rate vocal in seeking not to have increases in Dues and payable. However, we have not done so there is only so much that can be taken from commensurately. Reserves before that quote will become a self fulfilling Equally, we have invested in teleprophecy. conferencing so that meetings can take place without At the 2012 MD Convention in Birmingham, I was the need to bring people to a central point and this has worked asked to give a presentation on the finances of the Multiple well when used. Video conferencing is being looked at, but, this District, a presentation which stimulated questions and a too has limitations and cost implications and there will always be wide ranging debate. occasions when looking at the whites of someone’s eyes is This article endeavours to encapsulate, for those members who important. were not present, some of the thinking which has been taking Council, the Finance Committee and Council Officers, have place over the past few years. looked at initiatives which have raised income and The US Marine Corps has been referred to as contained costs and will continue to do so. ‘a body with 200 years of tradition Some costs have been outside our ability to Some decisions untrammelled by progress.’ In the current influence. For example, the increase in VAT have not been popular – economic climate, and with societal from 17.5 to 20 per cent added significant changes going on around us, we cannot but they have been cost without benefitting the organisation in afford not to progress. appropriate any way. We have also been affected by the The Finance Committee has looked at the financial pressure on other bodies. For example, activities the Multiple District engages in and asked: Birmingham City Council withdrew the discretionary rate relief we “Are they relevant for today or are we doing what we have always had enjoyed on MDHQ for many years. That increased our costs done? Has habit become comfortable? What can we not do? Are by £6000 per annum, but again gave us no benefit. we doing what our members want to do?“ A recent, almost stealthy tax, was the Government’s decision Papers are then presented to Council for debate and decision; to add VAT onto the bulk distribution of mail. What do we send in some of the decisions taken have not been popular, but they have bulk? The LION Magazine and the MD Directory; and this year it been appropriate. will cost us 20 per cent more to do so, for no additional benefit. We have reviewed the locations and times of our meetings to Whilst it will still be value for money to use ‘bulk mail’, rather than take advantage of the facilities at our Headquarters, which can be individual posting, the question has to be asked: Is there a more used without any additional hire cost. It is a rare weekend when economic way of providing these services?’ there is not one or more meetings taking place. Can we ‘cut’ more? How much can be saved? A significant percentage of expenses is incurred in travel, so we 8 LION OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 I can’t give a straight answer to that. The question is: What do members want or, more importantly, not want’? There are certain activities we are constitutionally required to do and which members, at the MD Convention, have voted to say we will do. Whilst membership is contracting, demand for the services provided by our MDHQ is not diminishing, indeed the reverse is true. The Council Secretary and our Office Manager have reviewed what tasks are undertaken and looked to streamline the way in which the work is undertaken. Over 20 years ago the MD Convention passed a Resolution that we should spend, minimally, £20,000 per annum on Marketing & PR activities. We still budget for £20,000, yet £20,000 in 1991 is £36,000 today. We are not getting as much bang for our buck. Council has commissioned a review of our PR activities and agreed a new strategy, a strategy which will change the way funding is allocated, moving away from spending small sums on events. There has been a tradition of almost writing press releases, on those relatively rare occasions when we have issued a press release, by Committee. If a camel is a horse designed by a Committee then a press release written by a Committee is history by the time everyone has contributed to it. Council is moving to a communications strategy which will target the influencers and put our name in front of people in a focused way. Successive Councils have worked to clarify what the Multiple District’s priorities should be when it comes to supporting members and to streamlining the services we offer to the public – a painful process at times. In the discussion at the Multiple District Convention the biggest cheer went to a Lion who said: Our Dues are too low’. As members we need to recognise and accept that our Dues are low. There is no doubt that as a Multiple District we could do more with more. However, we have to demonstrate value for money in the way we utilise the income generated from members’ Dues. We have to work much more sharply, to target expenditure where it will provide maximum advantage. I hope that this brief summary will reassure all Lions that we are looking and will continue to look at all activities to ensure that what we do is relevant and provides value for money. We cannot afford not to progress Elinor jumps for Diabetes UK O n a bright Saturday early in October Lion Elinor Ashby of Bedford Lions Club, the Zone J Chairman, flew through the sky with the greatest of ease on a Tandem Sky Dive to raise money for Diabetes UK. (The event had been advertised in LION, and took place in time to celebrate Diabetes Day which will be on November 14) Says Lion Elinor: “It was something I had been itching to do for a long time, and the charity also fitted in with my own family and friends as my grandmother had diabetes as did some friends and the husband of another friend.” Elinor recalls: “It was a beautiful day with a clear blue sky; the ascent to 12,000 feet was amazing as I saw the pattern of fields, roads, farms and villages spread beneath me. “The jump from the plane into freefall at 120 mph was exhilarating - not to mention breath taking! “The gentle descent under the canopy was peaceful and I had the opportunity to briefly control the flight, and the landing, which was the one thing I had been worried about, was perfect.” Elinor says a big ‘thank you’ to her sponsors who include her Lions Club, members of the 105-A Cabinet, Kempston Leos, Stewartby Amateur Operatics Society, Kempston Education Board Trustees and her friends and family. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 LIO N 9 A Bicycle Made For ……..Three! I t was once the delightfully wacky mode of transport for The Goodies, and is a pretty dodgy contraption to ride, but when Lion John Johnson of Coningsby & Tattershall Lions Club heard of someone who now owned this wonderful item it seemed an ideal opportunity to raise money for the Lions’ ‘One Shot, One Life’ Measles Initiative. So was born a 108-mile, three-day, trip by Lion John and fellow Lions Bill Coutts and Andy Fletcher, who after a bit of practice, embarked, visiting seven other Lions Clubs, Cadwell Park Racing Circuit and Bateman’s Brewery en route. Their circuitous route collecting donations and sponsorship also featured Radio Lincs reporter Leigh Milner who had turned up to broadcast the event, but was so impressed that she took the place of Lion Bill for an impromptu time trial circuit race against a team from Cadwell - her team won in spite of her losing a shoe….. The team were well hosted by Lions Clubs, had technical back-up from Lion Barrie Haynes, and enjoyed a quick half and a piece of cake at the brewery. The Mayor of Coningsby joined them about a mile from the finish line, as did District Governor Mike Phillips, and the cavalcade cycled along the High Street to be welcomed by Lion President Vicki Haynes and fellow Lions. And best of all, in spite of sore bottoms and the fact that the trio were forced off the road at one point by an inconsiderate driver who stormed past through road works, they netted a pretty terrific £400 for the life-saving Measles Initiative. Peace Poster Contest 2012 - 2013 The Theme for this year is ‘Imagine Peace’, and young people aged 11, 12 or 13 on or before November 15 2012 are eligible to participate. The Essay Competition, which is also themed ‘Imagine Peace’ will run in parallel with the Peace Poster Contest. For all details, and to obtain Peace Poster Packs, please contact Multiple District Headquarters. (Details on page 4 of this magazine.) 10 LI ON OCTOB ER/NO VEMBE R 2012 Visit to BlindVeterans UK A Sheffield - September 12 2012 rising from his choice of Blind Veterans UK (formally St Dunstan’s) as his Charity of Choice during DG Lion Meg’s year of Office, as 105-BN District Governor Lion Mike Philp of Birchwood Lions Club received an invitation to visit the Blind Veterans UK Rehabilitation & Training Centre in Sheffield. On the day commitments prevented Lion Mike from attending fortunately DG Meg was available. We were met by the Centre Manager, Larry Heaton, and BVUK’s Director of Fundraising and Communication, Andrew Jones, and our party included another 10 supporters of BVUK. The invitation had been extended to take place during this particular week so that in addition to the Centre’s facilities we could observe a Training Course called a Photography Holiday in which members of BVUK with a passion for photography can learn and practice photography despite their challenges. A Video Presentation showed the history of St Dunstan’s (now BVUK) from its beginnings in 1915 through to the present day and the opening of the new Centre in Llandudno. Mr Heaton gave us an explanation of the facilities and resources for which he is responsible at Sheffield. The Centre was bought from Guide Dogs for the Blind Association in 2005 and extensively adapted for the specific needs of the growing numbers of members and beneficiaries in the North. He explained that unlike the original Centre at Ovingdean and the new one at Llandudno, Sheffield did not have Care Home Status but was designed to determine the specific needs of attendees during their assessment week and to provide Rehabilitation and Training for members at the higher end of the self-care spectrum. The Sheffield Centre has accommodation for 12 Trainees at a time and Mr Heaton has a permanent staff staff of 17 plus himself and two other managers. Members are brought to the Centre from their homes across the Midlands and North East/West on a Monday and returned on Friday following an intensive four days of Assessment or training. We were taken on tours of the facilities - our group began in the kitchen where we observed a member being taught the fundamentals of cooking but, more importantly, being familiarised with the many simple but often ingenious gadgets designed to ease the challenges of sight impediments. Conversation with the a Trainee/Member showed clearly how much he was both enjoying and benefitting from his training. In the IT Suite a member was being familiarised with ingenious pieces of equipment, such as voice inputs/outputs and large keyboards, which ensure that able to participate in Social Networking. In the Process Section ROVI (Rehabilitation Officer for the Visually Impaired) gave us an insight into how the needs of each member 12 LI ON OCTOB ER/NO VEMBE R 2012 are individually assessed and addressed, often with very emotional but satisfying outcomes when they are able to do things with their family which they thought had been lost for ever. Equipment is provided on a needs must/requirement basis but the growing numbers make the purchase of such equipment an ever increasing cost and hence the ongoing need for funds from supporters such as Lions. The Photography Holiday Course was being provided by a specialist photographer under the supervision of BVUK’s Arts & Craft Manager (normally based at Ovingdean). Those on the Course ranged in ages from 28 (wounded in the current conflicts) and 91 years! We had an opportunity to discuss their activities with them over lunch when they explained how they were being encouraged to discuss and discover how blind photographers could practice the art and be shown how to use equipment despite their particular challenge. The Manager from Ovingdean explained that her remit of Arts & Crafts was designed to make all types of skills and techniques available to BVUK members and that for younger members with years of life ahead of them they were often providing business/career opportunities. We ended the visit with a very detailed discussion with Andrew Jones on the way forward for the LCI-BVUK Partnership. BVUK itself wanted to ensure that any and all members of MD-105 who either qualify themselves or have family members or friends who qualify for membership of BVUK are made aware of the potential for assistance. BVUK are also now in a position to accept volunteering offers from members of the public and particularly Lions from MD 105. They want volunteers to have meaningful work to do when they offer their time and/or resources, so they have identified the types of assistance they would want from volunteers and drawn up agreed Job Specifications in order to be better able to match needs with offered skills. Such demands would first be made known on the BVUK website: http://www.blindveterans.org.uk/how-you-canhelp/volunteering/volunteering-opportunities/ Mr Jones thanked the Lions of MD 105 for the monies collected by the Special Appeal for the Llandudno Project for which MD 105 was a major supporter. Whilst aware that the ongoing Partnership was intended to offer volunteering opportunities for Lions who wished to assist in that way he was also aware that many Lions Clubs were continuing to make financial donations to BVUK and he was most grateful for this continuing assistance. PDG Lion Evan Wm Jones LCI Liaison Contact for the LCI-Blind Veterans UK Partnership Conkering Heroes… W elcome to Autumn. Never mind about all that ‘season of mists and mellow fruitfulness..’ stuff that the poet went on about, autumn, as every small boyand tomboy - knows, is the time for….conkers. They’re a sophisticated, mature lot are Wisbech Lions, which probably explains why for the past ten years they have held their Conker Championships. This year around 80 individuals - ‘old enough to know better’ as the Lions put it - took part, with six local Lions teams, from Peterborough, Kings Lynn, March, Littleport, Hunstanton and Wisbech Clubs. Organiser Lion Kevin Rodgers had to provide extra team trophies this year as Lions tend to take this event more seriously than the ‘civilian’ teams involved! It was all hugely competitive, with Hunstanton striving to build on their success of last year, March fielding a very large team to show they have had more success in this competition than any other Club. Peterborough and Littleport had very confident, small, teams, whilst Kings Lynn just accepted that this was not to be their night of glory. There were individual competitions also, which once again proved Lion Derek Rutter of Cambridge to be the Supreme Champion. The method of scoring was explained to the Editor, who even understands the off-side rule (she also lies..) but this was beyond her. Whatever, a thoroughly good time was had by all. Wisbech, the hosts, were, as organiser Lion Kevin admits, ‘left skulking around the edges with none of their players troubling the scorers’. He handed over the trophies ‘with gritted teeth’ planning revenge next year. Lions is all about Fun and Friendship, but sometimes the latter can become a bit strained, it would seem, with all those super competent contenders out there. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 LIO N 13 Remember 1998? T hat was the year when the International Convention was held in Birmingham under the energetic stewardship of PDG Doug Cross. Not content with piloting things at the time, Lion Doug also persuaded those in charge at the National Exhibition Centre to allow the Lions to put up the Lions flag with all the other international flags. Not only that, but Doug, being a determined and persuasive sort of chap, got the NEC to give our flag pride of place in the middle of the front row of flags, and also to display a plaque commemorating the Convention. However, with the vagaries of our famed MD105 weather, flags don’t last very long and have to be replaced. So what better time to make the latest change than when our Multiple District Convention was held earlier this year in the same venue. The Friday before Convention saw a small party of Lions watch intently as the old flag was lowered and replaced with a brand new one to welcome those attending. There were brief speeches by the then Chairman of Council Tony Gadsby, Past International President Al Brandel and Kathryn James, CEO of the NEC. Lion Doug, for his part, does not do short speeches, and kept everyone fully informed about the history and future of our Flag at the NEC. • Our good District LION Liaison Officer Ken Barker took the bus to the NEC (on a very windy day!) to photograph the flag and plaque. There was a problem with the photographs taken at the original Flag Ceremony Why not Advertise in YOUR Magazine? Says Sarah Hubbard, Advertising Manager for LION Dear Lions, Have you ever thought about advertising in your magazine and in turn responding to any of the adverts? We try hard to source advertisers that we hope will be providing a service you require not only as Club members but as individuals – from companies that can help with fundraising by providing tools to help with organising, to the prizes for competitions, and to Club memorabilia. On a personal side there are Lions who have properties which can be used for holiday accomodation. By renting from a fellow Lion you can be sure of a good level of honesty about where you are going and the accommodation awaiting you. By advertising your property to rent in the magazine you will be assured that those fellow Lions 14 LI ON OCTOB ER/NO VEMBE R 2012 answering the advert and visiting your property are trustworthy. All in all a ‘win win’ situation for everyone concerned. So please do use us by responding to any advertising that suits your needs and also by advertising anything you feel might be of interest to fellow business people and their families. Are there any categories not currently advertising that would be of interest to you? Please let me know and I will do my best to source companies that can fulfil these needs. You can reach Sarah on: 01778 392048 Email: [email protected] Rushden Lions Clear the Decks M ost of us know (or are) people who can’t bring themselves to throw anything away - the result inevitably being that their home becomes a little overcrowded to say the least. But it was a far more serious problem which set off an unusual and very worthwhile project for the members of Rushden & District Lions Club. Around two years ago a local man approached the Lions for help. He was suffering from severe depression and had become a compulsive hoarder. His request was that as he had no money, was receiving treatment for his problem and wanted his life back, would the Lions be willing to pay for a skip if he could get friends to help him clear the house? Naturally, the Rushden Lions agreed without hesitation. Things went quiet for 18 months or so, when the gentleman got back in touch with the happy news that he was on new medication, felt much better and did the offer still stand? It did. Then came another surprise for the Lions. President Geoff Hollis was contacted by a BBC researcher who said that they were doing a follow-up to the ‘Britain’s Biggest Hoarder’ series and was the Lions offer still open? It was, of course. Come the big day the telly cameras arrived, together with Heather Matuozzo, a professional ‘hoarder helper’ from ‘Clouds End’ a charity dedicated to helping people with a hoarding disorder. Lion President Geoff, his wife Marion, friends and Heather were all interviewed and filmed clearing the house. Said Lion Geoff: “It would be impossible to fully describe the full extent of his hoarding, but the fact that he could not get into the kitchen and was having to sleep in a chair as he could not get to his bed gives some idea.” Among the items hoarded, said Lion Geoff, were no fewer than 15 fish tanks and 11 washing machines. By the end of the first day just one room had been cleared and a 17-yard skip filled. Heather said that often a hoarder has a lot of stuff which can be donated to re-sell, and this might benefit Lions’causes. So why not visit the Clouds End website, www.cloudsend.org.uk The programme itself will be going out in the New Year. • Top: A BBC cameraman with Lion Marion • Middle: Lions Marion and Heather, seated • Bottom: Lions Geoff and Marion. 16 LI ON OCTOB ER/NO VEMBE R 2012 Charlotte Did Us Proud! S he shone at the Multiple District Young Ambassadors Finals in Dudley earlier this year. She triumphed at the Europa Forum in Brussels, where, in the face of strong competition from other candidates, Charlotte Smith (18) from Birchwood in 105-BN, became the 2012-2013 Lions European Young Ambassador of the 21st Century. The title comes with a 3500 euro Lions Clubs International bursary to further her charitable projects, and for the next year she will hold the trophy donated by the Past District Governors of MD105 to recognise the winner of this prestigious competition. Charlotte was originally sponsored by Birchwood Lions Club as the District Young Ambassador, went on to win at the Multiple District Finals, and thus proceeded to Brussels and Europa. Charlotte and her family were accompanied to Brussels by Birchwood Lions Club Past President Ken Whibley who said: “Charlotte certainly has the ‘X-factor’ but does not seek stardom. She sets about her work in a modest and unassuming way….she has done so much for local causes, and it has been a privilege to assist her with her charitable projects.” Charlotte has recently passed several ‘A’ levels, and is on course for University and an eventual career as a PE teacher. In addition to her local projects she has done voluntary work in South Africa, helping to feed homeless people, visiting a trauma centre and working in a soup kitchen. She also worked with local Lions, helping to decorate a Day Centre, providing gifts, painting pictures and doing activities with the children. She helped in an orphanage and taught sports and team activities to the youngsters. Back home her activities have included working with disabled children and mentoring students with learning difficulties, often creating a delicate balance • With Lions Jane Armitage, the European Young Ambassadors Officer, and Heidi Nathan of strategies to overcome frustration, violence, and lack of interest in school work. She was up against worthy competition at Europa, giving the judges a difficult task. Michele dal Checco from Italy is partially sighted and requires help, in spite of which he has contributed greatly to others, in particular multi-impaired blind young people; the main objectives of Kephia Kita from Belgium are caring for teenagers in residential care due to varied personal problems, helping them and their parents; Veljko Tomovic of Germany has been designing a website for those aged 10-18 who are keen to be involved in voluntary work but are finding it difficult to tap into the opportunities. Viktor Odegarden from Sweden is planning to create a summer camp for children living in Lithuania, a week full of experiences and activities. A committed Leo, he takes part in many local volunteering activities; Tugay Cengiz of Turkey told of his project to encourage people with hearing and speech challenges to have fun with others and take part in cultural activities such as theatre - an ambition inspired by witnessing the loneliness and isolation of a See aslo page 24 deaf friend. • With International President Wayne and Jane • Charlotte with the other finalists Gift for Living – Still SavingYoung Lives B ackground: Towards the end of the 20th Century a savage civil war raged in Bosnia/ Herzegovina. Time passed, a kind of peace descended, and the local people began the heartbreaking task of picking up the wreckage of their lives. The medical infrastructure of the area had effectively been destroyed, with hospitals damaged beyond repair and doctors and nurses unable to train and work. Everyone suffered, but as ever in human conflict, the most innocent bore the brunt; babies and small children were dying from lack of specialist care. Enter the Lions It was then that the Lions of British Isles and Ireland entered into a partnership with the Charity known as Child Advocacy International, which is devoted to helping children whose health and life chances have been blighted by war. The partnership, spurred by necessity and with the support of our Lions, took immediate and daring steps. The war at that time was in fact still going on, but during the first year of the partnership 41 critically ill small children who would otherwise have had no hope of survival, were snatched out of danger and ‘medi-vacced’ to hospitals in our Multiple District where they received life saving care. Just two of the infants lost the battle, most of the children and a number of families stayed with Lions families to convalesce. STOP PRESS Watch this space for some exciting developments related to the Lions of MD105 and ‘Gift for Living’ All will be revealed in the next issue. But after 16 years we are on course to continue our excellent work in saving the lives of defenceless small children. Volunteers The work escalated, and as soon as humanly possible the charity began working directly in the war zone, extending its activities by arranging for doctors and nurses from England, Ireland and elsewhere (all volunteering and donating their time) to go to Bosnia and help train, or retrain the local demoralised medical workforce, befriending and encouraging them as colleagues. Work began in Mostar – a divided city with two separate hospitals, one in the east, one in the west. With the help of a major Grant from LCIF work was undertaken to repair and redevelop the paediatric Intensive Care units, and purchase and install incubators and other life saving equipment in both hospitals. A Bombed-out hospital The partnership moved on to Sarajevo, where the former modern and well equipped hospital had been reduced to a bombed out shell. The Lions/CAI partnership created an Intensive Care Unit for children, with the aid of Grants. A measure of the need is that in all the years since, almost all the beds and incubators have been full, many very sick infants having been brought in by long and difficult journeys. Well over 1200 young lives have been saved. Sixteen years on, we are building on the foundations created in those desperate early years, and the work of “Gift for Living” is coming full circle. Training of doctors and other medical professionals is moving onto a higher level, a major step forward from the situation where it all began. Sophisticated and expensive equipment is still needed for the vital task of treating vulnerable tiny babies and sick children; ventilators, incubators, machinery for keeping delicate bodies at the exact right temperature. All these and more are still needed. Could your Club consider making a suitable donation to ‘Gift for Living’? District 105-A has been involved with this programme since its inception. We need your support. This timely reminder has been adapted and updated by Lion Brian Dickety, Gift for Living Officer for 105-A, from articles by LION Editor Margaret which were published some years ago in the magazine and supplements. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 LIO N 19 LionsTurned Out to Support Junior Disabled Games T he Nationwide Junior Disabled Games organised by the Disability Sports Events (DSE) took place in July at its new venue at Warwick University. Over 250 athletes showcased their talent on track and field supported by dozens of Lions from 13 different Clubs. The DSE is part of the English Federation of Disability Sport. The Lions of MD105 have pledged to support them and have already contributed £10,000 so far this year. (MD Officer Lion John May is hoping to double that figure...) The athletes were aged between 12 and 20 and had qualified through regional championships. Our Lions could not help but be moved by the extreme determination, courage and enthusiasm shown. The event brought together young people with a wide range of impairments, many of whom would never have had such an opportunity without the DSE events. The Lions have supported this national event for many years and thus ensured its survival. Car park duties, marshalling field and track events and serving packed lunches to over 600 competitors and supporters were just some of the duties happily performed by the Lions. A new highlight suggested by District Officer Lion Brian Whitelegg of 105-BN, was a novelty race of several ‘Lions’, pictured photo. This was a fantastic success and appreciated by all concerned. It was a wonderful experience for the young athletes, many of whom progress to the Paralympic Games. It was also a moving and rewarding activity for the many Lions who assisted. The Lions made a short video showing the highlights of the event which is available on the MD website. • Abbie Hunnisett winner of the Lions Clubs Endeavour Trophy, with John May, Ian Clare and friend. • The Lions Mascot Race • Athletics Rule – OK? 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C8( 6>& XC6&L !738(C6<78 >7R& 67 MC<L& C 676C: 7Y CA736 KS. 9<::<78 A/ J38& 5.) 4.S5P G8& R738( 1<:: RM72<(& 78& 2C--<8& 67 78& -><:( = C8( 1<:: ?<2& 6>C6 -><:( 6>& ->C8-& 67 :<2& C >&C:6>/ :<Y&" 7$85 \ H([P PY ;]7W M'\! 6]]P P;] `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`9?P +9_ VW7](1] P9$8 &YFU A9<[]_ '1,, :=? 5!,8 ?0 0&>! ,1>!04 %(P] ",.6&. 0.%64/ %/-& 3)'+ 6*0 ()&% -% !-%/ 9)#' 1-3% %)2 M9Y[1 '7L&1 \[P]3[(P9Y[(7 !YL[_(P9Y[ N>0 +7$]1P]3 CY(_ AYLP;a O9[<1 ^](P; )9369[<;(6 )X= /%@ "( +)$/ ,.')./ !% ###*'1)-*,(+&0,.!%/ OCTOB ER/N OVEMBER 2012 LIO N 23 Reach out your hand... When you reach out your hand you can touch a heart, just one single step can make a journey start, Believe in what you are doing and then you can inspire, you become more satisfied by lifting others higher, Less fortunate, homeless, needy or poor, find a space in your heart to give a little more, A smile is a curve that sets everything straight;make someone else smile before it’s too late, Serving a community requires no fee, show your love for others and make a difference…YOU’LL SEE! So today… Reach out your hand and touch somebody’s heart, take the journey with them and allow their dreams to start. By Charlotte Emily-Rose Smith European Young Ambassador of the 21st Century. •See also page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and Sight Lion Wing-Kun Tam writes... E arlier this month I was in Bangkok to celebrate 10 years of Sight for Kids, one of our most successful partnerships. While celebrating our accomplishments, such as the vision screening of more than 16 million children, I was also struck by the fact that many people are still needlessly blind or visually impaired. Did you know that 80 per cent of visual impairment in the world can be avoided or cured? That is why our Foundation provides support for preventing avoidable blindness and restoring sight to those in need. LCIF has been collaborating with the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases through the Sabin Vaccine Institute to help end suffering caused by neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), including ones that affect sight. More than 1.4 billion people in the world are affected by these diseases. The Global Network envisions a world where children and families can grow in a community free of NTDs, with a goal to eliminate or control 10 common NTDs by 2020. Through LCIF's SightFirst programme, Lions have already been working towards this goal by focusing on two of the most common NTDs that affect sight: trachoma and Onchocerciasis (river blindness). Through initiatives that prevent and Treat infectious diseases, like our SightFirst programmes, visual impairment around the world has been decreasing, according to the World Health Organisation. Another area of health where Lions' efforts are helping to make a difference is with Measles. Thanks to routine immunization and vaccination campaigns, fewer children die each day. Though the number has declined, 380 children still die each day from this easily preventable disease. We have the power to help them. With less than US$1 million left to meet the US$10 million challenge grant issued by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we will help vaccinate 157 million children this year alongside our partners through the One Shot, One Life: Lions Measles Initiative. Thank you for your continued donations and support of this initiative. We are truly making an impact on the world. Wing-Kun Tam Chairman, Lions Clubs International Foundation Building Solidarity for Tomorrow That was the theme for Europa 2012 when the Lions of Europe were joined by a Princess - her father King Albert is an Honorary Governor of Multiple District 112 - Belgium. There will be full coverage in the next issue, but a few pictures of our delegates are shown here… 26 LI ON OCTOB ER/NO VEMBE R 2012 Europa in Brussels OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 LIO N 27 Sport for All When the Lionesses and Lions held their Disabled Sports Day T hese happy late summer scenes come from the Disabled Sports Day put on in Yorkshire. Among Clubs taking part were Castleford, Doncaster and other local Lions Clubs, and Pontefract Lionesses. The ladies from Pontefract were responsible for registrations, and clocked in 263 competitors on the day. They also took along their Kurling equipment, something much enjoyed by all. • Above: In their cups? These winners (weren’t they all?) were delighted • Right: Curling - or Kurling as it’s known around here-– but more fun without all that nasty cold ice! The 2013 Lioness Conference will be held on 15-17 February at the Holiday Inn, Peterborough. For more information go to: www.lionessclub.org 28 LI ON OCTOB ER/NO VEMBE R 2012 A Fresh Look at our PR Are Lions and all they do really our best-kept secret? That’s all about to change. Read on… T to show how Lions play a central role in our communities. What is needed for this to succeed? Communication! With this in mind Lion Mandy Broadbent has been appointed for three days a week within a PR/Marketing role to assist Lion Ian and Heather to implement the strategy and support the District PROs at District and Club level. Lion Mandy, third from left in the picture, is a professional marketeer, having studied at Manchester (Cert Mktg & Mge), Salford (PGDip Strategic Marketing) and the University of Bolton (BA Hons in Marketing and an MSc in E-Marketing) and with over 25 years working experience in the voluntary not-forprofit sector. Heather’s strategy calls for Lions at Club, District and national level to reach out not only locally but also to those who have a high public and media profile, who are influential and whose support enhances the credibility of our causes. Examples include Members of all Parliaments (and after all we do have our own cross-party Palace of Westminster Lions Club!), and those with special interests which match Lions’ causes - in short, to catch the attention of the ‘movers and shakers’. Do we need to do a lot more ‘moving and shaking’? Yes, we do! We have to develop and strengthen ties with partners, existing and potential, and partners come in all shapes and sizes from Scouts to schools, from women’s groups to hospitals, from services such as the Fire, Ambulance and other life saving sectors of our society. Large or small, we must communicate with them, involve them in our work and create a mutually supportive ethos. Lion Ian through Gott’s plan is for quarterly briefing statements to be delivered to Lions; but this is where “Your PR needs YOU!” comes in. Clubs must be diligent in giving details of their activities so that a network can be created centrally to produce a great brand profile for Lions and its projects. This is not the time for ‘doing good by stealth’ or ‘hiding our light under a bushel’! For how to bring this about, read on.. A clear, professional approach is being sought with publicity Continued overleaf OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 ▲ ▲ ▲ he above question was posed by Lion Ian Gott, the dynamic new Chairman of the Multiple District Marketing and PR Committee. Lion Ian is a self motivated professional with years of experience as a Sales and Marketing Director for an International Engineering Company. Lion Ian has worked with a range of businesses to help them to develop sales teams and has successfully implemented many a marketing strategy. He’s the big chap towards the left of the picture which was taken when 18 Lions, most of them pictured above, with a variety of roles relevant to this question throughout our Multiple District converged on HQ at Kings Heath to thrash out ways we Lions can ‘up our game’, become instantly recognisable and remind the public out there of all that we do, and how they can help us and be part of our wonderful achievements not only in the British Isles and Ireland, but worldwide. The excellent turnout of these Lions, including those from as far away as Scotland and Ireland, for a Friday meeting, reflects the importance placed on this topic and how much they value their responsibilities. This was the second such meeting in less than a month aimed at achieving a significant - and fast - re-booting of our Lions image. The first, of a much smaller ‘core’ group, attended by Heather Yaxley, Lion Ian Gott, Lion Mandy Broadbent, Lion Brigitte Waterfield and Lion Dave Allen took place in early September and identified the first three of the core projects which would work best in terms of promoting Lions. These are Life Skills (formerly TACADE,) Message in a Bottle and Young Leaders in Service (YLIS). As a qualified Public Relations Consultant, lecturer and author, Heather Yaxley, who has been connected with Lions for many years, as her father was a District Governor, gave a passionate presentation on the new PR/Marketing strategy which the current Council of Governors had witnessed and passed. In essence the strategy is designed to increase knowledge and understanding of who Lions are, and what Lions do, achieve credibility, engagement and interest on the part of the public and LIO N 29 Paddling for Profits A (and that’s only the Lions!) whole flock of the little yellow darlings - and a few Lions in wellies – braved the waters of the River Bourne to raise a splendid £850 which was shared between Kent Air Ambulance and ‘Hounds for Heroes’ (a charity which supplies dogs to wounded exservicemen and women) By a happy chance the best venue for this kind of thing is just by the ‘Man of Kent’ pub, so the Lions of Paddock Wood & District were well placed to oversee two races, the first of ducks sold by the Lions, with cash prizes, the second for ducks sold by Neil, the landlord, who offered prizes including meals in the restaurant, champagne and wine. The river was, luckily, running at just below wellington boot level, although Lion Arthur, pictured, must have stepped into an underwater hole, thus having to return some river water to where it belongs.. Also pictured was Lion Keith encouraging the slow swimmers, and Lions Phil, Arthur and Bill seeking out the winner. ▲ ▲ ▲ A Fresh Look at our PR Continued from previous page... material being instantly recognisable as coming from the world’s greatest service organisation. Does this mean interfering with the treasured autonomy of Clubs and the right to do their own local things? Not at all. Lions are encouraged even more to carry on with their local projects which mean so much to their communities while at the same time being part of the bigger picture. There is no room here to give a lot of detail about how this 30 LI ON OCTOB ER/NO VEMBE R 2012 new PR look will be brought about, but this exciting bold approach to bolstering the image of our MD105 Lions will, over the next few months, be introduced at District, Zone and Club level with the help of those who attended the meetings, chiefly the District Marketing/Public Relations Officers. To quote Chairman Ian Gott who does not mince his words: “With your help we are going to change the future. It has often been said that ‘Lions is the best kept secret’ - sometimes with a hint of pride! Collectively we should be ashamed of ourselves! Lions Clubs have been in the British Isles and Ireland for more than 60 years and we often describe ourselves as ‘Like Rotary’!” He rests his case… MULTIPLE DISTRICT CONVENTION TORQUAY 2013 AWelcome from the Chairman ofTorbay Council I would like to extend a very warm welcome to Torbay on the occasion of the Lions Multiple District Convention in 2013. Torbay is proudly called the English Riviera – it has a kind climate and stunning natural environment which I hope you will have time to explore during your stay. I wish you an enjoyable and rewarding Convention. Your Host Committee Awaits O n behalf of the Host Committee I extend a warm welcome to the MD Convention Torquay 2013 to be held the Riviera Centre. Torquay is a beautiful area to visit with many tourist attractions and gardens. The Committee has been working hard to compile a programme which will have something for everyone. The Riviera Centre is ideally located where all types of accommodation are within easy reach. There is the opportunity to use the SPA facilities at the Centre; the Grand Hotel is the headquarters Hotel and within walking distance of the Centre. Please look at the Convention page on the Multiple District web-site where there are links to the accommodation booking service at the Riviera Centre and also the Convention social bookings which will be coordinated by our MDHQ staff. PDG Brenda Wood Host Committee Chairman Roger Stringer Councillor Roger Stringer, Chairman of Torbay Council A Convention for Service T he Host Committee members are working flat out to ensure everything is perfect for our 62nd Annual Multiple District Convention. And all it needs now is you! On behalf of your Council of Governors I extend to every member of MD 105 an invitation to join us in Torquay to celebrate the Service we have given to all those, both at home and abroad, who need our help. We are returning to Torquay for our AGM as, quite honestly, it’s the type of place you want to return to and it can offer us everything we need to make this Convention the best ever for our members. The Convention venue and the hotels are second to none, so why not join us to meet up with old friends and make some new ones. This is your chance to ask questions of our International President Wayne Madden and your Multiple District Officers and influence the way in which our Multiple District is managed. Your Council, the Host Committee and I look forward to welcoming you all at your Convention in Torquay next year. Martin Morgan Chairman of Council OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 LIO N 31 MULTIPLE DISTRICT CONVENTION TORQUAY 2013 Message from the Multiple District Convention Chairman Y My Dear Fellow Lions, ou will see opposite a programme of events for the Convention weekend and I hope that you will find this helpful in planning an informative and enjoyable weekend. You will note that again there is no Social Booking Form this year. Last year we successfully piloted on-line booking and again this year your MDHQ staff and I, supported by your Host Committee Chairman, are encouraging “on-line” bookings. To book your Social Events please go to the MD Website www.lionsmd105.org – then click on “Convention” – then click on “Download Convention Booking Form” and follow the directions. If however, you cannot for some reason complete on line, or just prefer not to, there are two alternative methods available: i. Ring MDHQ and complete the booking over the telephone and pay by card over the phone. ii. Ring or email MDHQ and they will forward you a Booking Form and you can complete, pay by cheque and return by post to MDHQ. Alternately, download the Booking Form from the link above. Offering the on-line booking method last year was very successful 32 LI ON OCTOB ER/NO VEMBE R 2012 and the majority of Lions used it. This resulted in a saving in MDHQ staff time and fewer problems with lost forms etc. I would again encourage every Lion to use this method if possible. If you have any queries or concerns, then please ring Brigitte at MDHQ. Alternatively feel free to ring me direct. In terms of Hotel Bookings, this year we are using the “Conference Torquay” facility which is again accessed via the MD website. Click on “Convention” – Then click on “Hotel Booking Information” – and then follow the directions to access the Conference Torquay website. The Convention Headquarters hotel is “The Grand Hotel” ideally located on the seafront and a short walk from The Riviera Conference Centre. Already the booking of rooms is going well and I would suggest early booking to secure your room. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible in Torquay for what I’m sure will again be a great Convention in this wonderful seaside location. IPCC Lion Tony Gadsby MULTIPLE DISTRICT CONVENTION TORQUAY 2013 Friday 26th April ALL TAKING PLACE AT TORQUAY Programme of Events Registration 2pm to 6.30 pm Delegates Reception Exhibition Stands 2pm to 6.30 pm Rosetor Suite Civic Reception 6.30pm to 7.15pm Rosetor Suite Host Night Theme Flower Power) 7.30pm to 12.00pm Arena Hall Saturday 27th April Registration 8am to 2pm Delegates Reception Exhibition Stands 8am to 5pm Rosetor Suite Convention Business Session 1st and 2nd Plenary Sessions 9am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 4.30pm Forum Hall Ploughman’s lunch (to be pre booked) Over lunch time period Gala Dinner 7pm for 7.30pm Arena Hall Registration 8.30am to 9.30am Delegates Reception Exhibition Stands 8.30am to 9.30pm Rosetor Suite Convention Business 3rd Plenary Session 9.30am to 1.00pm Forum Hall PDGs and MJF Luncheon (Details and bookings via PDG Lion Mike Cooke, e-mail:[email protected]) 1.30pm onwards To Be Confirmed Sunday 28th April OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 LIO N 33 MULTIPLE DISTRICT CONVENTION TORQUAY 2013 Highlights of Torquay and its surroundings The Venue – Riviera International Conference Centre The Riviera International Conference Centre (RICC) is Torquay’s multipurpose Conference, Exhibition and Banqueting facility offering total flexibility for every type of event. Located just off the seafront, the RICC enjoys a wide range of accommodation within walking distance and yet is only minutes away from the town centre. Waves Leisure Pool - it’s indoor family fun! The popular leisure pool features a giant flume and wave machine to add an extra splash of fun. Lifestyle Health & Fitness Suite - Torquay’s premier and friendly gym, featuring an extensive mix of the very latest cardiovascular and resistance machines. There are 57 fitness stations include Concept II Rowers, heart rate steppers, cross trainers and a complete range of resistance equipment. There's air conditioning, TV monitors and sound system as well as experienced friendly instructors on hand at all times for your safety, comfort and enjoyment. The Centre offers its own speciality restaurant, the Bay Brasserie, providing a selection of light bites, snacks, a la carte dishes, and refreshments, all served in relaxed continental style surroundings indoors and on the south facing terrace. Accommodation Hotels range from the 4 Star Imperial Hotel, and the independently owned Grand Hotel, to cosy, clean and inspected small hotels and guesthouses and a quality budget Premier Inn. Conference Torquay, with their on-line free accommodation booking service, will help delegates find the serviced or selfcatering accommodation that suits them and their budget. Where else can you find over 2000 beds within walking distance of the venue, many on the seafront itself? www.conferencetorquay.co.uk • 01803 206 302 [email protected] The English Riviera On the English Riviera there is an abundance of activities and things to see and do. As the only urban accredited Geopark in Europe, the English Riviera has a wealth of history. Its Jurassic Coastline can be explored not only from the sky but also by boat or by an informative bus tour. Torre Abbey Historic House and Gardens, Paignton Zoo & Botanical Gardens, and Kents Cavern Underground show caves, the most famous Stone Age home in Britain, are just a few of the attractions on offer to explore. Torquay’s history is probably best known for its connection with Agatha Christie, but there is so much more to its past than this; Brunel, the Singer family, Darwin, Cavemen and Romans, Celts, Saxons, Vikings, Normans and Crusaders, as well as the Elizabethan, Victorian and Edwardian eras. Another important part of your stay is “food” and Torquay can offer a complete range, from simple pavement bars and cafes to Michelin star restaurants. 34 LI ON OCTOB ER/NO VEMBE R 2012 Fear of the different By a Lion who now knows there's nothing to fear and much to celebrate. W days) I was a bit trepidatious. My first real contact involved a 150 e’ve been there before. We get nice mile coach journey with ten young people. By the time we were and cosy in our Lionistic world and 20 miles into the journey I was converted and I've been deeply someone comes along and suggests involved now for 30 years. I haven't once regretted it. we do something different. It I know of a Club that has been approached by a young happened when Leos was promoted learning disabilities man to allow him to join them. He has been broadly. “Thay are too young and involved in a few events and many members of the Club have irresponsible.” Yet when we did make warmed to him. Some are still scared and don't know how to the investment the rewards were there to reap. Many top Lions react around him and are resisting his membership. today began their involvement with us as Leos. If they persist, they will lose on so many levels. It happened when some had the temerity to They will never know the joys that a Down’s suggest that women should be allowed to join Syndrome person can bring with them. They our Clubs. There was uproar. I well remember “They will never will never know the pride they can feel Clubs where half the members said they know the joys that a when members of the public see such a would resign if women joined. Yet they did person and react favourably. There are 1.2 join and few actually resigned and we are Down’s Syndrome person million people in Britain with learning much the better for all of it. can bring..they will never disabilities. That's one in 60. Some are Now we come to disabilities. Our world, beyond almost anything but most would know the pride ..when sadly, is populated by disabilities. Some are add value and dignity to your Club. obvious and bearable. Some are obvious and people see them...and If you are faced with this dilemma, don’t scare ‘normal’ people. I know of 30 Lions reject the person out of hand. Take time to react favourably” who are blind. I know many Lions in get to know them, let them join and give wheelchairs or who hobble on crutches or yourself time to come to terms with something walking sticks. I don't know any Lions with learning that at first sits uncomfortably with you. If you accept difficulties, but I'd like to. someone with learning difficulties into your Club, the public will Like many, when it was first suggested that I become involved react with positivity. If you reject them without trying and the with special needs schools, those catering for the severely disabled public finds out I leave you to think about the consequences. or Down’s Syndrome (they used to be called Mongols in those Jane’sTriumphant Departure T he 2012 Europa Forum marked the culmination of one particular project for Lion Jane Armitage, when she stepped down after five years as European Young Ambassadors Officer. Although she confesses to a certain sadness at the end of this era- she is being succeeded by Lion Dieter Van Hoyce of Belgium - she reckons that the time for a change had come. As she says: “After a time one begins to repeat things, so a fresh approach is always good…” And she can certainly depart with head held high, as in her five-year stint she has seen three remarkable young people from our Multiple District emerge as victors – Cherry Tripp at Cannes (2008), Shane O’Brien at Bologna (2010) and Charlotte Smith at Brussels (2012) And Jane is not leaving the Youth activities arena completely, since she continues as Young Leaders in Service Officer for the Multiple District. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 LIO N 35 Music Competition 2013 T he piano is the chosen instrument for the Lions Music Competition in 2013. The Multiple District finals will be held at the Birmingham Conservatoire on Sunday 7 April 2013. The winner will go on to play at the Multiple District Convention in Torquay, and thence to the 2013 Europa Forum in Istanbul where he/she will compete against other young people from Europe. Details may be found on the MD 105 website under ‘Youth’ ....and for 2014 Europa Forum comes to ‘Brum’ in 2014 • PCC Jeff Byers, Chairman of the Europa Forum Committee The French Horn is the instrument which has been selected for contestants in 2014, when the Europa Forum is to be held in our Multiple District (see right). The music competition will be organised at a music school close to the main Forum venue. Birmingham will be the venue for Forum 2014, which will be held from October 30 to 1 November, centred on the Hilton Metropole Hotel, with all seminars, plenary sessions and social events held in the Hotel. The venue is conveniently close to Birmingham Airport, with its excellent connections to Europe, America and the Middle East/Asia. The application from MD105 was endorsed at the 2012 Europa Forum in Brussels. COMING THIS NOVEMBER ON YOUR TV: Lions TV V Channel 2122 Channel 401 401 Lions Club International, MD105 and Gryphon Productions Ltd are proud to present: LIONS TV. From the last week of November onwards Lions TV will be broadcast weekly on Information TV (SKY Channel annel 201 an and nd Freesat Channel 403). 403) % ., /3 96;:!<8: 8: B>: :/68<"8: 68<"8: ?@ */;> > */>: BC=B> ;> #6/E #6 )8/F865 F865 .2 B 2 BC7 *-%'1 */>:B $BC=B>8CCB B>: */;> .28 2BC702;!6 C;>4 32;D /3 "28 >8D ;&</BC ., 32;D ;7 ub and will inform form and entertain you u with news ws from fr a clubs bs in our o multiple ltiple district, d rict r charities close to our hearts hearrts and much more. our club all D88E B>: /7 @;! A/33 +8 D/CC E889 @;! />7;6A8: D28> "28 (63" 893/;:8 D/CC B/65 -" D/CC ?8 B/68: ;><8 B D88E D/"2 "D; 6898B"3 /> "28 3BA8 D an episode: it will be available online too! u or your you club have an interesting esting story sto to share, or you y want a to propose ropose someone one for the “Lion of the Week”; Week”; please p If you contact us on d v [email protected]. 7;6AB ; ><C!:/>4 "/A83 B>: >: :B ; );68 />7;6AB"/;> ;> "28 32;D /><C!:/>4 :B"83 ;7 ;!66 (63" ?6 ?6;B:<B3" D/CC 7;CC;D 3;;>5 Visit www.LionsTV.co.uk for the latest information. Follow us on Twitter: @LionsTV_UK 36 LI ON OCTOB ER/NO VEMBE R 2012 Obituary MORGAN: Lion Alan (68) Llandudno Lions Club. With sadness members report the death of Lion Alan after a long illness. An active member for 19 years, Alan was held in high esteem by his fellow Lions who will treasure his contribution and ready wit and are honoured to have known him both as a colleague and friend. Condolences go to his two sisters. ★★★ GIBBINS: Lion Ian Grant, MJF Derby Lions Club. Members are sad to report the death of Lion Ian a Charter Member in 1973. He held many posts within the Club, including President and Secretary, and was active on Welfare and Fund-raising Committees. He had a great sense of humour and will be greatly missed by Club members, whose deep sympathy goes to his wife Margo and family. ★★★ These Lions of our Multiple District have recently left us. We honour their memory and the contribution they made in their Lionistic service for the good of others. PAIGE: Lion Brian (80) Sevenoaks Lions Club. With great sadness members report the death of Lion Brian after a protracted fight against cancer. A Charter Member, he served for over 44 years, during which time he was twice President and carried out various other Club roles. Brian was a dedicated Lion and a great source of fun. Our Club has lost a great member and our thoughts and prayers go to his wife Doreen and family. ★★★ MILLS: Lion Anthony, MBE Havant Lions Club. Members will greatly miss the humour and energy which characterised Lion Tony. His 42 years in the Services inspired him to indulge his taste for adventure. Tony continued to exercise his organisational skills in the Club and even when a degenerative disease impaired his speech and movement, initiated and organised the annual Solent Singalong cruise. Our thoughts are with his wife Hazel and family. GIBSON: Lion Marjorie Fleetwood and Cleveleys Lions Club. Members are sad to report the death of Lion Marjorie after a long illness. She was a much respected and valued member over the years she was able to participate in Club activities. Deep sympathies go out to her daughter and her many friends. BEER: Lion Graham MJF (79) Ilkeston Lions Club. Members are sorry to announce the passing of Lion Graham. He was a Charter Member and held most posts in the Club and was well respected. Lion Graham will be sadly missed. ★★★ ★★★ MUSGRAVE: Lion Dave (77) Tonbridge Lions Club. Members regret to report the sudden death of Lion Dave. A member for 21 years, he was President in 2006 and had held a variety of posts including more recently that of Technician on the Talking Newspaper. He will be much missed and our sympathy and thoughts go to his wife Linda and family. ★★★ BIANT: Lion Nirmal (69) Nottingham West Lions Club. With great sadness and regret we pay tribute to Lion Nirmal who passed away in June. As a dedicated Charter Member and Past President he served the less fortunate through Lionism with distinction and kindness for some 18 years. Our sympathies go to his family and friends. ★★★ ★★★ BARKWELL: Lion Brian (79) Okehampton & District Lions Club. With great sadness members report the passing of Charter Member and Past President (twice) Lion Brian. He was a great friend to many as well as a devoted family man. He will be sadly missed by his fellow Lions and the wider community. Our thoughts are with his wife Mary and family. BLYTHE: Lion John (82) Torpoint and Rame Peninsula Lions Club. Members are sad to report the death of Lion John who served the Club as President, Secretary and Treasurer during his many years as a member. He will be greatly missed by all. Our gratitude to John and our deepest sympathies go to his wife Anne. He will be greatly missed. MONGIA: Lion Raj Northwood Lions Club. Members regret to announce the sudden and unexpected death of Lion Raj, a member for over 20 years. He was a committed Lion who despite his own adversities remained interested in Club activities. A respected member, he gave freely of his companionship, enjoying every minute of his Lions life. He will be sadly missed and the thoughts and sympathy of his fellow Lions go out to his family. ★★★ FOWKES: Lion Bernard Ross on Wye Lions Club. Members are sad to report the passing of Lion Bernard who joined in 1988 and served as President, Secretary and PR Officer. He was instrumental in setting up the local Youth Club and the building of the town’s bandstand. He also led in the Club’s Sight Projects, collecting thousands of spectacles. Bernard will be sadly missed by Club members who send sympathy to his wife Jo and daughters. ★★★ TARBITT: Lion Fraser, MJF (70) Hartlepool Lions Club. With great sadness members report the death of Lion Fraser. He was an active and dedicated member for 27 years, undertaking many Club officer duties, including being President on ten occasions and District Secretary for 16 years until ill health forced him to relinquish this post last year. He will be sadly missed and his fellow Lions extend deepest sympathy to his wife Anne and family. ★★★ LABUS: Lion George (63) Chester Lions Club. Members are sad to report the death of Lion George in a road accident whilst on holiday in his native Poland. George joined Chester Lions in 2005, soon after he settled in England. George was a great Fund Raising worker and he and Teresa have been regular social participants throughout the past seven years. He will be missed for his sense of humour and his friendship. Continued on page 39 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 LION 37 Horses for Courses: K How two Lions Clubs helped… eeping the young people safe was the priority when the Lions of Bletchley, Milton Keynes looked for ways to help the local Ride High charity, which provides horse riding experience for disadvantaged children between the ages of 11 and 18, many of them with severe problems and personal issues. When the Lions learned that the charity had to borrow riding helmets, many of them ten years old and past their best, the Lions came up with smart, safe new ones, which now belong to the charity, with the young people being responsible for them. Riding is only one part of this small charity’s highly effective activities. For every hour spent riding and caring for the horses, the children spend one and a half hours in the classroom or on social activities. The changes in the young people are quite remarkable. The Ride High organisers told the Lions that three former students had gone on to equine studies, one to the School of Racing, and another is training to be a vet. The Youth Policy of the Bletchley Lions is to provide support for such organisations, and, they say: We are proud to do so”. Lion President Doreen Freeman was pictured with two of the young people, and, of course, a very important member of the Ride High staff! ...and more horses at Lymm I t was a case of Lions, Teas and Horses when Lymm Lions put on afternoon teas in the local Community Centre to raise money for the Camsley Grange Riding for the Disabled. The funds raised were supplemented by the Lions and they were able to present the RDA with £600, sufficient to provide about seven months worth of shoeing and farriery costs, or 20 weeks of feed for four horses. Horse riding for disabled people not only benefits mobility, posture and co-ordination, but also encourages the development of personal confidence and self esteem. ...and the countryside was in the air forWoking Lions also T hey were at the Club’s fund-raising marquee and team at the West End Agricultural Fayre, and caught on this picture were friend and helper Scott Hillman, Lion Peter Hobbs, Lion President Bob Hills, Lion John Cooper, helper Irena Patoto and Lion Adrian Smith. 38 LI ON OCTOB ER/NO VEMBE R 2012 Obituary Continued from page 37 CRABTREE: Lion Don (73) Wimborne & Ferndown Lions Club. Members regret to announce the death of Lion Don after a long illness bravely borne. Don chaired the Youth Committee and his dedicated work with Young Ambassadors, local schools and youth groups reaped rich rewards for Lions. His commitment was recognised with the recent presentation of a Bert Mason Humanitarian Award. He will be greatly missed and sympathies go to Pauline and the family. ★★★ LEE: PDG Lion Michael, MJF Thurles Lions Club. With heartfelt sadness members report the death of Lion Michael, one of the longest serving members, who served as District Governor for 105-I in 1987/88. He was the man his fellow Thurles Lions looked to for advice and leadership. Without doubt he gave of his best to Lions. He will be greatly missed. Our deep sympathies go to his wife Sally, an integral part of his Lions life and a great support, and to the family. ★★★ LAWLESS: Lion Aidan Monasterevin Lions Club. Members are sad to report the death of Lion Aidan, a Past President and most valued member. A hard working and dedicated Lion, he will be sadly missed. The Club extends condolences to his wife Marie and family. ★★★ JONES: Lion Geoffrey Alan (69) Flint & District Lions Club. It is with great sadness that members report the death of Past President Lion Alan, following a short illness. During his 13 years of service he had held many posts Club and was currently Vice President and Chairman of the Welfare Committee. He was the organiser of District Convention Golf Tournaments. He had a great sense of humour, was well respected and will be sadly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Elaine. ★★★ HODGSON: Sheila (70) Warmsworth and Edlington Lions Club regret to announce the loss of President Sheila. In 2005 she was Charter President and completed her fourth term she was District Young Ambassador Chairman for three years. Sheila was an active member, fun and high spirits were always a feature in her life and a great inspiration to all. She will be sadly missed. ★★★ SENIOR: Lion Robert, MJF Denby Dale District Lions Club. With heavy hearts members report the passing of Robert, a highly respected and long serving Lion. Recently too ill to be active in Lions, Robert had until then brought wisdom in meetings and humour to social events. Our thoughts are with Ann and his family. (Santa will be missing an elf this Christmas…) BROWN: Lion John (80) Selby District Lions Club. Members are sad to announce the passing of Lion John after a long battle with prostate cancer. An active and dedicated member for 11 years he was President for the second time when he died. He will be remembered for his enthusiasm in recruiting new members. He will be sadly missed and his fellow Lions extend deep sympathy to his partner Doreen and family. ★★★ ★★★ DAY: Lion John Tenterden Lions Club. With great sadness members report the death of Lion John, who joined in 1961 and served in a number of roles, including being President in 1972. His particular achievement was the building and yearly maintenance of the Father Christmas float. He was a charming, considerate and helpful member, who in spite of being very ill continued to attend meetings. He will be sorely missed, and our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Joan and family. Obituary items may be sent directly to the Editor (see page 4) and will be used in the next available issue Who’s Your District PRO? In this issue (see page 29) we tell of a new take on the Multiple District PR. A crucial arm of this is the District Public Relations Officers. But do you know who yours is? To save having to look them up, they are handily set out below (after all not every Lion has a copy of the yellow MD Directory): 105-A: LionNaresh Gupta, 120 Willesden High Road, London NW10 2PN Tel: (H) 0208 924 4912 (B) 0208 451 3188 Email: [email protected] 105-BN: Lion Eileen Taylor, 3 Spring Mill Walk , Smallbridge, Rochdale OI16 2PF Tel: 01706 523789 Email: [email protected] 105-BS: Lion Beverley Stanyer, 93 Boney Hay Road, Burnt wood WS7 9AN Tel: (H) 01543 686555 Email: [email protected] 105-C: Lion Nigel Perry, |Springfield, Ripley Road, Knaresborough, HG5 9BY Tel: 01423 863419 Email: [email protected] 105-D: Lion James McGregor, 40 Wallace Road, Copnor, Portsmouth PO2 7LA Tel: 02393 690708 Email: [email protected] 105-E: Lion Elaine Kitchen, 2 Pavilion Way, New Walthan, Grimsby DN36 4WT Tel: 01472 238841 Email: [email protected] 105-EA: Lion Mike Clipston, 26 Parkland Road, Sprowston, Norwich NR6 7RG Tel: 01603 429380 Email: [email protected] 105-I: Lion Malcolm Dawson, Oulart, Killuney, Armagh BT61 9HJ Tel: 028 3752 7150 Email:[email protected] 105-M: Lion Graham Sharp, The Old Coach Hose, The Poplars, Leicester Road, Market Harborough LE16 7AU Tel: 01858 433396 Email: [email protected] 105-NE: Lion Lachlan McKay, 17 Almond Square, Edinburgh EH12 8TZ Tel: 01313 392628 Email: [email protected] 105-SE: Lion Bill Blake, 13 Amberley Close, Send Barns Lane, Send, GU23 7BX Email: [email protected] 105-SW: Lion David Atkins, 12 Green Lane, Street, BA16 0QL Tel: 01458 443055 Email: [email protected] 105-W: Lion Alan Hale, 91 Lays Drive, Keynsham, Bristol BS 31 2LD Tel: 0117 9837923 Email: [email protected] Youth Camp 2012 Lion Barry Collins reflects T he Multiple District Youth Camp was held in the City of Liverpool in August, when 40 young people, whose ages ranged from 18 to 21, travelled from 28 different countries to participate in the ten day event which is part of the Lions Clubs International Youth Exchange programme. Peru, Argentina, Iceland, Russia, Canada, USA, Estonia and Japan were just a few of the countries represented. The young people experienced 10 days staying with host families in the British Isles before arriving at Youth Camp. The aim of the Youth Exchange Scheme is to ‘foster a spirit of understanding amongst the peoples of the world and to provide cultural exchange.’ They develop friendships which promise to survive a lifetime. Liverpool, the City of Culture in 2008, was chosen as the centre for the Youth Camp and our visitors were accommodated at the famous Adelphi Hotel. While in the North West the group visited Helmshore textile museum, art galleries, a stately home, a Titanic exhibition, the Beatles exhibition and Liverpool Football Club. They were given a civic reception by the Lord Mayor of Liverpool followed by a tour of the Town Hall. Other trips included a visit to the Southport Flower Show and an afternoon sailing and canoeing. Some of the group took part in a ‘live’ interview on a BBC radio morning show and Lions Clubs International and our host families received much praise from our young charges. 40 LI ON OCTOB ER/NO VEMBE R 2012 The Gala Night was held at the Holiday Inn in Liverpool. It was well supported and the attendees were entertained by all 40 members of the Youth Camp. The quote from a local newspaper sums it up:- Dancing with Lions! I would like to thank the Lions from District 105-BN for inviting me to their recent Youth Camp gala dinner. It’s not often you will see young people from 28 different countries singing Beatles hits, dancing the St Bernard Waltz and teaching me to dance to a Brazilian based euro disco number! It was an honour to meet so many positive young adults expressing a real passion for Liverpool and to witness firsthand the inspirational work of the Lions Club – how many people can say they've danced with Lions? • Cllr Gary Millar, Deputy Lord Mayor; Chairman Employment, Enterprise & Skills Select Committee SightFirst Prevents Blindness in NewWays L • A woman in Ethiopia has her eyes screened for trichiasis. ions are leaders in sight. From funding cataract surgeries and diabetic retinopathy projects to providing medication for river blindness and trachoma, Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) has been preventing avoidable blindness on a global scale for more than 20 years through the SightFirst programme. As announced during Campaign SightFirst II, SightFirst seeks to combat existing and emerging threats to sight through research initiatives. In August, the first SightFirst research grants were approved. By focusing on priority eye diseases (cataract, trachoma and uncorrected refractive error), SightFirst will evaluate eye care delivery and needs, blindness prevention strategies and barriers to services through these grants. “Funding research priorities related to operations and evaluative components will add significant value to all of the future SightFirst projects,” says Dr. Gullapalli N. Rao of the LV Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad, India, and a member of the LCIF SightFirst Advisory Committee. “These research projects will provide better evidence on which future projects can be formed and built.” One of the first LCIF research grants focuses on trichiasis, an eye disease that turns the eyelid inward, causing the eyelashes to painfully rub the eyeball and scar the cornea, potentially causing blindness. To combat this disease, the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a new, post-surgery medication to treat people in Ethiopia who undergo surgery for trichiasis; the medication should help reduce the risk of disease recurrence. The first of its kind, the study is highly relevant to global trachoma elimination efforts. It is closely linked to SightFirst investments in trachoma surgeries and potentially groundbreaking in its attempt to improve trichiasis surgery for patients. Continuing efforts in trachoma research, a second LCIF research grant examines methods of finding and encouraging patients with trachoma to undergo trichiasis surgery in Tanzania. This will improve access to care for those in need. The study, led by Johns Hopkins Dana Center for Preventative Ophthalmology, will also examine if the methods for finding trachoma patients will help eliminate the backlog of trichiasis surgeries in areas of Tanzania. Two other projects funded under SightFirst’s research programme are rapid assessment of avoidable blindness (RAAB) initiatives. These RAABs will help Lions and their partners to properly plan and implement future SightFirst projects by determining the prevalence and causes of eye health issues and the barriers patients have to accessing eye care. As part of the two grants awarded for RAABs, the Centre for Eye Research Australia, in partnership with Sudirohusodo General Hospital and Hasanuddin University, will conduct a RAAB in Indonesia to provide information on the causes of vision loss in Sulawesi. In Bolivia, the Instituto Nacional de Oftalmologia Bolivia, Sociedad Boliviana de Oftalmologia and other organisations will complete a RAAB to define the eye care needs in Cochabamba, La Paz and Santa Cruz. By researching vision loss and eye care needs in these regions, SightFirst and LCIF will have a better understanding of eye care needs and priorities. Together with the trachoma research initiatives, these grants will lead to more effective treatment and blindness prevention in the future. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 LIO N 41 Take the Challenge of a Lifetime for LIBRA Day 1: Fly London to Amman, overnight in hotel accommodation Day 2: We depart bustling Amman to make our way to the Dead Sea which is 430 metres below sea level. On route are some of the most fantastic views across the River Jordan towards Jerusalem and the West Bank. Before lunch you can enjoy floating in the world's largest expanse of salt water. This will refresh you for your afternoon trek in this beautifully mountainous region. Day 3: We have a challenging day of trekking into the glorious Petra Mountains and across the ‘hamada’ landscape – a dry, mountainous land. Nabataean ruins are frequent in this area. It is on this day that we have the best chance of coming across a Bedouin camp and trying traditional tea. We end the day exploring the site of Little Petra before heading to our tented camp in the mountains. T he Lions International Blood Research Appeal (LIBRA) is calling on supporters to take up a special overseas challenge to Jordan, in a bid to help raise £100,000 for its Giving 4 Growth Campaign. The unique trek, from 9 to 13 October 2013, takes in some of the most amazing sites that Jordan has to offer. Fundraisers will be able to enjoy visiting the ‘lost city’ of Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (It has also been nominated by the BBC as one of the 40 places to see before you die!) Petra is without a doubt Jordan’s most valuable treasure and greatest tourist attraction. It is a vast, unique city, carved into the sheer rock face by the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled in the city more than 2000 years ago, turning it into an important junction for the silk, spice and other trade routes. The following gives you a brief taste of the challenge ahead, but for more detailed information and a brochure please do not hesitate to contact the LIBRA events team on 01483 425363 or email [email protected] Deposit: £199 The sponsorship level is £2400, with half being used for travel expenses and the remaining for LIBRA. 42 LI ON AUGUST/ SEPTEMB ER 2012 Day 4: Today we trek to Petra, the ancient and spectacular city which has been a World Heritage Site since 1985. We enter through the ‘back door’ at the Monastery, Petra’s largest monument. Once there we will have the day to explore its stunning architectural beauty. This evening we will celebrate our achievements with an authentic Jordanian meal. Day 5: Fly Amman to London. Please enquire about trekking availability now, while places still remain. www.libralionscharity.org Lion Aden’s a champ 200 times over But who’s counting! “Lions are volunteers who make things happen.” That’s what it says on the side of the Lions’float at Runcorn Carnival, and that’s certainly what Warrington Lion Aden Walker does. Super active in spite of having some problems, Lion Aden has won 200 medals as a swimmer in the Special Olympics and was Warrington’s Sportsman of the Year in 2011. Unsurprisingly, his fellow Lions were thrilled when he was selected as an Olympic Torch Bearer. This picture was taken when the Warrington Club, which is in 105-BN, was giving a hand to neighbours 105-BS when Runcorn Lions were running a membership drive. The‘Mini Olympics’ ...Brilliant! T hat was the verdict of Sleaford & District Lioness Club when they sponsored a ‘mini-Olympics’ enjoyed by seven teams including one from the ‘Laffletics Club’ members, local Cubs, and pupils from Kesteven and Sleaford High School for Girls who competed in sports such as curling, boccia, Speed Bounce and others all to the accompaniment of a great deal of excitement, and noise! Lioness President Jackie Creedon presented the winners’ medals, and Paul McCarthy, an organiser of the Laffletics Club, brought along the Olympic torch he had carried. Everyone wanted to hold it, even the Lionesses! (Thelma Smith another Laffletics organiser, carried a torch in the Paralympics).. All who took part demanded a re-run next year – always a good sign! OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 LIO N 43 Fun and Friendship AT THE 2013 BLACKMORE VALE LIONS ANNUAL RALLY T he Blackmore Vale Lions Club will be holding their 32nd Rally from 7-9 June 2013. This ever popular event has always drawn visitors from Lion Clubs throughout the Multiple District and abroad from the South West to the North and Europe. Already there is great interest being shown in the 2013 event. Having had a rest from it last year the Blackmore Vale Lions intend this to be a Rally to remember! As always there will be some great entertainment with the highlight being the Themed Saturday night fancy dress dinner. Just look at these photos of some previous events which include ‘Allo Allo’, A Day at the Races’ and ‘Shipwrecked’. Next year’s theme is “Nursery Rhymes” which will certainly conjure up clever, colourful, funny and amazing costumes - from the sublime to the ridiculous! The rally will again be held at Gartells Light Railway in Yenston, Somerset. This is a great Lions event with fantastic food, fun, great music, entertainment and Lions fellowship! 44 LI ON OCTOB ER/NO VEMBE R 2012 And in 2013… The good ne ws is that pr ices will be he train will be ld !! – and th running! e steam Caravan/Mot or caravan w ith 2 adults Trailer Tent/T £95.00 ent with 2 ad ults Additional ad £9 0.00 ults Couples stay £45.00 ing off site Children aged £75.00 5 to 16 years Children unde £3 5.00 r 5 years Free The prices are fully inclusive of Dinner on Fr as Sunday brea iday and Satu kfast and all en rday as well tertainment ex small charge fo cept there will r the train rides be a . For all details contact: Lion Peter Oswick, e-mail peter.o Tel: 01963 36 swick@btinte 3281; rnet.com Ducks,Chicks and a lot of Bouncing with the Lions of Prestatyn & Rhyl L ion Phyllis Palmer of Prestatyn & Rhyl Lions Club is pretty handy with her knitting needles. Which is just as well, for this intrepid lady created no fewer than 850 Easter Chicks, which were sold at various events with the help of her fellow Lions and contributed to a superb £1580 donation to Glan Clwyd Hospital, the local centre of excellence in the care and treatment of cancer patients. It is being used to benefit research, patient services and education. The Duck Race is a regular annual feature of this Club’s activities. Held at Dyserth Waterfalls, it was special this year as the event was celebrating its 30th anniversary. Lion Gerry Beesley is to be commended, having been involved in the Race since it first began. This year £1468 was raised. • Top Left: he Bouncy Castle went down well at the Duck Race • Middle Left: The Lions’ own stall… • Bottom Left: Presenting £1580 to the North Wales Cancer Centre, with, left to right: Lion Angela McVey, Dawne Pritchard, Charities Administrator at the Centre, Lion President Kevin Otley and Lion Edna Unsworth. • Below: Lion Gerry Beesley, committed to this event for all of its 30 years • Below: Two willing locals who were roped in by Lion Angela McVey, the Club’s PRO, to help control the waterfowl (they were more than happy, and had the wellies for the job!) OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 LIO N 45 Lions United Against Measles in Uganda W hen Uganda’s Ministry of Health recently reported more than 500 cases of measles across the country, local Lions wanted to help. In May, Lions in Uganda united against measles and joined LCIF’s effort to help eliminate measles worldwide by participating in a country-wide vaccination campaign. Ugandan Lions worked with the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organisation and UNICEF to coordinate a targeted vaccination effort. As a result, a three-day campaign was created and a goal was set to vaccinate 6.9 million children. Lions played a key role in the vaccination campaign. Working with business contacts, they purchased radio, television and newspaper advertisements to raise awareness of the vaccinations. They even used a “town-crier” truck with loudspeakers that drove up and down streets announcing the campaign to everyone within earshot. Lions also ordered T-shirts for health workers and created posters and banners for vaccination sites. Their efforts spread awareness of the importance of routine immunisations, potentially preventing future measles outbreaks in the country. All 20 of Uganda’s Lions Clubs came together to work alongside community health workers for three days to support the measles vaccination campaign. The Clubs held ceremonies to 46 LI ON OCTOB ER/NO VEMBE R 2012 • Health workers at a vaccination post in Uganda prepare to vaccinate more children against measles. launch the campaign, inviting local leaders to take part. Each Lions Club worked with one or two vaccination posts to ensure that children were registered and other needs were met at each site while health care workers administered vaccinations. “I asked the Lions I encountered who had worked tirelessly in the heat for the entire weekend if their three days of volunteerism had been worth it,” says Benjamin Futransky, an LCIF staff member who participated in the vaccination event. “The answer I heard over and over from each Lion was a resounding yes. The small part they played in immunising each child filled them with joy because they knew one less child was at risk of sickness or even death from measles.” When LCIF joined the Measles & Rubella Initiative in 2010, officials knew Lions would want to help children in countries where measles is a heavy health burden. More than 41 million children have been vaccinated against measles. This year, LCIF is working with measles partners to vaccinate 157 million children against measles. Together, we can help eliminate measles. Just ask the Lions of Uganda. I Saved by a‘Message’ t started out as a well-deserved two-week break when PDGs Eric and Beryl Roberts travelled to Turkey with their friends Lion President Elizabeth Williams and Lion Enfys Hughes of Beaumaris Lions Club. Beautiful apartment, wonderful sunshine, what more could anyone want? All was going swimmingly until, on the third day, Lion Enfys took a tumble, a big one, down a long flight of stone steps. She was badly hurt and in a flurry of activity was rushed to hospital, while the others followed by taxi. As with most hospitals, the reception area was crowded and mildly chaotic. Formalities about insurance and so on were completed, and soon Enfys was in triage and being seen by the consultant, who, in the words of Lion Eric: “Rather warily started inquiring how old she was, what medication she was taking and so on…” Poor Enfys was in no condition to remember all this - few of us would be even on a good day - but she was carrying a trump card. Crawley Lions’ Gift to Hospital Visitors All of her medical details were recorded in her ‘Message’ wallet. And this canny lady had even included the extra information about when she took her medication each day. Says Eric: “We handed this over to the doctor and the relief was palpable. Our friend went straight through for treatment and in fact we were able to see her in the ward while some other cases in the reception area were still at the interview stage before their treatment could commence. Valuable time, which could have been crucial, was saved and the doctors knew exactly what treatment was appropriate in Enfys’ case without having to delay while tests were carried out..... “The moral here is perfectly obvious. The message is to get your ‘Message in a Bottle’ or ‘Message in a Wallet’ cards completed and carry them with you at ALL times! This story is true, and more than once during the very stressful exercise and the weeks since we have considered that it could have been a life or death situation.” The lady in question is a few years over 21, and thankfully has made a good recovery. But, as Eric and Beryl say: “The outcome could have been very, very different.” G oing to a hospital to see a sick family member or friend is stressful at any time, but even more so when they are seriously ill and the visit looks like being a prolonged one. But visitors to Crawley Hospital will have a more comfortable time now that the Lions Family Room has been completed. This was the Club’s 50th Anniversary project, and the room was completely re-decorated, carpeted and furnished, down to television and bedding. That the Lions came in under their £5000 budget is due to the fact that they undertook a large amount of the work themselves. Thanks to the Lions, visitors will be able to rest and have a break in privacy at what can be a very distressing time. • Top: The ribbon cutting with the Mayor, Councillor Keith Blake, Matron Kate Conlon, Sister Michele Hutchinson, Lion Cath Davies and President Colin Durham. • Middle: Lion Laura Moffatt, Matron Kate, Sister Michele, Lion Cath and Lion Tumsil Abbas take a well-earned rest on the new sofa bed • Bottom: As well as the Bible, a copy of the Quran was placed in the room. Pictured were Mr Abbas from the Crawley Mosque, with Lion Gary Davies and Lion Tumsil Abbas. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 LIO N 47 J Honouring Lion Alan ust over a year ago a respected and loved member of Glantawe Lions Club, Alan Davies, who was also a District Officer, died. His fellow Glantawe Lions decided that they would like to remember him in some way, and after discussions with his daughter, they contacted Lion Alan’s Tabernacle where he had regularly attended. The Tabernacle was in the process of being renovated, which provided an ideal opportunity for the Lions. One thing needed, they were told, was a Visitors’ Book - it had to be a certain type of book which was ordered through the Tabernacle’s own contacts. So it was that Lions Philip Taylor, the Immediate Past President, Chris Sheldon, Club President Lion Jackie and Philip’s wife Cheryl were invited to the Service of Celebration in Swansea following the year-long restoration. The Visitors’ Book is now situated in the entrance lobby of the chapel, which dates back to 1872. Say the Lions: “We are sure that Alan would have been proud and delighted to be remembered in this way. Specs for Sight …and Lion Satyen W ell, what else would they be for, you might well ask. But these particular spectacles, hundreds of them, were taken by the Lions of Southend on Sea to Chichester Lions Club to mark World Sight Day on Oct 11. The Chichester Lions had an ‘Open Day’ at their Spectacle Re-cycling Centre at Apuldram, where they receive 70 boxes of used spectacles every week, and process around 700,000 pairs a year. The Southend visitors were given a warm welcome and a briefing on the recycling process. Through Chichester Lions our Multiple District provides more than half the specs processed by Medico France ( more than any other national group including France itself!) • Lions Nigel Folkard, Pankaj Patel and Trevor O’Neill – and a few pairs of specs! T he memory of another well loved Lion was also honoured earlier this year when the Lions Club of London Belmont presented a cheque for £2101 to the Royal Free Hospital. This magnificent sum was raised at the funeral of Lion Satyen Kabra, PMJF who had requested donations in lieu of flowers, and by a Tribute Dinner held by the Club to celebrate his life. His daughter Rashmi paid tribute to the hospital, where Lion Satyen had been cared for in the last months of his life, and added: “We wish to honour his lifelong commitment to helping others by continuing the good example he set, and use his memory as a constant inspiration to be better, consider more, and share our good fortune with those who are less fortunate. These were qualities he embodied and ones that he found among his friends within Lions.” (And the Lions Club of Belmont has a most inspiring and delightful motto of its own: “I don’t have time to hate people who hate me, because I am busy loving people who love me”) OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 LIO N 49 LION Lions Clubs International BRITISH & IRISH EDITION Official publication of Lions Clubs International. Published by authority of the Board of Directors in 20 languages – English, Spanish, Japanese, French, Swedish, Italian, German, Finnish, Flemish-French, Korean, Portuguese, Dutch, Danish, Chinese, Norwegian, Icelandic, Turkish, Greek, Hindi and Thai. EXECUTIVE OFFICERS President Wayne A. Madden, Auburn, Indiana, United States; Immediate Past President Wing-Kun Tam, Hong Kong, China; First Vice President Barry J. Palmer, Berowra, Australia; Second Vice President Joseph Preston, Arizona, United States. Contact the officers at Lions Clubs International, 300 W. 22nd St., Oak Brook, Illinois, 60523-8842, USA. FIRST YEAR DIRECTORS: Benedict Ancar, Bucharest, Romania; Jui-Tai Chang, Multiple District 300 Taiwan; Jaime Garcia Cepeda, Bogotá, Colombia; Kalle Elster, Tallinn, Estonia; Stephen Michael Glass, West Virginia, United States; Judith Hankom, Iowa, United States; John A. Harper, Wyoming, United States; Sangeeta Jatia, Kolkata, West Bengal, India; Sheryl May Jensen, Rotorua, New Zealand; Stacey W. Jones, Florida, United States; Tae-Young Kim, Incheon, Korea; Donal W. Knipp, Missouri, United States; Sunil Kumar R., Secunderabad, India; Leif Åke “Kenneth” Persson, Vellinge, Sweden; Dr. Ichiro Takehisa, Tokushima, Japan; Dr. H. Hauser Weiler, Virginia, United States; Harvey F. Whitley, North Carolina, United States. SECOND YEAR DIRECTORS: Joaquim Cardoso Borralho, Linda-aVelha, Portugal; Marvin Chambers, Saskatchewan, Canada; Bob Corlew, Tennessee, United States; Claudette Cornet, Pau, France; Jagdish Gulati, Allahabad, India; Dave Hajny, Montana, United States; Tsugumichi Hata, Miyagi, Japan; Mark Hintzmann, Wisconsin, United States; Pongsak “PK” Kedsawadevong, Muang District, Petchburi, Thailand; Carolyn A. Messier, Connecticut, United States; Joe Al Picone, Texas, United States; Alan Theodore “Ted” Reiver, Delaware, United States; Brian E. Sheehan, Minnesota, United States; Junichi Takata, Toyama, Japan; Klaus Tang, Wied, Germany; Carlos A. Valencia, Miranda, Venezuela; Sunil Watawala, Negombo, Sri Lanka. 50 LI ON OCTOB ER/NO VEMBE R 2012 Blogging on from Brum S o where has the year gone? Here we are once again beginning preparations for Christmas! I am pleased to report our sales of supplies have continued to rise. We are still processing between 10-15 orders per day and taking 30 phone enquiries on supplies daily ranging from special one off orders via Oak Brook to the items we stock as routine. As always we make every effort to process your orders within 24 hours and my thanks to you all for taking up our policy to take payment when you order. Please see an updated price list in this issue (page 51) for the up to date range of supplies with prices. Since January we have sold 239,400 Message in a Bottle containers which equates to 76 pallets to both our own Clubs and Districts as well as to external Organisations. Requests for information about Message in a Bottle still flood in daily and we always attempt to add information about Lions generally when we are asked for bottles. The team at HQ have developed an excellent working relationship with the new Multiple District PR and Marketing Committee Chairman Lion Ian Gott. We are helping to develop some new strategies within Marketing and have already been working on website issues to encourage use of the MD 105 Website. In line with the website could we please encourage all members to sign up for the Lions news service and I would urge all of you to follow this link and register with Word Press http://lions.org.uk/wordpress/. By signing up to this service you will receive up to date news information as is happens. It’s quick and simple to operate, does not involve large file transfers and above all its free to link up to. Sadly some unwelcome night visitors to MDHQ stole all the lead from our roof. Fortunately we are covered through our insurers Miles Smith as we did incur some water damage as the rain poured through the damaged roof. The Police were of course notified but sadly very little other than that could be done. Elsewhere in this this edition you will see it is already time again for making your booking for the 2013 MD Convention in Torquay. Although we are operating a payment online system fear not those of you who are not comfortable with this process. You can still contact the office by e-mail or phone and book your place at Convention. Of course we are trying to promote online bookings but we are ever mindful that still some of our members may be uncomfortable doing so therefore we will help and assist wherever necessary. Of course it will be a super event in an excellent location and I hope there will be a huge turnout for the event. As always we look forward to seeing you all at Convention where we will be selling supplies, assisting in registration and supporting the Host Committee. Yes its true I did get engaged whilst on holiday in August – I will say no more about a wedding date except I think Torquay would be an excellent place for a honeymoon! Yours in Lionism Lion Brigitte Waterfield Office Manager, MDHQ ITEM MDHQ Supplies Award - Region Cha CODE PRICE irperson Award - Disrict Governo G125C £11.50 r Appreciation Award - Secretary G125 £11.50 Award - Cab, Sec, Trea G12 5S £11.50 s Award - President G125 £11.50 Award - Treasurer G168 £11.50 Award - Zone Chairpe G125T £11.50 rson Baseball Cap (Proud £11.50 to serve cap) Bars - Gold PN03 £5.00 Bars - Silver MD18 Lion Logo Balloons MD19 £3.50 Blazer Badge - Multiple D37 £12.00 District Circular Embroided MD01 £9.00 Blazer Badge 3" Circular Embroided A3 £3.00 Blazer Badge 5" Car Stickers A5 £4.50 Charter Member Stic MD03 £1.00 kers Certificate of Appreci MD04 £1.00 tation Chevrons - 10,15,20,25, S65 £1.60 30,35,40 Yrs Chevrons -Charter MC10 £2.00 Collection tin sticker CMC£2.00 Cuff Links Lions Log MD05 0.45 o Decal - Magnetic 6" G1078 £12.50 Decal - Magnetic 12" D142 £6.50+p&p Decal - 3" D143 £12.50+p&p Decal - 12" D1S £1.75 DVD The Lion Story D135 £5.50 Fridge Magnet MD09 £5.00 Handbag Holder (PN MD08 £3.50 ) Jackets (High Viz) Pink or PN0 4 £5.00 Yellow printed with Lion s Logo & Club name Jewelery Bow Knot £9.00 Pin Jewelery Butterfly Pin G32 £5.00 Jewelery Disc Pendan G586 £5.00 t Necklace Jewelery Double Hea G909 £5.00 rt Pin Jewelery Earings with G682 £5.00 logo Jewelery Heart Necklac G1133 £6.00 e Jewelery Heart Pin G791 £5.00 Jewelery Rose Pin G141 £5.00 Jewelery Silver Bow G931 £6.00 Knot Pin Jewelery Silver Heart G23 6 £5.00 Pin Jewelery Sunburnst G1341 £9.00 Pin Lady Scarves (PN) G529 £5.50 Lion President Medal PN01 £17.00 Leo President Medal MD06 £29.00 Lions Emblem Medallio MD07 £22.00 n Lion Logo Stickers G732 £12.00 24 Per Sheet Long Attendence Pin MD10 60p - 10,15,20,25,30,35 Membership Cards p&p PA£4.00 Message in a bottle Display cartons Message in a bottle MIAB02 £2.40+p&p Leaflets (1000 in a box ) Mousemat MIAB03 £25.00+p&p New Member Kits MD11 £2.00 Parker pen with lion NM10 £1.50 Logo Past President Medal G216 £5.50 Peace Poster Pack MD12 £20.00 Pin - Attendance 201 PPK 1EN £8.00 0/11 - Beacon of Hop e Pin - Mini PA09 £3.00 Pin - Past President B12 £2.50 Pin - Secretary B1PP £18.00 Pin - Treasurer B1S £18.00 Pin - President B1T £18.00 Pin - Charter Member B1P £18.00 Place Cards - 100 Per BCH £3.00 Pack Plastic Pin Holder Bad S68 £8.00 ges Roll up banner S220 £3.50 Rolls of Stickers MIA MD13 £65.00 B (green)x 1000 Rolls of stickers 'Tha MIAB01 £10.00 nkyou for help' x 500 Ribbons MD14 £5.00 Ribbons for award med MD15 £14.00 als (Blue/Yellow) Ribbons for award med G194 £3.00 als (Blue) Shirt Badges G203 £3.00 Silver Lions Logo Key MD02 £6.00 ring Ties - Proud To Serve G1502 £4.00 (PN) Ties & Scarves from PN02 £17.00 Int Convention 2010 Toy Beanie Lion MD17 £9.00 Fob Key Ring MD16 £3.00 High Viz - Club Nam MD20 £3.50 e Can Be Printed Leaflets - Making A MD21 £9 + P&P Difference - Yellow Leaflets - Pride in The PA01 £5 + P&P Community - White Leaflets - Youth PA02 £5 + P&P Leaflets - Leo PA03 £5 + P&P Leaflets - Young Lea PA04 £5 + P&P ders in Service Leaflets - Young Amb PA05 £5 + P&P assadors Leaflets - Diabetes PA06 £5 + P&P Leaflets - Sight PA08 £5 + P&P Log Books PA07 £5 + P&P Window Transfers PA09 £5 + P&P I see what your saying MD24 1.50 badges Young Leaders In Ser MD22 1.45 vice Pins MD23 1.45 Last Roar Surgical Precision D r. Erick Bothun, a paediatric ophthalmologist and surgeon in Minnesota, carved this pumpkin. But his carving skills are not an idle hobby. The giant pumpkin was auctioned to benefit the Minnesota Lions Fund to Prevent Blindness in Infants and Children. The initiative of the Minnesota Lions Eye Bank raised $3 million to advance research, education and patient care at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Doctor Bothun is a member of the Minneapolis Ambassadors Lions Club, composed of faculty, staff, students and friends of the University of Minnesota. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 LIO N 51 Joint Effort for PAUL T his particular Paul requires no energy, no chemicals, no skilled operator and works brilliantly to save lives. So when they heard about the Portable Aqua Unit for Lifesaving the Newhaven, Peacehaven and Seaford Lions and Seahaven Lionesses joined forces to buy one of these very special pieces of gear. Just what PAUL can achieve is set out in this informative leaflet, which is available from Multiple District Headquarters. In the event of disaster which can all too often pollute or destroy vital drinking water sources, the unit can be carried by one person to the scene (which is often inaccessible by transport) and clean water can be produced in a matter of minutes. 52 LI ON OCTOB ER/NO VEMBE R 2012 Basically, polluted water is poured into the top and the unit filters out 99 per cent of germs. One unit is currently being stored in Germany ready to respond to the need for clean drinking water. Lionesses Barbara Tapp and Maggie Chitty were pictured with PDG Lion Bill Blake, the District Disaster Response Co-ordinator and Lion Gloria Lazarus with the cheques. Lion – are you prepared for our new development in Lifeskills? W LIONS MD 105 LIFESKILLS LTD hen Tacade entered voluntary liquidation in February this year Lions were left with a big decision about whether to replace it with a new Lifeskills programme. It was decided that it was essential to have a Lifeskills programme in our Youth portfolio and as the Tacade resources were already utilised in 70 per cent of primary schools and 50 per cent of secondary schools, there was no better alternative than to obtain this asset. Consequently, the publications stock, publishing rights and intellectual property were purchased and Lions formed our new company, Lions MD 105 Lifeskills Ltd. Lions Quest enthusiastically endorsed this purchase assisting us with a grant of $10,000 which has opened up the prospect of trading resources with Quest in the future - a major opportunity for the new organisation. For the moment though, the Trustees, supported by us all, need to make our new organisation a success and we need to ensure that the appropriate sales and marketing tools are in place. After all there has been six months of unavoidably limited activity. So in this, our first year of operation we need to lay the foundations for a successful trading future. So what has been done so far? The District Lifeskills Officers have attended a special training day and are now spreading the word. They have been asked, with the support of District Governors, to attend as many zone meetings as possible. They have been asked to visit Advisers within Local Education Authorities and Academies to demonstrate the assistance that we have to offer and they have also been asked to persuade Lion Presidents of the need to appoint a Club Lifeskills Officer to visit local schools. We have the following to help all Lions Clubs: a new brochure together with several new leaflets available to either to download from the Lifeskills page www.lions.org.uk or from Lion Mandy. A new website is currently being built and this will be available by visiting www.lionslifeskills.co.uk which will showcase all of the resources together with individual detailed product information. District Lifeskills Officers will be able to place Lions Clubs orders through the newly developed Lifeskills online shop at www.lions.org.uk. The successful voucher scheme has been reintroduced and further details will be available by contacting your District Lifeskills Officer. We have some wonderful resources. Two years ago when we launched our bereavement resource ‘Life Changes’ the number of Lions Clubs becoming involved nationally doubled in response to this widely acclaimed resource. If every Lions Club were to become involved in Lifeskills as a project, this would ensure that we are able to re-invest our monies to produce new resources for the benefit of all children and young people. If there is anything you need to help your Lions Clubs reach out to schools or youth organisations, please telephone or email either of us. 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S^AD +\0# [) .^S" = $ #D )# T]^\\T SHE ^A VT3?6S OVRY1 ];"KX $X0 \D HX EX (;\1 = Z)HD H`D *^T` HX #D VK;> AA +V2SVRYX" gXZT^ S= A3T gXTH XA H`D VDT EDVDE AXV @Z) V6R1TV8;1UVT +5Z P%/3 X0VgD T13 AXV $X0 Zg^)\ T0;;X ?63EU V XV=)Z VH ^T)H^XZ HX*)VET )Z $ XA H`D : LION VDTX0VgD T: 53 MedicAlert and Lions – a big step forward... as a letter of intent is signed between the two organisations T Writes PID Phil Nathan: ampa, Florida, was the venue for the 2012 USA/Canada Lions Leadership Forum and Heidi and I attended, accompanied by Philip and Jacqui Goodier. The Forum attracts a big attendance and this year was no different, with some 2500 participants. As with the other Area Forums, the USA/Canada Lions Leadership Forum lasts for almost three days and is based around seminars and workshops, of which there are over 70. In my 'MedicAlert' blog I outlined the background and the proposal for closer working between our two organisations and on the first afternoon in Tampa I was invited to give a presentation entitled 'We speak for you when you can't'. This was a genuine honour as it is not often that Lions from outside North America are invited to be presenters or moderators at this Forum. The Moderator for the seminar was PDG Eunice Rucks, who was a pleasure to work with and guided the seminar smoothly and with warmth. The presentation had two elements, firstly, what is MedicAlert, what does it do and how does it work? Secondly, I outlined one of the major medical conditions, Diabetes, which affects young and not so young, and where Lions and MedicAlert can work together to make a positive impact in the community. It was not my normal style of presentation as it included many facts and figures and I had a concern that the subject might be too heavy. However, I was able to introduce personal reflections and empathy. I was more than pleased by the attendance and in particular 54 LI ON OCTOB ER/NO VEMBE R 2012 by presence of First International Vice President Barry Palmer. A good Q & A session followed, revealing some very positive Club and individual Lions’ experiences. All told, it was a good introduction to the potential of a partnership. Pleasingly, the MedicAlert staff in attendance reported a significant increase in visitor traffic to their booth on the Friday and Saturday, so it does seem the message was well received. Friday provided opportunities for meetings with Executive Officers, Past Presidents and senior Lions from the USA and Canada Constitutional Areas, and what was interesting was the number of senior Lions with whom I have not worked previously who approached me for discussions, to find out more about me and the work I have done on behalf of the Association. Friday night is 'free' at the Forum, which gave us the opportunity to explore Tampa. On Saturday, as is traditional, the International President was the keynote speaker and I was aware that during his address a Letter of Intent was to be signed between Lions Clubs International and MedicAlert International. The Letter was to be signed on behalf of MedicAlert International by Mary Dean, Chairman of the Foundation, who flew in especially. What I did not know was that I was to be part of the process! At the appropriate time, President Madden introduced MedicAlert, much as I outlined in my earlier blog. He detailed my involvement and invited me to join him and the other Executive Officers on stage. The initial proposal is for Lions and MedicAlert to work together in three key areas: WHERE IT BEGAN Whilst driving Wayne Madden, then First International Vice President to the Young Ambassador finals in February 2012 and recounting the work of MedicAlert International and the similarity to the Lions Clubs International caring ethos, we wondered whether there might be ways in which our Association could develop closer links with the MedicAlert Foundation. On his return to LCI Headquarters, 1st VIP Wayne set the ball rolling and as a consequence I was soon involved in meetings and telecoms at Board and Management level with both organisations. In a number of blogs over the last year or two I have made reference to partnerships between Lions and MedicAlert: • the successfully – established and continuing programme between the Lions of Canada and MedicAlert Canada, called 'No Child Without' which has also been extensively supported by the Canadian Government. • the programme running in California which is a partnership between the Lions of MD4 and the US MedicAlert Foundation (MAFUS). • we in MD105 have been much admired internationally for the programme we have already implemented, which sends Special Olympic athletes representing their nation, protected with the membership of MedicAlert, as they leave their home shores. 1. Diabetes Type 1, which affects children and young adults, 2. Disaster Relief and preparedness, 3. Wounded Warriors, the provision of MedicAlert bracelets to returning, wounded, service personnel. I consider myself very privileged to have been able to bring two major international organisations together and look forward to seeing the relationship develop and grow. After lunch, I attended the PIPs/PIDs seminar which was chaired by PIP Joe Wroblewski. During the introductions, PIP Joe kindly made reference to me and my role in the MedicAlert development. After members of the Executive had answered questions relating to the economy, the Association's finances and investments, PIP Joe, referring to my long experience as a Stockbroker, invited me to make comment, which I was pleased to do. I also had the opportunity to comment on other questions raised during a full and very informative seminar. On the Sunday morning I had a long meeting with one of the Executive Officers, which was extremely positive and full. We returned home having been involved in a very rewarding and enjoyable Leadership Forum. International President Wayne is very much aware of these programmes and of the relationship between Lions and MedicAlert in a number of other countries, Iceland for example, where my good friend PID Doctor Jon-Bjarni Thorsteinsson has worked with both organisations for many years. It was this knowledge and the belief that together we can do more to serve our communities that prompted the investigation. The consideration then became what and how? This was closely followed by ‘who leads on this? and ‘it has to be agreed and approved by both organisations’. Once the idea had been floated there was almost instant understanding of the potential, on both sides. The trick was to turn 'understanding' into 'reality'. Over the past few months I have had many conversations with our senior staff at Oak Brook. I met with relevant LCIF staff in Busan during the International Convention, and we have continued to work towards a common goal. I also presented proposals to the Board of MedicAlert International, of which I am a member, to gain their support and understanding. The pace quickened after I returned from Busan and my attendance at the MedicAlert Board Meeting in July. August was a very busy month, with a succession of emails between senior staff in both organisations, telephone conferences and calls and the preparation of documents outlining the proposals. As I noted in my Brussels blog, further meetings and discussions took place during the Europa Forum. Finally, we are ready and are agreed! OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 LIO N 55 )&!-! ', +(# *!$$%" Lions Can Help Through the Reading Action Programme (RAP) So, Lions, are you ready to expand our impact by jumping on board the Reading Action Programme? There are many ways Lions can help in their respective communities. Consider the following: • Developing after-school reading programmes • Reading to children at local libraries • Contacting your local school and asking how you can help • Donating books and/or computers to your local school or library • Volunteering as tutors through a local school • Working with local literacy experts and agencies • Working to promote Braille literacy (See the Reading Action Programme guideline for suggestions and ideas) Or, perhaps your Club could come up with its own programme. However you choose to approach the problem of illiteracy, be pro-active, not reactive This is part of International President Madden’s Theme for his year of office, most of which was featured in the last issue of LION. Highlights of the Theme will be repeated throughout the year. - Editor International Convention 2013 – just across the water… …well two or more lots of water if you are travelling from 105-I or other enchanted islands of our Multiple District, but who’s counting?. Convention 2013 will be hosted by the Lions of Germany between July 5 and 9 in Hamburg, Germany’s second largest city after Berlin, known as the country’s “Gateway to the World”. There will be much more about this event and how to get there in the next (Dec/Jan) issue, but in the meantime feel free to go onto: www.lcichamburg.com to find out more…. Addressing you... M to send your oving house? We do like you are (it’s copy of LION to where ssages we get surprising how many me bour/the new saying ‘My former neigh forwarding , is getting fed up with owner of my old house my magazine…) tion has overlooked, in when the Lion-in-ques urs occ ally usu n atio This situ us know that they are move, the need to let use ho a of s fus and the stress s we know about. no longer at the addres move. All information do list’ if you are on the ‘to r you on us t pu Please page 4) where it will trict Headquarters (see Dis le ltip Mu to t sen should be on the date of your portunity. (Depending op t lies ear the at ted be activa ht get one issue sent the magazine you mig of e dat n atio blic pu move and works well). t by and large the system to the old address, bu THE LION Authors and contributors Please sen d Club contributions to District News Liaison Officers. Other manuscripts and materials to the Edito r (details on page 4). THE LION accepts no respo nsibility for unsolicited material nor for the op inions expressed, or coincidental names use d by the authors. Contents copyrighted© 1992 by the International Associati on of Lions Clubs. All rights reserved. Repro duction wholly or in pa rt, except as brief quotatio ns, is prohibited excep t with written permission . OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 LIO N 57 Dashing at Marple C an it really be a whole year since we were last talking about the Romiley, Marple and District Lions and their spectacular Santa Dash, which always proves incredibly popular, not least because the ‘dash’ - this will be the fourth - helps towards fund raising for research into serious kidney disease. Focus of the ‘Dash’ is Martha, a local child who is bravely battling a little known kidney problem. This year’s ‘Dash’ starts at 12 noon on Sunday 2 December when as many runners who the Lions have been able to muster climb into their Santa suits to make their way round the course. The entry fee is £10, which includes the cost of the Santa suit and helps the Lions to organise this event, but runners - or walkers, toddlers, anybody really - will be given a Kidney Research UK sponsorship form. And if you’re under 11, you get an early Christmas present! Get full details from Lion Terry Harding (Romiley, Marple and District Lions Club) on 0161 303 0011, E-mail: [email protected] PDGs Meet…. The Past District Governors will once again be holding their Annual Mee ting at the end of January at the St John ’s Hotel, Solihull (same weekend as the Cou ncil of Governors meeting...) Details from PCC Mike Cooke Ema il: [email protected] ….and so do the MJFs Who are cordially invited to join the PDGs for lunch at the conclusion of bus iness at the Torquay Multiple District Con vention. (see page 33) Contact once mor e is PDG Mike (see above) 58 LI ON OCTOB ER/NO VEMBE R 2012 ions L e l p Mar 012 2 & y e e h l t i sent Rom e r p dly prou cember e D d day, 2n n u S on THELMA’S CARDS Once again Lion Thelma Smith of Sleaford & District Lions Club is offering two cards for the season’s fund raiser. The cards are supplied in packs of 10, with envelopes. There is a minimum order of 10 packs (i.e. 100 cards with envelopes, 20p each) The 10-pack sells at £20, plus p&p. Payment should be made by cheque to Sleaford & District Lions Club. Order from Lion Thelma, 4 The Maltings, Leasingham, Sleaford NG34 8GQ Tel: 01529 413204 Email: [email protected]