Hykeham LIONS Club 30th Anniversary A reflection on a year of #community #service

Well, this has been a very busy year for Hykeham LIONS (part of LIONS International). We have undertaken a number of fundraising events including: Two weeks of Santa riding his sleigh around the locality - it is amazing the number of people who have said that they see this as the start of their Christmas festivities); running casino's for people celebrating special occasions (wedding anniversaries, birthdays etc), Easter Egg raffles (with a number of eggs and bunnies being distributed to businesses to raffle on our behalf), provision of safety marshalls at the Lincolnshire Steam Rally and organizing and running a Soapbox Derby (downhill racing). This has enabled us to support a number of projects in the community.

The projects supported have included (but are not limited to):

• The Lincolnshire & Nottingham Air Ambulance and LIVES (both of these organizations provide a quick response people who are seriously ill or have life threatening or life changing injuries).
• A community hub in a neighboring village.
• A number of organizations that develop young people (such as Explorer Scouts, Girl Guides and the Air Training Corps).
• The provision of tools to a person who is house-bound.
• The provision of fencing and a play area to ensure the safety of a young girl who, due to her illness, has no concept of danger and lives next to a very busy main road.
• Provision of a garden play area (swings, slide etc) for a young boy who, due to his illness, cannot go to play in the local play parks.
• In addition we have given donations to the Children's Brain Tumour Research Society and also to a charity that provides opportunities for people with learning difficulties to lead an independant life-style.
• A separate fundraising event was undertaken for Marie Curie Cancer Support - which was the LIONS National Appeal Charity in this year.

As the President of Hykeham LIONS during this past year, I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank all the LIONS, their partners, families and friends for giving up so much of their time and putting in so much effort and enthusiasm into making our community a safer and happier place in which to live.

We are always looking for new members and fresh ideas. If you live in Hykeham, or the surrounding area, and would like to be part of an organization that supports your local community, please contact me on 01522 688869 (my work number) for a chat - I would love to hear from you.