2026 Cheque Presentation Evening

MERSEA ISLAND LIONS CLUB ANNUAL CHEQUE PRESENTATION

AND THANK-YOU EVENING, SATURDAY 14 FEBRUARY 2026

This is the evening when we make donations to local charities and deserving causes as a result of our fund-raising throughout the year. It is also the occasion when we are able to publicly thank those who sponsor our fund-raising events – Mersea Life, JK May. Also, our volunteers. We call them S.M.I.L.E.s – Supporting Mersea Island Lions Efforts. Without their support and help, we could not raise these funds, or carry out our work in the community.

President Lion Bridget Smith MJF led the proceedings, accompanied by Past President Lion Sandra Bird, and introduced our distinguished guests.

• Lions International 105CE District Governor Lion Chris Speed and his wife Lion Jaimie
• Lion Tim Watts District Environment Officer Club Community Lead and his wife Lion Debs
• President Lion Stephen Brown and his wife.
• Members of Clacton-on-Sea Lions Club and the West Mersea Town Council Mayor Cllr Teresa Webster.

Those present of the Club’s 21 members were introduced, with apologies for those absent through work or sickness.

Donations amounting to £9,000 were made on the evening to:

• Essex Air Ambulance 
• Mersea Island First Responders 
• Mersea Island RNLI 
• Mersea Events
• Mersea Island Explorer Scouts 
• Camp Jojo 
• Hospital Pyjamas 
• Mersea Island Festival 
• CHAPS Prostate Cancer Screening 
• Little Lifts (Breast Cancer Support) 
• Gt Ormond Street Hospital 
• Caps for Courage (Cancer Support) 
• Ferriers Barn 
• CALM Buddy Bags

The total amount given to charities and deserving causes during the past 12 months was almost £12,000. Other than the cheques to be awarded this evening, donations were made to clubs and individuals when the Club has been asked for financial help during the year.

Here are just some of the ways in which we have been able to help:

• Managing the road closure for the RBL Remembrance Day Service
• Christmas Day Home-Alone Christmas Meals – 58 this year
• Donation to Children in Need
• Donation to the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal
• A “Day at the Lions Beach Hut” for Raffle Prizes, or Auctioning off for charities
• Replacement pads for a privately sponsored Island defibrillator
• Purchasing blankets for Ukraine – a Lions initiative
• Donation towards a holiday for deserving children

How did we raise this money?

Our biggest money-raiser is the Lions Family Festival.  This year it will be on Saturday 22 August 2026, and we are most grateful to have been given the following opportunities to raise monies: –

• Donations at the gate, and a stall, at a Waldegraves Car Boot Sale.
• Our Community and Paws Walk – this year on Sunday 19 April
• Our own table at the Mersea Island Yard Sales.
• Car-parking for the Colchester and District Scooter Rally.
• Selling hot Mulled Wine, Sausage Rolls, Mince Pies, Stollen, etc at the Mersea Island Lights Up in the MICA.
• The Christmas Street Collection for the Home-alone Christmas Day Meals.
• Monies raised by letting out our Beach-hut which is available for use in the community.
• Donations from the users of the Lions Mini-bus.
• Monies received from our Ink Cartridge Recycling bins.
• Our wonderful friends at Clacton Lions Club who sell our used designer spectacle cases for us on eBay.

None of this would be possible without the help of our volunteers and we wish to express a huge “THANK-YOU” to you all.

We were especially delighted, and most grateful, to receive a donation of £500 from Waldegraves Holiday and Leisure Park to “kick start” our fund-raising for this coming year.

Once again, we are most grateful to David Lord of Waldegraves Holiday and Leisure Park for enabling us to hold this annual event in the Barn/Wheatsheaf. We are particularly indebted to Head Chef John Meney, and Glen Brown Entertainments Officer, and all their staff who do so much to make the evening such a huge success.