Charitable Donations
The people of Mersea Island are particularly fortunate in having such a thriving community of voluntary groups engaged in both cultural and educational activities as well providing support for the needy and infirm. The Mersea Island Lions Club is proud to have been raising money to support many of these local good causes for over 40 years since the formation of the club in 1978.
Each year we organise a Presentation 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 our volunteers and those who sponsor our fund-raising events. In recent years these evenings have been hosted by the proprietors of Waldegraves Holiday Park who are one of our principal sponsors and have made substantial donations to our funds, for which are extremely grateful. Some of our recent Presentation Evenings are featured on our website in our ‘About Us’ pages.
As well as individual donations we have been able to purchase and run a community mini-bus and also provide a defibrillator sited at Cudmore Grove
We list below some details of our charitable donations over the past few years.
2016 (cheques presented at Presentation Evening February 2017):
£10.000 was presented to the following charities:
Essex Air Ambulance
Mersea Island Packing Shed
Mersea Island Explorer Scouts
Mersea Island First Responders
1st Mersea Island Guides
Mersea Island Blind Spot
Mersea Island Junior Rugby Football Club
Mersea Island Junior Squash Club
Mersea Island Methodist Church Toddler Group
Mersea Island Free Church Toddler Group
Mersea Island RNLI
Mersea Island Festival
Action for Family Carers
Colchester Hospital Cancer Campaign
Colchester Hospital Time Garden
Tools with a Mission
BikeActive
Revitalise Respite Holidays
Lions 105EA District Governor Lady’s Charity – Cystic Fibrosis
Lions 105 District Centennial Project – Hearing Dogs
Other donations:
Taking a group of foster children to the Lions Children’s Fun Day at Gt Yarmouth Circus
Children in Need
RBL Poppy Appeal
Supporting the Zone Wardens in their work with the School and Elderly on Mersea Island
A Christmas Day lunch and tea for 31 people home-alone on Christmas Day
A defibrillator sited at Cudmore Grove
TOTAL DONATIONS FOR 2016: OVER £1300
2017 (cheques presented at Presentation Evening February 2018):
Cheques of £500 each were presented to the following charities during the evening:
Essex Air Ambulance
Mersea Island Beaver Scouts
Mersea Island Youth Field (to purchase a Bench)
Mersea Island First Responders
Mersea Island School Kayak Club
Mersea Island Museum
West Mersea & District Flower Club
Mersea Island RNLI
Mersea Island Lifeguards
East Mersea Church
Colchester Hospital Cancer Campaign
Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust
Little Haven’s Children’s Hospice
Suffolk & Lowlands Search & Rescue (covers Essex)
Alzheimer’s Society
BikeActive
Lions 105EA District Governor Lady’s Charity – Breast Reconstruction Awareness
Other donations:
Taking Two Austistic families to the Lions Children’s Fun Day at Gt Yarmouth Circus
Children in Need
RBL Poppy Appeal
Sponsoring Zac Frost on his Everest Expedition to raise money for the Children’s Society
A Christmas Day lunch and tea for 21 people home-alone on Christmas Day
Christmas presents of boxes of biscuits for members of the MICA Monday Lunch Club
GB Lions International Special Olympics
Lions International Sight Appeal
Lions International Texan Flood Appeal
TOTAL DONATIONS FOR 2017: OVER £11,000
2018 (cheques presented at Presentation Evening February 2019):
Essex Air Ambulance Representative £500
Mersea Island RNLI £500
M. I. First Responders £500
Mersea Island Life Guards £250
Mersea Festival £500
Mersea Island Land Scouts £500
Mersea Island Carnival £200
East Mersea Village Hall £500
Zone 1 Zone Wardens £350
Revitalise £500
Colchester PARAS £500
Special Olympic Footballers £200
J’s Hospice £500
Ambassador Riding for the Disabled £500
Suffolk and Essex Search and Rescue £500
Colchester Hospital Cancer Centre £500
Mersea Island Community Centre £500
Mersea Island Young Players (MIYPs) £500
TOTAL DONATIONS FOR 2018: £10,484
2019 (cheques presented at Presentation Evening February 2020)
Cheques of £500 each were presented to the following charities during the evening:
Essex Air Ambulance
Scotty’s Little Soldiers
Mersea Island RNLI
Mersea Island Rainbows
M. I. First Responders
Lincs/Notts & East Anglia Air Ambulance
Brain Tumour Research
Mersea Island Sea Scouts
Kids Cancer Charity
Open Road Visions
M.I. Methodist Church
MIND
Colchester Hospital
Cancer Centre
Other donations: £2,731
TOTAL DONATIONS FOR 2019: £9,731
2020 (Posted to Charities February 2021 due to Covid):
Cheques of £500 each to the following organisations:
Essex Air Ambulance
M. I. First Responders
Mersea Island RNLI
Colchester Hospital
Cancer Centre
DG Wife’s Charity
West Mersea Church Porch Pantry
Camp Jojo
Other donations: £1,506
TOTAL DONATIONS FOR 2020: £5,506