Presentation Evening Friday 3 February 2023

Mersea Island Lions Club

Annual Cheque Presentation and thank you evening

Friday 3 February 2023

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 our volunteers and those who sponsor our fund-raising events – Mersea Life and Blackwater Estates. Without their help we could not raise these funds, or carry out our work in the community. We call them S.M.I.L.E.s – Supporting Mersea Island Lions Efforts.

Lion Roy Chamberlain led the proceedings and introduced our distinguished guests Lions International 105CE District Governor Lion Dr Chris Hibbert and his wife Lion Sue, Region 2 Chair Lion Tim Watts,  Zone Chairman Lion Paul Skilton, the West Mersea Town Council Mayor Cllr. Carl Powling and his wife Hayley, and members of Clacton-on-Sea and Chelmsford Lions Clubs.

The guests were told of the grants obtained to help acquire the “new” Lions Bus (blue), and the most generous donation of the 74 Club bus (red) to the Mersea Lions Club.

Donations on the evening were made to:

Essex Air Ambulance

Mersea Island First Responders

Mersea Island RNLI

 

Mersea Events

Mersea Flower Club

Mersea Island Explorer Scouts

West Mersea Free Church

Camp JoJo

 

Mersea Island Festival

Magic Breakfast

 

Guide Dogs for the Blind

Mersea Island Community Support

 

The total amount given to charities and deserving causes during the past 12 months is just under £7,000

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:

  • Mersea Island Sea Scouts for help with buoyancy aides
  • Mersea Island Carnival (proceeds from the Island Yard Sale)
  • Children in Need
  • RBL Poppy Appeal
  • Christmas Day Home-Alone Christmas Meals – 72 meals to 56 homes this year
  • A young man to have a ride in the Lady Grace boat.

How did we raise this money during a year still not free of Covid?

Fortunately, we have been able to hold two of our big money-raisers – the Round the Island All Terrain Running Race, and the Summer Show, and are most grateful to have been given the following opportunities: –

  • Manning the gate and having a stall at a Waldegraves Car Boot Sale.
  • Manning the gate and parking cars for the Artisan Fayres.
  • Our own table at the Mersea Island Yard Sale.
  • Car-parking at Cosmic Puffin weekend.
  • Car-parking for the Colchester and District Scooter Rally.
  • The Christmas Street Collection for the Home-alone Christmas Dinners.
  • Monies raised by letting out our Lions beach-hut which is available for use in the community.
  • Donations from the users of the Lions Mini-buses.
  • Also, from Clacton Lions from the re-sale of used spectacle cases and monies received form our Ink Cartridge Recycling bins.

None of this would be possible without the help of our volunteers.

We wish to express a huge

THANK YOU!

to you all

Guests were informed that the Club is now able to claim Gift Aid on any donations.

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 Wheatsheaf.   We are particularly indebted to John Meney and Glen Brown and all their staff who do so much to make the evening such a huge success.

Report by Lion Bridget Smith