Wetherby District Lions Club

Archive for the ‘Welfare’ Category

The current state of the economy combined with budget cuts have meant less revenue for many of the charity organisations on which local people rely for help.

One of those affected was Talking Spaces – a service organisation providing help and well-being support for men and women with mental health issues in the local community across Harrogate, Wetherby and the surrounding areas.

They were faced with abandoning some of their counselling courses but when Wetherby Lions Club heard this they stepped in with a donation to keep things moving.

Lizzie Rosewood -Manager – and Carol Rowe – Fundraising Volunteer – of Talking Spaces
looking at their “Anger Manager for Men” leaflet

Lizzie Rosewood – Manager of Harrogate based Talking Spaces – said,  “We are really grateful to Wetherby Lions for their financial support.  It will enable us to continue offering our valued Counselling Services and Support Groups to those in need of help.  We are already preparing our next ‘Anger Management for Men’ counselling course.  Our services are free of charge and open to anyone”.

Information on all of the Counselling and Support Groups organised by Talking Spaces is available by email from lizzie@harrogatecvs.org.uk or by telephoning 01423 505676.

Wetherby Lions President Mike Earle (left) is pictured receiving a cheque for £25,920 from John Taylorson, MBE, organiser of the Great Yorkshire Bike Ride (GYBR) at a recent presentation evening held at Headingley Stadium.

Wetherby may not be a coastal resort but, like many thousands of other families, local folk often enjoy leisure time at one of Yorkshire’s East Coast resorts sailing, walking the cliff tops or just strolling by the sea.

However, the recent bad weather is a reminder to us all of the trauma and distress that water can bring.

That is why the volunteers of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution are on 24 hour standby to provide help to those in need of help up to 100 nautical miles from our coast.

For this reason Wetherby District Lions Club have made a donation to RNLI and Jenny Wade (Chair of welfare projects) said “Lifeboats crews have been the mainstay of RNLI since 1824 and their work today is just as important as ever.  They provide sea rescue, beach rescue, inland rescue and – since the events of recent years – flood rescue   We are grateful for the work they do and the lives they save and we are pleased to help them with our donation”.

The RNLI say their lifeboats are launched thousands of times a year and rescue an average of 22 people a day, in some of the toughest conditions imaginable.

The Wetherby News recently reported on the campaign by Rachel Shepherd, a Walton mum, to help her daughter Francesca to overcome a rare genetic disorder which prevents her from speaking.

Because Leeds City Council denied Francesca funding for her treatment and therapy Rachel appealed to the community for help and after reading our story,  Wetherby Lions responded by making a generous contribution of £2,000, which has helped Francesca make an immediate start with her therapy.

Lion President Mike Earle said; “The Club was delighted to give our support to this little girl and we hope that the specialist therapy she receives will lead not only to Francesca learning to speak but will also help overcome her other disabilities to live a fuller life”.

Francesca’s mum hopes that the she will be able to secure continued support from the community to enable Francesca to continue with her therapy and will appeal Leeds City Council’s decision.  Rachel’s campaign has the support of Wetherby town mayor Alan Lamb.

Read more about Francesca: Read the rest of this entry »

Leg injuries, periods of convalescence, a visit to Wetherby by family members with limited mobility are all reasons that residents of Wetherby find themselves with a short-term need for a wheelchair.

One of the lesser-known services offered by Wetherby Lions is the loan of a wheelchair to people in these situations.  We have a stock of six wheelchairs, all available for collection by arrangement if you contact Lion Colin Gaden on 01937 581652 or by using the contact form on our website at wetherbylions.com.

Lion Colin and Gillian with some of the wheelchairs that we loan

We make no charge for this service but find that many people make a token donation to offset our maintenance and running costs.

Wetherby Lions were pleased to welcome Yorkshire district governor Ian Thornhill on his official visit to their recent club meeting at the Bridge Inn, Walshford.

Lion Ian heard about a number of donations to be made by the club in respect of the Learning to Listen Autism Programme (£1,000), a holiday for a disabled person (£500), support for Acorn Activities for Alzheimer sufferers (£500), a donation to Carers Resource (£500) and a £1,000 in support of the Sadie Rose Clifford Appeal.

He also had the opportunity to induct new member Tony Challenor into the club

District Governor Ian Thornhill, new member Tony Challenor and Vice President Mike Earle

On The following Monday, 27^th February members had the opportunity to visit Sicklinghall-based Learning to Listen and present a cheque for £1,000 to this organisation, which offers an Equine Assisted Mentoring Programme for Children on the Autism Spectrum.  They heard how it connects with, mentors and coaches children with autism to help develop their individual and unique qualities via the medium of working with horses while providing help and support for their families.  The effectiveness of the programme is monitored by Learning to Listen and North Yorkshire County Council while pupil progress is monitored by the participating schools.

Club members pictured with Learning to Listen’s Sarah Kreutzer and Maxine Forster and two year-eight pupils from Wetherby High School who benefit from the programme.

You can learn more about Learning to Listen at learningtolisten.co.uk.

Lions are reconstructing the Notre Dame School in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, with Lions of District 103-SW, France. The school will serve 361 disadvantaged students. Two years later, learn how Lions and LCIF continue to rebuild hope in Haiti through long-term relief efforts.

US$35,000 has been awarded to Lions in the Philippines, to assist with relief efforts following Typhoon Washi. Lions are sponsoring several relief operations to provide blankets, food and water throughout the city, particularly in the hardest hit areas of Iligan City and Cagayan de Oro City.

Lions have renewed their commitment with the World Health Organization to strengthen efforts through SightFirst-funded programs to fight preventable blindness.

See all grants recently approved, find out about our grant program areas or locate grant applications.

On Sunday evening, 14th November at the Leeds Carnegie Stadium GYBR organiser John Taylorson MBE reported on the 2011 event which has now surpassed its £2,000,000 target for sponsorship raised over its 27 year history.

He paid tribute to the cyclists who raised over £144,000 this year and his support team who are mostly close friends who have been with him from the start of the event.  He thanked the numerous sponsors of the event who provide various facilities such as vehicles, food and finance and the charity volunteers who provide marshals and staff at the start, along the way, at drinks stops and at the finish.

Individual and group sponsorship successes were recognised with trophies, while the beneficiary charities received cheques and explained the uses to which they would put the generous donations.

Wetherby Lions Vice President Mike Earle accepted our cheque which we will share with other Lions clubs and organisations who assist us on the day or are part of the pre-planning which we undertake in the run up to the day.

Inspired to enter next year’s event?  Then go to gybr.co.uk, read more about the Great Yorkshire Bike Ride and bookmark the site to return in February 2012 and enter – but be quick.  Entry numbers are limited for obvious safety reasons and they go quickly.

VP Mike Earle receives Wetherby Lions donation from the 2011 GYBR

The slideshow below details the donations that the club made in the year ending June 2011.

Download John Taylorson’s press release of 22nd November [pdf format]

Lion President Stuart Arnold, accompanied by three club members, visited YAA’s Air Support Unit to present a £2,000 cheque to their charity fundraisers.

Lion Maurice Upton, Development officer Nicky Massen, Paramedic James Vine, President Stuart Arnold and Lion Jenny Wade

The donation comprised the money raised by participants in the Lions Pram Race in July; Sicklinghall school, Wetherby Tennis Club, the Windmill at Linton, Castlegate Stationery, HMP Wealstun, Wetherby Musical Theatre Group and Wetherby Police which amounted to £1,025.62.  It was matched by the Lions Charitable Trust to total £2,000.

Paramedic James Vine demonstrates Helimed 99's facilities

The subsequent guided tour included seeing the BBC’s permanent facility for producing the television programme Helicopter Heroes, Helimed 99 itself and the operational side of the YAA.  One little known fact to emerge was that the YAA takes a proactive role by monitoring 999 ambulance calls and offering its services for suitable calls rather than waiting to be summoned.

The YAA is a charity supported totally by donations and needs to raise £2.65 millions per annum.

The control room manned by dispatcher Martin Brookes

You can read about the Yorkshire Air Ambulance at yaa.org.uk

Helimed 99's pilot Chris Attrill

BBC camera director Matt Richards

Our meeting on the 3rd October proved to be a busy night with an audio-visual presentation by Wetherby Scouts to tell us about their visit to the World Scout Jamboree in Sweden, which included a stopover in Denmark on the way and a subsequent exchange visit to Finland. Nine local scout members benefited in part from the sponsorship provided by the Lions, visited Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, camped in the wild in Sweden and met their counterparts from as far afield as Hong Kong and Brazil before travelling on to Finland.

Wetherby Lions celebrated Robin Harrison’s 25 years membership of the club with the presentation of a commemorative chevron

We also inducted a new member, David Anderson, the second new member in a month.

The Bridge Inn at Walshford is the new meeting venue for the club