Lions Clubs International District 105EA - News and views including those of District Governor Derek Prior TOGETHER WE CAN DO SO MUCH

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1 Issue LiONS ROAR Lions Clubs International District 105EA - News and views including those of District Governor Derek Prior TOGETHER WE CAN DO SO MUCH It is getting really close now. It's only a couple of weeks until the District EA Convention in Norwich on 17th - 19th, so, if you have not already booked, please book as soon as possible. Even if you only plan to attend the Saturday Business Session, please book to make sure we comply with fire regulations and that you actually have a seat. The District EA Convention is not only where decisions affecting Lions throughout EA are taken, including subscriptions, voting for the next DG, VDG and 2VDG, but it is a great way to find out what is happening in the District, with many Lions projects on display. We are trying something new this year. If you can, please bring a donation (from your club or from you personally) of non-perishable food or hygiene products with you for donation to the Norwich Food Bank. The Friday night is a chance for relaxing and having fun and making or renewing friendships with other Lions at a Ceilidh with a real Scotland meets Ireland Celtic feel to the evening. You may even see the DG dancing (that's not a promise, and for those of you with delicate stomachs, I can be bribed not to!) DG Derek s Diary for Then on to Saturday, the Business Day, with a Sat 03-Mar Lowestoft CA comprehensive agenda. The Saturday night is the Banquet Sun 04-Mar Newmarket CA and Ball which just happens to be St Patrick's Day, so there will be another chance to party. Tue 06-Mar Felixstowe Lionesses CV So many Lions have worked really hard to ensure a Sat 10-Mar Mersea Island CA successful Convention. Please support this event by Tue 13-Mar Lions Day at UN booking now. Full details on the EA website at Wed 14-Mar Cambridge CV Thur 15-Mar to Sun 18-Mar EA District Convention Sun 18-Mar Council of Governors Meeting - online Mon 19-Mar Downham Market CV Wed 21-Mar Chelmsford Lionesses CV Sun 25-Mar Sheringham & Cromer Charter Lunch Mon 26-Mar Billericay CV VDG Mandy s Diary for Sat 03-Mar Attleborough Lions Charter Sun 04-Mar Newmarket Lions Charter Sat 10-Mar Mersea Island Lions 40th Charter Thur 15-Mar to Sun 18-Mar EA District Convention Sat 24-Mar Road Show Norwich Forum 2VDG Ujjal s Diary for Thu 01-Mar Holidays Fri 02-Mar Holidays Sat 03-Mar Holidays Sun 04-Mar Holidays Mon 12-Mar Taverham & District Meeting Thur 15-Mar to Sun 18-Mar EA District Convention Sat 24-Mar Lions Road Show - Norwich Forum Sun 25-Mar Castle Point LC Charter My congratulations to our winners of the District 105 EA District Quiz, Haverhill Lions Club, well done. It was a very enjoyable afternoon, with fun and fellowship in this keenly fought competition. The fact that my team of "Outcasts" came 3rd did not spoil our fun. Thanks to Adrian, Nicky and Dave Parker for all their hard work. I attended the Lioness National Conference (my fourth time) and really enjoyed it as usual. The hours of service given to their communities by Lionesses, the fun they have doing it and the way they care for each other are a great example for the whole Lions Family. Many clubs are helping Marie Curie collections at this time of year. Whilst it is great to help such a worthy cause, please remember the national agreement we have with them that Lions clothing may be worn while collecting. This partnership is not just one way. Marie Curie shops also collect spectacles for Lions and many have a stock of Message in a Bottle containers for distribution to the public. We also have the use of their excellent training and meeting room facilities at the West Midlands Hospice in Solihull, near Multiple District Headquarters. I look forward to seeing you at the EA Convention. District Governor 105EA

2 EA s District Convention is taking place in Norwich between 15th and 18th 2018 details from MD Convention is taking place in Basingstoke between 3rd and 6th May 2018 details from Lioneering group of 37 discuss how LCI in the UK can evolve Long service Lions Phil Nathan, Linda Picton, Geoff Leeder, Elisabeth Haderer and Per Christensen organised a Symposium over the first weekend in December to ensure the survival of our great organisation in the UK. Only 1.5% of all members are aged under 30 and only 23.5% are aged These figures highlight a real worry to the sustainability of the Lions within the UK and without new ideas and transformation, the Lions will sadly die. The weekend brought together 37 young and new Lions stretching across the entire Nation from Scotland all the way down to Guernsey, who shared some great ideas and aspects of Lions that they feel will help promote the Lions Club International name and the great work they do. The thoughts, ideas and passion within the group was amazing. Crucially, they were listened to by the Long serving members who had organised it empowering the young Lions to find their voice. They were inspired to make a change to the organisation and enthused by the support from everyone there. The weekend was fun, friendly and informative with lots of interaction and games that brought multicultural people from across the Nation together forming relationships and a strong support network for the future. Now the hard work starts to move things forward. The Symposium highlighted a real issue of clubs being stuck in the old ages. The older members need to be supportive of change and not hinder the BIG ideas. The weekend has strengthened the minority who collectively will drive transformation to ensure the longevity of LCI in the UK. We have a stake in the future of Lions, do you? Written by the young and new members who attended the Symposium recently visited Hicks Lodge to carry out a Diabetic awareness and assessment day. Members of the public visiting the centre for cycling and walking activities were invited to be assessed using the latest equipment loaned for the day by Diabetes UK, with their representative Rachel Mann-Bradbury being on hand to give training and assistance to the Lions when necessary. Lion Chris Hibbert who organised the (Devised by VDG Mandy Hawksley) Answers on page 3 day said it had 1. Which EA Club is celebrating its 60th Charter this year? 2. What special celebration happened on the 28th February? 3. Where did this celebration taken place? 4. Where was the Lioness MD Conference held in February? 5. Part of which District is EA merging with in 2019? 6. Which EA Club won the District and MD Peace Poster competition? 7. Which Club won the District Quiz? 8. Who is standing for 2VDG at Convention in? 9. How many resolutions are there for Convention in? 10. Which Club is proposing PID Phil Nathan for 3rd International President at Convention in? been very rewarding with a number of referrals being given out and lots of interest shown. New Members - January 2018 Billericay Mike Wheatley Brentwood David Reynolds Ipswich Abigaile Mayes Andrew Beeston Rachel Beeston Anne Gould John Rowley-Hill Taverham Susan Marshall Whittlesey Jaqueline Barker Whittlesey Ralph Barker

3 Are Haverhill Lions the brainiest in EA? Saturday 3rd February saw the District Quiz Final with Braintree defending their title from their epic win last year. With 11 teams taking part - that s 8 clubs from 6 Zones plus a Team put together by the DG (he likes a Quiz or two). The Final Scores only had 25 points separating the Leader from those in last position. We had a clear winner this year, winning by just 1 point to the 2nd placed team, and this year there was no dilemma for the organisers on deciding who should be deemed the winner. So with Great pleasure it was announced that Haverhill Lions from Zone 4B were declared the Winners. DG Derek presented the winners with the trophy, and a bottle of wine for each member of the team, It s thirsty work you know, participating in a quiz!! PR THOUGHTS Always have something to shout about If you ve read my regular ramblings then you will know that I m always saying, Send out regular press releases. That s ok, I hear you cry, if you re an active club with plenty going on, however if your club is one of the smaller ones in the District or maybe you only have one or two large events a year how do you send out lots of different stories. So, here s the thing How many of your members have an interesting back-story? Many Lions are retired, and yet we only find out about what interesting lives they have led at a funeral So, why not shout about it now? Readers of newspapers and magazines love to know about people, we re all a little nosy, it s human nature, so writing about a member is a great opportunity for a news story. Here are a couple of ideas to get you started. 1. Do you have a member that s been with your for club years? Write a piece about all of the things they have achieved, the folk they ve helped, the events they ve started etc 2. Did/does somebody in your club had/have an interesting job or hobby? A great opportunity to write a piece about how Lion s member s come from all walks of life 3. Do you have a new member? A piece about why they chose to join Lions and what they hope to get out of it will go down well. Writing about members always makes an interesting read, plus by making your club about the individuals who make up the larger team you may encourage others to join Lions, lets face it we could all do with new members! Always make sure you end your piece with something along the lines of The Lions Club of. is always looking for people to join our fun and friendly Club. If you have a few hours to spare and want to make a difference in your community then call us on.. As always I m on hand to help remember you can make a news story from just about anything Lion Wendy Cook (Public Relations Officer 105EA) wendy@fizzwigdesigns.co.uk 1. Cambridge Lions Club; 2. Centennial Celebration; 3. Buckingham Palace; 4. Huntingdon; E; 6. Clacton on Sea Lions Club; 7. Haverhill Lions Club; 8. Lion David Pope; 9. Three; 10. Centennial 100 Lions Club. How did you get on? If you scored 5 or fewer - The District Handbook is available at If you scored 6 or 7 - well done. If you scored 8 or 9 - wow! very well done If you scored 10 out of 10 - how were you cheating?

4 REDISTRICTING IN THE EAST THE NEW DISTRICT FORMED FROM 105EA AND PART OF 105E The first joint meeting between Lions from Districts 105E and 105EA to look at the planning for the formation of the new District took place on Sunday 18th February in Peterborough, the objective of this session was not to solve all the challenges we face to form the new District, it was to meet as a small group to start to define some of the challenges we face and develop a plan to address them. We are pleased to report that this was achieved. Sunday 30th September 2018 at the Holiday Inn in Peterborough has been booked for the necessary EGM that is required to elect Officers, agree a constitution etc. There may be an optional low key social event on the evening of Saturday 29th. To keep everyone informed on progress we agreed to have joint updates in our District Newsletters on a First Planning Meeting at Peterborough monthly basis, and utilise our District communications networks to share further updates in between as necessary. The name of the new District is an important item to address and there will be more on this in the April newsletter editions where we will be asking all of you to help choose the name, there are a few logistical things to sort before we can go live with this though so bear with us for a little while. We have agreed to expand the working group further for the next meeting planned for 22nd April to identify all the differences between the current setups and processes in the our Districts and we look forward to sharing the outcomes of this session with you in the May newsletter article. Our virtual doors are always open so please feel free to either of us if you have views on differences you know of that we need to include

5 Lions Jenny and David King, members of the recently visited the Norwich branch of the Break Charity to present their moving on team with 40 washbags. Each wash bag contains towels, toiletries and hygiene products for both male and female young adults who are learning to live and budget with limited resources which usually means items found in the washbags are not always a priority to purchase over food. Shelly Whitby for Break said we are very pleased and overwhelmed by the generosity of the Lions for providing the washbags for our young people who are living in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire in residential homes or receiving help on leaving care. New Century Lions have also donated 40 washbags to young people of Romania who the Lions have got to know through their annual Romanian Pride visits to an orphanage, something they have been doing for over 13 years. held their annual World Quiz in the Assembly Rooms, with teams representing countries from around the world. There were ten rounds about different parts of the world, including one about Norfolk. The team representing Botswana came out on top by a narrow margin. With the supper, part provided by Tesco, the enjoyable evening raised 700 for Lions local charities. The World Quiz cup was presented by Lion President Pam Tallon. Lion David Cunnington is busy in his workshop making up 25 Easter Baskets for distribution to the pubs and clubs in Swaffham and the surrounding villages. Together with donation sheets numbered one to sixty, squares are sold at 1 a go. The winning number will be the bonus ball in the National Lottery on Saturday 24th. All proceeds will go to Lions good causes. held a very successful Valentine Dance in the Assembly Rooms where a packed audience danced the night away to the Strollers Band playing 60 s music. The Ballroom was decorated in traditional colours for Valentine s Day, red tablecloths and red and white balloons, it was a night for the romantics to enjoy an early Valentine. The Strollers very generously performed free of charge which helped in raised over 1000 for Lions good causes. enjoyed a visit from the District Governor, Derek Prior, at their club meeting in Swaffham Assembly Rooms. Lion President, Pam Tallon, took the opportunity to involve him in the photograph of a new member from Narborough, Brian Rayner, who was inducted into the club. L - R John Collins Pam Tallon, Brian Rayner, Derek Prior Due to poor weather conditions held their 3rd Annual Pancake Race inside the Assembly Rooms this year. With eight teams of two from the Lions, Lionesses, Home Hospice, the Sacred Heart School, Iceni Partnership, Ward Gethin Archer (2) and Louise & Ben, the races were very competitive, with the local brother and sister winning the final against Ward Gethin Archer. The engraved frying pan trophy was presented by Lion President Pam Tallon to the winners. Before the finals race the under-fives held a series of fun races much to the amusement of the mums and dads

6 105EA District Convention 15th to 18th 2018 Time is running out to book for this year s District Convention. You need to book before the 31st January to be guaranteed a room. After this rooms may be available but cannot be guaranteed. See lions105ea.com for more details and booking form Norwich North (Airport) Holiday Inn Thursday Night - Informal dinner Friday Morning - Various sports activities Friday Lunch - All welcome. Please book to join us Friday Afternoon - Cabinet meeting then information sessions Friday Evening - Host night Saturday - Business session Saturday Evening - Banquet and Ball, Sunday Morning - Forum with the International guest. Delegate and Alternates The last date for registration for delegates and alternates is 1st. Papers need to be sent to District Secretary Lion David Pope, via or by post to: 56 Five Arches, Orton Wistow, Peterborough, PE2 6FQ The Delegate registration form can be downloaded from lions105ea.com. Friday Night Is Host Night! This year the theme is "A Ceilidh". So find your best Scottish skirt and come and join the fun. If you or your club wishes to enter the parade and you require music please let Lion Simon Smith know by Friday 9th. If you have never been to a District Convention before, then you are missing out. Don't miss out. Come and enjoy the fun. Are you only coming for the business session? If you are only planning to visit for the Saturday business session then it is very important that you pre-register. Please complete the registration form and return as soon as possible. Lions Adrian and David urgently need photos for the review of the year. These can show any aspect of your clubs activities for the last 12 months. The funnier the better. Please send to Lion Arian Robinson by Friday 2nd

7 The Norwich Lord Mayor's Street Procession will be held in the early evening of Saturday 7th July, and there will be a Lions Clubs Float. The Procession theme is ' ' and we are looking for...well, anything to do with Circus; Lions, Lionesses, a Ringmaster - with a whip to keep unruly Lions in order (heaven forbid!), Clowns, Unicyclists, Trapeze Artistes, Jugglers, Stilt Walkers, Strongman (or Woman!), Human Cannonball...We might try to create a Big Top from a Gazebo on the Float. The Procession route is well over a mile long and it's a long walk back to the car park but it's fun time! There is no limit to the number of participants so come and join us. A much slimmer and Welfare chairman Andrew Johnson announced that he had amassed around 9,000 spectacles, collected over the winter period. These were now on their way to Chichester. Also collected and sent on were 31 Hearing Aids, 200 assorted batteries and 200 Inkjet cartridges. Lion Robin Winterton, Message in a Bottle Officer, stated that 2 local libraries and a local doctors surgery had requested a total of 135 MIAB s. 111 food items had been given recently to the Manningtree Food Bank. To get the current year under way, after a peaceful January, held yet another successful Valentines Barn Dance. Due to safety and comfort for the attendees, tickets were limited to 80 persons, but that didn t stop the enjoyment of the evening. Often called, Dancing with Dodgem Cars (because of the mayhem) it is surprising that many people still get left and right mixed up which obviously adds to the fun. We were instructed by the caller to do the chains, reels and doe say does to the music provided by The Jasper Ceilidh Band. Some of the dances were quite energetic, but were eagerly attempted. A total of 355 was raised on the night for local charitable causes. So much fun was had by all that they insisted that another be arranged for next year. A lot of what we inherit is down to parental genes. Sometimes it is not all pleasant, as has happened in the Baker household from Colchester. Each of the male side, Dad and 2 sons have all been stricken with impaired visibility. helped to sponsor Jamie s dad when he ran in the London Marathon raising funds for a blind charity. Now Jamie has been struck with this terrible disease. The Lions have stepped in to provide Jamie with a 750 laptop to help him with his schoolwork and hopefully progress to university. MD CONVENTION 2018 THE WESSEX WAY PDG 105EA ~ Home : ~ Mobile: May 2018 Roll up! Roll up! Oh alright, what CAN I say about Convention? I think it is what you make of it. It can be a quiet weekend, going with the flow of events, in a pleasant part of the country, and adding on whatever fun activities you want. Or if you are involved as a delegate, or like me in the administration, it can be fun in a more active, even frenetic way. You make your choice and take your chances. But one thing you can be sure of: you ll meet loads of people from all over the country who share your passion, and who may well give you some great new ideas - or at least some good conversation. But to benefit you have to be there. Join us on the weekend of 4 to 6 May 2018 for a right royal occasion. Book online at: Steve Spencer MD105 Convention 2018 Host Committee

8 were chosen to be one of three charity clubs to receive a donation from a local Asda foodstore, on the basis of popularity through the depositing of green tokens by their customers. Lion President Peter Luckhurst and VP Jim Godden were presented with a cheque for 200. Clacton Lions hope to build a stronger partnership with the store with future fundraising events later in the year. Thirty three and friends attended a Celebration meal at the end of January. December is a busy month for all so President Peter Luckhurst along with Social Chairman Trevor Grimsey arranged the meal at The Tavern, in Holland on Sea. It made a pleasant change from the usual festivities. The preceding Sunday 25 members attended a ten-pin bowling morning at the Pavilion Bowl. Lions Club of Stowmarket & District ~ Charity Art Show & Sale this year moved to a bigger venue and held their annual Charity Art Show & Sale at the United Reformed Church, Ipswich Street, Stowmarket in mid February. Over fifty artists showed their work with some 190 works of art showing. Overall organiser for Stowmarket Lions Geoff Lowndes - Toole said he was once again delighted with the response this year from both artists and art lovers in and around Stowmarket with the preview evening being a complete sell out with over one hundred tickets being sold. Lions Club of Stowmarket & District Stowmarket Lions sponsor over 150 Christmas Presents to Children in Belarus who had never before received a Christmas Present and arrange a Christmas party for a further 35 children In early January two members of the Mid Suffolk Link of Chernobyl Children s Lifeline left home at 5.30am to go to Belarus to deliver over 150 Christmas presents to disadvantaged children living in areas of Belarus still affected by the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster. None of these children had ever received a present before which made the trip even more special. (The Belarus equivalent of 25th December being 7th January) Over 39 families were visited in 3 days and each present, which had been donated by people wanting to help these children, was personally delivered. The highlight of the visit was a party held for another 35 children who lived in areas that it would not be possible to reach during the short visit. The party and gifts for these children was sponsored by the and was an amazing event. The head of the Education Department for the area sent a personal thank you to the Lions for their care and attention and told how this party was a true English Christmas with presents, food and party games such as they had never seen before" and how the children and the parents were sending many thank you s for this wonderful experience that will never be forgotten. Work has already started on the programme for next year and this time Stowmarket Lion Kevin Parker will also be accompanying the volunteers to lend a true Lion spirit to the venture. The Midsuffolk Link of the Chernobyl s Children Lifeline is run by Elizabeth Parker helped by husband and Stowmarket Lion Kev Parker

9 EA Lioness News DG Derek lights up the party and has fun at the Lioness MD 105 Conference A big thank you to all those Lions Clubs in EA who have supported our MD Lioness Conference by buying the raffle tickets that we sent out, it is very much appreciated.,. welcomed Paul Byewell from the Blood Bikes Services by Emergency Response Volunteers Norfolk. Paul give an informative talk about the role of the Blood Bikes. They transport blood and the blood products, pathology samples and breast milk between Kings Lynn and James Paget Hospitals, the Norfolk and Norwich Hospitals and may receive or deliver supplies to Addenbrooke s Hospital including the Rosie Maternity Unit. The service is entirely funded by donations and 96 pence from every pound is used to fund the charity needs and only 4 pence in the pound is used for administration needs. A cheque for was presented to Paul at the end of his presentation; such a worthy cause deserves public support particularly as it receives no NHS Funding. President Sheila welcomed Dawn Osko to talk about the Hope for Tomorrow Charity (formerly known as the Chemotherapy Bus/Unit). The local bus serves Thetford, West Suffolk, Sudbury and Stowmarket. The charity was inspired by a patient in 2003 and the first bus was on the road in The cost of buying and fitting out a bus is 265,000 for 3 years, thereafter the annual costs are 15,000. Each bus can treat up to 20 patients a day, 4 patients at a time. Locally given treatments and support can reduce time spent travelling to hospital and the relating stress. The buses are staffed and paid for by the NHS but all other costs rely on donations. On behalf of the Thetford Lionesses, President Sheila presented Dawn with a cheque for 1,500. Top Table Some MD105 Lioness Conference Moments Swaffham & Witham Lionesses win trophies Council Chairman Balvinder addresses Conference Tail Twisters Articles for the next issue of the LiONS ROAR should be with the editor before the 20th of the Month Send to ( preferred): John Fox, Lions Roar, 19 Beech Road, Downham Market, Norfolk PE38 9PH Tel: lionsroar@lions105ea.com QR Code for