Newsletter - 2024
NEWS FROM BUSY BASINGSTOKE LIONS!
'Basingstoke Lions? Who are they?'
We hope you'll know, as we do get about a lot!
The Basingstoke Lions Club, founded in 1967, continues to operate under Lions International motto 'We serve' along with, locally, 'Ordinary people – amazing things'. But to manage the latter, the Club has to rely upon – as many clubs do these days – a very few 'ordinary people' doing those 'amazing things', raising money in order to help those in need in our area.
In the last year, we staged one of our fun quizzes, welcomed back the always popular Lou Taylor for another motown and soul music concert, held a PSA testing event (to be repeated, gentlemen, in 2025), ran the annual Swimathon at the Town Sports Centre, held several Giant Easter Egg Raffles (a lot of chocolate placed in a lot of co-operative venues!), attended various summer fairs with our Lions Den Putting Game, hosted the brilliant Ceilidh band 'Banter' for a Barn Dance, staged our 4th pre-loved book sale and our 12th annual World Sight Day spectacle collection event, both in the Town Centre. We'll finish the year with a Chocolate Santa Raffle, in those 'co-operative venues' again!
And much of this done with the help of 'Lennie, the Basingstoke Lion', to the delight of the smaller people - and also to club funds when coins find his bucket!
And yet more is coming up!
18th January sees a brand new event in the form of a 'Retro Inferno Disco!' at the Old Basing British Legion. Stars of Basingstoke Community Radio will spin the tunes of yesteryear from the 50s onwards to help relive those musical memories.
March winds bring back Mr. Lou Taylor on Saturday the 8th, as above – his 6th visit which says it all.
On Saturday 5th April gentlemen are invited to Carnival Hall, Basingstoke for a PSA test.
From May we'll be back out with our Putting Game again.
And all this whilst responding to the very urgent needs of some in our community whose appeals, made through their representatives (e.g. CAB, Social Services etc) are considered for funding by our Welfare Committee.
And so we 'keep on keeping on'!! We have to - the need is there…and
'Where there's a need, there's a Lion'.
