October 2011
There is a season...turn, turn, turn
Meon Valley Lions are looking forward to a new year of activities, following our change-over celebration in the summer, when we reviewed and changed our club's key officers and responsibilities. Under the new Presidency of Martin Phipps, we already have a busy programme of fund-raising and social activities scheduled for the coming months and are delighted to welcome a number of new recruits to our number.
Following a dismal summer purporting to be autumn, barbeques have been the recent order of the day in a glorious autumn that has felt more like a summer. At another highly successful Wickham beer festival in September, we actually sold clean out of burgers and sausages. Our efforts raised over £600 for charitable causes in the process, adding to the £6,000 raised by the Beer Festival event organisers and their own charities. More recently we were pleased to support the Swanmore Youth Club with a barbeque at their fun-day recruitment event, on what turned out to be the hottest October day on record.
At our October meeting we were delighted to welcome back Scouts from the Meon Valley area to whom we had contributed sponsorship to attend the international Jamboree in Sweden, held during July and August this year. Together with over 40,000 other Scouts from around the world, the Hampshire contingent developed new skills and made many new friends. The Scouts' presentation of their Jamboree adventure was fascinating, and interestingly they felt the biggest lesson learned in their time at the Jamboree was that of developing respect for other cultures, religions and people. At the conclusion, the Scouts presented our President with the vivid, strawberry-coloured, Hampshire neckerchief and from our perspective, this sponsorship was definitely money well spent!
In the coming weeks we will be getting together for a bonfire party, kicking off our first planning meeting for the Swanmore Carnival and Fete 2012 and polishing up Santa's sleigh for the annual Christmas collection around the villages of the Meon Valley. Good grief! Is it nearly Christmas already?
The Meon Valley Lions Club meets officially on the first Monday of each month (excepting bank holidays) at the Upland Park Hotel in Droxford. If you'd like to come along and find out more about what we do, please contact us on 01489 894932. Alternatively, visit our website at: www.meonvalleylionsclub.org.uk
