January 2011
Santa says "Brrr - Thanks!"
Despite one of the coldest Decembers on record and severe disruption caused by the snow, Father Christmas escorted by the Meon Valley Lions Club, was still able to visit most of the villages in the Meon Valley. We would like to thank everyone who turned out to see Santa and his colourful sleigh as well those who supported us so generously with charitable donations. Although we lost four evenings to the weather, we still managed to collect £3,665 in total, which is a real credit to everyone, given also the tough economic conditions that have affected so many people in recent months. Thank you all for your support!
Just to show how weather-hardened we Lions now are, we also managed to undertake two winter barbeques during December. In the Bere Forest, the Naomi House Hospice Christmas bauble hunt attracted over 700 hungry people, helping us donate takings of around £600 for the Winchester based children's charity. Slippery conditions reduced the numbers of motor-bikers in attendance at the annual Hampshire Bowman Boxing Day, BBQ. However we did entice droves of walkers to seek out one of Lion Pete Meadows' renowned hot dogs - the proven antidote to any Christmas day hangover. So, as a result another £150 was raised for McMillan Nurses - thank you!
Time now to look forward to warmer and (hopefully) sunnier times and the 2011 Swanmore Carnival and Fete - this year it's on Saturday 9th July, so put the date on your calendar NOW! The theme this year is, "At the bottom of the garden!" so now's the time to get your creative thinking caps on for planning entries to the carnival parade. We had fantastic support from clubs and societies in 2010 and we're looking to make 2011 bigger and better, with even more colourful floats and walking entries. There will be all the usual fun and games on the New Road Recreation Ground and a number of attractions have already been confirmed. Following the success of the live falconry display three years ago we are pleased to welcome the Fallowfields Falconry display team from Oxfordshire to our Fete. There'll also be ferret racing and lots of live music including for the first time a live steel pan show with a children's workshop that will allow the kids to get hands-on and play this infectious Caribbean music style. If you are interested in taking a stall at the Fete, we will be publishing details in the next few editions of the magazine.
The village Carnival and Fete takes a lot of organising and logistical support and last year we calculated that there were some 75 volunteers fully deployed on the day. So, if you can help in the planning process or in any capacity on the day itself, we'd like to hear from you. Please call 01489 894932 and let us know how you can help.
Message in a bottle
Lions Clubs support a national programme called "message in a bottle". Originally conceived by a policeman over 12 years ago, the scheme is recognised by the three major emergency services in the UK and is designed to help the more vulnerable people in our community.
Lions clubs distribute a free distinctive plastic container containing a printed form and two labels. The householders fill in the form with their medication details, allergies, next-of-kin details etc and put the form in the bottle. The bottle is then placed in their fridge and one of the labels placed on the fridge door. The other label is placed on the inside of the front entrance door of the home, by the lock. In the event of a problem the emergency services spot the sign by the door and know immediately to seek out the bottle, saving valuable time in identifying the individual and whether they have special medication or allergies or not.
If you are interested in getting your own "message in a bottle", they can be obtained from Wickham surgery and Boots in Bishops Waltham or direct from Meon Valley Lions by calling 01489 894932.
