News from Loddon Valley Lions 2018
FIREWORKS EXTRAVAGANZA RAISES AROUND £5000
Loddon Valley Lions held their third Fireworks Extravaganza on 3 November 2018 at Barlow's Park Tadley, courtesy of the Management and Calleva Football Club. It is estimated that between 2,500 and 3,000 people attended the event which raised around £5000 to support our humanitarian projects in the local community and, the wider world.
The gates opened at 5pm on a cool, but fine evening with some amusements for children and plenty to eat from the refreshment vans. Those with a thirst were able to quench it from the Licensed Bar provided by Calleva Football Club. Children entering a Guy into the best Guy Competition were admitted free of charge and there were nine entries into that competition with the overall winners being the Shepherd family from Tadley who are pictured right with their Guy. The evening commenced at 6pm with a display for the younger children and this was followed by the judging of the Guy Competition by Loddon Valley Lions President Eddie McGrath and Breeze Radio Presenter David Perry. Following this, and the awarding of the prizes to the winners, the Guys were ceremoniously paraded to the bonfire to suffer their fate! The main display commenced at 7:30pm and was a truly magnificent display, set to music. The lions received many complementary comments from members of the audience as they were leaving and have received a number of similar messages of thanks since - all demonstrating that 'Ordinary People' really can achieve 'amazing things'. See our Facebook page Click the logo top right of this page, for more pictures of the event courtesy of Harry Johnston,husband of one of our members
.
SHOOTING BRONZE
In February 2018, Loddon Valley Lions received a presentation from a 17 year old young lady from Tadley, Charlotte, together with her mother. Charlotte became interested in rifle shooting and took up the sport as a member of Baughurst Scouts. we were told about Charlotte's prowess in the sport and her desire to participate at the International Sport Shooting Federation World Championships, to be held in Changwong, South Korea from 31 August to 15 September 2018. Charlotte was subsequently selected to represent Great Britain at the event and Loddon Valley Lions agreed to make a contribution towards the expenses of her participation. Charlotte was a member of Womens Team GBR 2 in the Target Sprint Event, which won the Bronze Medal. The team were narrowly beaten by Womens Team GBR 1, who won the Silver Medal, with the Gold, going to the German Womens team. Charlotte also represented Great Britain in the individual Womens Junior Target Sprint, where she won another Bronze Medal. Contenders from Great Britain and Germany also won Silver and Gold respectively, in that event. Target Sprint is a run and shoot discipline, where competitors run 400 metres then shoot at five knock down targets. This is followed by another 400 metres and another five shots, before a final 400 metres to the finishing line. Contenders from over 33 countries, world wide, participated in the Championships and this was the first occasion that Great Britain had been represented. Loddon Valley Lions are obviously very proud of Charlotte for helping us to demonstrate that 'Ordinary People' really can achieve 'Amazing Things'.
GOLF DAY FUNDS NEW DEFIBRILLATOR FOR LOCAL FIRST RESPONDERS
Over the last twenty three years, Loddon Valley Lions Club Annual Charity Golf day has raised over £38,000 for local charitable causes. The beneficiaries of our 2018 event, held on 3 September, were the Tadley Community First Responders (Please Click Here for more information), who were set up in 2002 to respond to 999 calls in Tadley and provide basic life support care prior to the arrival of an ambulance. Since 2002, they have responded to around 6,800 calls and have usually managed to arrive on scene within five minutes of having been dispatched. Thanking the Lions and the Golfers, the Responders said the donation would allow them to obtain a new state of the art defibrillator which had many advantages over their existing equipment, not least, the ability to flick a switch allowing the defibrillator to be used on a child, rather than having to waste valuable time in changing the pads on their existing equipment. The donation would also allow the purchase of a number of useful accessories. The weather was superb for our 24th annual event, which as always was held at Bishopswood Golf Course in Tadley (Please Click Here for more information). Despite the recent lack of rain, the course was in excellent condition, but the Lions introduced a couple of 'Sin Bins' to make life a little more interesting! For example on the 5th and 14th hole (a par 3), those whose tee shot did not end up on the green were expected put a fine into the bucket. Similarly on the 7th and 16th hole, a 405 yard hole, those whose tee shots did not end up on the fairway were also fined. The fines so extracted raised around an extra £90 for the cause. For details of the results, etc., Please Click Here.
Loddon Valley Lions sincerely thank the Management and Staff of Bishopswood Golf Course for allowing us to use their facilities and for their the catering, our sponsors and of course, those who participated in the event.
A NEW PRESIDENT TAKES OVER THE REINS
On a glorious summer day on 8 July 2018, Lion President Peter Haggith held a Garden Party at his home to install our new President, Eddie McGrath. Eddie thanked Peter for the way in which he had steered the Club through a successful year and presented Peter and his wife Carol with gifts from the Club. Peter then went on to place the Presidential Chain of Office around Eddie's neck to formally install him as President for the 2018-2019 year. A superb afternoon, enjoyed by all, with plenty of food and drinks available. Very necessary with the bright sunshine and temperatures in the low 30s.
TREACLE FAIR RAISES £13,000
Tadley Treacle Fair organised by Loddon Valley Lions on 3 June 2018 was a resounding success and raised around £13,000 to support our humanitarian projects in our local community and the wider world. The major beneficiaries from this year's event were Living Paintings, Step by Step and the Pelican Centre Cancer Foundation. Click on each of the names to obtain more information. There was the traditional procession from Burnham Copse School to Saunders Fields, led by the Reading Scottish Pipe Band. They should have been followed by the Fire Engine from Tadley, but on their way to the start of the procession, they received an emergency call and had to deal with that first. They were however able to join us on the Treacle Fair site later and let the children roam over their vehicle. Following the arrival of the procession, the Treacle Fair was officially opened by the Worshipful, The Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane, Cllr Sean Keating, who was accompanied at the event by the Mayoress, Mrs Gwen Keating. The crowds at the fair were then entertained by a spectacular display from the Adams Axemen who made short work of a number of items of lumber in a manner that thrilled the watching crowds. There were also displays by the Reading Scottish Pipe Band, Dance Phaze and the Eagle Heights Birds of Prey together with a parade of vintage vehicles. In addition, the Craft Fair in the main marquee did brisk business and the various Charity Stands who were invited to attend raised funds additional to the Lions £13K for their own purposes. There were also a number of Trade Stands and, bearing in mind the superb weather, the ice cream vans, beer tent and Loddon Valley Lions Tea Tent all did a roaring trade. Our sincere thanks to all our participants, sponsors and helpers for helping us to demonstrate how, by working together, 'Ordinary People' can achieve 'Amazing Things'.
