2013
24th November 2013
The club have been busy again!
Since my last post we have celebrated our 45 year anniversary charter with a lovely lunch at The Grange Hotel in Bracknell, and manned a tombola stall in the cold and rain today and raised almost £200!
I also negated to mention our highly successful race night where the club raised over £700 for local causes and got a lovely article in the paper.
And a big thanks to June for all the lovely photos she has been taking of recent events!
4th November 2013
Hello all!
I just wanted to quickly thank everyone who has been in touch via our website- about causes to support, help requested or an interest in joining the club. It really proves to me that creating this website and taking the time to keep it up to date is worthwhile!
We have another new member to boast about- welcome to Andrea who joined us at our October meeting.
Andrea being badged up by Brigid
We have a busy schedule for the rest of the year with Wokingham Winter Carnival, the Me 2 Club Christmas party, our 45 year Charter anniversary and Christmas collections so we may well see you around!
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1st October 2013
We have been so busy! I say "we"- I've been busy with a baby and the club have been beavering away getting our diary sorted for the rest of the year and doing lots of exercise!
On top of the Maidenhead Lions fundrun, 7 hours later two of our new members completed a full night marathon- SHINE UK 2013 in aid of Cancer Research UK! What troopers!
Homer said:
"Richard and I (Homer ) completed the course in flying colours , the last 6 miles being a constant battle against our minds and bodies. But we did it as a true Lions and although we are both aching after the event ( don't forget we also did the fundrun 7 hours ago ) we are already discussing next years event."
A HUGE well done to both of you. Richard and Homer raised a massive £1,650!
A very tired Homer and Richard!
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28th September 2013
Maidenhead Lions Fundrun was a superb success! Thanks to Maidenhead Lions for organising, to all club members who took part and to everyone who sponsored our team. We managed to raise £625, which will be split between Thames Valley Adventure Playground in Taplow and the rest will go towards the Pulse Oximeter mentioned in the below post. Our team managed 50 laps and came in third place, but also raised the largest amount of money! Great work everyone....
There's a gret article on the Maidenhead Advertiser website here, includoing a number of fantastic photographs of all competitors/ fundraisers .
Our supporters also took some great photos! Thanks!
The club preparing for their physical exertion!
Some of the relay changovers
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24th September 2013
Some personal and some club news!
Apologies for being a bit quiet a the moment, I have been busy getting used to having a small baby in the house! I will try to keep up with club activities and keep the website and blog up to date.
We have just bought a Pulse Oximeter for a young boy in the area who has been diagnosed with a rare syndrome called Hypoplastic Left Heart syndrome. This is a serious congenital heart defect that was diagnosed at the neonatal stage of development and treated at birth. However he has now undergone two surgical procedures and will require more operations in the future.
This condition causes poor oxygen supply to vital organs and therefore peripheral oxygen levels have to be monitored at least once per week, which currently involves a trip to the local Hospital. This could be carried out at home using pulse oximeter. This is a painless non invasive procedure, a sensor that detects red light is attached to the patient, in the case of infants it is in the form of a band that wraps around the foot. The device converts the intensity of red light in to % of oxygen present in the tissue. This can be carried out by the community nurse or even the parents. Unfortunately these devices for home use are not available through the NHS, so the club purchased one for the family to use.
In other news, we are putting a team together for the Maidenhead Lions Fundrun at the end of this month (please get in touch if you'd like to sponsor us!) and don't forget our Race Night coming up on Sat 19th October! Email us for a booking form!
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5th September 2013
I had a great afternoon yesterday with some friendly faces from Maidenhead Lions (who helped us with our recruitment drive earlier in the year) at Jealotts Hill Community Landshare Project in the North of the borough. It's a superb project that our Lions club heard about when it was starting up two years ago, with land donated by Syngenta. As we were unable to donate much time or money straight away, we told the other Lions clubs in our Zone about it and stayed in touch with David, the project manager to see how we might be of assitance as the project developed.
Two years on and the garden looks superb- and our club is looking forwards to seeing how we can donate time and money to the project, which brings together groups from all over the community. Groups can share a plot of land to work on, assist with looking after the orchard, vineyard or polytunnel plants or visit for recreational use.
We were able to drop off two beekeeping suits which had been donated, which David said will help visitors and volunteers learn from their professional beekeeper who has been nursing the hive back to life after a dificult winter.
At yesterdays event, I enjoyed a tour of the facilities and the gardens in beautiful sunshine and got to witness the official opening of the Polytunnel and the new office and meeting room area. In addition, we found out that the project has won a National Award which they look forwards to receiving later in the year.
Vines and huge marrows growing at the landshare project
Volunteers assist with the official openeing and lots of exciting things growing in the Polytunnel
David Putt's shopping list of time, items and donations
What a fantastic afternoon!
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28th August 2013
Thanks to Paul, one of our new members for writing a little something about why and how he joined Bracknell Lions:
"Whilst sitting at home reading the local free paper I noticed an appeal for new members to join the Bracknell Lions as they were down to 5 members, Having done various fund raising for local charities close to my heart I felt that attending a meeting of a long standing organisation would enable me to meet other dedicated people who devote their time to raise money for local charities.
The evening I attended opened my eyes to the organisation not only as a local group but the lions as a worldwide group of people from all walks of life devoting their time to raise money for the people who need support. I was made to feel very welcome at the meeting and any nerves disappeared very quickly as I was offered a coffee and biscuit !! Last time this happened it cost me a pint of blood, this time it cost me two hours of my time which enlightened me to things that I would not of known if I had just ignored this article in the paper.
Since this first meeting I have returned every second Monday of the month and I have helped at the May carnival in Wokingham where we had a stall to raise money for charities local to Bracknell. The difference I feel with the Lions is that the money raised is for local charities and not a larger organisation where so much of the money raised seems to get lost in administration costs.
I am now a member of the Bracknell Lions and have made new friends and feel that every hour spent with the lions planning ways of raising money for local charities and individuals that need time or support is fully rewarding."
I hope that inspires some of you readers to think about joining!
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26th August 2013
Thanks to Brigid for sending me this picture from theAscot Golden Age Retirement fair which was held last week at Ascot Race Course.
We gave away for free a huge number of Message In A Bottle Packs (click link for more information) and spread the word about what it is to be a member of a Lions Club with our information stand!
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15th August 2013
Hi all!
We're busy planning for our upcoming Charity Race Night!
It will be held on Saturday 19th October at Bullbrook Community Centre to raise money for local charities. It's a bargain at £10 for an adult, £6 for a child (under 12) or £30 for a family ticket- which includes a jacket potato and chilli! You can get hold of a booking form by using the Contact Us page of the website, or emailing president@bracknellforestlions.org.uk or secretary@bracknellforestlions.org.uk.
We'd be grateful for anyone who wants to support this evening- and if you can't be there in person you, your club or company can always sponsor and name a race (£20), buy a horse (£5) or a jockey (£2). Please get in touch if you're interested in doing that.
As you will likely know if you've read this blog- our club has struggled for membership for a few years and it has been very hard for us to run events. After an intense membership drive this year (alongside all our normal fundraising and services activities) we have managed to boost our membership now to 12 people! This is our first big event with all our new members, so lets make it a great one!
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5th August 2013
Guest Blog time!
Thanks to brand new member Linda for writing a little piece about why she joined Bracknell Lions:
"My husband, Colin, and I moved away from the area about 26 years ago and went to live in Devon. We retired last year and came back to Bracknell last October as we felt we were a long way from good friends and family and driving up and down to meet up would become more of a chore as we all got older.
Although we do have friends in the area, I was looking to join some form of voluntary group to meet people and do some voluntary work . . . . and there on the front page of the local paper was the article about the Lions looking for members!
So, I hope to be able to play a part in Bracknell Forest Lions in future. I have a part time job at the moment, but intend retiring again before too long. Colin and I are keen walkers and I do a bit of running. However, next year I shall not be running the Bracknell Half Marathon - but marshalling it with the Lions!"
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17th July 2013
It seems that blog posts are like busses! Have another one!
At Mondays meeting we badged up a further 4 new members! Thanks to brand new District Governor Dave Merchant for helping with the process, and welcome to Homer, Richard, Linda and Jane! This is in addition to Naomi and Paul who joined us last month. We now have DOUBLED our membership since March! Thanks to all who helped us!
It comes at a good time- as you can see I'm almost ready to pop and will be taking some time off from the club from September when my baby is due. Rest assured I will keep the blog as up to date as I can!
We enjoyed our club visit from the District Governor David and his wife Di, who told us about her charity for the year, Missing People" who support both missing people and the families left behind, help reconnect them and provide support, advice and practical help.
Here I am with our District Governor receiving his banner! Thanks David!
I also received a lovely quote from Sarah Watson at the Me2Club (see blog post from 13th July) which I wanted to share with you all!
'The Bracknell Forest Lions were a superb help at our summer trip for the children and families we support - we really couldn't have done it without them! They were enthusiastic and energetic and their help meant that children and families had an action packed, fun day out celebrating 10 years of Me2 Club - a big Thank You from everyone at Me2 Club!'
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13th July
Happy Summer! It seems like summer finally arrived at the start of the month when we went to help out the Me 2 Club at the 10 year anniversary party at Thames Valley Activity Park in Taplow.
It was a gorgeous sun filled day, and all the children and their volunteers had a great time!
We organised the registration, treasure hunt and food and I did a little photography too. Thanks for letting us be part of it!
We also have two members in Hamburg at the Lions International Conference this week. Here's one of them at the International Parade in yet more sunshine!
21st June 2013
Our brand new twitter feed is up and running! Click the link below to find us and please "follow" for more up to date information!
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12th June 2013
2 new members badged up at Mondays meeting (hurrah!) and I thoroughly enjoyed helping at Burnham Beeches Bike Race. Not quite the torrential rain of last year nor blistering sunshine of the year before, but it was clear everyone enjoyed the challenge and raised lots of money for local charities!
Here's us in position ready for marshalling, and Steve getting to try out an unusual bike!
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1st June 2013
[EDITED]
Sadly we've had to postpone our race night due to some timing issues, but hope we will be able to run it soon. Watch this space!
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8th May 2013
We have been lucky so far this year! After a wet and cold and grey start to 2013, we've just attended our second sun-filled event! Wokingham Lions May Fayre on Monday 6th May was a complete success at the Bracknell Lions stall. Many of our new prospective members came to help us run the tombola, and not only did we make a fantastic £350.70 profit which we look forwards to distributing to local charities, but we also ran out of prizes and didn't take any home with us. A well organised and well attended event, with lots of smiling faces in the sunshine.
Thanks to everyone who helped out, had a go and to all the businesses that kindly donated prizes, including but not exclusively: Avon, Monkey Mates, Jakes, The Look Out, Bracknell Leisure, John Nike, Waitrose, Panasonic and many more.
Our busy stall in the sunshine!
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28th April 2013
Today we (HURRAH!) had sunshine and not-too-cold weather for marshalling the Bracknell Half Marathon. Thanks to all our current and prospective members who came along to help out (plus Linda who actually RAN tha half marathon in a great time).
Here's a few snaps of the runners with a glimpse of one of our marshalls too!
10th April 2013
Since my last update, we held a meeting at Martins Heron and The Warren Community centre, which was attended by the club, 7 potential members and our Discrict Governor Roger Munday. During the meeting we put lots more dates in the diary for the rest of the year, which are on the whole dependant on us being able to expand our membership. If you would like to find out more or attend our next social drinks or meeting, please either pop over to our Contact Us page or email Secretary@Bracknellforestlion.org.uk .
You can also keep up to date on what is coming up in our calendar by heading over to our Events page.
In exciting news, Lion Mike Hendy was awarded a long service award at our meeting on the 8th, to thank him for 25 years dedicated service to Lions. In that time he has held senior positions in both District 105A and 105D, and is currently the 1st Vice District Governor for 105D. He has run countless District conventions, Leadership and New Lion courses, run Long Range Planning committees, sat on Finance Committees and much more, alongside his duties the club he's been a member of at the time. Well deserved, and WELL DONE Mike!
Lion Mike with his long service award and Roger Munday (District Governor) with a Bracknell Lions Banner
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27th March 2013
The Club were absolutely delighted to have 16 people attending our open evening on Monday 25th March. On top of that we had apologies from 3 others who have committed to attend our April business meeting on the 8th.
Attendees watched a DVD produced by Lions in the UK and Ireland showing the broad spectrum of activities do locally, nationally and globally followed by a brief presentation on the history and current status of Bracknell Lions Club followed by a question and answer session and the opportunity to mix with club members present whilst looking at static displays and literature with a cup of tea and a biscuit!
Several attendees expressed the wish to attend the next club meeting and we look forward to seeing them again. We are very grateful to the Bracknell Standard for their publicity as some attendees had got the information from last weeks edition and Twitter.
Before the hoards arrived
Enjoying a short presentation
If you didn't manage to get in touch with us before our open evening but would still like to learn more, don't heistate to get in touch, via our Contact Us page or on secretary@bracknellforestlions.org.uk.
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23 March 2013
Don't forget, our membership open evening is in just 2 days!
If you would like to attend, please let us know by using the Contact Us page of of website, or emailing secretary@bracknellforestlions.org.uk. This will help us cater for you on the evening.
It starts at 8pm and will be held at Martins Heron and the Warren Community centre on Whitton Road (Monday 25th March 2013). It will be an opprtunity for you to learn a bit more about what Lions do, and to see what we've been up to in your local community for the past 45 years!
Thanks to the Bracknell Standard for their helpful article to really promote our memebership drive and open evening. You can read the full piece here on the Bracknell Standard Website. You can find the community centre at the Martins Heron Tescos.
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10th March 2013
Hello readers!
We had a busy weekend, collecting for Marie Curie Cancer Care at Martins Heron Tescos store in Bracknell. We also had a membership stall, whilst members of some local clubs were helping us spread the work about Bracknell Lions in the local community.
Thanks to everyone who stopped by to chat to us or donate to Marie Curie.
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14th February 2013
Hello to all reading and thanks for the correspondance so far in 2013.
Here's a quick update about our recruitment drive:
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DATE: 25TH MARCH 2013
TIME: 20.00 TO 21.00
VENUE: DOROTHY HAYES ROOM, MARTINS HERON COMMUNITY CENTRE, WHITTON ROAD, RG12 9TZ
We, the members of Bracknell Forest Lions Club, would like to invite you, your partner and friends to join us on this initial information evening to find out about the Lions Club of Bracknell Forest - who we are and what we do. In summary we are a small group of local men and women who offer our time in helping the young, the elderly and the disadvantaged in our local community. We also have a varied social activity programme; even when we are fundraising we like to enjoy ourselves.
On arrival at the hall you will welcomed by current members of the club; at 20.00 there will be a brief introductory presentation by DVD and a few slides followed by a question and answer session between people attending and club officers. Following this will be tea and coffee and the opportunity to mingle with the members of the club who will be happy to tell you more about what we do - at local, national and international level.
Bracknell Lions Club has been in existence now for 45 years and in its earlier days regularly organised major events in the town for the benefit of the community including a Bracknell Carnival - this is no longer possible with the few members we have but we would love to aspire to do this in the future hence the appeal for new members to enable the club to stay in existence.
If you are interested in attending this event, please drop a quick email to secretary@bracknellforestlions.org.uk to enable us to cater accordingly; look forward to meeting with you on the night.
With kind regards
Clare
Lion Clare Dowling
President, Bracknell Forest Lions Club
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11th February 2013
Welcome to February and a belated HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The biggest news is that we are doing a big recruitment drive in March, around the Martins Heron area of Bracknell.
If you'd like to come to speak to us to find out what we do, we will be at Martins Heron Tescos, collecting for Marie Curie Cancer Care from 9:30-1pm on Friday 8th March and during the day on Saturday 9th March. We will have a membership stand too, so please feel free to come along to have a chat and find out more.
We will also be doing a leaflet drop in the surrounding area during that week, cumulating in meet and greet evening on Monday 25th March in the Martins Heron Community Hall.
It would be great to see you there, so please either get in touch via our "Contact Us" page or come and see us at Martins Heron Tescos in a few weeks.
