President's Blog - June 2021

Hello again.

As we approach the end of our Lionistic year we reflect on what has been a most difficult year, not only for our own club, but for many clubs and organisations who thrive and prosper on the ability to be able to get together in friendship and fellowship and plan and carry out charitable events to support their communities in all sorts of ways. The last 15 months has given people much more time at home, not through choice, and given them the opportunity to be more inwardly looking in relation to themselves and their closest and dearest and unsurprisingly we, along with many more lions clubs, have lost members as a result of this. We will eventually go through the process of a recruitment drive at some point in the future, but our aim at the present time is to concentrate on returning as soon as we can to face to face meetings, hopefully in the next month or so, and consolidating and stabilizing the membership we have, ensuring that all members have the knowledge that they are a valued member of the club.

As the last year has been a bit of a non event as far as my Presidency goes, I have been invited, and accepted, to continue as President for the next Lionistic year. Hopefully, we can plan and carry out many more of the events which we have sadly missed in the past year. Currently we have plans for our ball race in August and the Bonfire and firework display in November, along with our popular Charity Golf Day in early July.

The decision to axe the santa sleigh last year was a difficult but correct decision to take, it was a great loss to our community, as well as being probably our biggest fundraiser so we look forward to also being able to go ahead with that event in December. We can only follow government guidelines and hope that everything will soon return to some form of normality.

One important task that we must get on with as we begin the new Lionistic year, is the setting up of a "Friends of Filey Lions Group". There are many in our community, including past lions, who do not want to commit to the Club as a full time Lion, but would enjoy being able to help out at major events like the bonfire and the santa sleigh runs. If you are interested in this idea, you can contact us via the website or message through the Facebook page. Alternatively, contact a serving lion and supplying your details.

Lets move hesitantly forward and see where the next year takes us.

Best Wishes,

Lion President John Sellers