President's Blog - May 2022

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to our website.

Here we are in May 2022 and I am fast approaching completion of 2 years as President and time to reflect on what we have achieved in that time as a club. With the loss of 14 members since we last met for a physical Presidents changeover, it has been a difficult time for our club. I feel though that we are now getting back to some level of normality. We seem to be back on track with our fundraising and community events which have been curtailed so much during the Covid pandemic.

We will have a first for Filey Lions on 24th June when we elect a lady-president. It has been a long time coming and took a long time for the club members to accept lady members in the first place. I feel that that was something which held the club back at the time, and also that some members did leave the club because we took the decision to accept lady members.

Lion Brenda Casey will make an excellent President, and hopefully will encourage other ladies, and gentlemen, to join the club.

Our popular soft toy lions tombola will be out and about at events in the next 3 months, including  the Food Festivals in June and August, and the Emergency services information day and Gala on 21st August.

We are very much looking forward to getting our Bonfire and firework display back on the calendar this year, and it will fall on actual bonfire night, 5th November at West Avenue Car Park. It may be a smaller event in terms of stalls, but the most popular ones will be there again, including the coconuts, and the toffee apple stall. The food outlets also will still be there, and there will be no reduction in the firework display.

We hope also to be able to hold our Over 85’s Christmas lunch again this year, at the Ebor Academy (top school) assisted by the school canteen staff, and the students. A super and very satisfying event for us as lions, and an important one for our elderly residents, some who don’t get out very often and get the opportunity to meet and chat with others. The guests are transported by lions arriving to a sherry reception, and some of them do love a sherry, and are served an excellent 3 course Christmas lunch. During and afterwards they are entertained by the school choir and often a local singing group too, before being transported back to home with a Christmas gift from the lions club.

Finally, following that event in early December, once again Santa will be doing the rounds, visiting the whole of our district. This is our biggest fundraising event in the calendar, when we hope to be able to fill up the coffers, allowing us to carry on our work throughout the community in the next 12 months.

Thank you for taking the time to visit our website and read the blogs and everything else.

I wish you all a happy and sunny summer.

Lion President John Sellers.