WESTBURY Lions Club is celebrating a successful year of fundraising, and members are eager to recreate their triumphs this year with an Easter Egg Hunt, Senior Citizens’ Party, Donkey Derby, and more.
Club President Nigel Coward writes “First of all, through the pages of White Horse News, I’d like to thank all the residents of Westbury who supported us so generously over the Christmas period. The Christmas Float donations reached a record sum of over £5,000 this time, exceeding our previous best by over 35%, and the messages of thanks received by our volunteers for continuing the float tradition were very gratefully received.
“I must draw attention to the very ably provided assistance given by Westbury Guides and the ATC for the loan of their minibus and aid with our collections, as well as the efforts of a very dedicated pupil from Matravers School who joined us on our rounds on all but one night as a volunteer collector.”
“Our club has already distributed over £2,500 into the community since Christmas, directly to individuals and families in need, as well as to other local charities and organisations who share our vision of trying to improve the quality of life for all of those who need it most in our community.
“Looking ahead to the rest of the year, our Easter Egg Hunt will take place in the grounds of the All Saints Church, Westbury on Saturday 4th April. With the support of Morrisons supermarket in Westbury, we have once again managed to secure 180 eggs as prizes for children who find the hidden tickets. We will also have a book stall with free books for children, and shall be running a raffle for some rather special looking Easter eggs – this alone raised over £80 last year. The event will commence at 10am. Also in April is our Senior Citizens’ Party, once again being held at the Paragon Hall on the 19th. This popular afternoon event combines entertainment and relaxed fellowship with the opportunity to take home a few prizes too. We look forward to welcoming our regular visitors and also hope to see a few more of our retired population along for some fun. If anybody would like to attend this event, we ask that they drop their contact details into the Air Ambulance Shop by April 12th.
“On the 14th June we have our 10th Anniversary of the ever popular Donkey Derby, once again being held at the White Horse Country Park which continues to serve as a wonderful venue for the races. This year we’re hoping to get some special activities going to make sure it is more fun than ever for the people who visit and make the day so exciting.
“In July, I will be handing over the reins to my Vice President, Lion Jarvis MacDonald, who will have a busy couple of months as he oversees planning for the 10k Run in October. This event regularly draws upwards of 120 runners from the local area and we are hoping that it will continue to do well. It is such a friendly event with a great deal of support for first-time runners coming from the regular running clubs, who use our run as a training event for bigger events in the area.
“And finally, before we all know it, we will be out with our Christmas float again! The Westbury Lions Club continue to welcome anyone who is interested in joining and helping grow our reputation as a very friendly and welcoming club (and incidentally we also continue to be the largest Lions club in our area!)
“Westbury Lions has an active social calendar as well as a busy fundraising schedule, and through the company of each other we hope that we can continue to serve the community of Westbury for many years to come.
“If you know someone who needs our help, or simply want to find out more about what we do, please visit our website, www.westburylions.org.uk, or look for us on Facebook. Alternatively, come and see us in our shop on Warminster Road.”
