Westbury Lions celebrate 50 years of community service

WESTBURY Lions Club has marked a significant milestone after celebrating its 50th anniversary at the club’s charter night, held on Saturday.

The club has played a key part in the local community for half a century with its dedicated members volunteering their time to support local and international causes and make a positive difference in the lives of those in need.

The club’s 50th Charter Celebration was held at the Laverton, attended by Westbury mayor, cllr Mike Sutton, the Lions District Governor, Dave Ebsworth, and members of the Westbury Lions Club and other local Lions clubs.

Club president, Peter Esdaile, expressed his sincere thanks to the members, past and present, for their dedication and hard work, both during the past year and over the past 50 years, while mayor, cllr Mike Sutton, paid tribute to the role the club has played in the local community for the past 50 years.

Reflecting on the club’s 50-year journey, David Firth, – a long-standing member of 42 years – told White Horse News, “It’s fantastic to be celebrating 50 years of service to the local community.

“There have been so many highlights; the Donkey Derby is a big favourite in the town and has been a great fundraiser for us. More recently, the vintage car show has quickly established itself as a firm favourite. There is the Santa’s float which brings a lot of joy to a lot of families and we’re happy to have been able to re-start the popular senior citizens’ tea party this year after the pandemic.

“In the early years, we sold teas, coffees and bacon sandwiches to drivers every Friday night on the West Ashton Road and we also held a swimming marathon in the Westbury Pool.

“We’ve no idea how much we’ve raised over the years, but this year we hope to raise around £40,000 ,so it’s many hundreds of thousands of pounds since we started.

“We are immensely proud of the impact we have made and look forward to continuing our service for many years to come.”

• Westbury Lions are a group of people from all walks of life, both male and female, with a common interest in helping our local community.

They are part of Lions Clubs International, the world’s largest voluntary service organisation, with 1.3 million members in over 200 countries.

In Britain alone there are over 920 Lions clubs, all focused on improving their local communities and supporting worldwide needs such as disaster relief and eradicating disease.

For more details, visit https://www.westburylions.org.uk