2008 Reports

Local Lions Santa Says Thank You

Despite the current grim economic situation Goring, Woodcote & District Lions Club are pleased to announce they collected a grand total of £3,443 during their pre-Christmas tour of South Oxfordshire villages with Santa Claus this year. This is about the same overall amount as was raised last year with very many thanks to continued public support and help from leaders of Goring Heath Scouts and Guides groups.

Amounts by area are as follows:

Sonning Common	£655
Woodcote	£671
Goring on Thames	£569
Whitchurch	£254
South Stoke	£212
Whitchurch Hill	£330
Pangbourne Toll Bridge	£752

Although Goring, Woodcote and District Lions Club is part of an International ‘family’ of Lions Clubs it is very much a local club, dedicated to helping the local community with members who live here. The majority of the Club's fund raising receipts are spent locally with approximately 10 to 12% of funds going to support Lions International charitable projects in other parts of the world where people are in need of help.

At international level the Club has combined with other Lions Clubs in the Reading area to raise money to build a house in Sri Lanka for victims of the Tsunami. Support has also been given to Water Aid, Lions Eye Health Program, the Lions International Youth Project and to fund the education of a young student in Malawi.

The following is a summary of Club local activities this year:

completion of building a storage garage for the Scouts and Guides at Crays Pond.
donation of the £4,000 profit from the Lions Woodcote 10k Run last year to Helen & Douglas House Hospice, with additional donations made to Langtree School, local Scouts & Guides Groups, Whitchurch and Woodcote Primary Schools.
funding school holiday trips for a local needy family.
providing a washing machine for one family and a table and chairs for another.
purchase of safety helmets for children learning to sail at Goring Sailing Club.
hosting a day trip to Rushalls Farm at Bradfield for 12 children from Chernobyl to help boost their immune systems.
collecting unwanted spectacles throughout the year for re-cycling to third world people with impaired vision with over 2,000 pairs gathered so far this year.
Funds are raised using the ‘Great Weather Lottery’ and ‘Cottage Cakes for Charity’ which are sold throughout the year, and at Sue Ryder sales days in Nettlebed.

The Lions Xmas Float in 2008

Santa is on his way

Ho! Ho! Ho! Look out for Santa Claus who is on his way to see you.

The annual tour by Father Christmas of the villages in South Oxfordshire as organised by the Lions Club of Goring, Woodcote & District is being made ready. Local Lions Club members and their helpers will bring Father Christmas on his sleigh, drawn by their ever faithful American reindeer called Sam, and will be playing selected seasonal carols on a brand new sound system this year.

A Street Collection Licence as required by South Oxfordshire District Council has already been obtained for two hours each evening from 7pm until 9pm for the following schedule of visits.

Every pound donated goes to charity with no administration charges.

Sonning Common	Tuesday 9th & Wednesday 10th December
Whitchurch on Thames	Thursday 11th December
Woodcote	Friday 12th December
Woodcote	Monday 15th December
South Stoke	Tuesday 16th December
Goring on Thames	Wednesday 17th & Thursday 18th December
Whitchurch Hill	Friday 19th December
Tollbridge in Whitchurch on Thames	Saturday 20th December (10.00am to 2.00pm)

The Lions Xmas Float in 2007

Lions Annual Conker Challenge Results

On Sunday 12th October the Lions Club of Goring, Woodcote & District held their annual charity Conker Challenge at Cross Lanes Fruit Farm during the Orchard Open Day this year. With the generosity of the many participants and parents who kindly made donations the Lions raised a total of £208, which is £60 more than the amount raised at this event last year.

The photograph shows 6 year old James Sarney, one of three winning children who recorded conkers with multiple scores. The other two winners were brothers 9 year old Matthew and 11 year old William Hudson. Each winner was rewarded with a small cuddly lion prize. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the day which was also blessed with good weather.

Despite having difficulty in finding enough good quality conkers this year, due to the disease affecting most of the horse chestnut trees in the area, the Conker Challenge went ahead as planned and proved to be a great success.

The Lions Club provides help to people in need and continues to rely on public donations and several other fundraising activities throughout the year, such as selling a varied selection of Fruit Cakes for all occasions which are baked exclusively for Lions Clubs, are hand finished, free of artificial colourings & additives, and only use the finest GM free ingredients. These ‘Cottage Cakes for Charity’ are sold by the Club throughout the year, and regularly at the Sue Ryder sales days in Nettlebed.

A Gift of table and chairs - April 2008

A local family are now able to sit and eat their meals together around the same table thanks to the donation of a dining table and four chairs donated by Goring, Woodcote & District Lions Club this week.

The Lions Club were alerted by Social Services to the need by a family for a small foldable table and some chairs to fit into the limited space where they live. The Lions Club were pleased to be able to discretely respond immediately with the donation and delivery to the family of a gateleg dining table and four chairs.

Respecting the need to not reveal the identity and location of the family involved, photograph does show Lion Charles Slater and Liz Gibson loading the furniture at the point of despatch and ready for delivery. These Lions Club members and supporters are local people who are able and prepared to volunteer their time in this way to help those in need within the local community.

Big Easter Egg Draw for Lions Charities

Goring, Woodcote & District Lions Club collected a total of £215 at the Easter weekend through the sale of £1 draw tickets to win 3 large chocolate Easter eggs. The eggs were put on display for tickets to be sold at the Sun pub at Whitchurch Hill, Caversham Heath Golf Club and at the Police Rehabilitation Centre, Flint House in Goring.

The photograph shows Mrs Chris Mott, Landlady at the Sun Inn handing the £90 cash raised in sales of tickets at Whitchurch Hill to Lion Brian Godley, Fund Raising. The winner of this egg was Mr Chris Quinton and family from Woodcote.

The sale of similar giant Easter eggs at Caversham Heath Golf Club and at Flint House raised a further £125 for Goring, Woodcote & District Lions Club charity projects. Funds are also raised by this local Lions Club using the ‘Great Weather Lottery’ and ‘Cottage Cakes for Charity’ which are sold at Sue Ryder Care Centre sales days in Nettlebed, and at many other local events throughout the year.

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