The Lions Club of Looe
Part of the World's largest and most active service organisation with a total
membership exceeding 1.4 MILLION people in some 42,000 clubs
in over 180 nations and geographical areas.
Looe Club belongs to the Multiple District (MD) 105 covering the
British Isles and Ireland. Looe is one of approximately 950 clubs which
have a total membership of around 20,000.
In the 105SW sub-district, covering Cornwall, Devon and Somerset there
are 69 clubs with a new club due to be formed in Ivybridge, Devon shortly.
Formed in 1966, Looe was the first club to be chartered in Cornwall and
there are now 22 Clubs, from Saltash in the east to Penzance in the far
west.
Membership in Lions Clubs is by invitation and is open to both men and
women, although so far Looe has remained all male. It includes business
people of all ages from an area which covers not only the towns of East
and West Looe but also the outlying areas of Polperro, Pelynt,
Duloe, Lanreath, Widegates, Seaton and part of Downderry.
Neighbouring Clubs are Torpoint and Rame Peninsula to the east, Liskeard
to the north and, across the estuary, Fowey River Lions to the west.
Committed to local, national and international community service, the
mission of Lions Clubs is "To create and foster a spirit of understanding
amongst all people for humanitarian needs by providing voluntary services
through community involvement and international co-operation".
Looe Lions now have their own website at www.looelions.co.uk/
More information about Lions and Clubs outside the Looe area can be found
on www.lionsclubs.org
In its own club area the Lions
Club of Looe supports all sections of the community from the old
to the very young, with donations and practical assistance to senior citizen
groups, schools, youth groups and pre-school play-groups. The Lions have a community mini-bus, donated to them by another organisation
in the town, which is used almost continuously for local transport for
those who need it. At all times the Lions are also concerned, through
their Community Service Committee, to ensure that any case of need, whether
of a group or individual, is conscientiously and discreetly investigated
and helped as far as it deserves with either financial or practical aid.
Throughout the year the members organise many events to
raise funds to support their work - most notably Looe Carnival Week
which has been part of the town's Summer events for more than thirty years
and takes place during the last week in July through to the beginning
of August. The event includes a full week of entertainment for all the
family
Car Boot Sales: Every Sunday morning during the
Summer, weather permitting, the best Car Boot Sale in the area is held
at West Wayland Farm (adjacent to the A387 Looe-Polperro road at Barcelona,
just west of the B3359 turning to Pelynt and at the road junction to Talland
and Porthallow) from 07:00 to 12:00. No traders. These car boot sales
are organised by Looe Lions Club. For more information visit www.looelions.co.uk/carboot
During the summer (date to be announced) Club's annual
Great Looe River Duck Race takes place when 5,000 plastic ducks
are floated down the river, with the winners earning large cash prizes
for many lucky ticket holders as well as raising a sizeable sum for the
Club's Charity Fund
In the autumn and winter, the Lions continue with their
event organising - contact us for more details
Lion Graham Lang directs traffic at a Car Boot Sale
(For the benefit of non-UK visitors to this page, car boot sales in England
are a comparatively recent phenomenon where people take their unwanted
possessions, ornaments, old tools, electrical equipment, discarded clothes
in the boot or trunk of their car, set up a table to display it alongside
a few or many others and sell the items for whatever they can negotiate
with other people who are looking for a bargain. Most items sell for a
very low price but sellers get rid of clutter and buyers acquire things
they want for little expense. Car boot sales have, in the last 20 years,
become a national institution).
Home
Lions in the Community
Some of the things that Lions do:Provide outings and holidays for the aged, handicapped and deprived youth
Direct purchase of equipment for hospitals and hospices
Help voluntary community organisations through purchase of minibuses, office equipment, furnishings etc.
Helping individuals, such as assistance with telephone, gas or electricity bills, through to painting and decorating or tidying up gardens
Collecting, assembling and distributing food parcels at Christmas
Hospital visiting, Old Folks Parties, assistance to the blind and deaf
Sponsoring a Lions Youth Award Scheme for the recognition of community service by young people
Financing Eye Camps and Water Wells in the Third World
Marketing a system called Medic Alert for speedily identifying personal allergies and illnesses in the event of an emergency
Helping with emergency relief anywhere in the world, eg: the Armenian and Mexican Earthquake disasters, Ethiopian famine, Somalia etc.
Sponsor International Youth Camps and Youth Exchange schemes
Swimming Galas for handicapped people
Run a national Youth Football competition
Organise a TV talent competition for the over 55's in Ireland
Actively involved in diabetes awareness in conjunction with the British Diabetic Association
Financing Drug Awareness programmes with TACADE through school curricula
| The Lions Club of Looe meets on the second Wednesday of each month at the Hannafore Point Hotel, Marine Drive, West Looe at 1945 hrs for 2000 hrs, when visiting Lions are welcome |