Community Service 2022/3

Helping the Community


 

The Communiy Service Committee considers all requests made directly to the Club from the local community for help and assistance.

During these difficult times we also actively seek any situation where we can help any individual, club or organisation and gave over 7000hrs of service.   

If you are aware of any situation where some additional help is needed please let us know by using the Contact Us page.  

 The Community Services team are as follows:-

Chairman, Lynn Graysmark, Gilly Foley Roger Mead, Keith Pratt, Tony Harvey, Chris Braysher, Brian Richens and Anthoney Gurney

                                   

With the people of East Grinstead's help we have funded a wide range of projects and these will be shown on the NEWS FLASH page or below.

During 2020/21 we donated funds to over 50 worthy causes totalling some £42,000.00 

The Club has Charity status CIO (a Charitable Incorporated Organisation - Commission Reference Number 1179721).

Some events are held every year and have become part of the East Grinstead calendar. Providing this level of service support is only achieved thanks to the generosity of those in the East Grinstead area in supporting our fund raising activities.

We thank you most sincerely for your support.

 

    

 

Community Action


     
Warm over Winter      

To help those families and households who are experiencing difficulties in paying their Gas and Electricity bills, the EG Lions have been running a ‘Warm Over Winter campaign’. During the Winter months they have been fundraising through the sale of their Prize Advent calendars and Xmas Cards. WOW is a Lions initiative to help those who find themselves in fuel poverty by paying a small top-up directly to their energy suppliers.

Your kind financial support in 2022 has enabled us to start rolling out payments to those who are in most need. The campaign is already directly helping those who live in East Grinstead and the surrounding villages.

We are working with local agencies of social prescribers (in Doctor’s surgeries), such as Age UK, Being Neighbourly, Citizens Advice, West Sussex CC Adult Services and EG Foodbank who are able to identify those people in need and make referrals. Gradually we are reaching out to local schools too and hope to have this line of support up and running shortly.  The system works by referral only – the agencies mentioned above refer people in need to us.

To make a donation, please visit our Just Giving page by scanning the QR code  

or visiting https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/EGLionsWoW2022

Your support is making a real difference to many people’s lives who on a daily basis are having to make the hard decision to ‘heat or eat’.

Should you be in need of fuel poverty support yourself, please make contact only with the agencies mentioned above who will be able to create formal referral documentation to us. Thank you. 


     
Remembrance Day East Grinstead November 2021              

The Town came together to remember and pay their respects to those who gave their lives in the name of freedom and peace. East Grinstead Lions' President, laid a wreath on behalf of the club with the words 'Your courage and sacrifice in the face of evil secured our liberty and way of life. This will never be forgotten'.Well done also to the volunteers and marshals.                                                                                                         


     

Prostate Cancer

26th November 2022

 

           

East Grinstead & District Lions Club sponsored to the tune of £7500 the FREE PSA test on 26th November 2022 for Men between the age of 40 to 80. Note: (SEE MORE DETAILS HERE) The event held at the Meridian Hall provided free by the Town Council, tested 970 men and identifoed 41 men who need to have themselves checked further  WE may have saved lives with this event. Please see the News Flash page for the latest PSA event


     
The Lions delivered Xmas gifts to struggling families.         

Recently, the East Grinstead Lions wrote to all Primary Schools in it’s District asking for nominations for struggling families who would then receive a £50 grocery parcel.On Tuesday, £700 worth of groceries and supermarket vouchers were delivered to the schools who wished to take up the Lions’ offer. Parcels were delivered to Halsford Park, The Meads, Turners Hill,West Hoathly, Baldwins Hill and Dormansland Schools. The schools will then pass on the gifts to their needy families in time for Christmas. The Lions also brought along some colouring books and presents which should bring a smile to many children’s faces on Christmas Day.


       

Tadpoles

     

 

EG Lions President, Brian Richens, was delighted to handover a cheque for £500 to the Tadpoles Swimming Club for the Disabled. The money will be used to help fund the maintenance and refurbishment of their purpose built hoist. The hoist enables those who require a wheelchair or have walking difficulties to enter the water safely and still join in with the water activities. If you would like to know more about the Tadpoles Swimming Club please email tadpoleseg@gmail.com Also pictured are Lions District Governor Ian Forbes and Lions Lynn Graysmark and Sharan Billings. If you would like to know about volunteering with the Lions please email eganddlions@gmail.com

 

 


     
Emergency Defibrillators       Click here for a list of Defibrillators in East Grinstead

     
message bottle

Message in a Bottle

How do I get my FREE MIAB?     Call 0345 833 9506

we will deliver it to you

     

we have provided funds for provision of Message in a Bottle, a method of ensuring that people helping in an emergency are able to quickly understand the medical condition of the person they are helping and what medicines they take.     We have started an awareness campaign with fliers and posters. 

Would Emergency Services Personnel be able to quickly find

your identity, contact numbers, details of your  allergies & medication?

The Message in a Bottle (MIAB) is a device which saves time in an emergency, when emergency services personnel are looking to quickly find a person’s identity, their personal contact numbers, details of any allergies and any medication.  Paramedics, police, fire fighters and social services all support the use of this device. It provides a container to hold all the above details and you store it in the fridge. Then stickers are placed on the inside of the front door of your home to tell them to look in the fridge, saving valuable time.


     
FLU Vaccination       The Lions have provided 150 hours of stewarding support at Moatfield Surgery at the latter part of last year.

     
Special Needs Holidays - a new service       Holidays - for the the future we are taking a different approach to the provision of holidays for people with special needs who would not normally be able to find or afford a suitable holiday which provides the right level of support. We will be liaising with specialists in our community to identify the most needy people. Please use the Contact Us page if you wish to discuss this with us.

     

COVID 19

Volunteer Stewarding for the Vaccination Rollout at the Meridian Hall

     

The process of getting the COVID Vaccine to residents in the East Grinstead Area at the Meridian Hall has started and the Lions are providing 120 hours a week of volunteer support in the form of stewards for the next few months. They are also providing a canopy to protect people from the elements whilst they wait their turn outside the Meridian Hall at East Court. The sessions operate from 8am – 8pm and East Grinstead Lions Club members, their partners and friends greet and provided support for the thousands of patients as they arrived for their vaccinations. The vaccination centre is operating on a week-by-week basis: plans are subject to changes daily as the virus and vaccination situation develops and the NHS team (and the Lions volunteers) have been reacting to each change as it arises.  East Grinstead Lions Club have offered their support and would still welcome offers of help. If you feel you would like to volunteer please contact the Lions Club Secretary, Richard Maynard, on 0345 833 9506.   In these challenging times, East Grinstead Lions Club are pleased to be able to continue to serve the local community, even if in very different ways than usual.

2021 Covid Signpost

             2021 Covid Canopy           2021 Covid 1          2021 Covid 2       2021 Meridian Hall

East Grinstead Town Mayor, Cllr John Dabell and Cllr Norman Webster (Mid Sussex Cabinet member for Community) praised the efficiency of the mass Covid-19 vaccine roll-out programme when they arrived at the Meridian Hall for their own vaccinations last Saturday.   Both councillors expressed their thanks to the East Grinstead and District Lions Club and many other volunteers, who have been assisting at the event over the past month. The Mayor remarked how much he appreciated the friendliness, competence and dedication of all the volunteers, particularly during the recent cold and wet weather.   Once vaccinated, Town Mayor John Dabell thanked the PCN clinical team for their kindness and the adept organisation of the programme. Over 6,500 jabs to date have been administered to local residents at East Court, with many more to be given in the coming weeks.

Mims Davies, MP for Mid Sussex, visited the vaccination centre at the Meridian Hall, to show her support to all those involved in the Covid-19 vaccination roll-out programme. She was joined by Cllr Liz Bennett and East Grinstead Lions Club President, Brian Richens. They thanked him for the Club’s many hours of volunteering time and for the Lions continued commitment to serving the local community.  Ms Davies also expressed her appreciation to the many other volunteers who have been required to make the programme such a success.  After taking a lateral-flow test to check she was Covid-free, Ms Davies went inside and met with the programme managers, Margaret Cooney and Rob Bannerman. She spent time talking to the doctors, staff and volunteers and thanked them for their on-going work to ensure people in the local area are vaccinated as quickly as possible.


     
East Park Riding for the Disabled      

Over the past few years Lions Club members have been assisting the RDA including a recently departed Lion Don James and Rob Holwell. In Rob's memory we agreed with the RDA to purchase a miniature donkey called Wade to join their stables and help to calm apprehensive children when they come for their riding experience. The pictures show Wade settling in.

2021 RDA Cheque

Using monies raised at the 2021 Donkey Derby, East Grinstead Lions President, Brian Richens, was delighted to handover a cheque for £500 to Eastark Riding for the Disabled (RDA).

Pictured alongside Brian is chief instructor Sally O'Neill and Liquorice the pony.
Based at Little Brooks Equestrian in Newchapel, the charity provides sessions for children from local schools with learning or physical difficulties and is entirely self-funded.
East Grinstead Lions have a long association with RDA and a group of members volunteer their time and help weekly to assist with the sessions.
If you would like to get involved with RDA at the riding centre please call Sally O'Neill on 01342 837546.
East Grinstead Lions are always keen to welcome new members and if you would like know more about the Club please call Steve Ellis on 07827 823899.

   

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Star Stage for Halsford School      

2021 Halsford School

     We are delighted to inform you that during the Christmas break we were able to pool the East Grinstead Lions donation with a grant we also received from East Grinstead Memorial Trust and have built a 5m x 3m Star Stage, meaning that a whole class of 30 children can be on it at the same time. We have put grass seed around the stage and this week the school newsletter will invite students and staff topropose a name forthis performance area.  Most of the children have not seen it yet but those who have are very excited about it and have a vast number of ideas about what they are planning to perform on it.

 


     
Donation Examples during the year      

GIVING BACK CRAWLEY, FAMILY  WITH DISABILITIES HOLIDAY  , FAMILY WITH DISABILITIES HOLIDAY SPENDING MONEY , EMERGENCY DENTAL CARE FOR DISADVANTAGED PERSON, AGE UK REPLACEMENT MEAL TRAYS X 30, PANTOMIME TICKETS - FOR DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN, BLOOMING ARTS SUMMER PROJECT, CHESTNUT TREE HOUSE, POPPY APPEAL, LCI MD105 FOUNDATION -LIBRA, DEFIBRILLATOR BATTERIES FOR AN EXISTING UNIT, MBERHORNE SCHOOL - EQUINE THERAPY, IMBERHORNE SCHOOL - MINCE PIES, BEING NEIGHBOURLY - SMALL PRESENT  GRANT, ROCKINGHOUSE CHILDRENS CHARITY, EMERGENCY FAMILY FUND - SAINSBURY'S VOUCHERS, GIVING BACK CRAWLEY - BUS REPAIRS, 4SIGHT CRAWLEY, PCaSO PAYMENT OF COSTS + DONATION FOR PROSTATE TESTING, EAST PARK RDA , NT WHOLESALE FOOTWARE - REFUGEE FOOTWARE, REFUGEE ENGLISH BOOKS, TADPOLES - NEW HOIST FOR SWIMMING POOL, ESTCOTS SCHOOL - LIBRARY FUND, EASTER EGGS FOR EAST GRINSTEAD MUMS RAFFLE, IMBERHORNE SCHOOL - INCLUSION FUND PT2, PARNERS IN LEARNING ACADEMY TRUST - BLACKWELL TRIP, EVERGREENS OF EAST GRINSTEAD - DAY TRIP, NT WHOLESALE FOOTWARE LTD - REFUGEE FOOTWARE, REFUGEE BOOKS, MD105 LCIF UKRAINE FUND, LITTLE PRINCESS TRUST, EMERGENCY FUND - SAINSBURY VOUCHER, REFUGEES WELCOME CRAWLEY, THE EAST GRINSTEAD SOCIETY- TOWN FOUNTAIN REFURBISHMENT, PERICLES THEATRE COMPANY, COPTHORNE C OF E SCHOOL FUND, 4TH EG  SCOUTS - 3 PERSONS FOR SUMMER CAMP, TEAM GB KARATE, CHRISTMAS HAMPERS, EMERGENCY FUND - FAMILY IN NEED , ANNUAL DISTER FUND PAYMENT TO LCIF

 


     

A Summary of the activities of the club during 2020 can be found by Clicking Here

A Summary of the activities of the club during 2019 can be found by Clicking Here

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 Updated  6.6.22