News 29th June 2009
THE CHANGING FACE OF ALTON LIONS
History was made this week when Moira Baker became the first female President of Alton Lions. The chain of office was handed over by outgoing President Derek Shaw for whom it was a double pleasure. He had been president 5 years ago when the club agreed to accept women into what had previously been an all male club.
Make his end of year report, President Derek thanked members for their support and particularly mentioned the committee ‘chairs’ and other office holders who had helped make the year a success. Nearly £20000 had been raised, the highest figure in the club’s history, enabling the club to give an increased level of support to organisations in the town.
He said that, in addition to the funds raised, there had been an increase in the club’s profile in the town which all pointed to a healthy future. He pointed out that one of the major contributions to the clubs progress had been the impact of the new female members who had brought a new approach to the club’s work.
His final act was to present the annual Lion of the Year Award to Lion Moira, thanking her for her energy, new ideas and initiatives and leadership. This is the second year she has won the award. Next year it will be her job to recognise the efforts of another member, having set a high standard.
In reply, new President Moira thanked lion Derek for his support and encouragement and congratulated him on leading the club in a successful and enjoyable year. She commented on the successful joint ventures such as the Wild West day run with Lord Mayor Treloar College and the Golf Day organised jointly by the Lions and REHAB.
She said that in the coming year she would be inviting other community services to come along to the club to talk about their work and needs. The first organisation to address a club meeting would be Alton Buckle Extended Services. Their representative, Alison Cliffe would be telling the club members about their work with 9 – 12 year olds and the planned provision of a new community building to provide a ‘safe place to go’ in the early evenings.
Finally she thanked the club members for their confidence in electing her and said that she would endeavour to do a good job.
For more information on Alton Lions contact Brian Lazenby on 08458 332701 or brianlazenby@btinternet.com
News 15th June 2009
SCHOOLS FOR PEACE
Four local schools have committed themselves to taking part in the annual Peace Poster Competition organised by Lions Clubs International. Local organiser, Brian Phillips said that he was delighted with the increase in interest and anticipated that the standard of entries would be as good as last year.
A panel of judges has been formed to judge the local entries. They are Pam Jones of the Alton Arts Society, Moira Baker (the incoming Lion President), Alan Thomas (Head of the Arts Faculty at Alton College), Alan Chick (Town Mayor) and Tom Yendall of the Mouth and Foot Artists Association.
This year’s theme is “The Power of Peace”. Each poster will be judged on originality, artistic merit and expression of the theme.
There will be a £50 prize for the winning school and for the young artists, 1st prize £25, 2nd prize £10 and 3rd prize £5.
It is hoped to mount an exhibition of the entrants in September so that the people of Alton can see the talent that young people of the town possess.
Anyone wishing to know more about the competition should contact Brian Phillips on 01420 88795.
To find out more about the Lions Club of Alton contact Brian Lazenby on 08458 332701 or brianlazenby@btinternet.com.
Attachments: 1st prize Holly Langford, 2nd prize Jennifer Brown, 3rd prize Anika Ghandi
News 18th May 2009
St Michaels Hospice
Alton Shop has a Facelift
St. Michael's Hospice opens the doors to its newly refurbished shop
On Monday 18th May, St. Michael's Hospice shop in Alton was delighted to open its doors following a week long refurbishment program. The shop staff, volunteers Hospice colleagues and Trustees were joined by the Alton Town Cryer who officially re-opened the store at 10am.
The shop in Alton continues to stock a wide range of clothing, household items, knitting wool and books. Every person who donates or buys items from the shop helps to raise valuable funds to enable the Hospice to continue providing excellent services to patients and their families.
“The newly refurbished store is really eye-catching and we are really proud to provide our customers with such a vibrant store. The store in Alton opened in October 2000 and this being its first major refit was really about time! We hope that the refurbishment will improve customers shopping experience and that people will continue to come along and support their local Hospice by both donating and purchasing goods from the shop. Since opening, the store in Alton has generated £250,000 in profit for the Hospice which is a fantastic achievement and a testament to the support St. Michael's Hospice has in Alton, we hope this continues for many years to come” said Iain Cameron, Retail Operations Manager.
St. Michael's Hospice would like to thank Marks & Spencer for the loan of running rails, Travis Perkins who kindly donated free wood for the bookcases, the Swan Hotel for free use of a storage room, Focus Do it all for half price decoration materials, the Big Balloon shop for donating balloons and decorations and the Alton Town Cryer for his support.
About St. Michael's Hospice
St. Michael's Hospice is a provider of the highest quality and standard of specialist palliative care for patients in North Hampshire. Through specialist skills and knowledge St. Michael's Hospice works with patients affected by life-limiting illness to ensure they are able to live life to the fullest. The Hospice provides In-Patient, Day Care and Hospice at Home services as well as a growing range of Out-Patient services including the Therapeutic Clinic, Complementary Therapy and Medical Consultation. Family and carer support is also a significant part of the work at the Hospice. All Hospice services are provided to patients and their families free of charge.
St. Michael's Hospice is a UK registered charity and has an annual operating cost of around £2.6 million of which the Hospice receives less than 30% through the Hampshire Primary Care Trust and the remaining £1.8 million needs to be raised through donations, fundraising, legacies and its shops, St. Michael’s very much rely on the generosity of our local community to sustain its services.
News 12th May 2009
ALTON LIONS ARE HEADING WEST
Preparations for a Wild West extravaganza in Alton Town Gardens are well under way. On Saturday 13 June Alton Lions are bringing a taste of the Old West to Alton with a Wild West Show in the Public Gardens.
The Farmers’ Market and Craft Fairs will be held on the same day so there are three good reasons to ride into town and join in the fun.
There will be a Cowboy show, including an OK Coral type shoot out and an Indian Village complete with tepees showing a living history exhibition.
There will also be a Line Dancing Display with the opportunity for people to join in and strut their stuff. To set the scene music will be provided by the Western Aces and guitarist and singer Mac James. Local DJ Paul Lefevre will also be on hand with his extensive collection of Country Records. This is so big he would be surprised if you could come up with a title he doesn’t have.
There will be beer and tea tents to provide refreshments and for the competitive a lasso competition. For the younger braves and squaws there will be a face painter to help them get into the mood.
There will be a range of stalls to browse through. There are pitches still available so any one interested in having a stall should contact Lion Moira Baker on 01420 82236 (day) or 01420 83736 (Evening).
Chief organiser Moira said that the Lions were looking forward to providing an enjoyable day for people of all ages and hoped that everyone would get into the Western spirit and the town would be full of aspiring Clint Eastwoods, Annie Oakleys and Sitting Bulls.
For information about the event contact Moira Baker on 01420 83736. To find out more about Alton Lions contact Brian Lazenby on 08458 332701 or brianlazenby@btinternet.com
News 11th May 2009
Alton Victorian Cricket supports Alton Citizens Advice as chosen charity
The Alton Victorian Cricket Tournament has been supporting local charities in Alton since the tournament was started 27years ago. This year the chosen charity is the Alton Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB).
Alton CAB is at the heart of the local community in every sense. The office is located at 7, Cross and Pillory Lane just to the west of the Town Square, together with the Council and Tourist Information Points. The Bureau opened in June 1942 and has been supporting the people of Alton and surrounding villages ever since. The CAB is an advice service for the public provided by the public. Over fifty local volunteers are involved in provision of the service as advisers, administrators or trustees.
Manager Dominic Carney says 'The CAB service is free and open to all. We are a local charity and not a government department.
We are funded and supported by a wide range of local organisations including EHDC, Alton Town Council, local parish councils, church groups and solicitors and accountants in the town.'
'In 2007/8 we saw over 2700 clients and advised them on 12470 issues. We provide advice on a wide range of issues including Debt, Employment, Benefits and Housing. This year is going to be even busier.' Dominic said.
The CAB are constantly developing their services. Last year the Alton CAB provided financial advice seminars 'Money Made Easy' to assist people with debt and money issues before they get into problems. This year the CAB have opened up an Outreach service at Bushey Leaze Early Years Centre and have extended their hours at Cross and Pillory Lane.
They welcome the opportunity to meet with local groups and have recently given talks to students at Treloars College and the Alton Arthritis Society.
They always welcome new clients and are always on the lookout for new volunteers.
For more information about Alton CAB or for information about volunteering, please contact they manager, Dominic Carney on 01420 84399.
The Alton Victorian Cricket Match will be held on Sunday June 28th on The Butts.
For further details contact Chris Webborn - AVC Publicity 01420 87507
9th May 2009
Growing Remembrance
A memorable evening that raised nearly £2000 towards the All Saints Church, Hinton Ampner repair fund. The Ralph Dutton legacy, had been depleted after essential repairs, required by the quinquennial review. (Recent events have shown, better to replenish funds while the sun shines, rather than wait for the rains to come in).
The sun shone. Over eighty ticket holders came to see the recently completed works and, thanks to the generosity of the National Trust, wander the formal gardens on a warm, spring evening. Wine too was donated by The Naked Grape at Alresford, and a number of guests took advantage of both the setting and the glass of wine to enjoy a picnic at Hinton Ampner House, before settling down to listen to David Childs’ absorbing, illustrated talk about the National Memorial Arboretum.
Growing Remembrance had sold out two weeks before the audience crowded into the ornate dining room of this elegant National Trust property. The perfect backdrop for a thought provoking talk by the founder of the; National Memorial Arboretum, Millennium Chapel and Armed Forces Memorial, created out of 150 acres of disused gravel workings, near Lichfield, in Staffordshire.
We soon discovered the breathtaking scope of the concept and the tenacity with which the project was tackled, plus of course the inevitable set backs. There are no worms in a disused, sterile quarry, so how do you even begin to grow trees? David was presented with a worm by one grateful organisation and a CBE from a grateful nation. We learnt about the thought and sensitivity needed to turn a gravel pit into trees and memorials devoted to the concept of remembrance. How the inspiration came from the Leonard Cheshire Foundation. The phone calls to acquaintances and the frustrating waits between them. A flood that set back planting and the occasional rejection, before the project gained a momentum of its own and could be handed over to the Royal British Legion as a national icon. How a section of the Burma Railway was transported courtesy of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and how at the opening ceremony survivors sat lost in memories on that symbolic track. How too the Armed Forces Memorial, dedicated to those who have died serving their country since World War 2 was opened by the Queen in October 2007. We heard about the empty tablets of stone waiting for new names to be cut each spring at the rate of 3 letters an hour. We learnt about the Millennium Chapel and the Remembrance Service held at 1100 every day. The altar, pulpit and lectern were all carved by the inmates of Swinfen Hall Young Offenders Institute, just a few miles from the Arboretum. David shared all this and much more with us, keeping us enthralled until the end, so that the audience were left in no doubt about the importance of this remarkable feat, spoken so modestly by its founder.
David signed copies of his Book “Growing Remembrance” after the talk and gave the profits to the “Ralph Dutton” fund. Raffle prizes including visits to historic gardens and properties were also given by; David Childs, The National Trust, Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Titsey Estate, Weald and Downland Museum, Jane Austen’s House and West Dean Gardens. Champagne was donated by Charles Stanley and UPM Tilhill and flowers by The Real Flower Company.
Debbie Thompson concluded the evening by thanking David Childs on behalf of All Saints. Debbie likened David’s ability to that of Capability Brown, which will endure for generations, mature and evolve, but always be there. His concept of Remembrance is an inspiring legacy to leave to future generations. We could not fail but be touched by David’s talk so now it’s off to the Arboretum to seek out a memorial or even plant a tree.
Anyone who would like to donate to the repair fund or buy a copy of Growing Remembrance by David Childs can do so by contacting David Templeman (templeman@turnpike-cottage.freeserve.co.uk or telephone 01962 793009).
News 28th April 2009
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