Knaresborough Lions Club

Background and ethos

The Knaresborough Lions are part of Lions Clubs International, the largest voluntary organisation in the world. More than 40,000 Lions Clubs are found in over 180 countries and include every race, colour and creed. The club was chartered in 1987 and at present has 24 members. We meet twice a month in the evenings at the Borough Bailiff in the High Street.

We are a group of like minded men from all walks of life who undertake welfare activities and raise money to provide help to those people in the community who are less fortunate than ourselves. We believe in good fellowship and that a sense of humour is an essential ingredient when helping others.

Activities

Knaresborough Lions are now part of the organising team for the Christmas Edwardian Market, having been active participants for many years. Our Mulled Wine always goes down a treat on a cold December’s day.

Our activities fall into two main groups, welfare and fundraising. The former is very much a 'hands on' approach, whilst the latter is essential if we wish to satisfy the requests which we regularly receive for assistance.

Welfare activities include days out for elderly men and women and we organise concerts and social evenings for people in Knaresborough and the villages in Nidderdale.

For a number of years we have been able to send handicapped youngsters on holiday in a specially equipped barge run by the 'Sobriety' project in Goole. Some of our members go with them to assist and other Lions Clubs in South Yorkshire, particularly Mexborough Lions, provide valuable assistance.

We regularly help child and youth organisations in Knaresborough with funds for specific projects such as play equipment.

Needy families are also given holidays on the East coast, the Lions in Bridlington and Filey have accommodation which we are able to use.

For many years we have joined with other clubs in the area to send disabled young people to Germany for a weeks holiday. In alternate years, German youngsters and their Lion helpers then stay in Yorkshire for a holiday. The clubs involved taking a day each to look after and entertain them. The Lions provided the hoist for use by the disabled at the Knaresborough Leisure Pool, they were also a major contributor to the provision of playground equipment situated next to the Pool and at a local special needs school.

Planting daffodils

The Fire and Rescue Service in Knaresborough was given portable cutting equipment which is used to free accident victims who are trapped inside vehicles. The town's close proximity to the busy A1(M) making the equipment particularly useful.

Our latest large donation was to the Harrogate Hospital MRI Scanner Appeal. Other smaller activities include helping an elderly lady with furniture removal, planting Daffodils at the entrances to Knaresborough, and helping support the Knaresborough FEVA Festival.

Financial assistance is given to worthy causes, particularly to those which benefit people and organisations in our local area. As a general rule we do not give donations to national organisations which have their own fundraising structure.

An example is our help with the cost of the Christmas parcels for the lonely and needy who are over 75. The purchase and distribution of the parcels is organised by the Old Peoples Welfare in Knaresborough. We also help with the running costs of vehicles for the disabled and for youth activities in Knaresborough.

Some monies go to projects run by the Lions International Organisation, such as Drug Awareness in schools, Eye Camps in India, the collection of used spectacles, and Water wells in Africa. Lions Clubs International have an emergency fund which is used for World wide calamities such as floods or earthquakes, the financial assistance going direct to the Lions clubs in the stricken area. They are then responsible for its distribution, ensuring that every penny goes where it is needed.

Fundraising and Events

Fundraising to pay for this help is of course very important and events to raise money are held at regular intervals throughout the year.

The Bed Race
Photograph courtesy of The Knaresborough Post

The biggest and best known is the 'Great Knaresborough Bed Race', which is held on the 2nd Saturday in June, when specially adapted 'Beds' race around the town and across the River Nidd.

This now attracts thousands of people to the town including a team from Bebra, our twin town in Germany. The event is a useful source of income for many local charities who raise sponsorship on each Bed.

The Bed Race
Photograph courtesy of The Knaresborough Post

During FEVA we run a two day Beer Festival, with 20 or more Real Ales and live music.

Santa's sleigh

Christmas time is a very busy time for the members. Most evenings in December, Santa’s Sleigh can bee seen out on the streets; raising a smile whilst supporting the Lions Christmas Collection. It can also be seen and heard, on one or two occasions in the Market Place during December. The collection going towards the cost of Christmas parcels for the elderly people of the town who live alone.

Lion's stalls are often to be found in Knaresborough, for example at the Edwardian Fayre and the Spring Fair etc. More details of the events in Knaresborough can be found at Knaresborough Online What's On

Town Trail

The Lions Club of Knaresborough celebrated the new millennium in style by establishing a historical trail around the town centre. The trail has been specifically designed to be wheel chair friendly and follows a mostly level route that is marked out with bronze plaques set into the pavements and footpaths. Many points of interest along the way are described in an illustrated booklet available from the Tourist Office and local shops.

Local people and visitors are attracted to the trail and benefit from learning more about the history and buildings of the ancient town of Knaresborough. To enjoy the trail to its full extent will take approximately 2 hours but the Lions hope that people will linger a bit longer to visit some of the many places of interest along the route and perhaps make use of the interesting local shops and businesses.

The then Lion Club President Terry Rumsey said: "I am delighted with the new trail which is the result of a lot of hard work by the Club members. I believe that the trail will be a lasting attraction to the town and help promote the importance of local history as well as increasing the profile of the town as an attractive place to visit. The fact that it is accessible to those with wheelchairs and pushchairs is extremely important to a service organisation such as ours."

Meetings and how to join

We meet on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of every month in the evenings at the The Borough Bailiff on the High Street.

We always find time to enjoy ourselves, the meetings are interesting and full of humour. The members and their families often arrange walks, trips out, and the "Burn's Night Supper" is always looked forward to.

If anyone is interested in joining the Lions please get in touch with Lion John email: jm.42@hotmail.co.uk or Lion Gordon email: gordonrenton@yahoo.co.uk Tel 01423 867835.

But BEWARE it's addictive as well as rewarding!