Easingwold District Lions Club - who are we?

Easingwold District Lions are proud to be part of the largest volunteering organisation in the world – Lions International. With 46,000 clubs and 1.35 million members, we can truly be called a global network of people with similar ideas to our own. Everywhere we work, we make friends. With children who need glasses, with the elderly who don’t have enough to eat and with people we may never meet at all.

We're also one of the most effective voluntary organisations as we have member clubs in every area affected by disaster or requiring need. That way our clubs can tell us exactly what is needed before the large aid agencies have acted. Our members do whatever is needed to help their local communities.  We were there in the New Zealand and Japanese earthquakes, We were there in the Australian floods and African droughts. We were talking to members in Cockermouth in the middle of their floods (remember them?) asking if and how we could help.

Easingwold District Lions have been at the heart of Easingwold and Villages community since 1978 and we have been serving our area ever since. As a result, built up an enviable reputation as the local organisation that gets things done.

We are just ordinary local people, but together we serve our local Community. Some of us are retired, some of us are young, in work and have families. Some of us want to devote a great deal of their time whilst others are limited in the time they can give. What we all bring together as a group is a wide range of different skills and our abundant and infectious enthusiasm! Ordinary people doing amazing things, in fact!

We are a group of local people passionately committed to help and support those living around us, especially local people in need.  As a result of our fundraising and the respect gained with the residents of the Easingwold District, we are able to help many many local charities and good causes.  

We fund all of our administration costs so that every penny raised can go towards our good causes – No “management costs” are taken out of your money – we pay those ourselves.

If you think that you would like to be part of this brilliant organisation, if you would like to to meet new people whilst helping others and have great fun doing so, please get in touch with us. info@easingwold-lions.org

What do we do?

Space limits giving a never ending list, but below is a brief list of some of our efforts went last year:

• We organise the annual Easingwold Summer Fayre and Brass Band Concerts
• We organise our Santas Sleigh fundraising campaign
• We organise the Christmas Carols in the Marketplace together with the Town Band
• We arrange the Christmas trees in St Monica’s, Springhill Court, Paradise Day Centre and White Horse View.
• We organised Easingwold's first ever "Donkey Derby" at the Easingwold Golf Club
• We run a fleet of 12 Battery Cars for our local residents who need them to improve their lives.
• We deliver Fish and Chips to the housebound every Saturday morning – you have probably seen us in our yellow Tabbards!
• We organise a chalet holiday for needy local people at Filey
• We organise a fleet of coaches to collect our many elderly residents to the Huby Pantomine.
• We provide entertainment evenings for Alne Cheshire Homes and Springhill Court,
• We arrange a BBQ for the Riding for the Disabled and also at Springhill Court
• We help a wide number of local organisations each month with specific requests such as  the Galtres Centre, COZIE, Stroke Club, Brownies, The Ear Trust, Easingwold Friends for Cancer Research, and Friends of Chernobyl children amongst many many others.
• Nationally, Lions UK supports charities for the blind and also the Dunstans Centre for blind Service people.
• Internationally, we are there at the front line in any emergency. We have direct communication to our fellow Lions Club members who normally can act before the major aid agencies as was the case in New Zealand, Japan and Australia last year.

Easingwold Summer Fayre and Brass Band Concert

The Lions organise the annual Easingwold Summer Fayre which provides our residents with a great family day out.  Many stalls with plants, crafts, games and food are available together with as many opportunities for low cost family fun as we can find. Swings and rides for children young and old!

 Entertainment in 2011 included a very popular rockabilly group and a dancing troupe from Bradford. The Scouts also organise their “Fun Runs” on the same day around midday, which together makes the day the most exciting in the whole Easingwold Calendar!

For 2012, after  the Fayre has died down, we are changing the existing format  to arrange an evening Band Concert right in the Market Square. Details are still being discussed but we are looking for something even better than the Contests of old – watch this space!

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Our Santas Sleigh Fundraising Campaign

As anyone who needs help will tell you, money does not grow on trees - and so we as a Club spend much time fundraising to obtain money to help local people in need. In December of every year, we organise the area Santa's Sleigh which visits as many homes as we can in Easingwold, all of our Villages and indeed parts of York.

For many of our residents, Christmas starts when the hear and see our Sleigh and children, both young and not so young are enchanted by our arrival.  We are very grateful indeed to the public who generously contribute to our collection boxes brought to your door by our Lions members who accompany the Sleigh with sweets for the excited children.

Christmas Carols in the Market Square

To finish the year on a high, we organise the annual Christmas Carol community singing in the Market Square together with the Easingwold  Town Band. Of course no outdoor Carol Singing would be complete without some hearty warming baked potatoes and hot mince pies (Thanks to Dooleys and Clarks, our local Bakers.) See our Calendar section for further details.

Lions are an international network of 1.3 million men and women in 205 countries and geographic areas who work together to answer the needs that challenge communities around the world.