LIONS WORLD SIGHT DAY
The club participated in Lions World Sight Day on Friday 15th October 2010 in conjunction with over 70 year 9 pupils at Millfield School, Street.
The PE department gave over four lessons on the day to enable the pupils to experience playing football whilst blind.
The lessons began with an introduction by Lion Rod Speed to Lions Clubs International and World Sight Day when all the students were encouraged to participate fully and keep their blindfolds in place.
Each lesson started with the usual stretching and warm up and then pupils practised rolling the ball to each other all whilst blindfolded. This began to heighten their spatial and hearing awareness.
The club had purchased some special footballs with ball bearings inside them from the RNIB. These rattled as they rolled along and passed through the air.
We were ready for the game to begin initially using the full sports hall which resulted in the pupils herding en masse after the ball. When play moved to a smaller pitch playing across the sports hall the “quality” of the soccer improved as they were nearer to each other and could hear both the ball and each other more clearly.
At the end of each lesson the pupils were asked for their thoughts on their experience of playing whilst blind – scary, disorientating, impossible, relaxing, difficult, humbling were some of their comments.
The club would like to thank the staff and pupils of Millfield School for joining us on Lions World Sight Day and the club have been invited to join year 9 for an assembly in November to discuss their experiences.
GLASTONBURY ROAD RUN
A number of members of the club were able to provide help at the Glastonbury Road Run in May including helping with the marshalling of the starts of the various races. A job not for the feint hearted!
This gives us an opportunity to provide perhaps our most useful asset - our time - to a local community based event.
This year we would like to say a special thank you to the Mendip Athletics Club who form the organising committee who made a most unexpected and therefore all the more acceptable donation to our charity fund.
Thank you and see you next year in Glastonbury on Sunday 1st May 2011!
AQUABOXES
A social evening at the Bear Hotel included a meal and was followed by the filling of Aquaboxes.
What are Aquaboxes you may ask?
It is a project co-ordinated by Rotary Clubs and consists of a plastic tank with water purification tablets and is packed with essential welfare items for a disaster situation. Once the welfare contents have been removed, each Aquabox can be used to purify up to 1100 litres of polluted water, making it safe and pleasant to drink. As an example, 1100 litres is equal to 5,000 cups - that is enough for a family of four people (drinking 10 cups per day) for about four months.
Our bit was to get the "welfare" items such as nappies, pencils and writing paper, hammers, candles, cooking pans and to pack the required quantities in each box. This was quite a challenge as the photograph shows!
A STEP INTO THE UNKNOWN
People from central Somerset showed their support for Lions World Sight Day by taking a step into the unknown.
The club organised a blindfolded walk event to highlight the obstacles that people with sight problems encounter every day.
The event was held at Millfield School in Street and pupils from the school were amongst those who tied on a blindfold and made their way around the 300m course.
The club thanked Millfield School for the use of their running track, providing the safe environment needed.
The event was worthwhile for those who took part and the experience clearly had an impact on those who participated with many commenting on how their other senses were heightened.
People’s approaches differed with some being tentative and others more confident, which was exactly what we wanted to show.
The event mirrored other events held by clubs throughout the country and cemented Lions Club International’s long history of supporting the blind and visually impaired.
PRIDE OF CENTRAL SOMERSET AWARDS
The Club is delighted to report that it has been nominated for an award at the Pride of Central Somerset Awards.
Philip Welch, the editor of the Central Somerset Gazette, which has teamed up with Alex Maine to launch this year's awards, said "It's so important that we recognise those people who work tirelessly to make the area a better place. It's easy to concentrate on the bad things that happen in the area, and often those people who are quietly trying to improve things are overlooked"
A spokesman for the Club said " We are honoured and humbled to have been nominated. We concentrate our efforts on local people and events as it is the local people who support us and we couldn't do it without them."
The award ceremony takes place at Glastonbury Town Hall on Friday 6th March 2009.
