For over half a century the Lions Club of Basingstoke have been quietly getting about their business of bettering our local community. The Lions Club of Basingstoke is affiliated to Lions Clubs International, a world-wide community service organisation dedicated to the idea that the men and women who live in a community are in the best position to know who needs help and why. A pandemic and resulting lockdown hasn’t been able to stop the Lions going about their good-deeds, from virtual tea parties to toasting 125 years of the National Trust, to helping local heroes produce scrubs for frontline workers, helping with food parcels. Another to truly remarkable local Lions project known as the Lions IT Refurbishment Programme.
A proud statement on their Facebook page read as follows concerning the achievements of the programme;
We are pleased to let all our supporters know that we have broken the figure of 200 computers since the start of the lockdown period. As of 23rd May we have shipped out 90 desktops, 109 laptops, and 6 Notebooks. We have also delivered 10 printers and 91 monitors.
If we were to put a value on the equipment provided, based on figures obtained from commercial refurbisher’s and applying a conservative valuation of £120 per unit, the local Lions Clubs have arranged the donation of over £24,000 worth of equipment to the local community.
More important than the monetary figure is the benefit to over 200 families during this difficult time. This magnificent achievement has been possible only because of the cooperation of our supporters.
We still have over 30 laptops and 21 desktops to be refurbished, and further demand, so please keep supporting us. With special thanks to the Fleet Lions Club IT refurbishment team: Graham Drayton, Paulo Silva, Simon Rankin, and Brian Proctor, and those who have volunteered to pick up and drop off equipment .
This project is a perfect example of the invaluable kindness that the Lions, do time and time again, showcase to their local community. The IT Refurbishment Programme came at a time when children, students, everyone basically needed technology more than ever. Computers and laptops became more essential to connect with others, to learn, to work etc. The way of our money-oriented world works meant that tragically but naturally the cost of such equipment would rise, supply and demand. The Lions act of kindness here is something here at CommunityAd we think is just absolutely superb and want to thank all of involved.
At the time of writing this piece it is volunteers week, a week of reflection on all the good volunteers to for us nationally and locally. In the past few months since all of our lives were flipped turned upside, i’d like to take a minute to thank all of those amazing volunteers. The country has never had an army of volunteers the size of the one that assembled in the months of the pandemic. Here at CommunityAd we checked in with our favourite international Lion Philip Wilson, who has dedicated years of his life to the lions and keeps the Baskingstoke branch of Lions up to date with wonderfully written monthly reports.
So Philip, it is volunteers week currently, a week where as a nation we acknowledge all the work that the army of volunteers do for communities across the country, what would you like to say to those lion volunteers?
Every member of every Lions Club in the world, there are 1.4 million of us serving in nearly every country, is a volunteer. Furthermore, every member subscribes to the operation of their own club and of Lions Clubs International. This means that what we raise for charity goes to charity.
The main focus of every Club is to serve its local community. How each Club does this is very much a response to the needs arising in its location. During the 33 years that I have been a member of the Basingstoke Club our focus has changed considerably. Originally we helped many more focused charities with funds to get them started, and others with projects that were ongoing or beyond their means. Nowadays In Basingstoke we maintain close links with other local charities and social services who can always approach us in the knowledge that they will get a sympathetic hearing.
But the key to success is, as always, members and money. Fundraising is crucial. But the first three letters of that word are even more important. In Basingstoke we are very fortunate to have a very “spirited” membership with a terrific “can do” attitude which welcomes anyone who cares to visit us with a view joining or becoming a supporter.
The pandemic and lockdown has not been able to stop the lion serving their community has it?
Even now in the midst of the pandemic members who are able have been supporting foodbanks, delivering food parcels, supplying additional hand cream to help alleviate chapped hands at the local hospital and trying to get replacement white goods for families in need.
If anyone is reading this and thinking maybe i’d like to volunteer some of my time and energy towards the Lions, how and why should they?
I count being a member of the Basingstoke Lions one of the best things I have ever done. You can get stuck into things that in the normal course of life you just wouldn’t do. The challenges can be both physical and mental. It’s amazing what you can do if you try. I’d recommend it to anyone.
For any further info please head to Facebook @baskingstokelions or their website at –