BRIGHTON LIONS CELEBRATE THEIR DIAMOND JUBILEE

Formed in 1950 and the second oldest Lions Club in Great Britain, Brighton Lions are this year celebrating their 60th anniversary.

To commemorate the occasion, Lion Brian Slater has written a book entitled “Diamond Geezers” which gives a wonderful insight into the working of the Brighton Lions Club and its support for the community over those years.

· Did you know that Brighton Lions were the first to run commercial bingo in England?

· Did you know that Brighton Lions organised the first American Football match in Brighton?

· Did you know that Brighton Lions used to arrange SCOAP (Special Concerts for Old Age Pensioners) up to eight times a year?

· Do you know why Brighton Lions stopped organising the Brighton Carnival?

· Do you know that Brighton Lions, through its Housing Society, runs 109 purpose built flats and six bungalows for older people with limited incomes?

· Do you know that Brighton Lions founded Leo House, the charity that provides nurses for home hospice care for sick children?

All the answers to these questions, and much more, are found in this fascinating 185 page account of the Lions’ work in Brighton.

President of the Brighton Lions Club, Ron Fowler, said, 'Although the Lions are well known in Brighton, there are still many people who do not know the range and scope of our activities. This book will help explain all and we are deeply indebted to Lion Brian Slater for the time he has spent researching and compiling this publication.'

The book is on sale priced £7 and can be obtained through our web site. On the top menu select 'About our club', then 'Diamond jubilee' from the drop-down menu.

Money for Leo House

The Club has made a donation of £500 to Leo House, the children's hospice in the home service, in memory of Lion Derek Smith, a member who died last week.

Charity income down, expenditure up

A substantial part of our income for use on charitable causes comes from the investment of a large legacy we received some years ago. With the economic downturn, the investment income for the year ended 30 June last fell by very nearly 84% against the 2009 figure. Despite this, the club increased its charitable expenditure in the year by more than 8% to nearly £32,000, but this could only be done by dipping into our reserves.

New bottle outlet

We have a new outlet for our Message in a Bottle scheme. Bottles are now available at the Chapel Royal in North Street, Brighton.