TONBRIDGE LIONS PANTO 2011

Tonbridge Lions Club’s hugely successful production of Cinderella has taken its last bow, after entertaining packed houses at every performance.

The Producer Richard Hill said “The Angel Centre box office was inundated with last minute bookings. So much so that extra seats were employed to increase the capacity. This meant that there was little room at the front. We hope that this didn’t inconvenience the audience too much.”

Performed by the local Drama Group, The CLIPS Theatre Company, the production was very family orientated, with all the usual pantomime humour and featuring many favourite songs.

Lion’s President Allan Mort said “ We had the awful weather last year, so we were pleased that so many people came to be entertained at our second pantomime. Lions are dedicated to providing a community service in Tonbridge, and the pantomime is a welcome addition to our other activities like the Summer Carnival and the Triathlon.”

All proceeds from the pantomime go to local charities.

Photo: The Mayor of T&MB, Cllr. Brian Luker with the cast of Cinderella, the producer, Richard Hill, and Tonbridge Lions President, Allan Mort.

FIRST TONBRIDGE HALF MARATHON TAKES PLACE

Following month of planning the first Tonbridge Half Marathon took place on the 25th September. The event was jointly organised by Tonbridge Lions and the Rotary Club of Tonbridge. The event was kindly supported by a number of sponsors woith the main one being Tonbridge Porsche. The weather was kind and approx 1000 runners took part over the undulating and testing course.

The event was kindly started by Dame Kelly Holmes

2011 HORSE SHOW

Funds mount up at the Sixteenth Annual Open Charity Horse Show.

Tonbridge Lions were delighted with the success of their sixteenth Annual Charity Horse Show held at Lodge Farm, Matfield on Sunday 4^th September. Like many other local horse shows this year, the Tonbridge Lions 16th Horse & Fun Dog Show had slightly fewer competitors than usual but still it managed to raise a substantial amount for the chosen charities. The weather was not as perfect as wished for with a two-hour rainstorm from noon onwards. Despite this the 300 competitors and horses competed in 44 classes in 10 Rings and over 80 dogs participated in the Fun Dog Show and Dog Agility.

“We believe that when the counting is over, we will have earned over £6000 to distribute between Lions International Blood Research Appeal, which funds equipment for the development of cell therapies at the Department of Haematological Medicine at King’s College Hospital, Headway and other local Tonbridge charities. Proceeds from the sale of raffle tickets will go to Riding for the Disabled at Leybourne Grange." said Bob Taylor the Chairman of the Horse Show committee. "The success is due to the facts that we are able to call upon the over 70 volunteers, comprising members of Tonbridge Lions Club and their wives, Friends of Lions, volunteer Judges, young members from the 2520 (Tonbridge) Squadron Air Training Corps and our hard working Show Secretary, Carole Chapman.”

Photo: Working Hunter Champion, Laura Craner on Misty Miss with Lion President Allan Mort presenting the Penfold Challenge Cup.

DIABETES TESTING AT THE ANGEL CENTRE

Tonbridge Lions were delighted with the success of their diabetes screening held on 20^th August.  233 people were tested and 7 of them showed blood sugar levels that resulted in them being referred to their GPs for further tests and medical advice.

Representing Tonbridge and Malling BC, Cllr Ann Kemp was welcomed by Tonbridge Lions’ President, Allan Mort before getting her blood sugar level checked.

The success of the screening was attributed to a number of people who contributed to the testing, in particular Tonbridge Lions wish to thank Medix whose professional staff carried out the blood tests.  Thanks to Tonbridge and Malling BC who provided the site in the Angel Centre car park. The excellent pre-event publicity through the Courier proved very effective judging by the numbers who came to the Angel Centre specifically to be tested.

Chairman of the Lions organising committee, Red Dill said, “This is the ninth screening that we have organised and we are delighted with the response.  Early detection of diabetes enables treatment that reduces the risk of the development of serious complications. We plan to build on this success with another screening session next year.” 

Seated L to R. Cllr Ann Lane, Lion President Allan Mort, Mrs Jackie Mort

                                                                                                      Standing L to R. Lions Fred Aldridge, Derek Webb, Mike Fenn

Tonbridge Lions Club would like to thank the good people of Tonbridge who turned out to support this year's Carnival despite the poor weather.

They watched 35 entries process through the High Street that included Tonbridge Angels FC and Tonbridge Juddians RC along side main sponsors Parker Building Supplies

and representatives from many local schools, clubs and societies.

The winners judged by Mayor Councillor Brian Luker, Lion President Mike Edwards together with their respective wives Joy & Lynda were:

 Adult Float   -  Pickering Cancer Drop In Centre

Junior Float  -  Longmead Community Primary School

Adult Walking  -  Bananaman (Nick the 'Trolley Boy' from Sainsbury Tonbridge).

Junior Walking  -  Roselands Pre-School

Majorettes  -  Tri-Star Twirlers

The triumphant band in The Southern England Parade Band Contest were the very smart and accomplished Hornchurch Pipe & Drum Corps who performed in the arena during the afternoon.

The crowd were also entertained by displays from Synergy Taekwon-Do, Stagecoach Theatre School, Aerodance and Cannon Irish Dance.

Stallholders at The Fete reported good takings and all monies raised will be distributed by The Lions Club to local charities and good causes.

Carnival Chairman Lion Lofty Bunyon on behalf of the club would like to thank all who made the day possible and especially Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council, Tonbridge Police, Kent Fire & Rescue, Kent Highways, Kentec Tool Hire (Tonbridge) and T & T Express Deliveries (Tonbridge).

The "one-off" evening Party On The Lawn suffered from the atrocious weather. The driving rain coupled with a cold wind kept new ticket sales down but a hardcore of determined

townsfolk stayed until 9pm huddled under umbrellas and gazebos. They were encouraged by Benedict Smith from KMFM Radio who generously gave his time and enjoyed colourful and rhythmic music from samba band Bloco Fogo and a selection of popular music from the very talented Kathryn Buck and Friends.

The Royal British Legion were delighted with the event which included a toast to The Legion in recognition of their 90th birthday led by Tonbridge Branch Chairman Mr Vivian Oakley in the presence of The Branch Standards, The Mayor Councillor Brian Luker & Lion President Mike Edwards.

All proceeds from ticket sales and the evening's raffle will be go to The Poppy Appeal.

The 20th Tonbridge Lions Triathlon Event took place on May 2 at Tonbridge School.  We are extremely fortunate to have such a top class facility available, right on our doorstep.

This year, 342 entrants took part on a dry, sunny but windy day, which may have caused problems for the cycling element of the event and also to those marshals and helpers who were in shady or windswept locations!

The overall winner for this year's event was Billy Parker Brown in a time of 1.09.23 narrowly beating Neil Harris our winner of the last two years by 35 secs.

 Although the event requires a lot of planning and long hours for the marshals and other helpers and staff, it is well worth the effort when one realises that the proceeds from the event go towards supporting local charities and people less fortunate than ourselves.  I estimate this year's event will raise approximately £9,500 for charitable purposes.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who contributed to make the day a successful and safe one and the management and staff at Tonbridge School who enabled us to hold the event and make use of their facilities.

Finally, I would like to thank all the competitors and their supporters who we hope had a wonderful race. We look forward to seeing you all next year.

Tom Simmons

Triathlon Chairman 2011

CHARTER NIGHT 2011

On Saturday 5th March, the annual Charter night dinner took place at Salomons in Southborough. 131 attended including the Worshipful the Mayor of Tonbridge and Malling Councillor Sue Murray with her husband Stuart, District Governor Mike Howes and his wife Christine and the President of Tonbridge Rotary Club Mr Eddie Prescott with his wife Barbara. There were also a large number of Lions from surrounding Clubs in attendance.

On Saturday 26^th February 130 seniors who live alone, were treated by Tonbridge Lions Club to an afternoon of entertainment and refreshments at Tonbridge Baptist Church.  The guests were transported to the venue by Lions members and enjoyed a performance by Lions and their ladies.  During the show, which had a cruise ship holiday theme, the cast of 18 performed well-known songs from around the world. The audience participated in a Sing-a-long-a-Lions session. Three birthday cakes were presented and more than a dozen free raffle prizes awarded to the lucky winners.

During the interval afternoon tea and cakes, made by the Lions’ ladies, were served.  The Mayor of Tonbridge and Malling, Councillor Sue Murray, was in attendance and gave a vote of thanks to the Lions on behalf of the guests. Lion Dixon Hawkins, chairman of the organising committee, said  “I was delighted that the whole event went to plan and was very gratified by the appreciation shown by our guests at the end of the afternoon.”

Tonbridge Lions’ Christmas Collection

Tonbridge Lions have rolled out their barrel organ again for their Christmas collection in Tonbridge.

To demonstrate her support for the good work done by the club, The Mayor of Tonbridge and Malling BC, Cllr. Sue Murray met with Lion President Mike Edwards at the barrel organ outside Sainsburys.

 The idea for a Christmas collection, with the proceeds being used to provide Christmas hampers to some of the elderly in the community, started back in 1952.  At that time the Club had been in existence for less than two years and was just beginning to establish its reputation as a charitable service organisation in the Town.  Founder member Lions Tom Wakefield and Jim Parks had to drive an open van to Brighton to collect a barrel organ that was hired at a cost of ten guineas a week. As well as appearing in the High Street, the barrel organ was taken to pubs in the town where customers were encouraged to make donations to the good cause by being allowed to give the organ handle a twirl.  The proceeds of the collection were used to provide gifts – two hundredweight of coal and two bushels of logs (a precursor to the Government’s Winter Fuel Allowance) for the elderly.

In 1969, as barrel organs became museum pieces and were more difficult to obtain, club members set about building one of their own.  The music came from a tape recorder powered by a huge lead acid battery from a railway carriage.  Thankfully electronic miniaturisation has provided smaller and lighter equipment to be installed in more recent years.

Commenting on this year’s collection, Lion President Mike Edward said, “We are delighted to have collected over £1000 in the first two days and we are exceedingly grateful for the generosity of the people of Tonbridge for helping us to help others.”

Fifteenth Annual Open Charity Horse Show bucks the trend.

Tonbridge Lions were delighted with the success of their fifteenth Annual Charity Horse show held at Lodge Farm, Matfield on Sunday 5^th September. Unlike many other local horse shows this year, the Tonbridge Lions 15th Horse & Fun Dog Show not only attracted more competitors but managed to raise more than ever for the chosen charities. The weather was once again absolutely perfect and the 320 competitors and horses competed in 7 Rings and over 100 dogs participated in the Fun Dog Show and Dog Agility

Diabetes Screening – 7 August 2010

Tonbridge Lions were delighted with the success of their diabetes screening held on 7^th August.  213 people were tested and 4 of them showed blood sugar levels that resulted in them being referred to their GPs for further tests and medical advice.

The Deputy Mayor of Tonbridge and Malling, Cllr Brian Luker was welcomed by Tonbridge Lions’ President, Mike Edwards before getting his blood sugar level checked. (Photo).

The success of the screening was attributed to a number of people who contributed to the testing, in particular Tonbridge Lions wish to thank Medix whose professional staff carried out the blood tests.  Thanks also go to Roche Diagnostics, who donated the testing materials, and to Tonbridge and Malling BC who provided the site in the Angel Centre car park. The excellent pre-event publicity through the Courier proved very effective judging by the numbers who came to the Angel Centre specifically to be tested.

Chairman of the Lions organising committee, Ron Nutley said, “This is the eighth screening that we have organised and we are delighted with the response.  Early detection of diabetes enables treatment that reduces the risk of the development of serious complications. We plan to build on this success with another screening session next year.” 

The Lions Club have done the people of Tonbridge proud once again with a very successful event.

Everyone worked really hard, the weather was kind and the local community turned out in what may have been record numbers.

People's generosity was evident with a 60% increase in Lions stalls' takings and more than a 20% increase on our bucket collections throughout the Carnival and on The Castle Lawn.

After expenses the event raised in excess of £5100.

With the support of The Tonbridge Branch Of The Royal British Legion we were able to deliver on our promise to make Carnival 2010 an opportunity to salute our Armed Forces and their continuing dedication and service.

We are donating £1500 to Help For Heroes and £500 each to

St. Dunstans, Combat Stress & The Royal British Legion.

The Legion were able to secure the appearance in the procession of a 'Traditional Gurkha Band'. They travelled from Aldershot & Reading and together with their family & friends added a special flavour to proceedings.

This was the second year of The Marching Band Competition and the standard was very high. The Champion Band from Burgess Hill performed on The Castle Lawn.

Introducing 'Morgan Cars' in the procession was well received and the floats and walking groups from local schools, clubs & societies were of the usual high standard. A very big thank-you goes to T&T Transport who provide most of the lorries and drivers for the floats. Without their help the procession would not happen.

The Mayor of T&MBC Councillor Sue Murray & Lion President Bunny Bates together with their partners judged the procession entrants in different classes and trophies were awarded at The Fete.

Making more use of River Walk worked well with visitors being greeted with a Silver Band, Climbing Wall, Bungee Trampolines, A Crazy Kithcen, Sea Scouts on The Medway and other stalls before they had even ventured on to the Castle Lawn.

Punch & Judy, Rondo The Clown, a Giant Inflatable Slide and other fairground type rides kept the young people occupied whilst their parents and grandparents took advantage of the time to visit old favourites like the Cake, Book, Bric-a-brac, 'Bling' and Plant stalls then trying their skill at the ever popular Coconut Shie, Hoopla, Tombola and other games. After their exertions a sit down at the new 'Cream Tea stall' was most welcome and this addition proved very popular. We are very grateful to Waitrose who donated 200 cream teas for us to sell.

The Council were very impressed with the way the event was organised and especially with the very clean state in which the venue was left. Thank you to everyone for their efforts.

Last but by no means least, we must thank The Fire Brigade, The Police, Medix and The ATC for their help and support. Each will receive a donation from the club's Charity Account.

The Lions Club have done the people of Tonbridge proud once again with a very successful event.

Everyone worked really hard, the weather was kind and the local community turned out in what may have been record numbers.

People's generosity was evident with a 60% increase in Lions stalls' takings and more than a 20% increase on our bucket collections throughout the Carnival and on The Castle Lawn.

After expenses the event raised in excess of £5100.

With the support of The Tonbridge Branch Of The Royal British Legion we were able to deliver on our promise to make Carnival 2010 an opportunity to salute our Armed Forces and their continuing dedication and service.

We are donating £1500 to Help For Heroes and £500 each to

St. Dunstans, Combat Stress & The Royal British Legion.

The Legion were able to secure the appearance in the procession of a 'Traditional Gurkha Band'. They travelled from Aldershot & Reading and together with their family & friends added a special flavour to proceedings.

This was the second year of The Marching Band Competition and the standard was very high. The Champion Band from Burgess Hill performed on The Castle Lawn.

Introducing 'Morgan Cars' in the procession was well received and the floats and walking groups from local schools, clubs & societies were of the usual high standard. A very big thank-you goes to T&T Transport who provide most of the lorries and drivers for the floats. Without their help the procession would not happen.

The Mayor of T&MBC Councillor Sue Murray & Lion President Bunny Bates together with their partners judged the procession entrants in different classes and trophies were awarded at The Fete.

Making more use of River Walk worked well with visitors being greeted with a Silver Band, Climbing Wall, Bungee Trampolines, A Crazy Kithcen, Sea Scouts on The Medway and other stalls before they had even ventured on to the Castle Lawn.

Punch & Judy, Rondo The Clown, a Giant Inflatable Slide and other fairground type rides kept the young people occupied whilst their parents and grandparents took advantage of the time to visit old favourites like the Cake, Book, Bric-a-brac, 'Bling' and Plant stalls then trying their skill at the ever popular Coconut Shie, Hoopla, Tombola and other games. After their exertions a sit down at the new 'Cream Tea stall' was most welcome and this addition proved very popular. We are very grateful to Waitrose who donated 200 cream teas for us to sell.

The Council were very impressed with the way the event was organised and especially with the very clean state in which the venue was left. Thank you to everyone for their efforts.

Last but by no means least, we must thank The Fire Brigade, The Police, Medix and The ATC for their help and support. Each will receive a donation from the club's Charity Account.

Good weather blessed the event once again after a few worried looks out of the window over the days leading up to the big day. We had a full entry list and were expecting a fiercely contested race as usual.  There were 450 entrants which ranged from Novices to seasoned Internationals however, in the spirit of the event everyone helped everyone else no matter their level of competition. This event is now an integral part of the club and raises a large amount of money for local charities and we hope to continue to run the event for many years to come. This years event was won by a local man, Neil Harris who successfully defended his 2009 title and he will no doubt be going for the hat trick of wins next year.

DIAMOND JUBILEE CHARTER NIGHT AT SALOMONS ON THE 6TH MARCH 2010
Tonbridge Lions Club celebrated its 60th Anniversary Charter night at Salomons on the evening of the 6th March 2010. The event was attended by some 180 persons including the Worshipful the Mayor of Tonbridge and Malling, Councillor Sue Murray accompanied by her husband Stuart, Past International Director Lion Colin Vincent accompanied by his wife Val, District Governor Lion Eddie Warne accompanied by his wife Lion Maureen and the President of Tonbridge Rotary Club, Mr Gordon Court accompanied by his lady Mrs Hilary Murphy. There were also a great number of representatives from our daughter clubs and those clubs in both our zone and region.

Another Senior Singles party has come and gone!
After weeks , indeed months of planning, rehearsing and preparation it was all over in in 3 hoiurs at the Baptist Church on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Put like that, it sounds simple and starightforward, but  a great many hours and a lot of hard work went into what proved to be yet another successful and enjoyable afternoon. Certianly, the 124 guests who attended thought so judging by the comments we haev received and their rave reviews in the cars as we took them back home. We were once again graced with the presence of The Worshipful the Mayor of Tonbridge and Malling, Councillor Sue Murray accompanied by her husband and we are grateful to them both for giving up the time to attend once again.

NORMAL SERVICE HAS BEEN RESUMED

After last year’s Horse Show (the thirteenth !), which had to be postponed because of almost 2 weeks of continuous rain, we reverted back to almost perfect Horse Show weather this year.  With the rest of the country suffering from a wet summer it was very noticeable how dry it has been in Kent this year as we found it very difficult to push in the plastic post spikes more than a few inches. Colin (our sign man) earned his keep this year as he had to use an iron spike to make holes for 50+ signs he erects.

Apart from a minor hiccup on Saturday when setting up the Rings, (has anyone borrowed  a bag of electric tape !!) the whole show went very smoothly. In fact the only injury the ambulance crews had to deal with was a wasp sting !(John Ruck’s grandson).

We make money from the Horse Show from quite a few income streams. The main money spinner of course being the entries. This year we increased the price per Class but reduced it for ‘bulk purchases’ , the idea was to avoid having too many horse boxes to park and too many horses on the show ground, which slows the whole day down. We have yet to finalise the money count but first indicators seem to show we broke our record for entry income with less horses (we had almost 300 whereas in 2007 we had 360 which completely filled both parking areas).

The second income stream is from sponsors/advertisers in the Schedule. This is our insurance policy. If we have to cancel we can still pay any debts with the income from the Schedule. This year the number of advertisers was down because of the recession and we were hit by the withdrawal of our main sponsor. However, an anonymous ‘white knight’ came forth at the last minute and sponsored the Hospice in the Weald advert.

The third income stream is food. This is also very weather dependent. Too hot and the sale of drinks (low margin) goes up but food (high margin) is down. With cooler weather we can even run out so we have to rush off to Waitrose in Borough Green ! Catering is a fine balancing act ably organised by Ian and his sturdy team.

The fourth income stream comprises the various ‘pay as you go’ Rings such as the Dog Show, Dog Agility, Clear Round, Handy Pony and Gymkhana plus the raffle. This year all of these were well up on previous years.

We will not know exactly how much we have made until our hon. Treasury has finished his counting but at this stage our best guess is between £6-7000.  

What many of you don’t notice are the ‘logistics’ of the Show. The Saturday set up follows a well trodden path of begging and borrowing. There are over 30 jumps to be brought in (from Sevenoaks Riding Club, Lodge Farm and Platt). The tents comes from Scout clubs in the district and are put up and taken down with ease by a very efficient (most of the time) team of ex scouters.

Taking everything down after a hard day on the Show ground is a real test of stamina. However, this year the ATC excelled with many more volunteers which was a great help. .

Finally I would very much like to thank our committee (and those co-opted for specific skills !) and all of you, your ladies and friends for making it such a great day.

Sunday 14 June dawned fine and sunny and by 8.00am there was a hive of activity on Tonbridge Castle Lawn where the Lions and supporters were busy setting up there stalls for the afternoon fete.  Elsewhere around the town many groups were beginning to decorate their floats for the Carnival Procession on the theme of Cartoon Characters.  Further afield five marching bands were preparing for the trip to Tonbridge for the opportunity to compete in the first Southern England Parade Band Contest.

 Soon after 12.00 noon the crowds started to arrive at the Watergate to listen to the Oxted Band who kept them entertained until the arrival of the Carnival Procession and the stalls started to take money from the early arrivals.   At 1.00pm the roads were closed and the procession started the 1 1/2 mile journey to the Castle lead by the mayor, Cllr Sue Murray,  Cheryl Baker and the Lions President, John Cox, and their partners and the five marching bands.  By this time the High Street was packed with thousands soaking up the carnival atmosphere.  Over thirty different organisations took part in the procession.   After the procession had disbanded most of the crowd entered the Castle to try their hand at various games, buy articles from the stalls or watch the excellent entertainment on the Lawn.     The mayor and Cheryl Baker presented trophies to the winning bands, majorettes and other procession entries and later drew the winning tickets for the Tonbridge Carnival Raffle.  

The weather stayed fine all day and everybody seemed to enjoy themselves.   The public contributed very generously to the activities and although we do not know how much every stall raised it is expected to be well over £6,000 which is all used for local charitable causes.  

My thanks go to the Committee for making this such a successful event and for the public for supporting us so well.  

We are now starting to organise next year's which will be on Sunday 13 June 2010.

The cold and wet weather last Sunday morning (17 May) failed to dispirit the 163 walkers who set out to raise funds for their favourite local charitable causes.

Tonbridge Lions Club staged their 28^th Annual Charity Walk that provides a means for other charities to raise funds for themselves. There were 21 groups of sponsored walkers that included Beaver Scouts. Majorettes, Scout and Guide Band members and Junior Angel Bowls players and supporters.

The final sum raised by these groups has yet to be calculated as the sponsors’ money is still being collected but estimates indicate it will be well in excess of £6,000.

The Lions offered a choice of a 5 mile or 10 mile walk.  They had planned the routes, printed stage by stage instructions, and provided marshals and drink  stations along the routes. At the finish each walker had their sponsor form officially “stamped” to show that they had completed the walk and John Cox, President of Tonbridge Lions presented each one with a certificate.

Other beneficiaries of funds from the event include St Mary’s Church Tower Fund, Leigh; Burrswood Hospital Appeal, Groombridge; Tonbridge Mencap; Roselands Pre-School, Higham Lane; Kent Air Ambulance; Cancer Research; Parkinson’s Disease Society; West Kent Dyslexia Association.

The annual Tonbridge Lions triathlon was once again held on the 4th May and after a gap of two years at Sevenoaks whilst Tonbridge School re-developed the swimming centre, we returned to our spiritual home. Alarms went off early ( and even earlier for the committee) and the day looked set for good weather even though it was difficult to tell when still dark. We had 400 entrants with the first starter at 7.00am and the event did indeed start right on time.  The weather was  good throughout the event and 350 competitors completed the course with the overall winner being Neil Harris in a time of 1.07.50 who pipped last years winner Simon Mclaughlin by 1 minute. Neil also had a magnificent swim in a time of 5.13 and won the Norman Samms memorial trophy. Not all the athletes can complete the course in such fantastic times but all have their own stories and well done to all who finished what ever the time.

One competitor is worth a special mention, No 171 Eric Kitts. Eric was very severely mugged not too long ago and his attackers managed to break his jaw, his knee and an ankle. On  his road to recovery he was encouraged by a triathlete friend to train with him, which he duly did. Encouraged by this he decided to enter the Tonbridge Triathlon even though his ankle was not fully recovered. He was driven to compete by the fact he had managed to raise sponsorship for Leukemia Research in the region of £500 which is a magnificent acheivement taking into account the circumstances. Eric did indeed finish the course in 1.53.10 - well done.

The event would not be possible without the help of so many people and we thank everyone who helped and indeed the school for being such great hosts.

CHARTER NIGHT 7th March 2009

The club held its 59th Charter night  on Saturday 7th March 2009 at High Rocks ,Tunbridge Wells. The celebration was presided over by Lion President John Cox accomapanied by his wife Irene. The Worshipful the Mayor of Tonbridge and Malling together with his wife were present as were District Governor Jacqui Prebble and her husband and the President of Tonbridge Rotary, Club Mr Brian Buck with his wife. Approx. 140 guests enjoyed an evening of dinner and dancing and all look forward to our Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

PARTY  FOR  SENIOR  SINGLES 2009

The annual Senior Singles Party, organised by the Tonbridge Lions Club, took place at Tonbridge Baptist Church in Darenth Avenue on Saturday 28^th February 2009.

Singing, dancing and comedy was part of an afternoon’s entertainment staged for around 140 senior single citizens from Tonbridge, Hildenborough and Hadlow, by Lion members and their wives, who had been busy rehearsing for the show for several months.

During the interval, a tea party was enjoyed by all.  Tonbridge & Malling Borough Deputy Mayor, Cllr. Sue Murray and her husband Stuart attended and together with Lion President John Cox and his wife Irene, also joined in the fun.

There were many prizes up for grabs in the free raffle including hampers, tins of chocolate biscuits and plants.

The Chairman of the Senior Singles Committee, Lion Pete Davis said that the event is very popular and had been a great success, much enjoyed by our guests.

For the last 12 years you could almost rely on excellent weather for the Tonbridge Lions Horse Show. However, the 13^th year proved a point. It was so wet at Lodge farm Matfield that “we could have held a swimming gala instead “ said Bob Taylor the Horse Show Chairman. “However we decided we would postpone to the 28^th rather than cancel and someone must have been looking after us as yet again the weather was perfect”.

“We had about 250 entries this year which was down from previous years as many riders had other engagements” said Janey Williams, Show Secretary “ but as usual, everyone had a great time and enjoyed themselves. There were over 40 Classes as well as a Fun Dog Show”. “Our aim is to give everyone a chance to experience entering in a Horse Show from novice to experienced hands.” “Polly, who had never entered anything before won her Class and came away with the Challenge Cup ! “

The Mayor of Tonbridge and Deputy Mayor of Tunbridge Wells were on hand to help with the judging of the Fancy Dress Class with an amazing 15 entries. The eventual winners were Captain Max helped by Stewardess Zoe Sollis with their four legged BA plane !

This year the money raised will be going to Headway (which helps those with brain injuries), Safety in Action (which creates events to make youngsters aware of the dangers they face in everyday life)  and other local Tonbridge charities.

We would like especially to thank our Secretary Janey Williams and her team, all our judges, the Horse Show Committee, Lions and their wives and friends of Lions, all of whom gave up about the only good day in August and September to ensure the Show went on !

DIABETES TESTING WEEKEND 9TH/10TH AUGUST

Another successful event with the usual support from the general public. Over 150 tests were completed and there were a number of high readings which require further investigation by those persons' G.P's.

SENIOR SINGLES PARTY MARCH 2008

The annual Senior Singles Party, organised by Tonbridge Lions Club, took place at Tonbridge Baptist Church in Darenth Avenue on Saturday 15th March, 2008.

Around 30 Lions, together with their wives and Friends of Lions, staged an afternoon’s entertainment of singing, dancing, and comedy for over 120 senior single people from Tonbridge, Hildenborough and Hadlow.During the interval, tea, cakes and snacks were served by members of the club together with Cllr Ann Kemp, Mayor of Tonbridge and Malling. Her husband Jimmy was also there to join in the fun.

Refreshments were followed by a free raffle, with prizes including a hamper, boxes of chocolates and flowers, after which the show continued.

Committee chairman Dixon Hawkins said; ‘’ The day went well and was enjoyed by the audience and Lions and their ladies. We are very pleased that the Mayor Mrs Ann Kemp was able to attend. I would like to thank every one who helped to make the afternoon a success’’.