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OVER 50 YEARS SERVING THE COMMUNITY
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Please Support Devizes Lions |
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We are also able to accept To make a donation from your mobile, simply - text DEVIZESLIONS to 70450 to donate £2 Texts will cost the donation amount plus one standard network rate message. |
or use this QR code
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Would you like to be part of the action? |
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To enable us to continue arranging fund raising events in the town and
deliver much needed support to the community,
COME ALONG AND HELP US .....
Our Club Needs You!
If you would like to help us help others, don't delay, contact us now.
WE NEED NEW PEOPLE WITH NEW IDEAS TO HELP US .....If you would like to find out about how you can help us, click here:
Who are Devizes Lions?
For all the latest Club News and Events,
scroll down this page or click one of these links:
| Lions News | ||
| Forthcoming Events | ||
| Recent Events | ||
| Message in a bottle | ||
| Who are Devizes Lions | ||
| Interested in joining us? | ||
| Devizes Lions President 2020/21 | ||
| What is being said about Devizes Lions | ||
or visit our Calendar for a full list of our forthcoming events
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Please Support Devizes Lions |
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Who are Devizes Lions?
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Devizes Lions are dedicated to helping the people of Devizes and those in the areas surrounding the town. If your organisation or group is in need of help and you think we can assist, please visit our Contacts Page and get in touch now. Devizes Lions are part of the Lions Clubs International organisation with 1.4 million men and women dedicated to helping their communities all over the world. |
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With the support of the local community Devizes Lions have raised many thousands of pounds to help support local people and various charities. Whether a group needing funds, a community action group or just someone seeking help, Devizes Lions try to make the problem smaller. During a typical year Devizes Lions raise funds through a variety of events, sales, collections and concerts, and distributes around £30,000 to worthwhile causes, including local individuals, families and groups that have approached us when in need of support. In addition, we have enabled groups to raise their own funds through our popular Sponsored Walk and Swimathon, and we provide around 500 local children with new sporting experiences over our Sports Coaching Weekend. Naturally, while working together in our joint endeavours, we form close and long-lasting friendships with other members and their families. |
Here are the Club's formally adopted fund-raising policy documents:
Public Benefit Statement
Grant Making Policy
Privacy Policy
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To find out more about Lions, download a copy of this publication:
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Step forward The Lions PR team has published a new resource, 'Step Forward - a report on the value of local community volunteering' You can read the on-line version here:
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But it's not all hard work!
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Here are some Lions enjoying a planning meeting! |
TO CONTINUE PROVIDING SUPPORT TO THE COMMUNITY WE NEED NEW MEMBERS TO HELP US
So now is the time to take this opportunity.
Find out more about becoming a Devizes Lion by contacting us now:
- phone us on 0345 833 6749
- e-mail us at Devizes Lions Club
- follow us on Facebook or Twitter
- visit our contact page for more options
A Brief History of Lions Clubs International
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In 1917, Melvin Jones, a 38-year-old Chicago business leader, told members of his local business club they should reach beyond business issues and address the betterment of their communities and the world. Melvin Jones' group, the Business Circle of Chicago, agreed. After contacting similar groups around the United States, an organizational meeting was held on June 7, 1917, in Chicago, Illinois, USA. |
The new group took the name of one of the invited groups, the "Association of Lions Clubs," and a national convention was held in Dallas, Texas, USA in October of that year. A constitution, by-laws, objectives and a code of ethics were approved and they elected Dr. William P. Woods of Indiana as their first President.
It was thanks to the support of Canadian Lions and the intervention of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, that the first Lions club in London was founded in 1950.
And the rest is history.
Devizes Lions' President 2020/21
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OUR PRESIDENT  |
Devizes Lions' new President, Jo Sheppard took over from former Lion President Jerry King at a handover celebration on 27 June 2021. Jo has the honour of becoming our first lady President. CONGRATULATIONS!
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30 Devizes Lions' members attended a Handover celebration on Sunday 27 June when Lion President Jerry King handed over the chain of office to our incoming President, Lion Jo Sheppard.
This is what she had to say:
I feel really honoured to be the first woman in Devizes Lions Club's history.
When I first joined the lions club , I never thought I would be hold this position.
As I reflect on our fifty year history , we all need to continue to promote what Devizes Lions Club does and can do for the local community.
I’m looking forward to the challenge of the next twelve months and we thank everybody for their continued support of the Club."
Enormous thanks are due to Jerry for a successful but challenging year and our Best Wishes go to Jo for her term of office. |
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Would you like to be part of the action? Click here: Find out more or Contact us. |
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What has been said about Devizes Lions
"Chase LOVED seeing Santa last night again, thanks so much to the Lions Club for continuing such a wonderful tradition that I can share with my child, that I remember doing as a child myself! Keeping Xmas magical." Cassie on our Facebook page.
"Big Thank You to Devizes Lions for organising the sponsored walk; we've managed to raise over £1400 (and still counting) for Victim Support"
"I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank the Devizes Lions again for their continued support for First Stages. It means a great deal to us to know that our work is recognised, and we are very proud and grateful to have been among so many worthy recipients last week. The support the Lions gives to the smaller local groups is so important. Thank you!" Carole Berry.
"The Monday Club would like to thank ... the Lions who have worked so hard to support us." Jackie.
"The cheque given to us will help keep our club afloat and enable us to give our members some little pleasures." - Devizes PHAB.
"It's all great news people! More then 500 kids took a part in sport weekend this year - I know, because I asked... I can see so many advantages, not only fun some of them will continue, for some of them it was perhaps the only opportunity to try some sports, more sport - better health! More 'inspired' kids - more 'sporty' adults in the future! All voluntary job by Lions Club, how amazing!" Asia K.
And recently posted on Facebook:
"My daughter has come back from a canoeing session, with Don Jones 's autograph!
Seriously, a huge thank you and well done to Devizes Lions for organising their sports weekend again. My girls have respectively canoed and played badminton. It's a fantastic opportunity for our youngsters to try their hand at something new, or at something that their parents might not otherwise be able to afford for them to do." Sue Ross
100 Years Serving the Community
Two members of DEVIZES LIONS Club have together amassed over 100 years of voluntary service to the local community. This milestone has been reached during the year in which the Club marks the 50th anniversary of its founding.
Soon after the Club formed in 1970 David Bousfield joined, and John Hurley did so a few months later. Over the years they have helped to organise many Lions’ events, including assisting individuals and groups in need of practical or financial help as well as organising large scale events such as Gymkhanas and the May and Christmas Fayres.
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David was President of the Club in 1984 and again in 2014. Like many of the Lions, David is well known in other fields. He is a solicitor with Wansbroughs in Devizes and has lived in Potterne for many years, he is a former trustee of the Wiltshire Community Foundation and governor of Devizes School. A keen sportsman, he was previously a county hockey player and remains a keen golfer.
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John was President of the Club in 1977, and now lives in New Park Street. He was Engineer & Surveyor to the former Devizes Rural District Council and then Kennet District Council. With his late wife Beryl he was active in the establishment of the Wharf Theatre and they were also leading figures in the Wiltshire family history scene, transcribing and publishing many records and giving talks over much of the country.
Both John and David remain active Club members preparing for the restart of the Club’s public activities and its next 50 years helping local individuals, families and groups in need of support.
Lions Clubs supply Message in a Bottle containers to people who have health and medical needs. The bottle is placed in your fridge and contains all the important information needed in an emergency.
Devizes Lions have placed supplies of bottles in all local doctors' surgeries for you to take home and use. If you can't see them, ask the receptionist. In the unlikely event they have run out, please let us know so we can replenish the stocks.
We have a couple of short videos about it:
Click the picture below to watch the first:
and click on this picture to view the other:
Autumn Fair at Devizes Corn Exchange
Saturday 30 October 2021 9:00am to 2:30pm
At the Autumn Fair you will find a wide range of stalls, selling toys, bikes, games, sports goods, books, tools. jigsaws, garden and small household items, kitchen utensils, gifts, Christmas decorations, bric-a-brac, a raffle with great prizes, light refreshments and much more.
All items sold at the Fair are given by you, the local public and all profits are used for charitable purposes.
Our last similar event was the 2019 Christmas Fair. You can find details of that event here: Christmas Fair
Lions on the Green Sunday 12 June 2022
At our first Lions on the Green in 2021, hundreds of people enjoying the sunshine came along and see a huge display of about 100 classic cars along with entertainment, food, artizan and charity stalls, all on the Large Green by Devizes School entrance.
To find out more click here: Lions on the Green or head over to our Lions on the Green page for full details.
Nick's LEJOG
02 to 25 June 2021
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To find out more, head over to |
75 year old Devizes Lion Nick Seager has successfully completed his epic bike ride from Land's End to John O'Groats raising £6400 for Devizes Lions' Charity funds.
| AWARD FOR LION NICK SEAGER |
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At a short ceremony at Devizes Lions' July meeting, Past President Jerry King awarded a much coveted Melvin Jones Fellowship award to Lion Nick Seager for his sterling effort in raising a total of £6,400 for the Club's charity funds by cycling from Lands’ End to John O’Groats - and all through his own effort. The Melvin Jones Fellowship (MJF) Award is named after our founder and is the highest recognition from the Lions Clubs International Foundation given to members who have rendered outstanding community services. |
WELL DONE, NICK |
Devizes Lion Nick Seager said:
"I am cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats because I'm nuts and I want to!
At 75 perhaps I should be thinking about taking it easy. Right?
Errr....No!
I'm an active member of Devizes Lions, a vibrant local charity that raises funds to help support both needy individuals and local charities.
Fund raising for charities has been a massive challenge for over a year now. I feel that I can help by raising money through this challenge.
Please donate whatever you can. 100% of the money
raised (including gift aid) will be used to support local charities. I shall personally cover all my ride expenses.
Originally planned for May 2020 I'm now scheduled for a June 2nd start from Land’s End arriving in John O’Groats on June 25th. I will mostly be cycling on my own and be self-supporting because of the times in which we’re living. I'm OK for that challenge but your charitable contributions would definitely give me a boost!
Here's his route - 998 miles and 52,572 feet of climbing. That's kill or cure isn't it?!"
Head over to Nick's LeJog web page and from there you’ll be able to follow his ride on his JustGiving page where there are daily map updates together with photos and comments.
Please donate whatever you can.
Thank you for your support.
Lions on the Green Sunday 13 June 2021
10:00am to 4:00pm
On June 13th, Devizes Lions held a brand new fund raising event: Lions on the Green.
Hundreds of people enjoyed the sunshine and came along and see a huge display of about 100 classic cars along with entertainment, food, artizan and charity stalls, all on the Large Green by Devizes School entrance.
Full details of this event are on the Lions on the Green web page.
| This event has been made possible by the generous support of Grist Environmental |  |
Sports Coaching weekend
05 and 06 June 2021
Regretfully, the 2020 weekend had to be cancelled at the last minute......
But Here's the Good News:
This Year's Sports Coaching Weekend was held on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th June 2021.
Once again, the weekend has provided special experiences for 250 local children who could each could try an activity that they might not normally encounter. This year the event was slimmed down to take account of Covid restrictions, but the children aged eight to eleven could still choose between golf, volleyball, athletics, canoeing, archery, adventurous activities, poolside diving, and synchronised swimming.
Devizes Lions acknowledge the generous support given by the Devizes Area Board of Wiltshire Council towards this event.
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Books and Bits Sale There is an interesting article about the Lions Books and Bits Sale we held in St Mary’s Church in the on line edition of the Gazette and Herald: Devizes Lions host fundraiser in historic church The sale was a successful event, raising a much-needed £380 for our charitable work in the community. A big Thank You to all of you that supported the event. There were about 2,000 books to choose from – all fiction titles are sorted by author, A to Z, and non-fiction sorted by topic, just as done in the past at the Lion’s Christmas Fair. All the recent books are in good condition, plus a number of collectables. The Bits element included the classic bric-a-brac items donated to Lions over the last months, together with children’s toys and games including a child’s pull along cart and trailer, a Subbuteo game and many more. It was well timed to get your reading matter ready for the summer holiday and support your local Lions Club at the same time. THANK YOU
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Click on the image to download a flyer
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Thanks to Lions in Devizes, Melksham and Chippenham almost 30 devices were delivered to Wiltshire Digital Drive at their Priority IT HQ in Westbury.
Within a working week, they will be wiped clean, the memories destroyed and replaced, reconfigured, and distributed to needy schoolchildren in the county.
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A BIG THANK YOU from Devizes Lions to all that supported us by making donations at our Christmas collections in the Brittox and at Morrisons where we safely accepted donations to support local Charities and those people and organisations that need our help.
Thank you all for your support during this difficult year.
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Shop window display
Come and have a look at our Christmas Window Display in the Brittox cheering up an empty shop front.
Thanks to Devizes Town Council for letting us make use of the premises and to the Lions who set up the display.
It looks wonderful!
Happy Christmas!
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Christmas message from Devizes Lions' President
LION PRESIDENT JERRY KING SAYS WE ARE VERY SORRY.....
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Oh dear! Sorry everybody.
We were so looking forward taking Santa round Devizes on our sleigh so that he could wave to the girls and boys before Christmas. We have just heard that he feels that for everybody's safety that is not going to be possible.
He is really sorry and so are all the Lions, but he says it's the right thing to do.
If we hear from Santa again before Christmas, I'll let you know what he says.
Meanwhile he wants you to stay happy and safe.
Jerry King, Lions Club President
And here is a MESSAGE FROM SANTA TO ALL YOU GIRLS AND BOYS in and around Devizes.
Click on the picture to view his message:
Lions and Rotary Joint Charity Golf Day
Wednesday 07 October 2020
The Charity Golf Day has
RAISED ALMOST £4000 FOR CANONS HOUSE
A fantastic result in the current circumstances.
Very many thanks to the organisers from Lions, Rotary and the North Wilts Golf Club for their hard work that enabled this event to happen - safely!
And even more thanks to the teams of golfers who enjoyed the day whilst at the same time helping Canons House.
We will post further updates here in due course. Watch this space or head over to our Charity Golf Day page for more details.
Lions' Den
Wednesday 9th September
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From the left: Elizabeth March-Henry and Ginette Peach from Little Bears, with Lion President Jerry King presenting the cheque.
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There was nothing to fear and everything to gain in The Devizes Lions’ Den! The 2020 Devizes Lions’ Den was held in the Town Hall Assembly Rooms on Wednesday 9th September by courtesy of the Devizes Town Council. This, the third Den run by Devizes Lions, had been postponed from its original Spring date due to the lock down restrictions then in place.
WELL DONE Little Bears!
To see what happened on previous Lions' Dens, visit our Club Projects page. |
VIRTUAL PRESENTATION EVENING
May and September 2020
Donations amounting to £8800 have been donated to 32 organisations.
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We have nowreceived contributions from all of the 23 recipients. That is a fantastic response and it is truly amazing to know about the wonderful work that they are all doing at this difficult time. |
Because we see the Coronavirus pandemic having a very significant impact on our fundraising activities for some months to come, we decided to restrict donations this year to those that will make an immediate beneficial impact locally. We have also decided to defer making decisions on the many groups and organisations that we normally support but are currently inactive, until life returns to some form of normality and the effects of the lock down on these organisations can be seen. We decided that the Presentation Evening this year would be a “virtual" event with BACS payments instead of the normal formal presentation of cheques in envelopes by the town’s Mayor. We think one of the important aspects of past presentation evenings has been learning what different groups are doing in and around Devizes. As recipients will not be there in person to tell us about their work this year, we asked for a paragraph or two informing us about what the organisation or Charity does and how the donation will help. All those that have responded have agreed that we may share that information between the beneficiaries and on our social media platforms. |
Swimathon
29th February 2020
The aim of the Swimathon is to make it simple for people to raise money for their own favourite charity or worthy cause.
Devizes Lions held their annual Sponsored Swimathon on Saturday the 29th February at Devizes Leisure Centre.
The Club was delighted that 21 teams took part in Swimathon2020 on Saturday afternoon and evening. The volunteer counters totalled up 1,660 lengths – that’s 41.5 km or 26 miles - of the pool achieved by swimmers of all ages. The total on the sponsorship cards amounted to £4,289 that goes to the groups and charities who entered. The swimmers from 2nd Devizes Guides accumulated 116 lengths in their 50 minutes session, the best total for any team in the event.
The Club is grateful for the willing assistance provided by the staff at the Leisure Centre.
Lion President Chris Ellis said,
“I would like to give my thanks to all who took part in the Swimathon on Saturday. It was great that we were able to run this event again
this year”.
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Can your Fund Raising Team swim for an hour between 4pm and 10pm on Saturday 29 February at Devizes Leisure Centre Pool? The Lions Club provide all the facilities and the forms for your own charity, organisation or group to get sponsorship and claim any possible Gift Aid. Teams of 4 to 8 swimmers can enter, with only one swimmer in the water at any time. Children, parents, teachers etc can all enter and we won’t charge you. For entry forms or more details, please contact Lion Andy Sheppard on 0345 833 6749 You can download your own copy of the poster here: swimathon 2020 poster
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Other past events
You can find out about many of the other events that Devizes Lions has organised by visiting our Club Projects Page: Club Projects
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Please Support Devizes Lions |
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Lions Clubs International is the world's largest service club organization with more than 1.4 million members in approximately 46,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas around the world.
