Wisbech Lions Club 1972 – 2008

In the beginning

The Club history has been drawn from Club records and a booklet produced by Past District Governor Lion Kevin Rodgers in 2008. He has kindly given us permission to produce this, and use photographs from his original work.

Wisbech Lions Club was Chartered in November 1972. Since those days much water has flowed under Wisbech Town Bridge.

In the summer Wisbech businessman Gerald Salter wanted to join a club to help his fellow man. A member of Norwich Lions Club met Gerald and the rest is history. Helped by Lion Jim Weight of Kings Lynn Lions, Gerald was granted authority to start the Lions Club of Wisbech.

The formation meeting was held at The White Hart Hotel in October 1972. The Deputy District Governor Robert Clifton, Zone Chairman Eric Reed, President Jim Weight and six members of Kings Lynn Lions Club were present with twenty prospective members of the newly formed Wisbech Lions Club. They were:

Service and fundraising

The first service the new Club performed was to distribute parcels to the old and needy in Wisbech at Christmas. The first fundraising event was a raffle with tickets sold at the Corn Exchange. Top prize was £10 and tickets were three pence each. Transport was also organised for children with learning difficulties to attend a club at the Isle College. In January 1973 a few months after getting started a group of Lion members were ‘volunteered’ for ‘wood chopping sessions’ in Harecroft Road.

In 1976 a request went to local service clubs to help replant the two roundabouts at Freedom Bridge. Lion Jack Durrant organised and controlled the project. Bombers Nurseries offered to clear the site, Dennicks provided fertiliser and Gilletts the grass seed. All that was needed was a considerable amount of labour. Many members put in many hours and the work neared completion in May 1977. Lion Frank Retchless contacted the Council and on August 18th the project was handed over.

In the early 1990s the idea of a burying a ‘Time Capsule’ in Market Square was suggested by President Lion Jack Durrant. Lion Mervyn Saunders took responsibility for the project. A large plastic cool box was selected. Lion Mervyn then took advice from Wisbech & Fenland Museum about what to included in the time capsule. Council permission was granted to bury the capsule. All Club members were given a standard form and filled it in to be put with various other items of the day. The capsule is due to be opened in 2042 after 50 years. Lion Kevin Rodgers having a poor memory did two copies of his form and within a few years looked at what he had expected prices would be in 2042. He thought 20 cigarettes would be four pounds, fish and chips five pounds and a loaf one pound. The Time Capsule was buried and a photograph of the event shows Lions Mervyn Saunders, Frank Retchless, Ralph Stott, Don Burlingham, John Buck, Jack Durrant and Gerald Salter were present.

An amenity area near the Town Bridge was built by members of Wisbech Lions Club in the early 1980s. Discussion extended more than five years. During the floods in Wisbech in 1978 an area originally occupied by four small shops on Cornhill was badly affected and the shops demolished. A derelict site was left. A local ‘Key Markets’ shop put up £1000 for environmental work and Wisbech Lions won the monies to put hard landscaping into operation. President Lion John Buck dug the first space of soil in the presence of Lion Mervyn Saunders, Lion Bob Lake and Councillor Ann Carlisle who had purchased nine garden benches from a memorial fund for her father, Mr William Carlisle, the former surgeon who died in 1979. Councillor Carlisle also paid for plants and the area has two plaques – one honouring Wisbech Lions and one naming the area Carlisle Gardens.

For many years an annual street collection combined with a Lions cake stall took place on Market Place. Most members joined in the activity spending a few hours with collecting tins. The cake stall featured home made cakes by members of the club at the time. These were successful collections and the Club was well supported by the local community. 

From the earliest days of the Club, ‘Teddy Bear’ stalls were run at Garden Fetes and Galas in the summer months. This now takes the form of a stall at Wisbech Rose Fair or Christmas Market. Many thousands of soft toys have been won over the years.

The club also organised Race Nights from its early years. At one time this was considered an almost permanent fixture in the Lionistic Year. Another annual fixture was a barbecue held in Lion David Humphrey’s barn. There would be bales of straw and a raised platform for a band mostly playing ‘Sixties’ music. Over the years different fixtures were started – a Conker Championship started in 2003 remains popular seventeen years on.

The first Club Charter Night celebration was held in February 1973. In the first few years of the Club the Charter celebration was held as a Charity Ball. In those days this was a major fundraising event. As the Charter night is primarily a Club celebration it was decided to have two events in the year. Club Charter night was held in February and the Charity Ball Fundraiser in November at the Great Hall, Isle College. For many years the ball was one of the best social events in the town with tickets in great demand. Within a year or so members put on a Cabaret act in the band’s interval. Lions refusing to act had to pay a forfeit. Lion Jack Walpole a Charter member, paid his fine with whisky for the acts before they performed. Lion Jack provided the whisky every year until sadly he died on 26th November 1983, the Charity Ball day. Lion David Humphrey once acquired a Reliant Robin to do a Del Boy sketch. Pity they did not measure the entrance way, the car was too big to get into the hall. With much effort it was ‘squeezed’ in and the cabaret a success. It is sad that there was no video of the ‘surprise’ sketch where tall and thin Lion Frank Retchless and Lion Chalkie White who was not tall and thin, danced the ‘Sugar Plum Fairy’ from the Nutcracker Suite, perfectly. They kept straight faces and were serious throughout the performance. Maybe the whisky helped!

The Peterborough Pot

The President of Peterborough Lions Club in 1973, Lion Gwyn Williams presented the Club with a pewter mug to be used as a challenge trophy between club members, in the hope it would help them get to know one another better. This ‘Peterborough Pot’ was still in use in 2008 and it still is used in 2020 (more of that later). The first function was in early 1973, a darts competition at the Crown Public House Outwell. Challenges have varied over the years from darts, football, cricket and hockey to horseshoe throwing, canoeing, cake making and draughts. It was fiercely contested, as any Lion who could win and hold the pot for three consecutive challenges would be allowed to inscribe their name on the Pot. It was great fun.

Social events

Social events were planned and the first ‘Meals by Instalments’ evening was held in 1973. Three courses of a meal would be taken at three different homes with the host or hostess having no idea who would turn up until they arrived. The evening would often finish at the President’s house for coffee! This event was popular with members and their families for many years. Occasionally visitors were invited to the Club meetings to speak on various subjects including ‘Primitive Tribes of New Guinea’ and ‘Rowing in the Boat Race’.

Whilst the Charity Ball was the biggest fundraising event, other events over the years have also generated funds for the clubs charity account. Without such a fund the Club would not be able to support the many local causes it has over the years. Lion Ralph Stott organised an annual Golf Tournament for many years during the time when half the club members could play golf. This was probably the second best fundraising event thanks to Lion Ralph’s enthusiasm, and the respect of many local golfers for it.

When jogging and running were in vogue in the 1980s, Wisbech Lions Club organised a half- marathon race. What started as a fun run changed when it was realised how many serious runners were entering. The race started in Chapel Road car park through Leverington, North Brink and back to the start. March Athletic Club helped with timing and the times were remarkable for the first few years until the discovery that the course was about one hundred yards short of the 13.1 mile limit. That was solved by moving the start to the rear of the Car Park. In those days the event was sponsored by Spillers Petfoods with a little help from Lion Dr Ken Clift, the factory chemist.

When the Club was formed it was decided that every other meeting would be a meal evening and it has largely stayed the same ever since. The early Social evenings were mostly members and invited speakers. Guests have included Solicitors, bank managers, explorers, air hostesses and many more with a story to tell. In those early years most Lions Clubs were male only membership with wives and partners invited to Christmas or special occasions only. In 1984 the incoming President Lion Albert Malt stated he hoped there would be more ‘Ladies evening’ and within a year most social events included wives and partners.

Christmas and Santa sleigh

Lion John Plitsch was the designer of the first Santa sleigh in 2008. The sleigh has been changed and updated in the ensuing years but is still essentially the same body on a different chassis. Wisbech Town Council having heard of the sleigh in 2008 asked for it be made part of the Christmas Light Switch On, with the Santa of the day riding into town giving away about two hundred and fifty bags of sweets, sponsored by the Club. The Club then started the sleigh runs and statics that continued to delight the residents of Wisbech Christmas ever since.

Membership

Membership of Wisbech Lions Club is the same as all Lions Clubs, it is by invitation. Often a member introduced a ‘service minded’ friend or work colleague. In 2008, the club had two members who had served twenty-five years, another thirty-five and one member, Lion David Lilley almost forty years in Lions altogether having served in Peterborough Lions Club as a Charter member, Northampton and then Wisbech. Lion David is still a member of the Club today and was recently recognised in 2020 for his 50 years service.

It is impossible to calculate the achievements and good works done by members, for the good of the Wisbech community since 1972. Every member over the years will have hoped that doing their service helped make Wisbech a better place for having a Lions Club.

Over the years many members have shown greater commitment to Lionism by becoming Zone, Region and District Officers. We recognise those members Lion Jim Weight who became Deputy District Governor and Zone Chairmen - Lions Cyril Farrow, Mike Gamble and Barry Diggle (still a member). Lion Don Burlingham spent five years as a District Officer.

Some members also showed their commitment in other ways, Lions Gerald Salter,Bob Lake, Barry Diggle, Joan Diggle and Avis Gilliatt were all Mayor of Wisbech whilst Bob and Barry also held the position of Chairmen of Fenland District Council. Lions Barry, Joan and Avis are still members of the Club in 2020.

At one time the Club had thirty-one members and by 2008 it had fallen to seventeen while today there are twenty-five. Over the years some members who resigned thought so much of the club they continued to pay the ‘dues’.

One thing that did not change over the years between 1972 and 2008 was the sense of humour of members. The amusement and laughter showed through.

So that is the Club history brought to us courtesy of Lion Kevin Rodgers in 2008, watch this space for the 2008 - 2020 instalment.

Past Club Presidents