Caterham Oxted & Godstone Lions Club

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LIONS NEWS FOR MARCH 2020

At the end of February the Lions held a social supper and invited guests from Sight for Surrey to give a talk.

Sight for Surrey is an ambitious charity that offers a lifetime of support for people who are blind, partially sighted, deaf, deaf-blind or hard of hearing.

After a delicious supper prepared by Paula Quincey with the help of husband Lion John Quincey, a highly entertaining talk was given by a young man called Callum Russell who has been blind since birth. Before he started his powerful and often highly entertaining talk he “gave applause” to the chef for a very good dinner. He said he had two helpings and could have had four! He said the dinners they were given out were often of variable quality and if he wants to know what it on his plate he is told “don’t ask”.

Callum gave a long talk and started with the great appreciation of Sight for Surrey. He described his early years and how he had learnt with the help of his Dad to ride a bike and how he had once ended up in the Basingstoke Canal, prompting passers-by to ask if he was okay! He said that Sight for Surrey had given him the ability to do things which included learning languages and travelling abroad.

Callum went into some length about support children with sight difficulties got in some schools, and of his travels in South America. His talk was delivered with a great deal of humour, whilst stressing the importance of donations to help Sight for Surrey and all that it does. He was accompanied by Steve Plowman who lives in Horley and who lost his sight in his early years.

The Club also held one of its thoroughly enjoyable quizzes on 7th March. It took place in the White Hart Barn where sixteen teams of four gathered round tables as they prepared to answer questions and have some homemade shepherd’s pie for supper. Club President Chris Frith welcomed everyone; Lion Tony Skilbeck was the quiz

8 master and his wife Brenda kept score. It was a fun night with a good deal of banter between the teams and the quiz master. Half way through the eight rounds the pies, made by club members or their partners, were dished up. A bar run by Lion John Quincey sold a good selection of beers, wines and of course soft drinks. Ice cream cornets were handed out for desserts. It was a fun packed night and a very satisfactory one for the winning team, the Welsh Connection.

The next Lion event will be the fundraising concert at Caterham School. This will be on 4th April and will be Elite Elton which is an Elton John tribute experience. Tickets are £15 and can be obtained by calling Tony Skilbeck on 01883 335945 or John Quincey 01883 742680. There is plenty of parking at the school and a shuttle will run from it up to the theatre for those who need it. The doors open at 7pm and a drink can be bought at the licensed bar. The concert begins at 8pm. Proceeds will go to Lions charities.