“We Serve” – locally, nationally & internationally

Malton, Norton and District Lions (CIO registered charity no. 1180587) raises £’000s each year.  As we are all volunteers, every penny we raise goes to good causes, mostly local and the remainder assisting those in need further afield. In the last 12 months we have supported many local organisations and individuals, some of which are detailed below.

Our much loved Santa’s Sleigh is our biggest annual fundraiser. With the aid of online donations from our generous supporters, we raised £20,000 in December 2022 which has enabled us to help those in need. Our work supports individuals and groups across the community, from the youngest to the more senior residents. We also contribute towards Lions International projects such as supporting those affected by the earthquake in Turkey, and the war in the Ukraine.

Keeping people fed when the cost of living has risen so high was a priority, and so we have made donations to the Foodbank who provide many local people with food. We have also responded to requests to help several local families to overcome short term financial pressures by providing them with heating oil and logs to keep them warm. Our Welfare team respond to referrals from organisations such as the council or local charities to help individuals who have fled domestic abuse, have left care, or have found themselves homeless. Many affordable homes that people are placed in have no furniture or carpets, so we can also make a contribution towards the cost of carpets, deliver pre-loved furniture, and provide start up packs with all the basic essentials a person might need when setting up their home – bedding, cutlery, crockery and so on.

In the last 12 months, we have also awarded a total of 16 grants to local organisations for sums of up to £600 from our Community Fund. This year we were inundated with applications, and prioritised local organisations who were making a difference to their community. You can see the full list of recipients here.

From October to April we deliver fish and chips to the elderly and house-bound each year.  The fish and chips are subsidised, and are delivered every Saturday lunchtime around Malton and Norton by our members.

We ran a party for over 65’s in Malton

Every year we book 2 one week holidays at a caravan owned by Filey Lions, and offer these to a local family who need a break but would not normally be able to afford one.

Once again this year, we reserved 40 seats at the Malton Pantomime production and transported people who would not otherwise get to see the shows. We also took Ryedale Young Carers to Ryedale Youth Theatres Adam’s Family production followed by a pizza. On another occasion, we took them to North Yorkshire Water Park for a day on the climbing wall and zip line. In the spring we have provided transport for a number of senior citizens to see the daffodils, usually in Farndale, and provide refreshments on the way back.

RSF trip to Whitby

Lions consider all kinds of requests for support and are keen to help anyone who is genuinely struggling with ordinary life and the unfortunate things it sometimes throws at us. We like to put a smile on people’s faces if we possibly can and have fun doing it. Please support us – often we can help those who otherwise might struggle.

Thanks, from Malton & Norton Lions

About Lions Worldwide


Lions Clubs International was formed in 1917 by a Chicago business leader, Melvin Jones, who wondered what would happen if people put their talents to work improving their communities. As a result of his inspiration, 1.35 million men and women today are members of the world’s largest service club association – 17,000 of them based in 900 Lions Clubs in the British Isles and Ireland.

It was thanks to the support of the Canadian Lions – and the intervention of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, that the first Lions Club in London was founded.

Canadian Lions had provided invaluable support for children orphaned in the Second World War. To thank them, the then Queen sent her equerry Colonel Edward Wyndham (later Lord Leconfield) to Canada. He was so impressed that Windsor (Ontario) Lions Club agreed to sponsor the first London club, with Lord Leconfield as its founding Charter President.

The first Lions Club in England (London) was formed on 1st March 1950 and was quickly followed by clubs in Tonbridge and Brighton. Glasgow was the first Lions Club in Scotland, formed in 1953, the Dublin Club was the first in Ireland being founded in 1955. A full 8 years later in 1963 the first Welsh club – Wrexham was formed.

Milestones

Beginning in 1917

Melvin Jones, a 38-year-old Chicago business leader, asked a simple and world-changing question – what if people put their talents to work improving their communities? Almost 100 years later, Lions Clubs International is the world’s largest service club organization, with 1.35 million members in more than 46,000 clubs and countless stories of Lions acting on the same simple idea: let’s improve our communities.

1920: Going International

Just three years after our founding, Lions became international when we established the first club in Canada. Mexico followed in 1927. In the 1950s and 1960s international growth accelerated, with new clubs in Europe, Asia and Africa.

1925: Eradicating Blindness

Helen Keller addressed the Lions Clubs International Convention in Cedar Point, Ohio, USA, and challenged Lions to become “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness.” Since then, we have worked tirelessly to aid the blind and visually impaired.

1945: Uniting Nations

The ideal of an international organization is exemplified by our enduring relationship with the United Nations. We were one of the first nongovernmental organizations invited to assist in the drafting of the United Nations Charter and have supported the work of the UN ever since.

1957: Organising Youth Programmes

In the late 1950s, we created the Leo Programme to provide the youth of the world with an opportunity for personal development through volunteering. There are approximately 144,000 Leos and 5,700 Leo clubs in more than 140 countries worldwide.

1968: Establishing Our Foundation

Lions Clubs International Foundation assists Lions with global and large-scale local humanitarian projects. Through our Foundation, Lions meet the needs of their local and global communities.

1990: Launching SightFirst

Through SightFirst, Lions are restoring sight and preventing blindness on a global scale. Launched in 1990, Lions have raised more than $346 million for this initiative. SightFirst targets the major causes of blindness: cataract, trachoma, river blindness, childhood blindness, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma.

Today: Extending Our Reach

Lions Clubs International extends our mission of service every day – in local communities, in all corners of the globe. The needs are great and our services broad, including sight, health, youth, elderly, the environment and disaster relief. Our international network has grown to include over 200 countries and geographic areas.