Warwick Lions Club Changeover Party 

Warwick Lions Club held a changeover party on Wednesday July 6th at Hill Close Gardens.

Warwick Lion Neil Chisholm sent his apologies as he is at the 94th Lions International Convention in Seattle, USA prior to becoming District Governor of 105M at a district changeover in Birmingham on the 24th July.

In Lion President Alan Lettis’ final speech, he regretted not being able to go to the Carols at the Castle, which were cancelled on the day because of a sudden snowstorm. But his biggest regret was the death of Welfare Chairman David Wright last November.

In his honour President Alan had commissioned the David Wright Trophy and had no hesitation in presenting it to David’s friend and neighbour Lion Peter Amis. Alan also presented Peter with a Melvin Jones Award, named after the founder of Lions International, only the 9th such award in the club’s history.

For his work with the press and as club photographer Alan awarded the Frank Denby Trophy to Charles King-Smith. Frank helped to form the majority of Lions clubs in what is now 105M. .

Mike Averns was given a key award for membership recruitment, Norman Winnett a 15 year membership chevron and David Shore a 10 year chevron.

Alan then handed over the Presidential chain of office to Lion Peter Knights.

Incoming President Peter lives on the Woodloes with his wife Cheryl. Peter joined the Club in 2007 and was chairman of the 2011 Warwick Town Carnival committee; he was recently appointed as Project Engineer at Aston Martin Lagonda, Gaydon.

In his year of office Peter hopes to continue the good work of his predecessors and build on the strong positives of the previous year.

Cheryl is the proprietor of Eternal Bride in Warwick Market Place.

She has selected as her charity for the year the Cotton Tree Children’s Trust, see www.cottontreechild.org

The Trust was founded by her friend Rosemary Bidwell from Barford in 2006. The charity is registered both here in the UK and in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Their aim is to rescue orphans and street children abandoned and forgotten. They are committed to ensuring that each child will have an education and learn new skills as well as meeting all their health and medical needs. 89% of monies raised are directly used to benefit of children in Sierra Leone.

Sierra Leone has the worst infant mortality rate in the world and one child in four will die before the age of five. General life expectancy is just 37 years.