During a very busy and successful period before Christmas, the Lions Club of Tavistock raised around £18,500 for distribution to local charities. £10,000 from the Trees of Light sponsorship has now been distributed to four well deserving local charities each receiving £2,500: Plymouth & Cornwall Cancer Fund, Tavistock Group of Parkinson's UK, St Luke's Hospice and Tavistock Area Support Services (TASS). The charities paid tribute to the Lions and thanked those who sponsored the lights, saying it was a difficult time for fundraising and that these donations would be a great help with their work.
Club members made another journey to Warsaw with humanitarian aid for Ukraine, financed by bucket collections in Bedford Square, private donations, two sessions at Tesco which raised £400 plus an amazing 15 trolley loads of much needed items including baby's nappies and toiletries, and a quiz night which was won by the Ukrainian team and raised another £450 - nearly £2,000 in total in just over a week. Such generosity never ceases to amaze and makes being a Lion so very satisfying and humbling at times. The club thanks Shields DIY, View Estate Agents and Sovereign Wines for being collection points for goods; Sovereign Wines also supplied one of the vans for the round trip of around 2,500 miles.
Planning for this year’s carnival from 13 to 21 July is well underway with the week kicking off with the TaviFringe Music Festival on Saturday 13 July and finishing with the carnival procession on the theme of “Let’s get animated”. Traditionally, the carnival procession has been on the third Saturday in July but due to the appalling weather forecast last year it was moved to a Sunday in September. The earlier start time on a Sunday proved very popular so this year’s procession will be on Sunday 21 July from 4pm. See What’s On for more details and check the club website and Facebook page nearer the time. To get involved with Carnival week please contact the club via tavistocklions.org.uk or call 0345 8334807.