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Mersea Island Lions Club presented over £6,000 to local deserving causes at their annual Presentation Evening on Friday (November 21).

The event, held at Waldegraves Holiday Park on the island, allows Mersea Lions members to pay special thanks to their supporters as well as to hand over charity cheques.
Describing the event as 'our most rewarding evening of the year', Lions president Beryl Turner introduced the Lions team to invited guests who included the Mayor and Mayoress of Mersea, Cllr Alan and Bry Mogridge, volunteers including Talking Courier and Talking Newspaper readers, the Lions' community minibus drivers, race marshalls and supporters of events such as the Lions Festival  held every summer in conjunction with the island carnival. Said Lion Beryl: "We would like to thank all our sponsors who allow us to run things so smoothly. We really appreciate what they do for us."

Lion Beryl took the opportunity to appeal for more community minibus drivers to drive the elderly around the island on Tuesdays and Thursdays and into Colchester on a Wednesday.
The money was then presented by the president starting with a cheque for £600 to Mersea St John Ambulance which was collected by Andrew French.

The Army Benevolent Fund received a cheque for £500. Brigadier Tony Calder offered a "big thank you" for the generous support. Said Brigadier Calder: "A lot of work must have gone into raising this money and we are very grateful. The Army is in many people's minds at the moment, particularly the casualties coming from Afghanistan and Iraq." He said the Army Benevolent Fund aimed to raise £4million a year. Half of this money would go to support individuals and half to many Army charities such as those helping soldiers suffering combat stress. "Over 1,000 new people come onto those charities'  books every year. I am sure those people will be most grateful for your help," he said.

A cheque for £500 was presented to Cruise Bereavement Care, a National charity set up to offer free, confidential help to bereavedpeople. Dorothy Hanson, from the Colchester and district branch said: "We help a lot of people who think their lives are over when they lose someone they love dearly and we help them to live again."

Colchester Night Shelter received a cheque for £500. Said Mrs Pernille Petersen from the charity: "This is fantastic. Colchester Night Shelter helps homeless people get their lives back together." She said the Shelter can house up to 20 people at any given time and 50 to 60 per cent of those who come through the doors are resettled into accommodation or housing. She said: "We are a small charity and we rely on support from the community. We have been in our building for 17 years and this cheque will go towards much need refurbishment of the premises.

Also receiving a cheque for £500 at the Lions Presentation Evening were two members of  Search Dogs Essex, a search and rescue team.  David Patterson, search rescue team chairman, and Richard Waite, chief fundraiser, are part of a team of seven volunteers and their specially trained dogs who travel the country when called upon to take part in search and rescue operations. They are based in Chelmsford and are a non-profit voluntary organisation whose primary role is to assist the police and local search and rescue teams.

Said David: "We are a volunteer group set up to find missing people. This money goes to keeping us going and without this we would not exist, so thank you from the bottom of out hearts."
A cheque for £500 was presented to the East Anglian Children's Hospice. Accepting the cheque from Lion Beryl, Mrs Dorothy Roberts said: "The money will go towards the Ipswich hospice which supports not just sick children, but the whole family." She said they hoped build a new children's hospice in Ipswich: "We have been given some land which is brilliant and we do hope to eventually have a new one."

The Lions worldwide Campaign Sightfirst II received a cheque for £500.  Vice District Governor Elect Lion Derek Maguire said the Lions had just finished a three year campaign to raise $200million worldwide to help prevent people losing their sight. The Lions Sightfirst II programme has saved or restored sight to 27 million people around the world and improved eyecare for more than 100 million people.

Lion Derek said that Lions clubs in the UK had been asked to raise £250,000 for a new hospital in Ghana "and this will go a long way to helping the cause," he said.  Moorfields Eye Hospital will provide £2million and will be responsible for the building and running of the hospital.
Charity group BikeActive also received a cheque for £500 from Mersea Island Lions Club. Receiving the cheque, Jan Jukes said they were a group of volunteers who take learning disabled and physically disabled people around Alton Waters reservoir on bikes every Friday - come rain or shine - for some fresh air. The bikes are specially adapted - some with wheelchair attachments. She said: "We have 12 different kinds of bikes and this cheque will go a long way to helping us maintain the bikes."

A new organisation set up to help children received a cheque for £500. The Sunshine Cottage Children's Respite Care group was set up to help children with complex disabilities and complex needs, said Sarah Crow. She said they were able to help give families in need a break. She said: "We hope we are making an impact but we are a new organisation and still need a lot of equipment."

Local Mersea couple, Roger and Linda Bullen set up the Catherine Bullen Foundation in memory of their daughter, Catherine, who died suddenly from acute gastro-enteritis in Namibia in August 2002. Receiving a cheque for £500 Roger said that they had had an amazing year. On July 4 they had opened a clinic in the village of Otjimanangombe which would give a lifeline to the people of the village offering a safe environment for women to have their babies. Said Roger: "We visited two weeks ago and met the first two babies to be born there - called Roger and Linda believe it or not!" They also handed over an ambulance in the area. Roger said the £500 donation would go towards building a canteen and kitchen in an area where all meals are currently prepared and eaten outside. Said Roger: "We would like to offer thanks for all the support that Mersea has given us. Without you we couldn't do it."

A further £500 was donated by the Lions to Mersea Museum. Receiving the cheque Mrs Joanne Godfrey said: "The museum is raising money to build an extension to buy a dedicated heritage and resource centre. We know Mersea people are passionate about their heritage and intend this centre to be used by the whole community."

A cheque for £500 was also presented to Mersea Island First Responders which will be used to purchase professional jackets for the volunteers. Bill Norman said that the First Responders team had been operating on the island 11 years this month. He said since then they had been called out 1,049 to help the ambulance service. President Lion Beryl responded that the group did a marvellous job on the island: "In the seven months my mother had been on the island she's used them twice already!" she said.

Mersea Island Mayor Cllr Mogridge addressing the gathering said that it was an eclectic list of deserving local charities. He said: "Mersea Island Lions make the community tick and as Mayor I am so proud of them, and to be made an Honorary Lion member. I feel very honoured."