Our Community Work

Like every other Lions Club throughout the world, our 'home turf' is where we do most of our work. Quite obviously, we cannot go into details about a lot of the help that we have provided because we are honour bound to respect the privacy of the many individuals who we assist but the following individuals are happy for this information to appear here.
(To enlarge the pictures simply click on them)

St David’s, Abercraf, Centenerary Appeal.

Glantawe Lions recently voted to support St David’s Church, Abercrave,
Centenary Appeal by donating £500 towards it.

On Thursday 22nd September 2011, Lion President Philip Taylor and other Lion
members of the club, visited the church coffee morning in order to present the
cheque, to the Reverend Alun Brookfield.

Laptops for Kenya

they would like us to buy - they have asked for pencils, pens and laptops. We have already purchased 3,000 pens and pencils!

The three Kenyan schools are very poor and each has 1000+ pupils. To our knowledge each school has one computer to serve the whole school. The club presented Rhian Thomas with three laptops each would be a drop in the ocean but obviously something they are keen to have. She will present the laptops to the schools and explaining it has come from Glantawe Lions Club.

Clydach Junior School is linked with three schools in Kenya. Two of the schools are township schools and very poor. Our pupils have been working on joint curriculum projects with them.

On March 5th my colleagues from 2 other Swansea schools and I are visiting the three schools in Kisumu, Kenya with a British Council grant. We found the baggage allowance to Kenya is quite generous so have asked the schools what

Tree of Light

There were” Trees” in Morriston, Clydach, Pontardawe and Ystradgynlais. Provision of these “Trees” has been made possible thanks to the generosity of; St David’s Church in Morriston; Forge Fach Community Resource Centre in Clydach; Neath Port Talbot Borough Council at Pontardawe and Ystradgynlais Community Hospital.

Morriston raised £1,032.00 and it went to the Dragon’s Burns Clubs at the children’s burns unit at Morriston Hospital. Clydach raised £660.00 and went to the Charity Donations Committee at Vale INCO, Clydach. Pontardawe raised £332.00 and went to the Town Mayor’s charity, which was the Cancer Research UK Cymru. Ystradgynlais raised £520.00 and went to the Patient’s Fund at Ystradgynlais Community Hospital..

Each “Tree” enables people to remember a person or cause by sponsoring one of the lights in that person’s memory for a minimum donation of £5. Every sponsor is sent a card commemorating their loved one and a list of sponsors and the person remembered is put up at each “Tree”.

All the “Trees” were switched on at the beginning of December when there was a short dedication services to which the sponsors were invited.

Once again, for the fifth year, The Glantawe Lions Club undertook their “Tree of Light” project. Following last year’s success when £2,749.00 was raised, this year went well considering the financial climate by raising £2544.00. All the money raised was presented to local causes with nothing being taken out for administration costs, these being met thanks to the generosity of local businesses. These were the Principality Building Society, Vale INCO Europe Ltd and Pontardawe Town Council.

Sleeping Bags for the homeless.

During the run up to Christmas, Glantawe Lions with the support of the ‘Blacks Outdoor Group’ supplied numerous sleeping bags to the homeless in and around the Swansea area.

With the temperature dropping to well below 0oc this extra protection from the elements will hopefully save lives.

The Morriston Hospital Children's Burns Unit Christmas Party

Like all Lions Clubs, Glantawe likes to be as 'hands on' as possible with the help we give to deserving causes within our local communities. Providing a Santa Claus as well as some financial assistance to the Morriston Hospital Children's Burns Unit, the Red Dragon Club, has become a regular feature of the Glantawe Lions calendar.

It is a real pleasure to see the joy that a little effort can bring - and that's only the Lions! The kids enjoy it as well!

Our 2nd Key Stage 3 Quiz Night

The youths very much enjoyed themselves shouting "Ooh Yes, Yes!" or "I know, I know!" when they felt they could assist their team with an answer and the heads would go together as they shared their opinions. Birchgrove Comprehensive were the winners on the night and will now take the large shield from Cwmtawe Comprehensive School so as to display it in their own school for the next year. Maesydderwen Comprehensive were the runners up. All members of both the winning and runners up teams were presented with small shields by both Glantawe Lions Vice President, Lion Jackie Warren and the night's Quiz Master, Lion Brendan Sweeney, as a souvenir of their achievements.

Many thanks go out to Cwmtawe Community School from all at Glantawe Lions Club for having offered to both host the Quiz and also having gone to great efforts with regards the buffet, which demonstrated how the school is 'committed to healthy eating and strives to educate pupils about the benefits of adopting both a balanced and healthy diet.'

Glantawe had double the number of schools enter teams this year and hopes the annual event, which will kindly be hosted by Birchgrove Comprehensive School next year, will grow further still. The spectators, which included Lions members, teachers, parents and grandparents enjoyed the night also. Hearing the youths get excited at knowing the answer, whilst some adults were left frowning, highlighted the generation gap.

The evening of 7th October seen the 2nd Glantawe Lions annual Key Stage 3 Quiz take place, between teams from Cwmtawe, Birchgrove, Cefn Hengoed and Maesydderwen Comprehensive Schools.

An Easter Treat for Lucy

Glantawe Lions Club uses the monies raised in our 2010 Easter Raffle and the support of the community to help Lucy Wiemers.

Over 2 dozen eggs were raffled and over £500 was raised. No sooner had the monies been counted, very worthwhile cause was found in the form of Little Lucy Wiemers from Llansamlet. Lucy is ill with leukaemia, and a fund has been started to raise over £8000 by June to send her and her 5 brothers and sisters to Spain for a holiday together. The club decided to donate the £500 from the proceeds of the Easter Egg Raffle in aid with their cause.

Helping Jack

Jack Thomas of Morriston, Swansea was selected to represent Great Britain in the European Swimming Championship for handicapped people. Glantawe Lions were proud and delighted to provide him with some help to meet his travelling costs. Then Vice President Phil Taylor is seen here presenting a cheque to Jack in March 2008.

Ystalyfera Cricket Club's Under 12 Team

When Lion David Wilkinson heard that the Ystalyfera Cricket Club's Under 12 Team was in need of new whites but was having difficulty in finding the necessary finance he proposed that Glantawe Lions should help out. The Club agreed and presented a cheque for the purchase of new shirts. The photograph shows then Lion President Alan Davies with the Team in June 2008

Easter Fete

As part of its Service in the Community initiative Glantawe Lions Club organised an Easter Fete at Forge Fach in Clydach this year. The idea was to provide an event to which local charities and voluntary organisations, especially the smaller ones that frequently find it beyond their means to participate in larger event, could come inorder to publicise their activities and to raise some money. The costs of running the event were met entirely by Glantawe Lions so whatever money these organisations raised, they kept!

Our International Work

Not least amongst theses projects is 'Campaign Sight First II'; this campaign has the object of eliminating curable and preventable blindness throughout the World. Not even the wealthiest nations of the world are brave enough to take on that challenge but Lions are not only taking it on - we are succeeding! Wouldn't you like to be part of that?

Because we are part of Lions Clubs International, as well as providing practical and financial help to the people who live in the Swansea Valley we can proudly contribute to the efforts of Lions Clubs worldwide providing help for the victims of natural disasters such as the recent earthquake in China and the effects of man-made pain and suffering, for example the people of Bosnia who, after all this time, are still in need of help. Lions CLubs International will continue to provide help where ever it is needed irrespective of nationality, colour or creed.

We would like to point out that the Glantawe Lions Club incorporates the Glantawe Lions Club Charitable Trust Fund
(Registered Charity No. 1079936); a significant proportion of the above donations were made through the Charitable Trust Fund.

Hampers 2010

Since Glantawe Lions Club formed 37 years ago, it has distributed Christmas Hampers to those people in need, throughout the Swansea Valley at Christmas time. Glantawe Lion’s Hamper co-ordinator, Lion Wendy Demaid, liaises with Health Visitors & District Nurses around the Glantawe Lions Club area, prior to the collection & purchasing of food items, as to the number of Hampers required by them that particular year.

2010 seen Glantawe Lions Club spent £1000 to purchase food items, which were then positioned in groups on tables around the room, ready to pack into the Hampers by the Lions members & Mr Bryant Jones, Scout Leader, together with his Boy Scouts of 2nd Swansea Valley Scouts, Clydach.

92 Hampers made of various sizes, to feed a total 400 people, together with 9 gift bags for Children, were made up by Glantawe Lions this year & distributed by three Lion members the following day, to the Health Visitors & District Nurses in the various areas, after the Club being kindly loan a van. The Health Visitors & District Nurses then see the Hampers past on, so as to keep the final recipients names private. Glantawe Lions Club however, receives feedback from the recipients via the Health Visitors & District Nurses.

After this year’s hampers had been made up & delivered to the various locations, Lion Wendy Demaid said to her Club members, “Again 101 families will have a helping hand from Glantawe Lions, during this Season of good will & this is what Christmas is all about.”