Reepham Lions celebrates first birthday

Submitted by Geoff.Fisher on

Where does the time go? They say time passes more quickly as we get older, but I can’t quite believe it’s a year since the formation of Reepham Lions.
 

Reepham Lions president Andrew Hadley (2nd from left) with (left to right): Rachel Hiscock, breast imaging manager; Michael Irvine, director of services for anaesthesia; and Rob Mills, consultant clinical director, of Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital

 
Thanks to the sterling work by president Andrew Hadley in organising a fundraising golf day, £2,078 from the proceeds has been donated to the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital (NNUH).
 
This has been used to purchase two items:

  • a monitor used during prostatectomies to ensure the precise amount of anaesthetic is used, minimising recovery time for the patient by not over-administering. Currently this commonly happens as patients move, even though they are under a general anaesthetic. The drug used is expensive and the savings over a 12-month period will run into thousands;
  • a manual handling aid for breast cancer patients undergoing mammograms. This enables patients, both men and women, who are too weak to stand, to have a mammogram while sitting, thereby minimising pain.

 
Raffle ticket sales at the Whitwell Station Steam Rally in August formed part of the £1,500 donation from Reepham Lions to the Anne Robson Trust, the president’s charity for the year. The winners of the raffle were Mrs G Long, Mrs J Kelt and Mrs A Thompson.
 
Through its “Butterfly Volunteers”, the trust provides compassionate listening, comfort and companionship for patients in the last few days and hours of life. Many of the patients have few or no visitors and would otherwise be alone.
 
The trust is the brainchild of Liz Pryor, whose mother, Anne Robson, died unexpectedly a few days after being discharged from hospital in January 2010. It has attracted interest from the media and in October 2018 the NNUH NHS Foundation Trust became its second partner hospital.
 
Reepham Lions next fundraising event will be the sale of raffle tickets at the Reepham Classic Car & Bike Festival to be held in Market Place, Reepham, on Sunday 29 September.
 
Thank you for your continued support in donating old spectacles and hearing aids. Members have planned an evening sorting and boxing up the donations for forwarding to the nationwide lead of the scheme, the Lions Club of Chichester.
 
For more information about Reepham Lions and their work supporting local good causes, please visit the website, email or come along to one of our meetings which are held on the first Tuesday of the month in Reepham Methodist Church, Station Road, Reepham, at 7.30 pm.
 
Liz Howes
 

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