When I last prepared a report about Reepham Lions it was July and we had been out of Lockdown 1 for two weeks; I now find myself writing as we start the third week of Lockdown 2.

When the first lockdown was lifted, the club was unable to meet because of the numbers who could not mix safely inside, so we are continuing to hold our monthly meetings on Zoom as well as a bi-monthly quiz.

Over the past 18 months, Lion Michael Black has been liaising with Reepham Scouts to explore the possibility of the club contributing towards the refurbishment of the scout hut kitchen.

The stainless steel units purchased by the Lions were delivered in October and will be put in position when the remaining work on the hut has been completed.

Pictured above: Scout leaders Neil Sainty (left) and Mark Frary of 2nd Reepham Scouts with the kitchen units purchased by Reepham Lions.

At our November meeting the members voted to donate a further £250 to the Cromer & District Foodbank in support of its Christmas appeal.

There will be many families this year who are not looking forward to the festive season, so we are delighted to be able to help improve it for those less fortunate than ourselves.

We would not be in a position to make these donations without the generous support of the local community. On behalf of Reepham Lions, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you.

We are continuing to collect old spectacles and despatched another batch in October. With the help of Cecil Amey Opticians in Aylsham, we have another collection box in place that has already been emptied twice in six weeks.

Unfortunately, the Bircham Centre and the Crown, where our Reepham bins are located, cannot be accessed currently, so we would appreciate it if you could save any old spectacles and put them in the collection bins when life returns to “normal”.

Reepham Lions meets on the first Thursday of the month, and if you are interested in joining one of our Zoom meetings to get a further insight into the role of Lions Clubs, please contact me by email. We hope you will give us a try.

I cannot close this article without thanking all our key workers who are working tirelessly to support us: where would we be without you?

Liz Howes