Thank you to all the customers of the Reepham Co-op who have made donations to Reepham Lions since the store opened in mid-November and to the Co-operative for agreeing to our having collection buckets in store.

It is wonderful that people are still managing to find a bit to help others in these difficult times.

A grand total of £150.01 has been collected and the Lions Club is grateful for every penny.

As you will be aware, our opportunities to fundraise dried up overnight last March. The monies raised will help us restart our quest to continue to support local community groups.

In January, Broadland District Council launched the Broadland Community at Heart Lottery, which was created to support local good causes across the district: Reepham Lions applied and has been accepted.

There will be a weekly draw with a jackpot of £25,000 for a matching sequence of six numbers; other prizes are £2,000, £250, £25 or three free tickets.

Tickets cost £1 and purchasers can choose where they want their money to go: 50% of ticket sales will go the person’s nominated good cause and 10% will go into a community fund run by Broadland to benefit local good causes; the remaining 40% will go towards prize money.

If you would like to buy a ticket to support us, please follow this link. Go to “Play the Lottery” and scroll down to find Reepham Lions. The first draw is on 27 February.

The government is currently planning that community centres such as the Bircham Centre will re-open on 12 April.

If, like me, you’re having yet another sort out, please remember that if you come across any old spectacles you will soon be able to put them in our collection bin in the Bircham Centre. Please hold on to them and bring them along when the centre re-opens.

During lockdown, the club has continued to meet over Zoom as well as holding a monthly quiz. We hope to soon be back to meeting up face to face.

Perhaps you’d like to come along and see what we do and what our plans are for the future? I will keep you updated when things start to return to the new “normal”.

Liz Howes