The excitement of Christmas is building, particularly for families with children. There is nothing quite so special for a child than having a chat with Santa in the run up to the big day on 25 December. Thanks to Abingdon Lions Club, along with their friends and supporters, Santa will be visiting Abingdon and the surrounding villages during December.
Santa’s journey starts with a special visit to the Abingdon Christmas Extravaganza on Saturday 2 December. Santa’s Grotto will not only be part of the Christmas Extravaganza, but will be at Waitrose on Sunday 10, Wootton & Dry Sandford Community Centre on the 16 December and Tesco Extra in Abingdon on 23 December. He will also be along with his sleigh at Didcot’s Cornerstone & Civic Centre on the 21 December ably assisted by Courtney Hughes, founder of the charity Secret Santa 365 (secretsanta365.org.uk)
In the weeks leading up to Christmas Day, between 5.30pm and 8pm, Santa will also be in various parts of Abingdon, Radley Village, Kennington and Marcham. To follow his Christmas Schedule please visit abingdonlions.org.uk/Santa or facebook.com/AbingdonLionsUK
This year in the run up to Christmas, Abingdon Lions Club will be spreading Christmas cheer and raising funds for local organisations as they accompany Santa and his Sleigh on his journey around the local area. If you listen carefully, you may also be able to hear some seasonal music as you see Santa and his elves flying around the streets of Abingdon.
The Abingdon Lions Club is supported over the Festive Season when local organisations give their time to help with collections. This year, the 12th Abingdon Guides, Radley Guides, Oasis, 30th Abingdon Scouts, Sea Cadets OxSAR and the Memory Club from Kennington will all be helping with the Christmas Santa Tour.
Involving groups from the community helps Abingdon Lions Club undertake numerous projects in the area. In 2022, Santa’s Sleigh was completely rebuilt with help from three pupils from Larkmead School’s 6th Form, as part of their MAD Week (Make a Difference). This was an initiative to get their 6th Form pupils involved in local community organisations and their projects. This year, as part of ‘MAD2’, two pupils gave Rudolf a lick of paint as well as revamping the Lions Club’s publicity boards which are used at their events. Souvenir T-shirts were also given by the Lions Club to all the students taking part in MAD week.
It is not just at Christmas that the members of Abingdon Lions Club work so hard to raise money for charities. Since their charitable trust was initiated in May 1981, they fundraise and donate their time to help both local and global communities. There are over 920 Lions Club in Britain and globally, there are 1.4 million members in over 200 countries. All focus on improving their local communities and supporting worldwide needs such as disaster relief and humanitarian causes. The Abingdon Lions are also looking to grow their Club and form a branch in Didcot very soon.
Members meet monthly (2nd Wednesday of the month) at the Abingdon Conservative Club where they have lively discussions and make decisions on requests for donations and help. Since their inception 42 years ago, Abingdon Lions have donated close to £400,000 and fundraise in a number of ways. Along with attending summer fetes with their toy Lions Tombola and their Christmas Charity Collections, they have Friends of AbingdonLions who run a 100 club which raises funds annually. This is their version of a lottery where you can support the Club without being a fully-fledged member. The quarterly drawer costs just £1 a month. (abingdonlions.org.uk/joinus/the100-club). The Club also receives support from Corporate and private donors.
Funds raised have been used to purchase a number of Defibrillators for public use in Abingdon, one of which located on the Toilet block wall of Abbey Meadows was used a couple of years ago to save a man’s life.
The Abingdon Sea Cadets received financial contributions from Abingdon Lions to help them purchase a minibus and for many years, both OxSAR and the Sea Cadets have assisted as Sleigh towers throughout the Festive Season. The Abingdon Lions also respond to grant requests and recently they gave a grant to ‘quest for learning’ and an all-weather bench to St Edmunds under 10’s football team.
The Club is also involved in collecting used spectacles and hearing aids for redistributing to developing countries with a number of drop off points around Abingdon(abingdonlions.org.uk/howwehelp/recyclingspectaclesandhearingaid). The Lions Club have also developed the LionsMessage in a Bottle scheme. This simple idea is to encourage people to keep personal and medical details on a standard form which is put in a small plastic bottle and put into the fridge as this not only marks a collective spot but also the inside of a fridge is the last thing to burn in a fire. The Emergency Services are fully supportive of the system and bottles are free. To find out more visit abingdonlions.org.uk/howwehelp/messageinabottleandwallet
The Abingdon Lions Club is not however all about work with no play! Members get together socially at least once a month and arrange a wide range of social events, often meeting other clubs in the district and further afield. It is through service, growing membership and a lively social calendar that the Club continues to be forward looking and vibrant. To find out more about becoming a member visit abingdonlions.org.uk
