Step Forward and Volunteer

Step Forward and Volunteer - January 2023

Step Forward and Volunteer is a monthly podcast from Lions Clubs British Isles featuring stories, information, and discussion about local community volunteering. Through conversations with inspirational guests, Step forward and Volunteer celebrates the positive difference volunteering makes to communities across the British Isles and beyond.

This episode is a little different in its format, as we’re taking a step back to listen and recall a few highlights from the first twelve months of the ‘Step Forward and Volunteer’ podcast.

A big thank you to you our listeners – if you are not already a member, and would like to make a difference in your community by volunteering, fund-raising, organising projects, using your talents, gaining new skills, making friends, and having fun – why not join us?

Don’t wait to be asked, step forward and get involved. Call Lions Clubs British Isles on 0121 441 4544, send an email to enquiries@lionsclubs.co or use the form on the website – that’s www.lionsclubs.co

 

Step Forward and Volunteer - December 2022

Step Forward and Volunteer is a monthly podcast from Lions Clubs British Isles featuring stories, information, and discussion about local community volunteering. Through conversations with inspirational guests, Step forward and Volunteer celebrates the positive difference volunteering makes to communities across the British Isles and beyond.

In this latest podcast, we hear from Neil Smith, a member of Calne Lions who tells us about the refurbishment, or should I say re-building of their Santa Sleigh. Following months of dedication and hard work it has been very worthwhile to see the reaction of the public when the new Santa Sleigh took to the streets of Calne.

‘tis the season for busy lions. Many lions clubs organise Christmas parties for young people and those young at heart.  Whilst others collect and distribute hampers, helping those that are homeless and families in need. Christmas is a year-round activity for Lions clubs, as we have just heard.  From keeping Santa’s fleet of sleighs in tip-top condition to collecting toys for children who otherwise would not receive any gifts, Lions members are always thinking ahead.

Step Forward and Volunteer - November 2022

Step Forward and Volunteer is a monthly podcast from Lions Clubs British Isles featuring stories, information, and discussion about local community volunteering. Through conversations with inspirational guests, Step forward and Volunteer celebrates the positive difference volunteering makes to communities across the British Isles and beyond.

In this latest podcast, we hear from Fiona Reilly, a member of Horley Lions.  Last year, Horley Lions set up Warm over Winter campaign working in partnership with a range of organisations to support families who are struggling, due to the rise in food and fuel costs.  We also feature John May from the Bert Mason Internet Lions who has been actively working on the Lichfield and District Talking Newspapers for 41 years.  John talks about what this vital service means for those that are blind and visually impaired.

Step Forward and Volunteer - October 2022

Step Forward and Volunteer is a monthly podcast from Lions Clubs British Isles featuring stories, information, and discussion about local community volunteering. Through conversations with inspirational guests, Step forward and Volunteer celebrates the positive difference volunteering makes to communities across the British Isles and beyond.

In this latest podcast, we hear from John Milner from Ashby de la Zouch and Coalville Lions.  Each year, Ashby Statutes Fair is opened for a pre-arranged morning free of charge due to the generosity of Anthony Harris, the fair owner for the lions club, especially to bring children and adults with a range of abilities and their carers.  We also feature Tim Clark from Yateley Lions whose making a difference by supporting the ‘Get Ahead’ campaign for a local charity.  Harry’s Hat, as it is known has been set up to support families with children that have hydrocephalus, which is water on the brain.

Step Forward and Volunteer - September 2022

Step Forward and Volunteer is a monthly podcast from Lions Clubs British Isles featuring stories, information, and discussion about local community volunteering.  Through conversations with inspirational guests, Step Forward and Volunteer celebrates the positive difference volunteering makes to communities across the British Isles and beyond.

In this latest podcast, Paul Allaway from Guernsey Lions talks about an imaginative idea the club has come up with working in partnership to encourage families to explore the outdoors through the creation of a woodland creatures trail.  We also hear from Tracey Field of Chelmsford Lions who joins to tell us why she stepped forward to volunteer at the Commonwealth Games, held in Birmingham during the Summer.

Step Forward and Volunteer - August 2022

In this episode of Step Forward and Volunteer we welcome Richard Allen, president of Budleigh Salterton Lions, and Lynda Burns of Dalbeattie & District Lions. Richard gives us an insider's view on organising Budleigh's annual Gala Week and its popular pebble-building contest, while Lynda recounts Lions' efforts in her part of rural south-west Scotland to refurbish and maintain much-loved memorial benches along the Jubilee Path between the coastal villages of Rockcliffe and Kippford.

Step Forward and Volunteer - July 2022

This month's Step Forward and Volunteer welcomes Andy Ansell and Mark Ellis from the National Memorial Arboretum, who give us a great insight into the importance of volunteers to the operation of the UK's magnificent monument to remembrance. We also meet Ann Vickers, otherwise known as Lenny the Lion to her fellow members at Basingstoke Lions, who takes us behind the scenes of ten years entertaining crowds as the club's lovable mascot.

Step Forward and Volunteer - June 2022

In the latest episode of Step Forward and Volunteer, we welcome Nigel Perry of Knaresborough Lions to take us behind the scenes of the 2022 Great Knaresborough Bed Race, one of the biggest and most exciting Lions-organised events around and returning for the first time since the onset of the pandemic. We also check in with the inspirational education programme Lions Roar.

Step Forward and Volunteer - May 2022

In the latest episode of Step Forward and Volunteer, we welcome Radu Cristea from the Lions Club of Cluj-Napoca, Transylvania in Romania to talk about setting up a shelter for Ukrainian refugees and also travelling into Ukraine by road to deliver humanitarian aid. Following on, Serhii Denisenko, a member of Kyiv Lions, explains how aid is being coordinated and distributed in Ukraine with the support of Lions Clubs across the globe.

Step Forward and Volunteer - April 2022

In the latest episode of Step Forward and Volunteer, we welcome Pam Edwards, Sue Saunders and Sharon Webb from Bexhill Lions. They have created green fairy trails in local woodlands, with this fun idea helping children learn about protecting the environment. We also hear all about the Lion’s Den, a community shed in Keighley, West Yorkshire, which has provided a space for individuals to come together, talk, create, have fun and reduce loneliness and isolation.