About the Knowle and Dorridge Lions
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HISTORY
The Knowle and Dorridge Lions Club itself was formed in 1976. We are possibly best known for the Knowle Fun Run, Heart of England Bike Ride and the Festive Walk but we run many more events. As a volunteer charity, no member is paid. And with the exception of event expenses and a small contribution to LCIF, all monies go to good causes. Since formation, Knowle and Dorridge Lions has raised and distributed over £1m to charities and to community projects.
Knowle and Dorridge Lions is a part of the Lions Clubs International Foundation. The Lions themselves were initially founded in 1917 in the United States. The Lions mission is to serve our community, simple as that.
Some examples of moneys distributed. Include:
Leukaemia Research, £20,000, 2011
British Heart Foundation, £15,400, 2015
Motor Neurone Disease Association, £12,263, 2017
Breast Cancer Haven, £8,831, 2018
We do not just contribute large sums to established charities. On a smaller scale we have:
funded tents for Knowle scouts to enable them to do D of E expeditions
made a contribution to refurbishment of Knowle Village Hall.
bought benches in Bentley Heath.
Made a contribution to the knot garden in Knowle maintenance
paid for counselling for a local forces veteran with P.T.S.D.
Contributed to the Knowle guides- to attend jamboree
help to private individuals in need.
We are proud to have provided a youth travel bursary for over 20 years.Two awards up to £1750 for local young people aged 16-24 to help fund an award on an artistic, cultural or scientific field, or involve work in an underdeveloped country.
But we are not just about raising money. We are also keen on supporting the community in every way possible. For example, we run free coach trips for seniors to places such as Ludlow/ Chester and we organise free tea parties. We have created walking trails such as the Lions Safari and the Easter Egg Hunt. And since covid lockdown in 2019, it is estimated Lions have spent about 400 hours litter picking in the area, plus another 150 hours attending the car park at the Balsall Common Vaccination Centre and Arden Medical Centre. We also support the Knowle Christmas Lights Switch On and Dorridge Day.
We like to support our local schools and in the last 12 months alone, we have contributed £500 each to the 4 primary schools in our area.
We only exist with the goodwill and support of our community. That includes members and non-members.
2023/24 President
Bob Thurtle
2023/24 Secretary
Adrian Harris
2023/24 Treasurer
Ian Gedge
This will be Bob’s third term as President of our Club.
A resident of B93 since 1975 Bob has witnessed many changes as our population has grown.
The one thing that has not changed is the commitment from Lions to help others.
Our Members recognise that together we can do much more in a team than we can do as individuals.
Past and current Members, with tremendous help from residents and local businesses, have raised over £1M since the Club was established in 1976.
As we fast approach our 50th Anniversary in 2026 Bob’s challenge is to lead the team to grow our membership so that the new generation of K&D Lions can take us to the next £1M because one thing is certain there will always be a need for a Lion.
