Lion's Christmas Appeal is streetsahead as it nets more than £6k

The money was raised in a variety of ways and to kick start the appeal, on December 3, 2017 the Lions once again organised the hugely popular Santa Dash along Bexhill promenade - deemed the biggest to date.

Weekend collections were made in Bexhill town centre and at Little Common with Lions and Friends of Bexhill Lions collecting alongside their barrel organ and sleigh.

Collections were also held at Lidl, Tesco and Sainsbury’s. In the December evenings, Santa and his helpers with their illuminated sleigh and Christmas music toured residential areas of Bexhill to the delight of many youngsters and their families.

Christmas hampers were placed in a wide range of retail outlets, pubs, restaurants and hairdressers as lucky draw prizes.

Lion President Nick Porter said: “I continue to be amazed at the generosity of the people of Bexhill, demonstrating their caring and support of the Lions’ Annual Christmas Appeal. On behalf of the Club I offer a big ‘thank you’ and assure them that every penny will be used to support our activities during the coming year. We will continue to offer help to community and youth groups and individuals with special specific needs.”

Head of FUNdrasing Lion Clare Kersley says the amount raised was a great result and one that could not have been achieved without the hard work of Lions Club Members and Friends. “In particular, Andrea Etheridge for house to house collections, “Phil Richardson for street collections, Val Mewett and June Hough for the hampers and Brian Comber for the Santa Dash, and our Santas, drivers and collectors, often out in challenging weather conditions. It was a busy month but well worth the effort.”

President Nick added: “We are very grateful to all who donated, the supermarkets for their support and Rother District Council for permissions to collect. We look forward to a busy and rewarding 2018 and wish everybody a Happy New Year.”

For more information on Bexhill Lions Club visit: www.bexhill-lions.org