PAGE 2 • FESTIVE NEWS • DECEMBER 2018
Welcome to the 25th Edition of Festive News
This is a time of festivities, when friends and colleagues meet up and families gather together for
Christmas and New Year, but what about those living alone? People with no family and no friends?
Christmas can be full of despair and unhappiness for them. But its not just Christmas time when
people feel lonely. It can be all year round.
However, Christmas time is a good time to ask ourselves what we can do for people who are on
their own. Better still if we can find a way to tackle loneliness at a community level. That’s why
Hereford Lions Club has chosen to launch its anti-loneliness project as we approach Christmas.
This project is designed to help communities to carry out their ideas for combating loneliness in
our society.
On an individual level we may ask ourselves “ What can I do to bring joy into a lonely person’s
life? What can I do to bring a little happiness ?” The answer might be to invite a neighbour living
alone round for a festive drink or to our Christmas lunch. Loneliness is a terrible scourge. We
should do all we can to help lonely people.
On the front page of the Festive News we have announced our new grant scheme to enable
communities to fund their ideas for combating loneliness. We hope that this scheme will go a
long way to alleviating loneliness in the Hereford area. The funds for this come from your generous
donations to Hereford Lions Club that you have made throughout the year.
I wish you all a Very Merry Christmas from myself and all the members of Hereford Lions Club.
LIONS
Festive News
Lion Jim Hamilton
President.
Editor: George Thomas
Advertising Manager: Keith Martin
F estive News is published annually by
Hereford Lions Club to support the local
community and its many charity projects.
Please support our advertisers without whom
Festive News would not be possible.
Contact details:
Hereford Lions Club, Colin Smith,
Lions Club Secretary, 3 Kingfisher Road,
Hereford HR2 7TH. Tel: 01432 350591
[email protected]
www.herefordlions.com
FESTIVE NEWS CELEBRATES
ITS SILVER JUBILEE
This is the 25th edition of Lions Festive News –
a quarter of a century bringing news of Hereford
celebrating Christmas to every home in the city
and surrounding villages. The 48 page full colour
newspaper is delivered free to 31,000 homes.
It is eagerly awaited by families checking when
the Lions Santa sleigh, which has toured the city
and villages for more than half a century, will be
in their street and to find out when Santa’s Grotto
opens at Oakchurch country store.
Said Editor George Thomas: “Festive News is
the only publication whose columns promote the
real spirit of Christmas and gives its thousands of
readers an insight into the outstanding work of
community action volunteers. Without them
Hereford would be a second-rate city.”
The support of local businesses, who recognise
the commercial advantages of advertising in the
only newspaper delivered free to 31,000 homes is
vital to its success, funding the production costs
and contributing £5,000 to the Lions charity
projects. They deserve the support of our readers
on their Christmas gift shopping outings.
Said George: “Publishing 25 annual editions of
Festive News has been a privilege for myself and
my fellows Lions. We serve the community
throughout the year but bringing Santa to the
children in the weeks before Christmas is the one
activity we most enjoy.”
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NEW LEADER
FOR LIONS
New president of Hereford Lions
Club is Jim Hamilton who first
joined
the
international
community service organisation in
Surrey in 1983. A move to
Herefordshire in 1996 saw him
join Ross-on-Wye Lions and later
the Forest of Dean club before
switching to the city club when
five years ago he and his wife,
Louise moved home
to
Allensmore.
A retired computer software
consultant, Jim is a former
chairman of Lions national IT
committee and has also served as
District Governor of Lions 105W
which covers South Wales to
Wiltshire. He brings considerable
experience of the worldwide
organisation to his latest role
leading the city Lions Club.
President Jim Hamilton welcomes the first family to become members of Hereford Lions Club.
Grant joined last year and has now been joined by his wife Lynda and son McCauley. Said Jim
“it’s a ground breaking moment for Lions club and I am sure it will encourage other families to
join us as well”.