Bolton Street Collection

Bolton Street Collection - 11th June 2011

Saturday morning at 8AM in the morning was cloudy and overcast, but then it is June in England, so what do you expect? Anyway I was up bright and early to participate in our annual street collection in the centre of Bolton. I arrived in plenty of time for the 9AM start, and settled into my usual position outside WH Smith.

The number of donations you receive always seems to be higher the earlier in the day it is, which I think is due to how visible you are. Although there are less people around at first, the benefit is that you can be seen more easily. This year however, our Activities Chairman Tony Foster had a cunning plan - fluorescent bibs!

The effects of the increase in visibility were definitely seen, as although donations fell away after about 11.30AM (as normal), the amount raised from the collection was the highest since 2005, when I started keeping records of our takings.

In addition, my bucket had the highest collection figure of all Lions collecting on the day, which is a first!

Thanks to the people of Bolton for being so generous, and to the Lions who collected.

Lion John Crompton
29th September 2011

Burnden Park Asda

Asda Burnden Park Collection - 4th and 5th June 2011

Our first event in June, was 2 days at the above store, with our collection buckets, as demonstrated in the photograph to the right, by Lion Babu Roye.

My first shift was the late slot (3PM to 5PM) on the Saturday, in the company of Lion Ron Eadie. I think it is fair to say that we both enjoyed our stint, helped by being very busy, and by Ron's aim to try to get a lion's sticker on every child who passed. We also gave away plenty of stickers to older children as well! A great deal of happy banter ensued between the public and Ron and myself.

On the following day I again did the late slot, this time with Lion Babu, the difference in the two days being that the Sunday was much quieter in terms of people in the store, but it was still reasonably busy.

Two things stood out from the Sunday collection, firstly it always amazes me the number of people who try to get in the store within ten minutes of it's closing, (there were still some people trying to get in with about 2 minutes before it closed!), the second is that we were kept company for about an hour by 2 children and their father, who were waiting for the mother to finish shopping in the store.

The reason for the shopping expedition, was that it was the Birthday of one of the children, and the Mother was getting a cake. As a Birthday treat we gave the child about a dozen stickers!

Thanks to all the lions who did a 2 hour slot, and to Asda for letting us in their store, and to their customers who contributed.

Lion John Crompton

28th September 2011

Sponsored Walk

Sponsored Walk - 8th May 2011

On the following day after the Vegas Night at Dunscar, the Lions were in action again, this time meeting at Barlow Institute Edgworth for a Sponsored Walk.

Luckily we did not meet until 1.30PM, so I could have a lie in after the Vegas night. The walk was to raise proceeds for our President's Appeal - which was improving access for disabled people at St Paul's Church, Astley Bridge, and several walkers

from their Church met us at the Car park.

We had been promised by our walk leader, Lion Tony Murphy (who can be spotted in one of the photographs), stunning panoramic views of Winter Hill, Peel Tower and beyond. Being a Lion, he was true to his word!

The weather was kind to us, although rain threatened later on in the walk, it stayed away.

Thanks go to Lion Tony for leading the walk, and all those who participated, I am looking  forward to next years walk already.

Lion John Crompton
21st September 2011