Here are some of the ways in which the Uckfield & District Lions serve the local community
Message in a Bottle & Message in a Wallet
This simple but effective scheme provides vulnerable people or people living on their own with a way of making vital life-saving information available to the emergency services and professional carers. We provide (free of charge) a plastic bottle containing a form to fill in with all the relevant details. The bottle is then placed in the fridge, where emergency services know to look – saving valuable time. The bottle comes with sticky labels – one for inside the front door and one for the fridge door – to alert the Emergency Services that information is available. The information includes personal details, doctor’s name and contact number, a description of any medical conditions, medication, allergies, family contact details and can include your repeat prescription.
A similar scheme introduced by Uckfield Lions in 2017 captures the same information in the form of a Message in a Wallet. Details are entered onto a small card & kept with a person in their wallet or purse. Have you got a bottle or know of someone who should have one? You can find one at local pharmacies, doctor’s surgeries, any Lion Member or the Lions bookshop at Olives Yard, High Street, Uckfield.
Defibrillators
Defibrillators save lives in the event of cardiac arrest – but only if there is one available to be used within minutes of the event. The Uckfield Lions have placed, or contributed to, a dozen or more defibrillators around the town and at strategic locations in the villages to complement those provided by the authorities. We make sure the Lions defibrillators are accessible to the public 24/7 and in locations where access is most likely to be needed. We also maintain them with replacement batteries and pads as necessary and we often contribute to the purchase of new devices when clubs / organisations are planning to place one in a publicly accessible location.
ROAR
Lions clubs in the south east have recently promoted an annual competition for Primary Schools in which teams are invited to come up with innovative ideas to solve social or environmental problems with novel solutions. With the help of a sponsoring team the schools form teams in the autumn term to produce descriptive diagrams, models, presentations, jingles etc to promote their idea. Each school then sends its best team to a “finals” event (recently held at Wakehurst Place) for presentation to a panel of judges. Prizes are awarded for various elements of the teams efforts and an overall 1st, 2nd and 3rd judgement made. What better way to engage the young brains of the future in today’s challenge
PROSTATE & DIABETES SCREENING
Uckfield Lions organise & finance prostate & diabetes screening days run by PCaSO (PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT ORGANISATION). The last screening day was on the 14th March 2026 where 350 men were screened of whom 56 were invited to attend their GP surgery. 134 people were screened for diabetes where two people were found to be at risk of developing diabetes.
LIONS CHILD EYE HEALTH PROGRAMME
Uckfield Lions are currently presenting a major service in Eye Health for our children in primary school.Having undergone comprehensive training and 10 different eye conditions. As some of these conditions are difficult to correct after the age of six years it is important to check a child’s eyesight early in school life and parents are encouraged to give their consent. When an imperfection is detected the child’s parents are encouraged to book anopticians appointment to receive a professional diagnosis of the condition.
We are finding that upward of 10% of children would benefit from further investigation and all children are encouraged to have an eye health check every two years.