Here are some of the ways in which the Uckfield & District Lions serve the local community
Prostrate Cancer screening
Uckfield and District Lions club continue their support of the local community’s health, by sponsoring through PCaSO (Prostate Cancer Support Organisation) Prostate cancer screening.
A total of 300 men between the ages of 45 to 80 were tested at The Belmont Centre Uckfield last year, with a sample of blood taken and sent away for testing, with results sent to direct to the person concerned.
The event was attended by The High Sheriff of East Sussex Jane King, who thanked Lions President Keith Mates, organizer Lion David Skinner, PCaSO CEO Roger Bacon for their valuable work within the local community. The tests are carried out Free of charge, with a donation invited.
Lions also took the opportunity to promote message in a bottle. This small container is used to store your medical details on form provided, once form is completed it is stored in the bottle, and bottle is placed in. your fridge, where emergency services can locate, sticker is also provided for the front door. Many doctors’ surgeries’ have these bottles or contact Uckfield lions for further information. Also see below.
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.
It’s a Special Knockout
Once a year a group of Sussex Lions Clubs get together to organize a fantastic day of fun and games for the physically and mentally disabled in our zone. The various homes and clubs put up teams to compete in a set of “knockout” style games with a little help from their carers and helpers – not to suggest there is any cheating. Yes, there are prizes but everyone is a winner! Recently hosted by Bedes School in the Dicker, with the help of a group of Sixth Formers this an exhausting but very fulfilling day for all involved.
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