The staff of Morris Bricknell who also run the Stroud and Swindon Building Society agency in Gloucester Road wanted to get involved in this year's Ross carnival. Originally a balloon race was planned but following an article by the Marine Conservation Society on the damage balloons can do to marine life, plan 'A' was scrapped and a virtual balloon race was organised instead.For those who are not familiar with this concept a map is divided up into squares which are then sold. The map used was of the whole of the South West of England. An independent person then picks a grid reference from a hat and that person's balloon/square is deemed the winner. Many people chose their favourite holiday spot or where a relation lived. The winning square was near Cheddar Gorge and was chosen by Mrs Briscoe.

On the day £280 was raised for Acorns Children's Hospice. Acorns Children's Hospice Trust cares for life-limited children and their families from across the West Midlands region. Since 1988 more than 1,100 families have been helped by Acorns but they know there are many more who need the care Acorn offers. Acorns has a shop in Gloucester Road and many more situated throughout the Midlands. They will be grateful for any support readers can give.

Acorns offers 24 hour care and support to life-limited children and their families, helping each and every one make the most of their lives, however short.

Children can stay at the hospice for respite, emergency and end-of-life care. A dedicated community team offers further 24 hour support to the whole family in their homes including practical and emotional support for parents, special help for siblings and bereavement counselling. The hospice in Worcester opened in 2005 and offers support for children and families throughout Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire. Acorns also has two other hospices in Selly Oak and Walsall.

Every day Acorns needs to raise £4,500 to run each hospice to help local life-limited children enjoy what life they have left. We cannot offer these children a cure, but together, we can offer hope and support for them and their families.

To discuss how you, your friends, your family, your company or organisation can get involved in helping Acorns to provide this vital lifeline to life-limited children and their families, please call 01386 554848 today. For more information please visit www.acorns.org.uk

Matt Wood became 21 years old on Monday, 16th October 2006
at 12:27 pm!

Here are a few photos to embarrass you, Matt! A few from your early days and a couple from Saturday evening.

On Saturday evening we all enjoyed a really excellent meal at the White Lion Inn and then went on to the Prince of Wales to watch the fantastic Zebras. Unfortunately Chris was unable to make it due to a prior engagement but his turn for embarrassing photos will come on 1st August 2008. Sarah's on 1st October 2011. Watch this space.

All Lions club members are ordinary people who have decided they want to do something for their community. The Ross-on-Wye Lions club is no different and at present is made up of 22 men who volunteer to do their best to help the needy, elderly, physically disadvantaged and the young to have a better quality of life.

To raise the necessary funds various events are organized such as; the Lions Bonfire Night, the Charity Race night, held at the Chase Hotel on the evening of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, participation in the Ross Carnival which includes the well known Lions Duck Race, quizzes, dances and sponsored walks, to name the main events. The bandstand, which the Ross Lions provided for the town, is now completed and the Town Council is arranging a program of concerts for each spring and Summer Season.

The beneficiaries of the Ross Lions fund raising activities over the past few months are many but include: £1000 to the Ross Multiple Sclerosis Support Group, £1000 to the Air Ambulance, £1000 to the Ross Community Hospital, £200 to sponsor two young ladies raising funds for 'Sight Savers', £500 to the Basement Youth Trust, £260 to buy equipment for the Walford Scouts, the Aztec Cubs sponsored to go on a visit to the Gloucester Climbing Centre, £200 to the Ross Pre School Playgroup, £150 for Cancer Research, £600 for Christmas Vouchers for the needy of Ross and District, plus many others who get aid such as the purchase of a new fridge, bought for an elderly, infirm couple on hard times and a 97 year old man who received help to obtain a 'care line'.

As well as the above the Lions pay for and help out at the Christmas Lunch for the lonely elderly and deliver library books to the housebound. They also sponsored a concert on the new bandstand, gave a donation to a Lions organization which provides an annual Olympic Type Games for the disabled and helped start a 'message in a bottle' scheme locally. In August the Ross Lions hosted a 40 strong group of young people, who came from countries all over the world, at a cost of over £1000. This is part of the Lions aim to promote understanding and co-operation between different peoples throughout the world.

The John Kyrle High School co-operates with and is sponsored by the Ross Lions Club to take part in the Lions International Peace Poster Competition in which over 300,000 young people take part. Internationally the Ross club's contribution is very small but when added to the funds raised by all the Lions clubs throughout the world it adds up to a tremendous amount.

The Lions Clubs International Foundation collects funds for world-wide emergencies and disasters. At the time of the South East Asian Tsunami, Lions were the first people to do something because of the Lions clubs in those areas. Following the initial help provided by the LCIF there is now a program in operation to provide homes, hospitals, schools and orphanages at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars. Millions of dollars are also being spent as a result of Hurricane Katrina, trying to get the region back to normality. Anywhere where there has been a natural disaster, catastrophe or war, Lions are in the forefront when aid is provided.

During this year and for the next two years, Lions International is raising a further $200m dollars for their Campaign Sight First, which aims to rid the world of avoidable blindness. Additionally, the Lions collect used spectacles for use in the third world countries and your local club are now despatching their second thousand pairs this year. Unwanted spectacles can be deposited at the Heritage Centre or Gordon Lucas Motorcycles.

It is not all work for the Lions and efforts are made to maintain a good social program within the club. Recently they visited the Ross Heritage Centre to view the display put on by local writer Tim Ward, held a quiz on the contents of the Centre and enjoyed a cheese and wine meal. They hold Zone Games, where the Ross Club recently won the Skittles cup and also ran a 'ladies challenge skittles evening' which the men won.

Anyone interested in reading more about the activities described above should visit the Ross Heritage Centre over the next two weeks, where display boards give a much more detailed picture of most of the items mentioned here.

The Ross Lions club are aiming to increase their membership to around thirty. Membership is by invitation only and those interested in joining are recommended to speak to an existing Lion, ring the Membership Officer, Lion Jim Hamilton on 01600890830 or the Secretary, Lion Bernard Fowkes on 0845 8335786 (charged at local call rates).

The Zebras provided a great evening of entertainment at the Prince of Wales pub on Saturday, 14th October. The pub was packed to capacity and everybody there enjoyed themselves. This time I did not have to carry Tina home. She helped me. As we were celebrating Matt's birthday, I made this my one night per year on which I drink beer. This is why my car was parked in Archenfield Road until the next day.

I did make a pretty damned good video recording of the Zebras playing 'Turning Japanese' and 'My Perfect Cousin' on the evening, despite the alcoholic haze but I am afraid I cannot put it here for viewing as the band were playing covers and it would be too difficult to obtain broadcast permission from the songwriters at this stage. Paul. You must get the band to practise some of your own material for next time and I'll run it on WNTV.

Thanks to all for a great evening!

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