Food Parcels for the needy

Each Christmas Derby Lions are able to make up around 450 food parcels to the needy people of Derby. Thanks to the publicity provided by the Derby Evening Telegraph 61 schools in the Derby area collected tins of food and these were all collected by Lions and brought together for sorting and distribution at the Alvaston Methodist Church.

Among those helped with parcels, each containing at least 10 items, were Guinness Trust, Age Concern, Liversage Trust, Social Services, Alvaston Baptist Church, Jericho House, Rebecca Court, Social Services, Young carers, Sinfin Community Church, Night Shelter and Victim Support.

Once again this year Derby Lions will be collecting for the poor and needy.

Spectacles

Message in a bottle

On 28th February 20007 the then Mayor of Derby, Councillor John Ahern, launched the Derby 'Message in a Bottle' scheme which is funded by Derby Lions, at an event in the Council House.

The special bottles can be used to store vital information such as repeat prescription forms, contact details of carers, information about family members being supported and whether there are pets to be fed. The scheme also provides stickers for displayinside a person's home that alert the emergency services, care workers and others to look for the bottle in the event of an emergency. Derby Lions are purchasing 9000 bottles. Derby City Primary Care Trust, Derby CVS and derby City Council's Corporate and Adult Social Services Department will distribute them to people with illness or disability who would be most at risk in the event of an emergency.

The scheme is already running successfully elsewhere in the country and it is good that vulnerable people in Derby, along with carers, will now have the additional reassurance that the bottles provide.