Welcome to Weymouth and Portland Lions Club

                Weymouth & Portland
     Sailing venue for the 2012 Olympics

  See the 2012 sailing venue by webcam

Other webcam views Esplanade - Bridge  - Beach
                     
'Let us be ever mindful of the needs of others'.
 

Lions are members of Lions Clubs International. A community service organisation dedicated to the idea that the men and women who live in a community are in the best position to know who needs help and why.

We are a club of 31 members. All our meetings are held at 20.00 hrs in the Hotel Prince Regent on the Esplanade in Weymouth. We meet 1st Wednesday for dinner, and 3rd Tuesday for a business meeting  

Click here for location of the Hotel Prince Regent 

A year in the life of Weymouth & Portland Lions Club

The club was formed in 1969 and was based on the first Lions clubs formed in 1917.  It started life as the Weymouth & District Lions Club but changed to its current name being more in keeping with the borough name.

The Lions year starts in July when each club has a new President.  Our President sets off running as in July every year we hold a street busk in the town centre.  With the help of local musicians and our own Lion Norman Stagles we hopefully entertain the shoppers on a Saturday.  This is a fund raising event and you can expect to see Lions holding buckets to collect anything that is given.

In October we hold one of our biggest events of the year, the Beach Motocross.    The first racing on the Sands took place in February 1984 and the second in October the same year.  It has taken place in October every year since.  Up to 300 riders take part in various categories with up to 100 taking part in each of six races.  This is a really spectacular event and one not to be missed.  This is again a fund raising event so as we cannot charge to walk on the Esplanade  why not help us by buying a programme or supporting the many stalls set up between the clock and the Pavilion.

At the end of November or the beginning of December each year, according to when the scenery for the pantomime arrives, we hold our Concert at the Pavilion Theatre for the over 60’s in the borough.  All the acts are local entertainers who give their time free of charge and every year we have to ask some to wait to the following year as so many seem eager to perform in front of such an appreciative audience.  The first carol concert was held at Vogue Motors garage in Dorchester Road in 1976 where everyone who attended received mulled wine and minced pie.  The first concert at the Pavilion was held in the Ocean Room and the concert didn’t make the stage until 1986 from where it has been held ever since. 

On Christmas Day every year we run the Weymouth Harbour swim.  It started in 1948 with a bet between two local men and then grew.  The Lions took over the running of the event in 1987 and have run it ever since.  Back in 1987 we would normally get up to 30 swimmers taking part but it has now grown so that we now average over 200 swimmers taking part from young children to retired men and ladies.  The harbour sides are also packed with about 5000 spectators. 

In June we hold our annual charity golf day at Weymouth Golf Club where up to 18 teams take part with a round of golf.  In the evening we hold a dinner for those who took part where we do more fund raising.

The funds we raise are used not only within the community but also go towards the disasters which take place world wide.  Lions International, our parent organisation, holds a pot of money from which local Lions can make a request for an immediate donation and the local Lions would be more aware than anyone what is immediately required.  This was the situation in SE Asia after the tsunami.  We have built schools, houses and community centres.  Local Lions are also working in Haiti within the three tented towns that we set up and they are working under the banner “From the start, still there, until the finish, rebuilding the community”.

Lions International has also sent an immediate donation to local Lions in Pakistan.  Where there are disasters the Lions from around the world will be there doing everything they can to help those worse off than themselves.