A golden era of dedication to the community by Penrith Lions Club is being celebrated with a floral display planted by Westmorland and Furness Council.
To mark the club’s 50th anniversary, the flower bed outside Penrith Town Hall is blooming with yellow marigolds and blue ageratum to match the colours of the Lions Clubs International emblem. The display features a Penrith Lions Club 50 years banner, and all council-managed flower beds in Penrith’s parks and open spaces have also been colour-coordinated in blue and yellow.
Thanking the council, Tony Cleasby, President of Penrith Lions Club, said: “Our blue and yellow logo is recognised around the world as a symbol of kindness and service.
“The men and women of Penrith Lions have raised around £500,000 over the past half-century to help good causes in Penrith and the surrounding area. Ian Proud, who was a pharmacist at Boots the chemist, was instrumental in setting up the club charter in February 1976.”
Cllr John Murray, Westmorland and Furness Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Biodiversity and Regulatory Services, said: “We were very keen to help when Penrith Lions approached us about marking their 50th anniversary at a prominent location in the town. It’s been a pleasure to see the project come into bloom this summer and I hope it will help remind people just how much good the Lions have done – long may their efforts continue.”
The blue and yellow-themed flower bed complements the council’s collaborative working with Penrith BID, whose dedication and efforts have helped to rejuvenate the town’s floral displays for the good of the community.
Cllr Helen Chaffey, Westmorland and Furness Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities, Customer Services, Culture and Communications, added: “Lions Club members are such a familiar and reassuring sight at outdoor events across Westmorland and Furness as they carry out their marshalling and car parking duties to raise charitable funds. This floral display is our way of saluting their marvellous efforts and saying thank you.”
The 16 men and women of Penrith Lions Club include one original member, David Fleming, who helped to form the club in 1976. They give their time freely to raise around £10-15,000 per year, which is all ploughed back into the community.
Club President Tony Cleasby explained: “We support individuals who find themselves in difficulties through no fault of their own. It might be somebody who has been domestically abused and has moved up to our area to escape their circumstances and they’ve got a couple of children, but they’ve found themselves without a bed, a cooker or a washing machine. We can provide those items.
“We like to support young people and elderly people as well – those people who can’t look after themselves as well as they would like to.”
If you are interested in joining Penrith Lions Club or finding out more, visit their Facebook page or go to their website.