International Lions visit Northern Ireland

In 2022 Lions International President Brian Sheehan decided to hold a Lions Clubs International Board Meeting in our District 133 in 2023. The event would take place in Belfast starting on Monday 13th March and the last event would involve the International group taking part in the St Patrick's day parade in Belfast . The Lions have a world wide membership of nearly 1.5m members .Each year the Board of Directors of this group of volunteers hold an annual meeting. The group began arriving at Belfast City airport over the last days and Newcastle Lions members were on hand at their hotel and airport to help welcome the visitors. During the week, lions from all over Northern Ireland will meet the group. Following the St Patrick's Day parade the International visitors will leave for Killarney and visit other lion projects in Ireland.

Newcastle Lions Dan O'Reilly and Beth Cairnduff welcome International Lions Director Gary E brown New York State, PCC Jose Bonifacio Da Cunha Brazil, PDG Bernard Black, Ernest Tiyerina San Antonio Texas at Belfast City Airport.

Dan O'Reilly receiving Lions Ireland Scribe of the year award

Dan O'Reilly receiving Lions Ireland Scribe of the year award from Teresa Dineen International Director at convention in Wexford

Lions Spectacle recycling scheme a brilliant success

Over the last number of years Newcastle Lions have ran a spectacles recycling programme, where glasses are left in local opticians and the library. In September 2022 , the programme was expanded when Newcastle Lions Club began a recycling project with Belfast City Council. The aim to collect glasses left at the four recycling centres in Belfast and despatch these to Lions Medico France where the glasses would be distributed all over the world to people in need . The Belfast Project could not have been achieved with out the help and support of the Mourne Grange Village Community ,Kilkeel. As part of the collection which is completed four times each year to the four Belfast recycling centres, today helpers Neill and James from Mourne Grange achieved the best collection from Belfast and returned to Newcastle with five large boxes of spectacles and cases. The Belfast glasses will be added to the Newcastle collection and boxed and despatched to France. Over the next months these glasses will be requested by Lion Clubs all over the world to help people in need. Newcastle Lions President Liz Murphy, paid tribute to the work of Mourne Grange who help fifty residents with a learning difficulties . Mourne Grange through managing their farm and craft workshop , work hard at being self sufficient.

Mourne grange Village community helpers Neill Randall & James Ferguson assist Lion Dan O'Reilly with spectacle collection .