Newcastle Lions Celebrate 40 years

In 1984 Downpatrick Lions club began looking into the possibility of sponsoring a new Lions Club in Newcastle and on 7th December 1984 Newcastle Lions Club were formed.   At their monthly meeting on Tuesday 10th December 2024 the club celebrated the occasion with birthday cake baked by the club treasurer Virginia Hughes. Two of the original members are still members of the club Peter May and Michael Niblett. Unfortunately Michael was not present but Peter was able to blow out the celebratory candle and then the members had mince pies, chocolates and birthday cake before getting their photo taken on the Christmas sleigh at their meeting venue the Burrendale Hotel Newcastle.

The club will have a special event in July 2025 with members of The Lions Club Ireland team joining in to mark this special achievement and celebrate the service our club provides. Some of the projects that they have been involved in include providing carbon monoxide alarms to local senior citizens following the deaths of  Nan & Francie  O'Reilly,  children projects, including an environmental competition, school quiz and on two occasions, produced calendars from the artwork of children on the theme Don’t Talk To A Stranger. Other events included golf events at Royal County Down, collecting toiletries to be sent to Bosnia and also Kosovo, helping Down District Council with the centenary celebrations of the 1910 flight of Harry Ferguson by getting 10 post primary schools to make a 5 minute film or a talking newspaper on Harry's life with the winning team from  St.Malachy's getting 5 minutes ride in a helicopter over Newcastle.

The most recent successful projects have been fundraising and buying 10 defibrillators and managing and maintaining these and sending 23,000 pairs of spectacles to people in need. Of course the generosity of the local community and businesses have helped the Lions achieve so much in the last 40 years.

Vice District Governor Marion McGreevy, Peter May one of the founding members and Newcastle Lions President John McDonagh.

Newcastle Lions members with Charter Club Treasurer, Peter May and Club President , John McDonagh sitting in the sleigh.