July 2026

Darlinghurst Academy recently welcomed five members from the Lions Childsight UK
project to screen thirty-eight Year 1 students. This was the first such screening in the
City of Southend area, though the project has conducted several screenings elsewhere
in Essex
Leigh-on-Sea Lions Club worked closely with the Darlinghurst team to organise this
inaugural session: letters seeking permission from parents were issued, and only those
children with parental consent were screened, and in the presence of school staff.
While all children are entitled to free sight tests & examinations, not all parents take up
the offer early in their child’s life. Studies show children with corrected vision can
improve their academic performance by up to 44%. Lions Childsight UK offers free, on-
site vision screening for 5-11 year olds, using a PlusoptiX S20 camera, which can
detect early signs of eye problems not readily identified just by looking at an individual.
The screening process is totally non-invasive and very quick: sitting a couple of meters
away, the child looks at the camera (which has a friendly “face” on it) and the camera
scans the eyes & indicates a pass or refer.
Immediately after screening, the school is given the results and letters to be issued to
parents accordingly. All letters encourage regular eyesight tests for children, whether or
not the camera detected a potential issue.
The Lions on the project are all DBS checked and trained in using the screening
camera. Lions record the numbers screened and referrals found , but they do not retain
any data about the children screened, nor are photos taken of any child.

To learn more about Lions Childsight UK in the Southend area, email
community@leighlions.co.uk or visit https://lionschildsightuk.co.uk/

Lions from Leigh-on-Sea joined the Estuary Tenancy & GEMS Teams to help a resident clear their garden. The work involved clearing a massive amount of rubbish, overgrown trees and shrubs, and killer brambles.

The Tenant was thrilled with the results of the work, and  thanked the teams for their help; she said she had been overwhelmed by the task and couldn’t have done it by herself, but now felt motivated to tackle other areas of the garden.

This story is a great example of how teams can work together and make a difference. By coming together and lending a helping hand these teams were able to make a positive impact on the life of this Tenant.

A great morning for the Leigh Lions, abseiling down Southend Hospital tower raising money for their Spotlight Radiotherapy Appeal.

The climb over the parapet wall at the top was fun! The rest was easy ?.

Geoff Woolfson did a great job on his first abseil!

A big thank you to all who sponsored us, if you would like to the JustGiving link is:
https://www.justgiving.com/…/LoSLionsTackleTheTower23…

Can’t wait till next year ?

Members of the Hoy at Anchor Folk Club and Leigh on Sea Lions Club are organising a free community weekend of sea shanties, folk music, song and dance in the atmospheric setting of Old Leigh Town.
There will be performances by shanty crews from as far afield as Felixstowe, Stony Stratford and Milton Keynes as well as local pirate bands, celebrated folk artistes and dancers. The entertainment will take place at venues throughout the atmospheric Old Town of Leigh thanks to the management and staff of The Crooked Billet, No 1 Cockleshed, The Peter Boat, Sara’s Tea Gardens, The Boatyard Restaurant, Billet Wharf, The Old Smack and The Mayflower. There will also be a dedicated shanty stage on Strand Wharf alongside a real ale bar serving a selection of local brews designed to lubricate a shanty-man’s vocal chords.
No admission will be charged to the public and all the performers are giving their services free of charge. Over the weekend, members of the Leigh on Sea Lions Club will be arranging a charity collection in aid of the Southend RNLI and Leigh on Sea Endeavour Trust. At the time of writing, the following shanty crews and folk artistes have agreed to participate: The Hoy Shanty Crew, The Silver Darlings, The Hoolies, The Motley Crew, Impressed, The Hogeye Men, Mains’l Haul Shanty, The Brave Marauders, Freddie’s Barnet, The Felix Stowaways, Captain Morgan’s Rum Do, Cockleshell Clog, Arfur Do &the Toe Rags, Emerald ill, Grand Reunion, Mucky Dennis & The Grifters, Fran Foote & Belinda Kempster, Random Folk, The Ondines, PDQ., Goodnight Crow, Kiti Theobald, The Umbrella Factory, Hard to Handle, The Mudlarks & The Feelgood Choir.
The weekend’s festivities start on Friday evening with a Folk Singaround run by Kiti Theobald at the Crooked Billet.
More details from Tony Prior (Anthony.t.prior@gmail.com) 07805 64197

Together with One Love Soup Kitchen, we were delighted to receive a very generous donation from the Southend Freemasons, in recognition of our assistance at the early vaccination clinics held at their Saxon Hall venue. Whilst we were happy to give our time to this essential work, it was very nice to have our efforts recognised in this way: the funds will be put to good use in our community.