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.

The Lions Club of Leigh on Sea continues to support the local community during the current COVID-19 pandemic, being amongst the first to offer service to the Southend Coronavirus Action Support team, which helps vulnerable or self-isolating individuals.

Community Chairman, Tim Watts, is leading the club’s contribution: “Some volunteer schemes are so inundated with offers they are struggling to process applications. We decided not to wait and contacted direct Southend’s Association of Voluntary Services (SAVS) to register as an organisation. This enabled us to get out there fast.

“Many of our members are themselves in the higher risk categories, so our frontline team is small – but totally committed. So far, we have delivered food parcels, done shopping for individuals, collected prescription medicines and taken people to clinical appointments. We are in action seven days a week.

“The rest of the club stands ready to support phone-based befriending, something that will become even more important as the weeks of social distancing and isolation continue.

“We still meet twice a month online, which allows members to discuss and approve financial aid: we are very pleased to have been able to donate £1000 to the COVID-19 Rapid Response Appeal for our local hospitals.”

To get help, contact the Southend Coronavirus Action Support Line on 01702 212497 Mon to Fri 9am to 5pm, Sat and Sun 10am to 2pm. For those unable to use a phone due to hearing loss, email providecommunityaction@southend.gov.uk.

To learn more about Leigh Lions, email leighlionscommunity@gmail.com, and follow them on Facebook @leighonsealions. #WeServe. #StayHomeSaveLives

…after a hot, Saturday afternoon’s work at the Yantlet flats, weeding and tidying the large flowerbed in the residents’ garden. Six very full bags of weeds, self-seeded rogue plants and bits of rubbish collected. Thanks to Jill for arranging, and Jim and Mark for looking after us (lovely orange squash). We hope to be back. A good job jobbed!

A very big Thank You to Leigh Town Council Events for organising the Community Day in Bonchurch Park today, & especially to all the people that came along. Thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. You kept us racing them-there piggies to the very end! Thank you for all your donations, & we hope you had a great time, too! (If you missed us, we’ll be bringing the little oinkers to Leigh Folk Festival, Saturday 29th in Library Gardens & Sunday 30th in the old town)

 

The Lions Club of Leigh on Sea, Invite you to a “Human” Race night.  The night is a fun evening where humans are used as horses to race down a track to win.  There is a Tote to place “bets” on the horses to add to the excitement.  The evening is suitable for all ages and children are definitely most welcome.

The evening is to be held at the Estuary Club, on 15^th June at 8.00 pm.  There is a bar available, but you may bring your own “nibbles” and horse snacks!

Tickets are just £2 and are available from The Lions Charity Shop, 1492 London Road, Leigh On Sea, Or Via Priority Management, 60 The  Ridgeway, Westcliff on Sea Tel: 01702 715111  Email: info@leighlions.co.uk

Havens Hospice have been given two new syringe drivers by the Lions Club of Leigh-on-Sea, enabling them to offer more patients a wider choice of treatment.

Tim Watts, Leigh Lions’ Community Chairman said,

“After a talk given by Vanessa Longley of Havens Hospice about their work and plans for the New Fair Havens development, the Club were keen to support them by providing medical equipment that could be used now and in the future. Havens suggested a syringe driver, and we were delighted to be able to provide two.”

A syringe driver delivers a steady flow of injected medication continuously under the skin, and is a very reliable way to control symptoms. Using one can be an alternative to having regular, repeated injections, which can restrict what a person can do and where they can go.