So what did we do in 2023?

All members of the Guildford Lions club are volunteers (there are no paid positions).  Our aim is to serve the community in whatever way we can, and have fun doing it.  That usually takes the form of raising money in order to support local charities and deserving causes.  Our major annual fun and fundraising events, each of which is organised by a small group of members, are:

• A Music in the Park Concert at Hatchlands Park in June
• Our Raft Race starting from Millmead on the first Saturday in July
• A charity Golf Day in September
• The Firework Fiesta is our largest event – featuring a spectacular Fireworks display and Live Music at Stoke Park in November
• Our Christmas collections at local supermarkets and by Santa and his helpers on our streets.

Funds we raise are distributed via our Community & Welfare Committee. It is not all work and no play.  We have a rich and varied social programme including evening social events, dinners, golf and weekends away etc.

At the time of writing we have distributed almost £57,000 in 2023.  Over £12,000 went to North Guildford Foods banks, which we support on a continuous basis.  A further £4,500 was raised by our Weathering Winter Together campaign which allowed the food banks to provide help with energy costs.

£28,000 was used to support other local charities:- we donated £6,000 to Sight for Surrey from our Music in the Park event in June, and £10,000 to the Oakleaf mental health charity from funds raised by our Fireworks Fiesta in November.  Our charity golf day in September raised £6,000 for the Jigsaw School for autistic children.  Other charities we supported included RSCH Baby Care Unit, Guildford Action, Guildford Talking Newspaper, Momentum, Lighthouse, The Grange at Bookham, Guildford Shakespeare Company, Guildford Action, The HALOW Project, GASP Motor Project, Kids Cancer, Mindwork’s Matrix Trust, Basketball4 All, British Ukraine Aid, Normandy Therapy Garden and others.  We also support Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex with sister cubs in the south east and we contribute to the Lions International emergencies fund which provides support for international emergencies.  In 2023 that included earthquake disasters in Turkey, Syria and Nepal.

Our welfare donations, including vouchers from our Christmas (2022) collections, are used mainly to support local families in need and amounted to more than £16,000 in 2023.

We are a non-political organisation and welcome new members irrespective of race, physical ability, religion or sexual orientation.  If your time is limited why not consider becoming a Supporter of the Club and helping out at our fundraising events?

If you are interested in joining the club or becoming a Supporter click here to Contact us

Who are we?

The Club was formed in 1967 and has a focus on making a difference to peoples’ lives in Guildford. We are all volunteers, both male and female, with a passion for helping others whilst having some fun along the way. Being based at the Waterside Centre in Guildford we support our local community but as part of Lions International we also respond to global crises when appropriate.