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Lions Clubs International
STOUR VALLEY LIONS
At the heart of your community
Welcome!

President Paul Macpherson with the retiring President Duncan Cashmore
As the current President of Stour Valley Lions,I am delighted to welcome you to our website.
Stour Valley Lions have been proud to support the residents of Shipston on Stour and the surrounding villages for over 40 years. We are a group of committed and dedicated volunteers who offer help and support to individuals, families, charities, and community organisations within the wider Shipston on Stour area.
As part of the largest service organisation in the world, globally we have more volunteers in more places, and love to help others and to make things happen.
Wherever you live, work or travel throughout the British Isles, you are likely to come across Lions members and the projects we support.
Stour Valley Lions Club supports a range of good causes and projects in our local community, and this is where you too can get involved. Because we are local, we can serve the unique needs of our community. As we are part of a wonderful global network, we can address community challenges wherever they occur.
Every day Lions are having fun by organising remarkable and memorable fundraising activities. Every year in Europe alone, Lions volunteer around 6 million hours of service and raise over £88 million to support the needs of their communities.
Why not come and join us?
Lion President Paul Macpherson
Lions At Work
Stour Valley Lions Success!

January 2025
Immediate Past President Duncan receiving the Lions Club Excellence Award on behalf of Stour Valley Lions for his year 2023/24. One of only three Lions Clubs in our District to be honoured for Service, Membership Growth and Fundraising projects
December 2024
Days are distinctly shorter and most of the landscape maintenance has been completed with the addition of a new bench at Stour Court and the final tidy-up of the revamped Gyratory memorial gardens. We were delighted that Shipston Home Nursing chose this site for the white Letters to Heaven post box and also that the Royal British Legion held an emotional re-opening ceremony of the gardens as a memorial to all who have served in war – rather appropriately - on Armistice Day at 11am, just after the Bugler played the ‘Last Post’.
The book fair on 2nd November was another great success, with hundreds of visitors, all of whom seemed to find something to interest them: it is the money raised at events like this that go towards funding local groups and causes. Did you notice the Lions logo on the Pickleball posters? We have been able to bring this to Shipston by helping to fund the hire of the Townsend Hall. We also provided funds to kit out the Shipston Excelsior Pan Disability Football team.
We are always on the lookout to provide funds to support local good causes and people most in need and once again, we have launched our ‘Lions’ Den’. This initiative is open for applications from local charities, groups and individuals. All we ask is that bids have a strong civic, youth or welfare element and meet the public benefit criteria. Those wishing to bid for our support, please complete and the application form which is available online or to download: click on the link at www.stourvalleylionsevents.club or the QR code on our advert in this issue. We will be in touch with you shortly after receiving your application to give you details of the process and your request will be considered by our Welfare Committee. If you need help completing the form, please contact us.
30 November – Winter Fair at Shipston Lodge
6 December – We will be selling tickets for Our Grand Christmas Food Raffle at the Victorian Evening in the Town Centre - the draw will take place in the “Big” Coop on 14 December
12 January – For Senior residents of Shipston -a free film, tea and cake afternoon
18 January – Lions Bingo, Townsend Hall
PLEASE NOTE: there will be no Community Film evening in either December or January.
November 2024
Days are distinctly shorter and most of the landscape maintenance has been completed with the addition of a new bench at Stour Court and the final tidy-up of the revamped Gyratory memorial gardens. We were delighted that Shipston Home Nursing chose this site for the white Letters to Heaven post box and also that the Royal British Legion held an emotional re-opening ceremony of the gardens as a memorial to all who have served in war – rather appropriately - on Armistice Day at 11am, just after the Bugler played the ‘Last Post’.
The book fair on 2nd November was another great success, with hundreds of visitors, all of whom seemed to find something to interest them: it is the money raised at events like this that go towards funding local groups and causes. Did you notice the Lions logo on the Pickleball posters? We have been able to bring this to Shipston by helping to fund the hire of the Townsend Hall. We also provided funds to kit out the Shipston Excelsior Pan Disability Football team.
We are always on the lookout to provide funds to support local good causes and people most in need and once again, we have launched our ‘Lions’ Den’. This initiative is open for applications from local charities, groups and individuals. All we ask is that bids have a strong civic, youth or welfare element and meet the public benefit criteria. Those wishing to bid for our support, please complete and the application form which is available online or to download: click on the link at www.stourvalleylionsevents.club or the QR code on our advert in this issue. We will be in touch with you shortly after receiving your application to give you details of the process and your request will be considered by our Welfare Committee. If you need help completing the form, please contact us.
30 November – Winter Fair at Shipston Lodge
6 December – We will be selling tickets for Our Grand Christmas Food Raffle at the Victorian Evening in the Town Centre - the draw will take place in the “Big” Coop on 14 December
12 January – For Senior residents of Shipston -a free film, tea and cake afternoon
18 January – Lions Bingo, Townsend Hall
PLEASE NOTE: there will be no Community Film evening in either December or January.
October 2024
As summer draws into autumn, Stour Valley Lions seem to have spent a lot of time in the garden, focusing on two main projects: the Gyratory gardens and the gardens at Stour Court.
You may well have read and seen our social media posts about the gyratory gardens, the upkeep of which was provided for by a legacy. The entire area has been redesigned, returfed and replanted, with new more accessible paths put in and the project should be completely finished by mid-November. We owe a debt of gratitude to Louise Hart of Hart Garden for her design and for giving her time and services completely free, and also to KA Perkin for the landscaping and paving. People like this make it possible for us to serve our community better.
We have been assisting with the upkeep of the garden at Stour Court for the past four years and as part of the ongoing improvements, our hardy volunteers have dismantled and disposed of a rickety pergola, cleared and restocked two large planters with fruit trees, herbs and bulbs and a new bench will follow soon. A new bench will also appear at Badger Crescent to replace the one dismantled recently.
Film nights continue to be a draw, especially on rainy Friday nights: the November film (Friday 8th) will be The Fall Guy with Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt (cert 12), but there will be no film in December as the Drama Group have their pantomime.
Following the success of the last two resurrected book sales, the next one will be on November 2nd in the Scout Hut – we have received a huge number of donations, so rest assured that there will be something new to suit every taste.