Remember, we hadn’t actually done anything yet, by the 20th of October, 2003, a fortnight on from our first meeting. It had been proposed that mid-month meetings would be more about the social side of things, so perhaps that’s why the ideas ran from the mundane to the sublime. And it was definitely an ideas meeting.
We may have been acting up a little too, considering that we were being watched by five other Lions, including the Region Chair, from neighbouring clubs: Tynedale Lions and Mid-Tyne Lions as well as our Guiding Lions from the District. But in attendance were 22 of our new members and we were ready for a bit of fun.
First, however, we had to answer the Oath of Commitment as delivered by Mike Rogers the Region Chair. Apparently we each received our Charter Member lapel badges too. We must have been reasonably serious for this part of the meeting, I should think.
As the business of the meeting got underway, beginning with Fund Raising, Trevor indicated that any residual monies from the West Tynedale Round Table (as was) would be forwarded on to the new Allendale Lions Club, in due course. Other suggestions included a progressive supper in the village hall, a community carol sing, and a combined male/female calendar for 2004, in the manner of the (in)famous Rylston and District Women’s Institute from Yorkshire that had inspired the Calendar Girls film released in 2003. The meeting was obviously starting to go downhill, but as I recall, the men in particular demurred.
Community Service ideas were next on the agenda, with the first being a dinner for residents of the Thornley Leazes ‘Cave’ served by Lions. The first mention of a Christmas tree on the green was raised, with associated carols, and although everyone thought this was a good idea, Trevor riposted that the all-male WTRT had tried for years to generate enthusiasm for such an event to no avail. Thank you women members! More ideas involving the participation of the First and Middle school children around the tree were mooted.
Fellowship was the final topic of the increasingly rambunctious meeting, and after the Christmas Dinner idea segued into a Tropical Night in January, the visiting Lions must have been rolling their eyes. But there seemed to be some enthusiasm for having more than just the one Burns Night, which would be quite a feat to accomplish in such a little village as Allendale. Finally, a Murder/Mystery night at Deneholme was suggested, and the guiding Lions looked askance when our Charter President asked if such an event would be safe!
I suspect that the rest of the evening was spent in the bar of the Golden Lion, but certainly the meeting closed with the first recorded Allendale toast to Lions Clubs International, abbreviated to Elsie Eye for convenience and general consternation.
It was beginning to look as if the Allendale lot were in the game to have some fun!