They're the pride of Ponteland

A PRIDE of Ponteland Lions visited the Great North Air Ambulance to give it a funding boost.

Joint President Muriel Sobo, Secretary John Morris and fellow member Yomi travelled to Durham Tees Valley Airport, where one of the service's two helicopters is based, to present a cheque for £2,500.

The Air Ambulance covers an area from the Borders to Yorkshire and from coast to coast. Staff take about 1,400 calls a year.

Ponteland Lions members were hugely impressed by the set up, which includes computers linked to up-to-the minute details of the land-based ambulance service and medical personnel and a pilot all kitted up, ready to go at a moment's notice.

Funds were raised by the Lions Club through its annual Swimarathon event, where sponsored teams from the schools and clubs of Ponteland swam lengths of the Leisure Centre pool — the main contributions came from Ponteland Middle School and Ponteland Swimming Club.

Source: Morpeth Herald

PONTELAND LIONS DONATE TO GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE

Lions' Joint President Muriel Sobo, secretary John Morris and Lion Yomi travelled to Durham Tees Valley Airport where one of the two helicopters is based to present a cheque for £2,500.  They were hugely impressed by the set up, warm airside offices on a cold day, computers linked to up-to-the minute details of the land-based ambulance service and medical personnel and a pilot all kitted up, ready to go at a moment's notice.

The Air Ambulance helicopters, the other one is based at Penrith, can travel at 200mph and journeys from pick-up to hospital are covered in less than 25 minutes.  The area they cover is huge, up to the borders, down to Yorkshire and coast to coast.  With 1400 calls a year and each one costing £2,500 they were pleased to receive our help.  The money was raised at the Lions' Swimarathon, mainly by Ponteland Middle School and Ponteland Swimming Club, with help from other sponsored teams from the schools and clubs of Ponteland.  Thanks to all swimmers, sponsors and organisers!

PONTELAND GENERATIONS COMBINE FOR COLOURFUL EFFECT

Ponteland Lions run an annual competition for young people who have made an original contribution to the community.  This year 16 year old Hannah Seeber was the winner for her input into setting up a new web site and her work as a youth sports leader.  Part of her award was £500 to spend on a project of her choosing.  Very aware of the gap between the young and the older generations she wanted to do something to bridge this divide.  But what?  Athol House, on Callerton Lane, is sheltered accommodation for more than 30 residents, including Mary Short, who has worked hard to keep the extensive gardens colourful and weeded.  More input was needed but very few residents are able to do much in the garden.  Hannah decided, after consultations with the Lions' president, with Mary and with help from her father, to design and plant up the area around the patio to give all year round colour in that part of the garden and make it easy to maintain.  Hannah's father is a garden designer so she had a head start!

Friends from the Youth Club, directed by Angus Ramlal, joined Hannah and her Dad and one or two able residents from Athol House in early August for a planting day and worked hard to complete Hannah's design in one day.  Keep a watch on this garden as you pass into the Sport's Centre and admire the efforts of all.  Mary Short said it was marvellous!

The young people helping Hannah were Georgina Shipley, Lucy Hay, Adam Potter, Michael Crisp, Sean Campbell, Andrew Christie and John Freeman.  Well done!

John Andrew and Georgina Shipley and another

 Residents Alfie and Mary with Lucy and Adam

 Hannah Seeber


By Muriel Sobo

Litter for Literacy

School libraries are not what they used to be: meeting points for pupils doing quiet reading or checking facts and researching projects. More work is done from duplicated worksheets, from the internet, with the computer, and it is more class room based. The central school library which can serve 600 pupils is redundant. That is the assessment of the head of Ponteland Middle School, Dr Caroline Pryer, who with her staff, have decided on the concept of classroom libraries with more choice about the books given to the pupils. But how to fund this, especially with increasingly restricted budgets? Ponteland Lions were asked to help. The Lions already have good links with the school and listened sympathetically but what was the pay back for them? The school site, shared with the High School, is one of the worst places for litter in Ponteland and there is obviously huge scope for voluntary litter picking. What if the children were asked to do litter picks and then funds were made available for buying books?

The project was agreed by all interested parties, it has started this month, and will continue until November when the Lions should have funded books to a total of £2000.

Supporting Young People in Ponteland

We have in Ponteland a dedicated building for youth work, in the grounds of the schools on Callerton Lane, and a dedicated leader of a team of paid and volunteer workers who are bringing out the best in our young people.
Angus Ramlal was appointed last year and comes with a fine record of youth work since he came to the northeast in 2000 and worked at Whitley Bay with disadvantaged children. Now in Ponteland he is happy to work in a place with a strong community feel and help the young ones to develop their skills and contribute to their neighbourhood. There are a number of voluntary projects that use the abilities of willing youngsters. At present there are links with the Lions’ club, voluntary work through the Duke of Edinburgh award and Angus is exploring a tie-up with English Heritage. The possibilities are endless but here are a few of the things they do now - football and golf sessions, mountain biking, Girls Allowed, healthy eating and nutrition. The programme constantly changes and is adapted to the needs and interests of the young people.

Angus is a big man in every way, both physically and with the ideas and enthusiasm he has brought to Ponteland. He was brought up by his parents in Hackney London where they settled after leaving Trinidad in the sixties. University in Manchester brought him north but it is the north east he loves, the coast where he lives, the countryside and of course, the people. If only the summers could last more than a couple of weeks!

One of the young people in Ponteland is about to finish his course at Kirkley Hall College and work on his business full time. Shaun Nichol has done a course in arboriculture but has been working for himself since he was fourteen. But Shaun has also given his time to the provision of a skate park in Ponteland where he has helped in fund-raising, attended meetings and visited other similar facilities – all the boring behind the scenes work. The goal is now in sight. He has used his skills in the Park in the preparation of the meadow and helping the young school children to plant bulbs. The Lions’ Club were pleased to promote Shaun for their Young Ambassador award. He was the District winner and went to the finals in Dudley in the midlands, up against another thirteen young people. All of this is valuable experience for a shy but very capable young man.

Top photograph caption: The Lions’ award for Young Ambassador went to Shaun Nichol on the left with Angus Ramlal, youth leader and the Lions’ president Andy Anderson

by Muriel Sobo

Ponteland Lions Annual Handover

Ponteland Lions Club, together with their partners and friends, met at the Highlander Inn Belsay, for Sunday lunch and their Annual Handover. President Yomi Sobo handed his chain of office to a joint Presidency of John Harvey and Jim Robertson, both of whom were charter members when the club was formed 25 years ago.

L to R, Joint President John Harvey, past Preseident Yomi Sobo and joint President Jim Robertson.
By Muriel Sobo