Harpenden Lions Club History
​Lions Clubs began as the dream of a Chicago insurance man Melvin Jones who, in 1917, wondered why local business clubs could not expand their horizons to the betterment of their communities and the world. Jones asked, "What if these men who are successful because of their drive, intelligence and ambition, were to put their talents to work improving their communities?” His idea struck a chord within his own group, the Business Circle of Chicago, and his efforts resulted in an organisational meeting and, within a short period, to the formation of an “Association of Lions Clubs”. Within three years the idea had become international as the result of the setting up of a club in Windsor, Ontario.​
Lions Clubs arrived in England in 1950. Many servicemen from abroad were appalled by the way the children of the Blitz lived, and decided they wanted to help. Funds were first raised in Canada, but the then Queen had to arrange for the Church of England's Childrens’ Society to distribute them as no British clubs existed. When this shortfall was recognised the first Lions Club, known as the 'Host Club', was formed in London - and this was followed by the first Lions Club in Scotland, chartered in Glasgow in 1953, and the first in Ireland, in Dublin, chartered in 1955. Today the Lions Clubs organisation is the largest Service Organisation in the World, with over 1.5 million members belonging to nearly 42,500 Lions Clubs in over 206 countries .
The idea of such a club in Harpenden was first considered in 1980. At that time Chris Stalvies, who had moved to Harpenden in 1979, was invited to meet a group of others - and within this group was John Taylor, who had previously been a Lion president in York. He was instrumental in enabling the formation of the present club and the founding charter was issued a year later, on 19th January 1981. By this time David Price and Andrew Godden had also joined and these three form a triumvirate of founding members who continue to this day. The club covers Harpenden as well as Redbourn and Wheathampstead, Flamstead, Markyate and Kimpton, and it continues to meet every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month and to maintain close links with other Lions groups in the area - as well as with local Rotary and Round Table.
​​With others the club runs run a second-hand bookshop in the Hemel Marlowes Centre, collects and recycles spectacles and hearing aids, distributes hearing aid batteries, provides grants to support youth volunteering and, in the recent past, has provided financial support for the rebuild of the Frogmore Paper Mill. At a local level the club has also continued to contribute to sight saving initiatives, which was one of the founding principles of the Lions movement in1925 when a lady called Helen Keller - an American author and disability campaigner who had lost her sight and hearing at the age of 19 months - urged Lions to be “Knights of the Blind” and to make treating blindness a priority. It also continues to offer another Lions initiative – the Lions “Message in a Bottle” scheme - which encourages people to keep their personal and medical details on a standard form and in a common location to facilitate emergency care. The club has continued to contribute to a variety of charities by raising money through tin shakes, particularly at Christmas, and through a raffle of chocolate eggs in local hostelries at Easter. Many members help to run the local Royal British Legion annual Poppy Appeal and volunteer with Harpenden Helping Hand and the Harpenden Trust.
Since 1996 the club has run a local Highland Gathering - a 'fun day out with a Scottish flavour for the whole family' – which is now one of the largest such gatherings outside Scotland. Through such activities as these, the club has raised money for a raft of local charities including a Lion’s Life Skills programme, recently renamed Youth Support, which has contributed over £330,000 towards PSHE - personal, social, health and economic education - in local schools: this helps young people develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to become responsible members of society.
Internationally the club continues to contribute to educational initiatives and to water aid projects in the developing World to provide safe, clean domestic water and sanitation as well as hygiene education to the world’s poorest. It has also continued to donate to international humanitarian efforts that have provided relief following events as diverse as the Haiti earthquake, Japanese Tsunami and Ukrainian war.
Materials provided by Lions Chris Stalvies and Brian Edwards and by Lions Clubs International