THE LIONS CLUB OF HASTINGS

surplus ballpoint pens. So, as well as taking 11 body aids and 56 in the ear aids, we are taking 25 card type calculators and 1500 pens! Hope the customs are sympathetic?
5 March. We are back! Jetlagged and with brains like birds nest but what a memorable trip we had. We visited a number of schools for the deaf and one for the blind. In countries where there is so much graft and corruption, it is quite amazing how devoted the staff are, who work for a pittance and make so much from minimal resources. Bernice and I were humbled.
5 March. Carol-Anne Fitz rang, having been given our number by John Carter of the Farnham, Surrey, Lions. Could she have some hearing aids for a village in Thailand? I am sure we can oblige.
6 March. Val Parris from the Burgess Hill Lions and David Beavan from the Chanctonbury Club each send us a nice few in the ear and behind the ear aids. Many thanks go to you both.
11 March. I attend the opening of the Sound Centre at Frankland prison in Durham. This is a venture set up by the Inside Out Trust, who aim to give prisoners a skill to help them find a job, as well as give them a faith in their ability to become worthy citizens. The IOT has invited Lions to help. From now on all the aids we receive will be sent to Frankland for repair and testing. We will then get back some of their production and we also undertake to feedback photograph and thanks from our customers. This was a heart-warming experience and I count it as one of the great days in the fifteen years of the Project.


13 March. Don Furbank of the Tonbridge Lions sends a handy package of hearing aids and moulds. The first contribution for a while from them methinks but very welcome.
21 March About a hundred hearing aids and some batteries arrive by hand from our good chums at Eastbourne Lions, thanks team!
7 April. Much catching up followed by 350 aids heading to Vinnitsa in the Ukraine, via Cllr John Fox from Peterborough.
8April. The second consignment of untested hearing aids are on their way north to Frankland. It is an A4 paper boxes full, so it must be 3000 or so (we will let them count them for us). And there will be more!
9 April. Delivered unto us by our Lion Gareth, a wonderful haul from all over the country and via Chichester.
Apart from the hearing aids were the 5 audiometers from Sunderland. Best of all, 112 of the aids had been cleaned and checked by a kind but anonymous audiologist. If you read this, a thousand thanks.

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