4 July. Aint it funny; just when you think that the whole place has gone to sleep it wakes up with a start? We have three events in one day. First, we pop over to Eastbourne for a liquid lunch and steak pie with a recovering friend in their Club and he gives us a handed in hearing aid.
On our return is message from Scotland requesting hearing aids for children in Malawi, which I trust we can fulfil.
Checking other messages on the answer phone I realise that I have missed one from Jeff Dobson of Teesdale Lions. A hasty call of apology reveals that he has sent us via Chichester a big consignment of hearing equipment, whew!
7 July. My wife and I pop up to Hidden Hearing, a company in the private hearing equipment sector, at their HQ in Maidstone. There we collect eleven items of equipment in various sates of repair. I am sure that we will find useful homes for some if not all of it.
9 July. Forty hearing aids and ancillaries are on their way to lovely Prestwick in Scotland. The first part of their journey to Malawi.
17 July. A visit to our hospital audiology department produces a fine bag of hearing aids. And my wife had her hearing aid adjusted! All good stuff eh?
23 July. 97 hearing aids, an analyser and an audiometer (from the Hidden Hearing lot) are on their way to a Bangkok Lions Club via a firm called Showerlux in Coventry.
23 July. Here is an example of how Lions really do amazing things. A Lion in British Columbia, Canada, got in touch with HQ to say he had some hearing equipment to dispose of. Marilee Kadar at HQ told him about us, as well as giving his address to me. I get in touch with Rob Manifold and mention that we are heading for the other coast of that fair country. Result, the hearing aids are on their way for us to pick up when we arrive in Newfoundland. And Rob has more equipment, which I will tell you about when we have sorted how to send it to someone!
15 Aug. We have now returned from a wonderful family reunion in Newfoundland and lo and behold, when we arrived at our destination, a massive parcel of hearing aids from Lion Rob was awaiting us! Mind you it nearly didn�t get back to UK as Air Canada lost our baggage due to a massive thunderstorm at Halifax airport.
15 Aug. When we got back there was a hearing aid from a lady�s sister-in-law, 29 from Bridgend Lions Club, 10 from Lion John Sims down in the south west and another from our friend in Hampton Magna. Thank you one and all.
1 Sep. Just as I am about to send a 6kg box of hearing aids I am asked to collect a consignment recently arrived from Chichester. It comprised three audiometers, one analyser a vast quantity of speech training equipment, also 13.5kg of hearing aids (that�s after sorting). We could identify gifts from Southport and Ormskirk Hospital, 20 The Glebe Bath, plus the Lions Clubs of Radstock and Midsomer Norton, Teesdale, Chester and Leyland & Cuerden Valley! Thank you all and those we could not.
4 Sep. A large amount (three big boxes) of speech hearing equipment just received is on its way to Islah in London for her to sort and get to Morocco and Sudan. I wouldn�t know the first thing about it all but she thinks it is gold dust. Well done Teesdale and Leyland.
10 Sep. In the next couple of days we will be sending three audiometers and an analyser to Islah as well.
20 Sep. Six hundred batteries are on their way to Chitral and our Lion friends in Wellawatte, Sri Lanka via courier Lion Cliff Critchett. Some more are on their way to Zimbabwe as well.
13 Oct. A somewhat quiet periods with no hearing ads to be sent out but about 500 wanted by our friends overseas, is shattered by a mighty mass of equipment sent from our friends in this country. Hertfordshire County Council have been absolutely wonderful and have sent four big boxes of speech training kit and audiometers, analysers and miscellaneous items. Twenty Kg of hearing aids, after battery and ear mould removal from, Seaford, Ormskirk, Hamilton, Brierley Hill and other unidentified private sources. The Lions of District 105A sent a big box, including aids from Redbridge and Leighton Buzzard Lions Clubs. Ringwood and Fordingbridge Lions, Chester Lions, Midsomer Norton Lions and other Clubs not yet identified all made it a bonanza delivery. Thank you one and all.