New charity ‘Smile with Siddy’ gets a boost from the Lions

Lions Zone Chairman Peter Oswick presents Sally Matthews with a cheque for £1000.

Lions from Blackmore Vale, Bridport, Dorchester and, Weymouth & Portland clubs have donated £1000 to fledgling charity ‘Smile with Siddy’.  Sally Matthews spoke movingly about this new charity set up following the death three years ago from Neuroblastoma cancer of her 17 month old grandson Sidney.  Neuroblastoma is the most common of the 200 or so childhood cancers afflicting very young children.  It is very aggressive and difficult to diagnose as the symptons mimic other childhood diseases.  The cause is unknown and research is limited by the paupacy of funding.  ‘Smile with Siddy’ aims to raise funds to carefully target selected research.  To date the charity has raised £150,000.

The four clubs mentioned above form ‘Zone 1A’, a section of the 60 clubs in this District and all contribute to a fund that is dispersed annually to charities and good causes in the communities local to these clubs. The Lions always strive to ensure that funds raised from their various events throughout the year are given back to their local communities to worthy causes such as this.