Keith Dickman is Hailsham Lions' new president

In her closing speech, Kathy highlighted some aspects of her presidency. "The pandemic caused absolute pandemonium but we managed to keep our ear to the ground, and keeping in touch via phone, meant we were still able to help our community."

She said the Club had come to the aid of young people who were starting out in life on their own, provided bundles for homeless people in the hope of easing their living conditions, supplied vouchers for a local children's charity, and assisted Ukrainian families in their resettlement in our area.

She said: "Once were were allowed to, we supported local schools by attending their fetes and other events with our much-loved candy floss machine. For the Grovelands' therapy farm we helped purchase a trailer for their animals. Also, we were happy to make contributions to Environment Hailsham, our Food Bank, Hailsham Active....To be honest, the list is endless."

Kathy will stay a member of the Club, working on the fundraising team.

Keith Dickman is known for his charity work for Demelza. His most recent fundraising event was trekking in Jordon from the Dead Sea to the city of Petra, following climbing Kilimanjaro late last year.

In his acceptance speech, Keith admitted Kathy was a hard act to follow but it was a pleasure for him to hold this position. "I hope to keep the Club moving forward, working towards getting new members on board and perhaps sharing fundraising activities with other clubs within and outside the Lions.

"That way, we can pool our resources. It goes without saying, these are challenging times for all clubs and organisations, so we need to work hard at raising money to help the community. And I'm ready for that challenge."

Contact Hailsham Lions by phone - 0345 8339828/via Facebook page