TAVISTOCK Lions Club was given a woman?s touch when Janet Nowell was inaugurated as the club?s first female president last week.
Janet was one of the first ladies to join Tavistock Lions in July 2000, and expressed her delight at being selected as president by other members of the club.
She said she was looking forward to an exciting year of fundraising events, including this month?s Tavistock Carnival and the balloon fiesta in August.
Janet also thanked retiring president Graeme Ugle for his excellent year of service to the Lions.
Other officers serving this year include Lyn Roberts as secretary and first vice-president, Richard Jones as treasurer, Eric Portman as community services chairman and Steve Grummitt as press officer.
Tavistock Lions now has eight female members and is part of the British and Irish Multiple District of Lions Clubs International which recently announced Sophie, Countess of Wessex as its UK patron saying she had been ?badged up? as a member of Wokingham Lions Club.
This royal appointment was the latest in a long line instituted by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, after the second world war.
The Queen Mother sent her equerry to Canada to thank the Canadian Lions for the financial support they had given to London children orphaned during the war.
The equerry was so impressed with the Canadians? work that on returning home he became instrumental in setting up the first UK Lions Club ? in London in 1950.
Tavistock Lions Club followed some years later in 1976 and estimates that, since then, it has raised some £220,000 which has been distributed among local organisations, from schools and playgroups to hospices, youth groups and sports clubs.