As we begin the third Millennium, Lions of Multiple District 105 are celebrating the Jubilee of the establishment of Lionism in the British Isles and Ireland. London (Host) was officially chartered on 1st March 1950, and Tonbridge and Brighton followed in quick succession.
MD 105 Lions have a “royal origin”, courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, who sent her equerry Colonel Edward Wyndham (later Lord Leconfield) to Canada to thank the Lions for providing substantial funds for children orphaned during the Blitz. Colonel Wyndham was so impressed with the Canadian Lions that he decided a Club should be established in England. Subsequently, Windsor (Ontario) Lions Club sponsored London (Host), as the first Club in the British Isles. Lord Leconfield was the Charter President, and meticulous in attending every meeting, where his tall, genial presence added distinction to their functions.
Lions expanded rapidly throughout England. By 1953 the first Lions Club in Scotland was chartered in Glasgow and by 1955 the first Lions Club in Ireland in Dublin. In 1961, District 105 became a Multiple District with two Districts A and B. Today, MD 105 consists of 13 Districts, 944 Clubs and 20,000 men and women throughout the British Isles and Ireland.
The birth of Lionism in the British Isles and Ireland is truly a success story. We have a lot to be proud of, but in this ever changing world there is a lot more charitable work to be done. "You can't get very far until you start doing something for somebody else" (Melvin Jones, Founder of Lions).
