Yesterday once more

It was one of those Lions days, the sort of day when Lions activities take up most of the time. Being the first Saturday of the month, we had our regular book fair when we sell second-hand books in the community room at Lions Dene, one of the blocks of flats owned by Brighton Lions Housing Society.

This is Lions Dene, a block of 37 flats with a community room used as a meeting place by Brighton Lions Club.

Selling books at 50p each means that we don't take an awful lot of money as a rule: £45 is probably about average for the two hours the fair lasts. Yesterday, however, we took £73. The monthly book fair does tend to be treated almost as a social occasion for the Lions. Yesterday, no fewer than 30% of our members turned up to do a little work, drink a cup or two of coffee and chat.

Meanwhile, a good proportion of the other members of the club were preparing for the evening's fireworks display ("remember, remember the 5th of November etc"). Whichever deities are responsible for the weather pulled out all the stops for us and we had a dry day (which is almost as important as a dry evening) and evening with the wind neither too strong not from the wrong quarter for safety. Despite stiff competition, there was a good crowd and we took slightly more cash at the gate than we did last year. Advance ticket sales are believed to be up on last year and there is a good chance that the total income will be in the region of £60,000. If so, the profit to be shared between the Lions and the Sussex County Cricket Club should be in the region of £40,000.

From about 3.30 in the afternoon until the display started at 7.30 I was manning a ticket sales booth and it was noticeable once again just what a friendly, good-humoured atmosphere surrounds this event. All the teenagers who came to buy tickets were well-spoken and good-mannered; the adults were, almost without exception, cheerful and smiling. Tony (who shared the booth with me) and I thoroughly enjoyed the banter.

One of the odd things about Lions Club activities is how there is always something humorous or enjoyable about them. What might seem at the outset to be a boring job but one that needs doing, always turns out differently, either because of the banter between a group of friends or because of interaction with others. Whatever, this is definitely one of the benefits I get from being a member of the local Lions Club.

Two other events this weekend - one of them a major event - are taking place in Brighton. Neither has anything to do with Lions. Yesterday there was a car rally in which cars of the future, ie low emission cars, were driven from Brighton to London. Today sees the annual London to Brighton veteran car run. Think Genevieve, if your cinema memories go back that far. The run started many years ago when the speed limit was raised from 4mph and the need to have a man with a red flag walking in front of the horseless carriage was deemed unnecessary. In celebration of these twin events, a number of motorists drove from London to Brighton and the event has been a hardy annual ever since (although I suspect it didn't take place during the war). Cars taking part have to have been made before 1921 and it's quite a sight to see them trundling along the road into Brighton.