Colin joined Farnham Lions Club in March 1971, over 38 years ago, and presently lives in Fleet, Hants. He is the sole survivor of the four Trustees who founded the LIBRA Charitable Trust on the 1st July 1978. He served as Chaiman of the Trustees for fourteen years and was responsible for expanding the number of Trustees in 1994 to eight. His present role might best be described as 'elder statesman'!
Two LIBRA projects stand out in his mind. The first was the five minute pre-Christmas appeal on BBC 1 (at 5-55 pm - prime time television) by David Jacobs. Colin was the LIBRA representative advising at KCH during the filming. It took a whole day to get the five minute film. The then Professor was Joe White. Even though a hardened broadcaster, David Jacobs was visibly moved by much of what he saw and heard, and at one point when filming a leukaemic child the camerman was in tears.
Colin fondly remembers the excitement of going to King’s with other Lions to open the mail. They received the most incredible response from the public who sent in almost £35,000, most of it in small donations with touching letters from the young and elderly.
The second was as Chairman when he personally addressed and signed an appeal letter to every Club President in the British Isles and Ireland (over 940) and he received £32,000 for LIBRA. This exercise was repeated with similar success some years later.
Colin’s hope for the future is that LIBRA will go from strength to strength, particularly through appeals to the general public.