Lions to lead free skin checks

SINCE re-establishing last year, Lions Club of Bannockburn and District’s first major instance of community engagement is looking to be a well-attended one.

The local group will be conducting free skin cancer checks this weekend as part of a project with The Lions V Districts Cancer Foundation, with their debut effort seeing fully booked capacity.

Guiding Lion and Lara Lions member Tom Gilfillan said the effort will be a great way to involve the local group further with the community.

“It’s going to be a great chance for people to get their skin checked where they may not have before and it’s giving the locals something nice to get behind with us,” he said.

“We’ve had this at Lara a couple times and it’s usually successful. We’ll have three rooms at Bannockburn and everything’s fully booked out.

“I think it says we’re getting well-known in the community again. We do the monthly market barbecue but this is our first chance at more of a community service.

“From a community service point of view, it’s a pretty big one so it’s not a bad first big hit.”

Mr Gilfillan stepped in around April last year to help rebuild the local Lions following its membership dropping from a dozen people to one person around the pandemic.

Since then, the group has grown to about seven members and Mr Gilfillan said they’re looking for more opportunities to engage with community.

“We’re trying to get involved with the schools at the moment for a peace poster competition and a vision screening for preps and grade 6s,” he said.

“We’re up to about seven members now and obviously we’re looking for more. This weekend can also be a good opportunity for us to get more locals to come onboard.”