THERE may be around 49,000 Lions Clubs worldwide, based in more than 200 countries across the globe, but the organisation is also proudly local, not least in Jersey and in the outlook of the Island’s new person at the helm.
A few weeks after taking over as president of the Lions Club of Jersey, Jane Rueb sat down and spoke enthusiastically about the role played by the Lions in Island life.
Although its year runs from July to July in Jersey in terms of officials taking the reins, as Mrs Rueb has done after two years in vice-presidency roles, to some extent the Lions’ calendar starts in late March every year, with initial planning for the annual Swimarathon scheduled for the same time the following year.
“The year I joined was 2016, and I was inducted in in February, and then the Swimarathon happens in the spring, so it was straight into putting my name on the roster to go poolside and count laps and join in with the team,” she said.
Jumping straight in came naturally to the new “recruit”, who explained what had led to her joining the Lions.
“The sales pitch was that firstly we put the fun into fundraising, and secondly that the Lions are doers – they’re people that literally roll up their sleeves and crack on and do things,” she said. “And that appealed to me no end, because that’s what I like doing., that’s me – and that’s what happens at Swimarathon.”
As soon as the pop-up banners had been rolled up and the proceeds from the 2016 event counted, the former Jersey College for Girls pupil immersed herself in getting to know fellow Lions.
“When you first join it’s all about getting to know the other members,” she said. “We have a monthly dinner meeting, and what I tried to do my first year was sitting next to someone new every time so that I could chat to them, get to know them, in addition to those I knew anyway.
“We try and have a speaker every month, if we can – different people from different charities come and talk to us, especially if they’re looking for some funding for a project, and it’s always interesting to hear what what they’re doing.
“There are a lot of charities in the Island, and there’s a lot of people that need help, because, for whatever reason, they kind of fall between the gaps of ‘official’ help.”
The Swimarathon has raised something approaching £4 million in just over half a century since first taking place in 1972, including £92,000 in March of this year, and Mrs Rueb highlighted the many different ways in which the funds raised were distributed.
“Last year our Swimarathon recipients were all cancer charities, which was brilliant, because cancer touches most people, doesn’t it?” she reflected.
“And it was particularly poignant because there was a few of us in the club that it was touching, and I think it really resonated with the general public – you’re never sure how a fundraising event will go when there’s a cost-of-living crisis, but we were absolutely blown away with raising just over £92,000 pounds, it was brilliant.
“Previously we’d raised money for three food banks, and it had been interesting to go and talk to them and learn about how their client base was expanding.”
Some of the work takes a while to come to fruition, for example a 2021 visit to the Salvation Army where Lions officials learned about the difficulties faced by families who faced the loss of their homes and potentially would be forced to split up in order to find replacement accommodation.
“The Lions Club paid for the three sets of bathrooms in each of the three cottages that the Salvation Army developed, and when we went to the opening three years later it was rewarding knowing that we’d been able to really help some people who’d been put in difficult circumstances through no fault of their own.
“It only takes one thing to go wrong in someone’s life, and then things can spiral down from there.”
Along with many other Jersey charities, the Lions Club’s work reflects the reality of an Island where there’s great affluence at one end of the spectrum, but poverty at the other.
“When I was younger , and coming from a large Jersey family, that was your support network, but there are quite a few people that have moved to Jersey and that don’t have that support network, with people to rally round when someone needs help, so that’s where charities step in,” Mrs Rueb said.
“We work with other charities – for example, someone from Brighter Futures might contact us about a single mum who’s struggling to make ends meet, and don’t want the stigma of sending their child to a new school with a second-hand uniform, and we’ll help out with vouchers.
“Some families have difficulty when they’re moving into a new property – usually there are no fittings at all, and we help out with providing white goods, because a family with children need to have a washing machine and a fridge straight away.”
Some of the funds are dispensed directly, while other donations go to charities covering different areas, with applications considered by the Lions’ community service committee and subjected to “due diligence” research, with potential grants above £2,000 becoming agenda items for full club meetings in order to obtain the necessary approval.
Although the Swimarathon remains the biggest annual focus for the Lions, the club has launched another successful event, with the Muddy Fun Run taking place every September, giving around six months’ breathing space before/after the busyness of March at the swimming pool.
“I come from a farming background, so getting muddy is something I associate with work, it’s not fun in my book, but it’s been really popular,” she said. “It’s a brilliant thing for parents to do with their kids – they come along and they’re lovely and clean at the start, and literally, by just getting in and getting into the first obstacle, they’re all covered in mud.”
Research has traced the roots of the Vautier family back to the 1600s, and Jane Vautier, as she was before marrying her Dutch husband Erik, was used to mucking in on the farm as a youngster. This led on to becoming a Young Farmer and a longstanding involvement in the Battle of Flowers through her home parish of Trinity, where she has also been involved in the parish’s twinning committee.
Mrs Rueb also spent a lengthy spell working in the public sector, including a 12-year period working at the Bailiff’s Chambers.
In May 2020 she took up her current job working as executive secretary of the Jersey Farmers Union, based at the Royal Jersey Showground in her home parish.
“There are quite a few days when I don’t leave Trinity, and Erik teases me because I’ve only ever lived in Trinity,” she said.
Although much of the Lions’ focus is on good causes close to home, Mrs Rueb is conscious of the organisation’s global reach, which includes clubs in almost every country on the planet (North Korea and Iran are believed to be among the few exceptions).
Globally this has led to significant overseas donations via the Lions International network, for example the earthquake in Turkey in 2023. While most of this work sees funds channelled from Jersey to areas of need elsewhere in the world, Mrs Rueb said it was gratifying to receive overseas contributions via the Lions network for the Bailiff’s Appeal set up in the wake of the gas explosion at Haut du Mont in St Helier in December 2022.
Among the international projects Jersey is part of is the collection of used spectacles that are repurposed and sent to people who might otherwise have to go without glasses – Mrs Rueb reminded Islanders that they can drop off unwanted spectacles at Animal Kingdom in St Helier.
A main aim for her presidency is to attract new and younger members to the Lions Club, with Mrs Rueb mindful of the enjoyment she has had from almost a decade of involvement.
“We are trying to encourage new members, and I would say that if anyone would like to come and find out about it, we’d be more than happy to have a chat, come to a dinner meeting,” she said. “Our dinner meetings are fairly light-hearted and good natured, and if people want to get involved more they can do as much or little as they want.
“Hopefully people can spare some time to work at the Swimarathon or the Fun Run, and if someone wants to put more time in , then we’ll find jobs for them.”
Almost the last thing discussed in the interview was Mrs Rueb’s status as the Island’s first female Lions Club president, with recognition that there’s no longer much, if any, raising of eyebrows when a woman is appointed to a top job in business or the third sector.
“There was never any distinction growing up around things that needed doing – my brother helped with the washing up as much as I did, and I helped with farm stuff as much as he did, so we were treated the same,” she said.
“I’m back working in the farming sector, which is mostly male orientated and there was the odd occasion when I’d be sat in meetings and called ‘love’ by someone, but that was quite a while ago, and I did give them a bit of a stare – I’m confident enough to call people out if I think they’re being chauvinistic.”
