This year’s street collection on the 23rd December in Mengham raised an impressive £482. A very good result, thank you to all that donated, your generosity will help ensure local causes benefit via continued use of the Minibus.

£200 has been donated to Opensight toward the Christmas Lunch for the Blind on Hayling Island. £250 has also been given toward Hayling United Football Club. 

The Annual Senior Citizen’s Christmas Party will be held at Sinah Warren on Thursday 3rd December. The Club are grateful to the management at Sinah Warren for their co-operation in allowing us to use the venue and also for generously supplying the entertainment and refreshments.

The Annual Street collection in Mengham will be on the 23rd of December, so please give generously to help us keep the Mini Bus on the road for local charities to use.

Sadly our long running Cabaret night will not be held this year at the normal venue or in the normal format due to the lack of a free night at Sinah Warren, which even in this time of recession is fully booked. Good news for them but sadly difficult for us.

Other fund raising events are being looked at so watch this space plus the Hayling Islander and Trader.

Following Mum and dad launching an appeal to send their blind baby daughter Izabelle to a hospital in China for a revolutionary treatment that only a handful of children have undergone to hopefully allow her to see for the first time, the Businessmen’s Club have sent a donation of £400.

Apart from the Mini Bus we also give generously to other local worthwhile causes. Below are the organisations or individuals we have helped during 2008.

We can only continue with these donations if the local community support our Cabaret Night and Annual BBQ.
Dan James Wrestling Club £100
HI Red Cross £100
Hayley Clark – Thailand Trip £200
H I Youth Café £200
Olivia Beale – dancer £200
Street Sport £400
Eleanor Geden – hearing aid £250
St Andrew’s Church £250
Hayling Ladies FC £200
Seacourt Fencing £200
Open Sight (Blind Club) £200

We also donated to the Scouts & St John’s Ambulance for their help at the Annual BBQ.

The Hayling Island Businessmens Club have been busy giving away money from the profits of their successful Barbecue at Northney Farm in the summer.

Wally Egan, who sadly died last year was a founder member of the club and a fun loving, caring man who cared for the community and believed in youth’s future.

We have initiated an annual prize in his memory at Hayling College to recognise individual effort and enterprise. This year the winner was Lisa Haines, who received the annual Rose Bowl and a cheque for £100 from Wally’s widow, Enid.

We also continue to support H.I.A.D’s by purchasing tickets and distribute them free to the elderly and deserving . We have set the date for next years ABBA tribute dinner and dance at Sinah Warren on 19th April 2009 and the Northney Barbecue on July 11th 2009.

It is with sadness that we have to report the death of our Mini Bus Chairman Stuart Raven. Stuart has served the club well for a number of years joining in 1977 and was our Chairman in 1990. His death was a shock to us all at the club and he will be sadly missed.

The following donations have been made throughout the year.
1. Hayling United Ladies Football Club were given £100 to help with costs.
2. The Bridge Centre which provides help for the less fortunate and needy. Form filling advice etc. £100 given.
3. Gymnastic Club were given £305 to help train instructors. 4. Cricket Club, help with new nets. £500.
5. Hayling Voluntary Services which provides voluntary help to the needy such as transport etc. £250 given.
6. Boxing Club, who need help with maintaining the centre. £250 given.

During December the annual street collection raised £528 which will go to support the running of the Community Bus.

Residents especially the elderly do appreciate the Community Bus and respond by giving so generously.

The club have recently given donations of £500 each to the Hayling Island Community Centre and the British Red Cross. The Community Centre need to replace the stage lighting which has come to the end of it’s useful life. We were glad to be able to help this band of volunteers who raise nearly all their own funding.

The Red Cross have had to move the equipment store from the Health Centre due to them requiring the extra space. This left the Red Cross needing a new store for which they have been raising funds. The HIBC were glad to help this good cause and donated £500.

The club are delighted the refurbishment has now been completed of the internal walls of St Peter’s Church. The club received a request for help with the funding and, we were only to pleased to help keep this wonderful church in a condition worthy of its historical importance to Hayling.

A service was held on Sunday the 23rd April to commemorate the completion of the work. Club Chairman Meyrick Marston and Secretary Andy Lenaghan attended as representatives of the club.