Lions Chairman, Alan Turton, presents the cheque to Sub Lieutenant Aaron Clarke of Caterham Sea Cadets

A recent appeal in The Caterham and District Independent helped secure a donation of ¡ê1,000 from the Caterham, Oxted and Godstone Lions towards the purchase of a new minibus for a local Sea Cadet Unit. Chairman of the Lions Club, Alan Turton, presented the £1,000 cheque to the Commanding Officer of Caterham Sea Cadets, Sub Lieutenant Aaron Clarke RNR after hearing of the Unit's plight in trying to secure funds for a much needed bus.

"The Community Service Committee were unanimous in supporting this worthwhile venture," said Alan as he handed the cheque over during the recent Royal Navy Parade at the Unit HQ in The Grove.

The Unit's Management Team has focused their attention on raising the £15,000 needed to replace the existing M-registration Transit bus, which is used to transport cadets to activities on a twice-weekly basis in places such as the Excel Centre in London or Portsmouth. As well as its age, the bus does not have enough seats for the growing number of cadets.

Speaking of the donation, the Commanding Officer said: "This is a significant donation and we are immensely grateful to the Lions for their generosity". The total stands at just over £12,000 with much of the money raised coming from donations to the cadets during their house-to-house and street collection appeals.

Other individuals or organisations wishing to help by making a donation are urged to get in touch. Contact details are available on the Caterham Sea Cadet website: http://units.mssc. org/caterham