A voluntary organisation is marking its golden jubilee. The column learns about life with the Lions.

Darlington Lions Club, one of 45,000 in 206 countries, celebrated its 50th anniversary last Sunday with a splendid tea party in the Blackwell Grange Hotel.

The column was invited formally to slice the birthday cake and to make – as incorrigibly it was observed – a few cutting remarks.

It may never be said that the Lions are mangy, rather a pride indeed, but they are indisputably getting a bit long in the tooth.

“When I joined 37 years ago I was the youngest member, now I’m the second youngest,” said former club president Denis Pinnegar, now 65.

It’s a problem familiar to many voluntary organisations; what they need are some cubs.

Lions was formed in 1917 by Chicago business leader Melvin Jones.

Now it has 1.4m members, each charged with improving communities.

The official aims may be rather grand – lots of stuff about promoting the principles of good citizenship and good government – but the reality speaks of combining fundraising, fellowship and fun.

The difference between Lions and Rotary? “Nothing at all, we’re both service organisations,” said Alan Dodd, who’d been a member of both.

The Lions, big beasts, remain the world’s largest.

Darlington had brought a great cartful of scrapbooks, the earliest recording the club’s formative days and mutton chop membership.

Founding members included stillremembered names like Marsh Diapolo, Norman Godsmark, Maurice Zissler and Ken Rumney, journalist, golfer and raconteur.

“A little known organisation,” said the Northern Despatch, but wished it well. “The objectives are very commendable and our businessmen are to be praised for their charitable instincts,” added a leader.

The instincts continue. Last year they raised £13,000 for charities both local and international, held a Christmas party for the elderly, took the bairns to the pantomime and the needy on holiday to Filey.

Best of all, the Lions Bookshop, up an arcade opposite Binns, continues to offer half-hidden treasures at near-piratical prices. It’s raised £80,000 in almost 20 years.

“It’s a lovely little place. A lot of people just come in for a chat,” said Tom Peacock, a retired senior probation officer.

This year the club also admitted its first women – “an exciting new chapter,” said Richard Western, the president.

There was a pennant from the International President – the splendidly named Sid L Scruggs III – a visit from district governor Larry Cassidy, Peterlee lad, another from Stephen Cowton, a former Lions president in Zimbabwe and several other countries.

Stephen was from Shildon, failed his 11+ at what we used to call the Council School, emigrated at 14 to Nyasaland – as then it was – when his father found work on the railways there.

His dad came back for six weeks, decided that Nyasaland was maybe the better bet, and said goodbye to Shildon for good.

Stephen qualified both as an accountant and as a teacher, became a headmaster and a government under-secretary. “I didn’t do too badly for someone who failed the scholarship,” he said (and see also Sir Alan Meale, opposite.) There, too, though uncharacteristically running late, was Lion and semi-retired legal executive Ian Barnes, who that morning had driven to Bolton for the British veterans’ 5k championship, finished second in about 23 minutes – “First Englishman, beaten by a Scot” – and hurried back for the do. “I’m slowing down terribly,” insisted Ian.

The golden Lions, happily, show no sign of it.

• The Lions Bookshop in Blackwellgate Mews has a sale – everything 20p – on Saturday, July 31 from 10am-4pm and on the Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday of the following week. The club would welcome interest from any potential new members, not necessarily “professional” people. Further information at darlingtonlionsclub.co.uk