HISTORY was made after a member of the Basingstoke Lions Club was given the organisation’s top honour for just the second time in its 50-year history.

Derick Lacey, 90, received the Melvin Jones Fellowship Award, which commemorates the founder of Lions Club International and acknowledges exceptional community service.

At the club’s annual Handover Lunch, where awards are given out and a new president elected, Lions members paid tribute to Mr Lacey, who is the club’s outgoing chairman of the welfare committee.

Philip Wilson, media officer at the BLC, said: “The welfare section of our monthly business meeting takes up the most time and is often the most contentious. But, he handles it all with wisdom, warmth and wit.

“His wit is of the particularly ‘dry’ variety and his wry one line observations have often caused hysterics.”

Throughout his time with the club, Mr Lacey has been president, secretary, Lion of the Year on numerous occasions, and hosted members of the group’s Twin Club Alencon.

With his contacts, Mr Lacey has made a vital contribution to the BLC, which since being formed in 1967 has raised nearly half-amillion pounds for causes across the world and in Basingstoke.

Dr David Side, who sadly passed away last year, was the first recipient of the Melvin Jones Fellowship Award.

During the lunch, which took place on Sunday, the club awarded its first female president Ann Vicars with the Lion of the Year title.

It also elected to have its second female president for the coming year, after it announced Dianne Hopkins would be taking over BLC’s top job.

To find out more about BLC and what it does visit basingstokelions.org.uk.