In October the ladies held a colourful Bhangra Ball, with authentic Bhangra dancers entertaining the guests after their curry dinner and then dancing by all into the small hours. There was a spectacularly successful Auction on the night, which on its own raised £950, so when this is added to the £610.44 profit on the tickets for the night, the event contributed a very healthy £1,560.44 to the overall figure for the year.

A combined effort with Lichfield Round Table raised £530 from entering the 'Santa on holiday' float into the Lichfield Bower parade and securing 2nd place for the best float. Alongside this they ran a successful tombola in the park with prizes donated from all members. Joining the lads for the annual Christmas Santa tableau raised £300.

There has also been a lot of fundraising by individual members of Lichfield Ladies Circle 106. In July 2011, 4 ladies (Gaynor Webb (Chair), Tracey Guest, Paula Parker and Denise Softley ran the London 10k, raising £450 plus Gaynor's £100 for Round Table Children's Wish. The charity grants children with terminal illness the chance to have a once in a lifetime experience.

In December 2011 the girls made their own wreaths which were successfully sold at the town Christmas market raising a further £200.

Ruth Curry (IPC) raised £1053 for 'Homes in Zimbabwe' at a New Year's Eve event where the money has gone towards buying new mattresses, curtains and waterproof sheets.
With the current harsh economic restraints prevailing, the elderly in Zimbabwe have very little, and in many cases, nothing in which to survive on each month. We want to help ease their hardships in a fun and social way.
We have distributed aid over the past six years to recipients in Victoria Falls, Borrowdale Trust, Marondera and Waterfalls Trust in Harare. The aid is generally in the form of small hampers made up for each person, consisting of personal essentials and the odd little luxury like a bar of chocolate or a face-cloth. A daily soup kitchen is run through the volunteers of Homes in Zimbabwe with all funding coming from the fundraising done in the UK. It costs £8.00 per month to feed one pensioner a hot meal each day. We have had an incredible amount of thank-you letters pouring back from the pensioners. It is great to see we are making a difference in their lives, and this spurs us on to continue with our charity work.

Sue Kershaw raised a staggering £3200 for a charity called 'Women V Cancer' when she did a 400km cycle ride in Kenya in November 2011. This charity consists of 3 main charities within it, all fighting cancers that affect women.

Breast Cancer Care provides information and support for everyone affected by breast cancer - www.breastcancercare.org.uk

Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust provides support & up-to-date, easy to read and accurate information about cervical cancer and cervical abnormalities - www.jostrust.org.uk    Claire from Jo's Trust said; "I've meet 71 inspirational women who have shown that women do know how to take on an extreme challenge and win. More than that they have fundraised a staggering £1.5 million for charity. The work involved in that cannot be underestimated."

Ovarian Cancer Action is committed to improving survival for women with ovarian cancer through research, awareness, and giving a voice - www.ovarian.org.uk

In Kenya cancer statistics are very depressing with an estimated annual incidence of 28,000 cases and an annual mortality rate of over 22,000. 'Women V Cancer' wanted to give something back to the country that hosted their bike rides therefore they donated £50,000 to the local cancer support centre

Faraja Cancer Support - At Faraja they want to provide an holistic approach to the treatment of cancer by providing complementary therapies for cancer patients and carers, particularly extending to an outreach programme. They want to be a knowledge and information hub on cancer in Kenya where cancer patients and their carers will be able to access a wide range of books on cancer at the Faraja library - www.farajacancersupport.org

Other than those specified, the funds raised during the year have been generously donated to the following worthy causes: Lichfield Stroke Club, Saxon Hill Community School, Talking Newspapers of Lichfield, Lichfield Explorer Scouts, Reconnect (a hostel for young women in Burton upon Trent) & Saxon Hill School community cafe fund.

Lichfield Ladies Circle boost the coffers for Saxon Hill School

Members of Lichfield Ladies Circle have provided a much needed boost to the fund-raising efforts of Saxon Hill School Community Cafe Fund. The project will be run entirely by pupils on a non profit making basis, and will offer locally sourced Fair Trade refreshments and meals, with pupils even growing their own vegetables. It will be run as a charity and will also help to support their own chosen charities which have close links to Saxon Hill. The facility will include a breakfast club, a Senior Citizens Lunch Club, and hopefully a wireless internet facility. The school has received some initial funding from Lichfield District Council, and it is hoped that the build will commence during 2012.

Mr Jon Thickett, headteacher is "delighted" with the £700 donation, and added: "We are appealing to organisations such as Lichfield Ladies Circle to help us to reach our £600,000 target. If anyone can help our fund-raising efforts, please contact the school. Alternatively you can donate online at: www.justgiving.com/saxonhillschool."

Lichfield Ladies Circle has supported many local charities during the year. Gaynor Webb, Chairman of the club, said: "We are so pleased to support Saxon Hill School's Community Cafe Fund. It was lovely to meet the children and to hear of all the wonderful plans for its future."

Lichfield Ladies Circle have given a cash boost to yet another local charity.

The Lichfield Stroke Club who meet every Wednesday have had their much needed funds boosted by the local ladies group. Christine Heaton was delighted to receive the cheque on behalf of the Lichfield Stroke Club.

The Lichfield Stroke Club who are affiliated to the Stroke Association provide a meeting place and social activities for stroke victims. The activities they provide include bingo, in-house parties and outings for stroke victims and carers. Meetings take place at Martin Heath Hall, each Wednesday from 1-4pm. The service is free of charge and if you would like more information please contact David Speakman 01543 262440 or email: david_speakman@sky.com

The Lichfield Circle ladies went along to a recent meeting and shared cakes and a game of bingo with the very friendly and thriving stroke club. Gaynor Webb (chair of LLC) said "We are delighted to have got involved with such a friendly group and hope to be able to support them again in the future as they offer such a valuable service to stroke victims and their carers"