UP CLOSE: Keith Cook, president of Cheddar Vale Lions Club

Cheddar Nub News aims to be supportive to every element of the village's community from business and shops to people and charities, clubs and sports organisations.

We will be profiling some of these businesses and organisations regularly in a feature called 'Up Close in Cheddar'.

Cheddar Vale Lions are currently busy organising the return of their popular Duck Race in the Gorge, which is happening on Bank Holiday Monday.

In a spare moment, we caught up with Cheddar Vale Lions Club president Keith Cook to find out how he was finding the role, and what the club has been up to during and after the pandemic lockdowns.

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Tell us what your role as president of the Cheddar Vale Lions involves and what are the key elements of the position?

The official version of the role is that the club president is the chief executive officer of the club. He/she presides over meetings and calls the club to action to fulfil its program of service works, co-ordinating the efforts of board members and chairpersons to implement all activities of the club in both fellowship and service.

This includes appointing club officers such as vice-president, fundraising, community service, membership and youth being the main ones; planning and conducting meetings - we are now starting our face to face meetings again but have been using Zoom; actively participating in Zone Meetings and my wife is currently zone chairperson; managing club elections and leadership succession; ensuring our club works within the governing document, our standard club constitution and by-laws; guiding the club's operations and meeting the obligations of a club chartered with the International Association of Lions Clubs.

But, of course, there is the personal element that you can put to the role and each president will approach this in their own manner. I feel we are more like a family group, looking out for each other and, as during the pandemic, caring and helping members that may be going through tough times.

Tell us a bit about your personal business background Keith - do you live locally?

I have been married 54 years to Sylvia. We have both been Lions for 17 years, I am not sure where the time has gone!

We have two sons, both married, one soon to move to Gloucestershire with one granddaughter and the other living in New Zealand with one grandson and one granddaughter. We have visited New Zealand three times, but obviously not recently.

I was a serving police officer in Dorset Police for 24 years and before that 12 years an engineer in the Royal Navy, so we have moved about a bit. Before moving to Cheddar two years ago, we lived in Worlebury and Exmouth before that.

What do you like about Cheddar? Other than the Lions, how are you involved in the local community?

The Cheddar community is great and welcoming to newcomers. I love the surrounding countryside and walks.

I can't go far without meeting someone that is willing to stop and talk. The litter picking sessions have been good and we have been joined by others willing to help.

The coronavirus pandemic had a big impact on everyone - how did it effect you?

The pandemic was extremely difficult for charities but Cheddar Vale Lions survived by meeting it head on and providing a service to those in need. We still held our monthly meetings on Zoom, a big learning curve for some of our long-standing members who were determined to learn so they could join in.

We set up a Cheddar Lions WhatsApp group so we could chat socially and keep in touch, particularly if any member had a problem.

The club joined in with the BBC Make A Difference Campaign to do our best to provide IT equipment to those children and families that struggled with the homeschooling.

It was one of our most successful projects, I am so proud of our club in stepping up to the challenge, while staying safe, and to date have collected, repurposed and delivered more than 220 IT devices where they were needed. This project was successful due to the tremendous support from our community.

Myself and my wife ran the logistics from our flat, keeping us very busy during the lockdown but still following the rules.

What businesses do you like and use in Cheddar?

We try to use the local businesses and have found them to be very friendly and helpful. Cobbs is excellent in providing fresh meat, eggs, etc.

Warrens provided a delivery service for their fresh fruit and veg direct to our door during lockdown and we now buy regularly from their stall. Pretty Sitting, the fabric shop, provided a first class service when we needed new curtains for our flat; we buy coffee beans and tea from Wyvern Coffee Co in the Gorge.

Living in the village, we are able to walk to the local shops, the surgery and all the amenities we need are nearby.

The lockdown was very difficult for many people - how do you think that Cheddar as a village coped?

Cheddar was so great during the lockdowns and the way the Coronavirus Group was set up so quickly to make it easy to help each other was fantastic. Obviously the Lions played their part in manning the help and chat lines for the Coronavirus Group, which were a lifeline for a lot of people on their own.

Plus the Lions funded printing costs for some of the postcards that were distributed to Cheddar homes. For shopping, collecting prescriptions, and other needs, the Coronavirus Group provided a first class service to the whole community.

If there was one thing in Cheddar you would change, what would it be?

One annoyance is the noise that some cars and motorbikes make late at night driving at speed through the village.

They do not respect the residents. I hope, in anticipation, that this will reduce with the restrictions being put in place up the Gorge.

If you had one message for the residents on Cheddar, what would it be?

To carry on caring for those around you and do not forget that Cheddar Vale Lions Club is a local volunteer service organisation that is always looking for more members who like to support their community in different ways.

If you could choose one famous person to play you in a movie about your life, who would it be and why?

I could never imagine that anyone famous would want to portray me in a film as I am just an ordinary person going along with whatever life throws at me and making the best of it.