A Lion for a Week

After the compulsory visit to Stonehenge, I headed to Porthcawl, Wales- A lovely holiday town just west of Cardiff on the Bristol Channel with a lot of history and plenty of beaches to clean. I was greeted at the bus stop by the smiling faces of David and Janet- the gracious couple who'd offered their home to me during my stay. David is the president of the Porthcawl Lions Club, a very proactive organization that holds an annual beach cleanup in the area. It began as an event to honor the merchant seamen lost during the shipwreck of a steamship off the coast of Porthcawl in the 1940's. Now in it's 3rd year running, the cleanup has been a total success. Joined by a handful of community members and a few other local organizations, we collected over 40 bags of trash within just a few kilometers. As much of the trash is brought to the beach from the rivers coming in from the valleys, most of the items were food wrappers and toiletry items. Although, I did find a police cone that had drifted in from an English city located on the other side of the channel.

I had scheduled a few free days in Wales before and after the cleanup, as my hosts were eager to show me around. Having grown up in the area, they knew more than any tour guide and took me on long drives into the valleys, tours of Cardiff and through more castles than I can count. All the while they recounted fascinating tidbits of Welsh history as well as their own personal stories. It was certainly an unmatchable experience.

On my last night in Porthcawl, the Lions Club surprised me with a reception as a thank you for coming out to help with their beach cleanups. It was a lovely evening of drinks and hors d'oeuvres, and serenades from a local choir. The club presented me with an engraved plaque made of Welsh slate as well as loads of Porthcawl Lions paraphernalia. I was even presented with a town plaque from the mayor herself. This unexpected evening was topped off with an invite for a coastal tour on the town's lifeboat- a highly regarded boat that is part of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's fleet. Geared up in a dry suit and helmet, I boarded the boat for this rare opportunity. Due to the high tidal changes in the Bristol Channel, the boat is launched atop a fully waterproofed tractor specifically designed for such a task. The entire process was incredible to watch and I felt quite lucky to be apart of it.

The Porthcawl Lions Club, as well as the community as a whole could not have been more gracious to me and I certainly look forward to returning for a visit in the future. Until then, I've been assigned the task to contact my local Lions Club!

My 15 minutes of fame in the local newspaper