Personality Profile
A woman whose life is for living
Chris Roberts has spent most of her life helping others and, last year, became Malling Lions’ first woman president in its history. Diane Nicholls found out what makes her tick…
F
rom globetrotter to school governor to poster girl for a major charity
campaign, Chris Roberts is living up to her motto that “life is not a rehearsal.” And although she’s reached an age (belied
by her looks), when many might opt for a well- earned rest, she clearly has no plans to put her feet up any time soon. Back in snow-hit February, and with her
typical determination, she took on the “Beast from the East” to travel from her West Malling home to a reception at Buckingham Palace. Te result was Chris 1: Beast Nil. As president of Malling District Lions, she
was among 200 guests from around the country who were invited to meet the Countess of Wessex, who is a Lions patron. With trains affected by the wrong sort of
snow, Chris’s nightmare journey to London took three hours. She said: “I got to the station for 3pm and I finally got to the palace at 10 past six. It was a bit late, but they said it was okay.
“I was determined to get there. My two sons
thought I was barmy. I had cleared the snow from the path here and I just thought ‘I am going to go’. I was invited to represent our club and I did not want to let them down. I felt that it should be celebrated. “The front of Buckingham Palace looked
glorious with this very fine sprinkling of snow. Te security man looked at my passport, electricity bill and ticket and I went across the front of the palace and walked up two flights of steps into the throne room. I was offered a drink and said: “Have you got a brandy? But they said only wine and water.” Chris was escorted to London by a member of the Lions as she was concerned about travelling to an evening event in the capital. Te highlight of the reception, which marked
the centenary of Lions Clubs International, was meeting the countess. “She was lovely”, said Chris. “She said how
grateful she was that so many of us had made it there.”
Seventy-six-year-old Chris became Malling
Lions first woman president aſter joining eight years ago. She completed her year of office with the handover to her successor Yvonne Clark in July. Te club, which has 27 members, organizes a
range of social events and activities throughout the year to raise money for local good causes and overseas disasters. Besides charity work, Chris has always been
devoted to children’s welfare, education and youth work. Over the decades, she has been a staunch
fundraiser for Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) where doctors helped her to walk aſter a serious childhood illness. Born in 1942, she developed rickets - a bone
condition which was prevalent during wartime, mainly through poor diet and lack of sunshine. She said: “When I was two and a half, I couldn’t
walk. I was taken to Great Ormond Street Hospital and had boots and splints and irons on both legs. I had these for a couple of years but I wanted to walk by myself and I managed to make it into school on my own when I was five.” Her lifelong support for the hospital led
Roaring success
Te Malling branch is one of 46,000 with 1.4million members around the globe who make Lions Clubs International the world’s largest service organisation. Originating in Chicago in 1917, the movement soon began to spread. Te first Lions Club in Britain opened in London in 1950, followed by hundreds more throughout the country. Malling Lions Club welcomes new members and meets on the third Monday
of the month at 8pm at Te Wealden Hall, 773 London Road, Larkfield. Contact 01732 841078 or visit
www.mallinglions.club
26 Mid Kent Living
to a surprise invitation six years ago. “I had a phone call from someone saying she was the fund director of GOSH and they wanted me to front a campaign for them. I said I didn’t believe her and was going to put the phone down”, said Chris. But the call was genuine and, as one of the hospital’s oldest patients, Christine’s image appeared on adverts and leaflets. She was invited to spend a day at GOSH and recalls her amazement “when I walked into the hospital, there was my face on the television screen.”
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