Charities

A £20,000 DONATION IN RESPONSE TO CHILE EARTHQUAKE The President of The Freemasons' Grand Charity, Grahame Elliott, has approved an emergency grant of £20,000 to the Red Cross following the large earthquake in Chile. The earthquake measured 8.8 on the Richter scale. It is reported to be the worst earthquake to hit the country in 25 years, and has been followed by aftershocks of up to 6.9 magnitude. It has been confirmed that more than 800 people have died and in excess of 2,000,000 are believed to have been affected. The earthquake hit 90 kilometres north-east of the city of Concepción in central Chile, and has reportedly caused considerable damage to infrastructure in the Bíobío and Maule regions. Many roads and buildings have been damaged, particularly in coastal zones, while some areas continue to suffer from power outages, though Santiago remains largely unaffected. The Freemasons’ Grand Charity has awarded the British Red Cross £20,000 to assist with their relief efforts. The Chilean Red Cross is working on the ground in partnership with the country’s National Emergency Office (ONEMI), carrying out search and rescue operations, giving medical assistance where necessary as well as providing basic amenities like water, sanitation and shelter.

A £30,000 donation for Haiti Relief Following the devastating earthquake which took place in Haiti on Tuesday 12th January 2010, the President of the Freemasons' Grand Charity has approved two emergency grants totalling £30,000. The 7.3-magnitude quake, Haiti's worst in two centuries, struck at 1653 local time (2153 GMT) on Tuesday. The epicentre was within 10 miles of the centre of the densely-populated capital, where around one million people live, more than 50,000 people are feared dead. The Red Cross have pre-positioned relief supplies for 3,000 families in Haiti. These emergency supplies consist of kitchen kits, shelter kits and tarpaulins, personal hygiene kits, blankets and containers for storing drinking water. Red Cross volunteers in Haiti are currently assisting the injured and supporting hospitals who do not have enough capacity to deal with this emergency. The most urgent needs at this time are search and rescue, field hospitals, emergency health, water purification, emergency shelter, logistics and telecommunications. A group of experts in disaster response, health in emergency and logistics have been sent to support the Haitian Red Cross in the relief efforts and to begin to coordinate international assistance from members of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement as well as other organisations. In addition, a Red Cross team will lead a damage assessment together with the Humanitarian Aid Office of the European Union. Plan have also been granted £10,000 in support of their efforts in dealing with the immediate aftermath of the disaster. Plan's priorities are assisting children and their families and getting people into safe accommodation wherever possible, as well as working with survivors to help ease their psychological trauma. For further information about the grant please contact Siobhan McCarthy via email at smccarthy@the-grand-charity.org or telephone 020 7395 9385. £30,000 for Haiti Relief Following the devastating earthquake which took place in Haiti the President of The Freemasons’ Grand Charity has approved two emergency grants totalling £30,000. The British Red Cross has received £20,000 and Plan has been awarded £10,000. Both grants are to assist with an immediate programme of recovery.

Additional £50,000 for Asian Earthquake Victims - 21st October 2005 The President of the Grand Charity has approved a second emergency grant of £50,000 to the British Red Cross, to support the ongoing relief response to the South Asia Earthquake. This brings the total donation made to the British Red Cross to £100,000. The earthquake, which measured 7.6 on the Richter scale, has left more than 47,000 people dead and an estimated 3 million homeless. The difficulties associated with reaching some of the affected areas means many survivors have yet to receive any relief aid and there is concern that a second wave of deaths may hit the region. The Grand Charity was the first organisation to respond to the British Red Cross appeal with a donation of £50,000. This grant, in combination with the additional £50,000 announced today, will help to fund the cost of deploying an Emergency Response Unit and supplying much needed essential items like blankets, tents and kitchen sets to the survivors. Web Link: http://www.grandcharity.org

Charity Donation to St Helens Sea Cadets - November 2009 Sandon Group Secretary W.Bro. Andy Whittle had the pleasure to pay a follow up visit to the St Helens Sea Cadet Unit TS Scimitar to present them with a further three cheques to assist them in continuing their good work with young people. The Sea Cadets are a registered charity and each unit relies heavily on fund raising and donations for its continued existence. Following an earlier presentation of £2,000 from the West Lancashire Freemasons’ Charity and the Sandon Group, which was reported at the recent Group Meeting, two Lodges and a private Brother decided that they would also like to make donations to the Unit. Cecil Lodge No. 3274 gave a donation of £500 and Anfield Lodge No. 2215 gave a donation of £150, this was added to by the donation of £25 from the private Brother making a total of £675 on this occasion. The donations given to the unit over both visits totals £2675.. Ray McKenna the Unit Chairman on behalf of the Management Committee and Staff at TS Scimitar stated that they are extremely grateful for the kind donations that have been made by the Freemasons. W.Bro. Andy Whittle can be seen in the photograph presenting the additional three cheques to a Royal Marine Cadet at the closing parade at one of their recent parade nights.

Charity Donation to St Helens Sea Cadets - October 2009 Sandon Group Chairman W.Bro. John Wreyford accompanied by the Group Secretary W.Bro. Andy Whittle recently attended at the St Helens Sea Cadet Unit TS Scimitar to present them with two cheques to cover the cost of an electrical safety audit. The audit was required in order for the unit to remain open and continue with its important work with young people. The Sea Cadets are a registered charity and each unit relies heavily on fund raising and donations for its continued existence. The Sandon Group helped the unit to apply for a grant from the West Lancashire Freemasons’ Charity who kindly gave them a donation of £1,500. The Sandon Group added a further £500 from its group funds to bring the total donation to £2,000. W.Bro. John Wreyford can been seen in the photograph presenting the cheques to a Sea Cadet and a Royal Marine Cadet, with the officer in charge of the TS Scimitar CPO Jones in the background.

Children’s Hospices to receive support from The Freemasons’ Grand Charity Hospices across England and Wales are set for a funding boost as The Freemasons’ Grand Charity distributes £600,000 towards the operating costs of the widely respected services. Although children’s and adults Hospices have always been supported through the annual grant giving scheme, this year for the very first time a sum was set aside specifically to benefit the growing number of services dedicated to children. The money from The Freemasons’ Grand Charity will be shared between 220 hospices, with over half of the children’s services receiving more than £3,000 and each adult service receiving an average of over £2,600. The newly announced grants will take The Freemasons’ Grand Charity’s support for the sector to over £7 million since 1984. Web Link: http://www.grandcharity.org

CRAFT RELIEF CHEST OPENED FOR HAITI EARTHQUAKE In response to requests from members of the Craft and as the extent of the devastation caused by the earthquake in Haiti has become clearer, the Council of The Freemasons’ Grand Charity has opened a dedicated Relief Chest. This centrally administered service is for those who would like their donation for victims of the earthquake to be part of a co-ordinated Masonic response. This announcement follows an earlier decision by the President of the Grand Charity to approve the immediate payment of grants totalling £30,000 in support of emergency aid efforts in Haiti. Any individual Freemason or Lodge wishing to make a donation via the Council’s Relief Chest and in support of the longer-term recovery efforts can do so by sending a cheque payable to “The Freemasons’ Grand Charity” to: Relief Chest Scheme, 60 Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5AZ and noting that it is to be paid into the Haiti Earthquake 2010 Relief Chest No. E0125 Tax payers wishing The Freemasons’ Grand Charity to claim tax relief on their donation, must complete a Gift Aid Donation Form available from the Relief Chest department on 020 7395 9246.

Flooding in Morpeth - £5,000 - September 2008 A £5,000 grant has been made to the Provincial Grand Lodge of Northumberland to support its efforts to help the residents of Morpeth. Earlier this month (6/7 September 2008) around 1,000 houses were hit by flooding when the River Wansbeck breached its banks after a month's worth of rain fell in just 24 hours. At its peak Morpeth High Street was under 2ft (0.6m) of water and more than 100 people had to be rescued from their homes by boat. Some residents were forced to spend a night sheltering in the town hall and at a local school. Families have seen their homes and belongings completely destroyed and, although the flood waters have now subsided, the recovery process for the community as a whole is likely to be a long one. The Provincial Grand Lodge of Northumberland plans to support the Morpeth Flood Appeal, which has set a fundraising target of £100,000 for use in providing assistance to those affected by the flooding. Web Link: http://www.grandcharity.org

Freemasons approve another £440,000 for national charities A General Meeting of The Freemasons’ Grand Charity has approved grants totalling £445,200. Fifteen non-Masonic charities supporting vulnerable people, youth opportunities and research into medical conditions will benefit from the money. The hundreds of Freemasons attending the meeting in Cardiff also heard how over £650,000 has been given over a three-month period to help distressed Masons and their dependants, as part of The Grand Charity’s ongoing support for the Masonic Community. Summary of Grants approved in October 2007 Medical Research  Leukaemia Research - £56,500  The Healing Foundation - £30,200 Vulnerable People  The Place2Be - £75,000 over three years  BIBIC - £30,000  Listening Books - £30,000 over two years  Aidis Trust - £20,000 over two years  SeeAbility - £15,000  The Challenging Behaviour Foundation - £12,000 Youth Opportunities  Marine Society and Sea Cadets - £47,000  Voice for the Child in Care - £40,000  Phoenix Futures - £30,000  Childhood First - £25,000  Happy Days Children’s Charity - £24,500 Religious Buildings  Guildford Cathedral’s West Window Appeal - £5,000  St Woolos Cathedral’s Rescue Appeal - £5,000 Web Link: http://www.grandcharity.org

General Meeting Approves £2 million for Charities - 3rd October 2008 Nearly £2 million is to be dedicated to helping charities delivering opportunities for young people, supporting vulnerable people and researching the cause and treatment of illness and disease. The grants to seventeen national charities were approved by hundreds of Freemasons at a General Meeting of The Freemasons’ Grand Charity held in Bournemouth. The organisations that will benefit from the generous sum include the Scout Association which is set to receive £1/2 million as a contribution towards its KidsOutdoors Campaign and Ovarian Cancer Action whose research and awareness work will be supported over five years through a £1 million donation. The meeting also heard that the District Grand Lodge of Eastern Archipelago is to receive a grant of £15,000 towards its work with survivors of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar (Burma). The grant will help to fund the building of three health clinics at Pyinkhayang, Myaugmya and Nadupaw. Summary of Grants approved Medical Research  Ovarian Cancer Action - £1 million over five years  Deafness Research UK - £82,700 over two years Youth Opportunities  Scout Association - £500,000 over five years  The Who Cares? Trust - £25,000  Raleigh International - £15,600  Reach Volunteering - £15,000 Vulnerable People  National Autistic Society - £50,000  Whizz-Kidz- £40,000  The Elizabeth Foundation - £30,000  Children: Our Ultimate Investment (UK) - £26,700  Treloar Trust – £25,000  Elizabeth Fitzroy Support - £15,000  Counsel & Care - £15,000  The Bruce Trust - £10,000  Cued Speech Association UK - £10,000  Royal Blind Society - £8,000  St John Ambulance and Rescue Service - £5,000 Purpose of Grants MEDICAL RESEARCH OVARIAN CANCER ACTION (£1 million over five years) Research relating to the treatment of ovarian cancer and a programme to raise awareness of the illness amongst women. Ovarian cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women and each year some 7,000 women are diagnosed with the disease. DEAFNESS RESEARCH UK (£82,700 over two years) Research into the transplantation of fibrocyte cells to combat age-related hearing loss. The research is a continuation of a successful pilot project funded by The Freemasons’ Grand Charity in September 2006. YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES THE SCOUT ASSOCIATION (£500,000 over five years) A contribution towards the KidsOutdoors Campaign. The grant will help improve opportunities for young people from all backgrounds to access the physical, social and emotional benefits of outdoors activities and help to develop scouting across the country. THE WHO CARES? TRUST (£25,000) The Choice Matters interactive CD project aims to facilitate foster carers and residential care staff to enable children and young people to develop decision making skills, in order that they can make informed choices. RALEIGH INTERNATIONAL (£15,600) Supporting the youth agency partnerships programme working with other youth opportunities charities to enable disadvantaged young people to take up volunteering opportunities and achieve personal and life skills development. REACH VOLUNTEERING (£15,000) Support for organisations working with young people. The Youth Programme will promote and provide tailored support to organisations to help improve operational effectiveness, strengthen governance and achieve better sustainability, creating greater benefit to the young people and communities with which the organisations work. VULNERABLE PEOPLE NATIONAL AUTISTIC SOCIETY (£50,000) Advocacy for Education service. The service enables parents to understand both their own and their children’s rights and obtain the most appropriate educational provision for their children. An estimated 520,000 people in England and Wales, 130,000 of whom are aged between 0-19, have an autism spectrum disorder. WHIZZ-KIDZ (£40,000) Salary of a Head Therapist. Whizz-Kidz’s mobility therapists work with disabled children and young people to enable them to get the most out of their mobility equipment and help them to take part in activities to which they would not otherwise have access. THE ELIZABETH FOUNDATION (£30,000) Building and development of a National Home Learning Programme and Demonstration Home for parents with newly diagnosed deaf babies and pre-school children. The Elizabeth Foundation supports infants and pre-school aged children with hearing loss and their families, by providing help, support and encouragement. CHILDREN: OUR ULTIMATE INVESTMENT (UK) (£26,700) The Teens and Toddlers programme. The innovative programme significantly reduces the occurrence of pregnancies amongst participating teenagers and is founded on creating an environment where at risk teenagers, both male and female, can experience first hand the demands of parent – child relationships and understand the implications of becoming a parent. TRELOAR TRUST (£25,000) Salary of a visual impairment adviser. Treloar Trust provides education, care, therapy, medical support and independence training to young people with physical disabilities. The visual impairment adviser works as part of a multi-disciplinary team to ensure that all aspects of a student’s learning and care are addressed, increasing independence, confidence and academic success. ELIZABETH FITZROY SUPPORT (£15,000) Salary of a coordinator for supported volunteering in the community. Elizabeth FitzRoy Support provides practical support for adults with learning disabilities. The supported volunteering initiative enables service users to become volunteers, fostering integration into local communities, the learning of new skills and improving independence and confidence. COUNSEL & CARE (£15,000) An advice worker to provide information, advice and emotional support to vulnerable older people and their carers. The Counsel & Care advice team deals with more than 2,500 enquiries every year answering many complex queries on community care issues faced by older people and their carers. THE BRUCE TRUST (£10,000) Towards the costs of a new canal boat. The Bruce Trust provides purpose-built, wide-beam canal boats for disabled, disadvantaged or elderly people and their carers, enabling them to enjoy a holiday. CUED SPEECH ASSOCIATION UK (£10,000) Information Plus Project. Cued Speech is a simple system of manual cues, which clarify lip reading. The Information Plus Project will disseminate information about cued speech and how it can be used, helping about 1,000 deaf children and 30 deaf adults to improve their literacy and communication skills. ROYAL BLIND SOCIETY (£8,000) Holidays at specially adapted hotels for blind and physically disabled children. The holidays provide a rare opportunity to be in an environment away from home, alongside other young people; this can help to give greater independence, encourage self-esteem and confidence and assist social and communication skills. ST JOHN AMBULANCE AND RESCUE SERVICE (£5,000) As a contribution towards the work of the St John Ambulance and Rescue Service in Guernsey. Web Link: http://www.grandcharity.org

Group Dinner raises money for WLMCF 2008 Festival At the Group Dinner on Wednesday 30th January 2008, £761.50 was raised for the West Lancashire Masonic Charities 2008 Festival. The Group Chairman wishes to thank all those brethren and companions who attended and contributed to this magnificant sum being raised.

Hurricane Ike - £7,500 - September 2008 A grant of £7,500 is helping the District Grand Lodge of Bahamas and Turks to provide emergency relief to victims of Hurricane Ike. Earlier this month, the Category Three Tropical Storm hit the islands of Grand Turk and South Caicos in the Turks and Caicos Islands and Inagua in The Bahamas leaving a path of destruction in its wake. On the Island of Grand Turk around 90% of buildings have been damaged by the ferocious storm and some are simply no longer there. Infrastructure has been seriously affected and rebuilding is likely to take many months. Inagua in The Bahamas also bears the scars with over 50% of houses damaged. The grant to the District Grand Lodge will support the work of its Hurricane Relief Committee, helping residents of the affected Islands by providing much needed supplies and resources. Web Link: http://www.grandcharity.org

Masonic Relief Grants: December Quarterly Update Between September 2008 and December 2008, 549 Masonic Relief Grants were made to support individual Masons and their dependants experiencing hardship or requiring mobility equipment. In total, nearly £1.1 million (£1,085, 635) was approved for payment to assist the beneficiaries. Masonic Relief Grants represent one of the primary activities of The Freemasons’ Grand Charity. Grants are made to Masons or the dependants of deceased Masons – including widows, partners and also divorced/separated spouses or partners – who are experiencing hardship; no case of genuine need is ever rejected. Grants are made for essential daily living costs, unexpected needs or towards the provision of mobility equipment. They typically range from £350 up to £4,500 per applicant per year, and can be renewed for as long as the need lasts. In cases of exceptional need larger grants may be awarded. Applications are assessed against guidelines taking into account the income, expenditure and savings of the applicant, but as a guide individuals with a Masonic connection who are in receipt of support from the State, such as Pension Credit, are likely to qualify. Web Link: http://www.grandcharity.org

Matched Funding - Doubling Donations to Charities The Freemasons’ Grand Charity is doubling donations from local and provincial lodges to charities. A newly launched scheme lets Provincial Grand Lodges nominate gifts made by local lodges to charity. The Freemasons’ Grand Charity then matches the money raised. Up to £5,000 is available to each province invited to participate. Organisations like Macmillan Cancer Support, British Heart Foundation, SENSE, Help for Heroes, NSPCC and RNLI are among the beneficiaries of the scheme. This matched funding scheme started as a pilot, but proved so popular that it is to become a permanent part of The Freemasons’ Grand Charity’s programme of non-masonic giving. Over a four-year cycle, The Freemasons’ Grand Charity will be inviting every Provincial and Metropolitan Grand Lodge to participate. Around £60,000 will be available to match local donations. Almost all gifts to national charities working for vulnerable people, youth opportunities and medical research will be eligible for consideration. This includes money for local branches of organisations which have a national presence and charities based in the UK with beneficiaries overseas. The lodges involved in the pilot scheme were delighted to see their donations doubled. The extra money meant more benefit for the charities they were supporting through their own fundraising work. The Freemasons’ Grand Charity is looking forward to helping more lodges to double their gifts.

Nearly £400,000 of Non-Masonic Grants awarded by the Grand Charity - October 2009 Non-Masonic charities awarded nearly £400,000 Projects supporting people living with disabilities and research into the cause and treatment of illness and disease are amongst the latest beneficiaries of grants to non-Masonic charities. In total, £397,500 will be shared between eleven national charities bringing many positive benefits to the wider community. A grant of £50,000 was approved for Calibre, a charity that provides a library of recorded books for people with disabilities. The grant will fund a project to update from audio cassettes to CDs. £75,000 was approved for Cancer Research UK to help fund a trial for treating pancreatic cancer. The Leonard Cheshire Foundation will receive £40,000 to help fund the building of a high dependency unit. Scope, the charity that supports disabled people, particularly those with cerebral palsy, has had approval for a grant of £50,000 over two years, to fund a volunteer befriending service. All of the grants are part of The Freemasons’ Grand Charity’s programme of support for non-Masonic charities that reflect issues of interest, concern and relevance to Masons and their families. VULNERABLE PEOPLE CALIBRE AUDIO LIBRARY. A grant of £50,000 to Calibre Audio Library to fund the conversion of the existing library from cassette tape into MP3 format and the production of new digital audio books was approved. Calibre Audio Library provides a free postal library service to over 19,200 members who are unable to read print as a result of a physical disability, visual impairment or dyslexia. The library has over 8,000 adult titles and 1,400 children’s books. GUIDEPOSTS TRUST. A grant of £12,000 to Guideposts to fund an employment training and work experience scheme in Hertfordshire for people with learning difficulties was approved. Guideposts provides direct services for people with dementia, learning disabilities and mental health problems across England including vocational training, help at home, befriending schemes and community activities. LEONARD CHESHIRE DISABILITY. A grant of £40,000 to fund a new high dependency unit in Bedfordshire providing palliative care for people with severe physical disabilities was approved. The unit will be located alongside an existing residential service and will provide specialist care and become a centre of excellence in end of life care for severely disabled people. Leonard Cheshire provides support for about 20,000 disabled people through more than 200 services including 80 residential homes. NATIONAL STAR COLLEGE. A grant of £20,000 to the National Star College to fund a studio flat within a new student residence for use by severely disabled young people to practise independent living skills was approved. National Star College provides specialist further education, therapy and independence training at a college in Gloucestershire for young people with severe physical disabilities or acquired brain injuries. RAINBOW CHILDREN’S TRUST. A grant of £25,000 to the Rainbow Children’s Trust to fund a family support worker in Manchester was approved. The charity provides emotional and practical support to families who have a child with a life-threatening or terminal illness through personal home-based and community care and respite breaks. Family support workers provide family care for 24 hours a day giving support to the child and advice and practical help to the family. SCOPE. A grant of £50,000 over 2 years to Scope to fund the Face2Face Befriending Service was approved. Face2Face provides a trained volunteer to befriend a family whose child is newly diagnosed with a disability and the network is expanding to include a web-based, online service. Each volunteer is also a parent of a disabled child and so has a unique understanding of the issues and is well-placed to offer emotional and practical support. Scope supports more than 20,000 disabled people through schools, colleges, employment services and residential homes. SOUNDABOUT. A grant of £10,500 to Soundabout to fund an outreach service providing training in specialist schools to enable profoundly disabled children to communicate and interact with the world around them using music and sound was approved. The outreach programme includes taster days and intensive training in using sound to stimulate movement and expression for children with complex disabilities who are unable to communicate verbally. ACORNS CHILDREN’S HOSPICES. In memory of a past member of the Council, WBro Rodney Pitham, PSGD, who died since its last meeting, the Council recommends that a sum of £100,000 be placed at its disposal for a project in support of the Acorns Children’s Hospice Trust. The late Brother Pitham, who had been a member of the Council for the past four years, three of which he had been Chairman of the Non-Masonic Grants Committee, was also a trustee of the Acorns Children’s Hospice Trust. The Trust operates three hospices in Selly Oak, Walsall and Worcester. The Council will determine a suitable project and will report further at a later date. YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES TRAIL-BLAZERS. A grant of £10,000 to fund a mentoring project for young people at Brinsford Young Offenders Institution in Wolverhampton was approved. The charity recruits, trains and supervises volunteers to become mentors to young offenders aged 15 to 21 for six months pre-release and nine months post release MEDICAL RESEARCH CANCER RESEARCH UK. A grant of £75,000 to Cancer Research UK to fund a research project on pancreatic cancer led by Professor Neoptolemos at Liverpool University was approved. The TeloVac trial for people with advanced pancreatic cancer will add a new vaccine to standard chemotherapy and thereby the researchers hope to create a new standard of care for the disease. RELIGIOUS BUILDINGS EXETER CATHEDRAL. A grant of £5,000 to contribute to the Third Millennium Campaign to support repairs and renovations to the Cathedral. Visit The Freemasons’ Grand Charity website at www.grandcharity.org Web Link: http://www.grandcharity.org

Province of West Lancashire 2010 Festival At Provincial Grand Lodge on Monday 23rd May 2005, the Provincial Grand Master announced the opening of the 2010 Festival in aid of the New Masonic Samaritan Fund. This Festival will be the culmination of a sustained effort over the next five years by the Province of West Lancashire to accumulate funds for the New Masonic Samaritan Fund. The New Masonic Samaritan Fund (NMSF) was established in 1990 to provide assistance towards the cost of private medical treatment for Freemasons, Wives and Dependants of Freemasons and Widows and dependants of deceased Freemasons who have an identified medical need, face a long wait on the NHS and cannot afford private medical treatment. It is the only central Craft charity which provides assistance towards the cost of private medical treatment. It is hoped that Lodges and Chapters will consider this appeal when donating funds to Masonic charities at Installations, celebrations etc or general fund raising events. Please note that Lodges and Chapters who wish to qualify as Patrons or Grand Patrons can do so by subscribing the amounts shown below, either in one lump sum or from a total made up of several donations. Those who qualify will receive a certificate and be entitled to show 'Patron' or 'Grand Patron of the NMSF' on their Precept. Lodge/Chapter Patron £1,200 Lodge/Chapter Grand Patron £2,400 Individuals can help by becoming Members, Vice Patrons, Patrons or Grand Patrons of the New Masonic Samaritan Fund. The costs of each are: Member £100 Vice Patron £300 Patron £600 Grand Patron £1,200 Donations can be made at any time either as one off payment or regular Standing Order. For example a Standing Order of just £5 a month for the next five years and you will become a Vice Patron of the Fund. £10 a month will qualify you as a Patron which carries certain voting rights, and £20 a month will entitle you to become a Grand Patron. These donations must be continued for the full five years. Once you become a Member or subscribe as above you are entitled to receive a permanent Jewel, which can be worn at all Lodge and Chapter meetings. By gift aiding your donations the Fund receives a further benefit of 28p for each £1 from the Inland Revenue. Web Link: http://www.westlancsfreemasons.org.uk

Relief Chest donations buy tents for Asian Earthquake Victims - 12th December 2005 Money given by Freemasons to the Asian Earthquake Relief Chest has been donated to the British Red Cross to fund the purchase of urgently needed winterised tents for homeless survivors. The donation, in combination with emergency grants, takes the total amount given through The Grand Charity to £150,000 and will ensure over 280 families enjoy better protection from freezing winter temperatures. The support announced today is made in direct response to the statement by UN Relief Co-ordinator Jan Vandemoortele that just one in four of the homeless survivors have a tent suitable for the winter conditions they now face. In recognition of the severity of the situation and the ongoing appeal for funds, the President of the Grand Charity has agreed a further emergency grant to take the donation to £50,000. Web Link: http://www.grandcharity.org

Small Charity Grants June 2009 Supporting Smaller Charities Grants to fourteen smaller charities totalling nearly £35,000 have been announced by The Freemasons’ Grand Charity. They are the latest awards through the Charity’s Minor Grants scheme which provides support for smaller charities active in the areas of youth opportunities, vulnerable people and medical research. CHARITY / PURPOSE / AMOUNT Association for Research into stammering in Childhood (operating as the Michael Palin Centre for stammering Children) - Free specialist assessments and treatment to help children who are severely affected by stammering. Also researches the causes and treatment of stammering. £3,000 Brain and Spinal Research Charity - BASIC Supports individuals and their families following a traumatic brain injury or neurological diagnosis. £2,000 British Liver Trust - Information, support and research into reducing the impact of liver disease. £2,000 Children Living with inherited Metabolic Diseases - CLIMB Information and support on all metabolic diseases in children and adults. £2,000 Children’s Heart Federation - Supports children with congenital heart conditions and their families. £2,500 The County Trust - Teaches children from deprived areas of towns and cities about the countryside. £3,000 Dyspraxia Foundation - Raises awareness of dyspraxia and supports those affected. £3,000 No Panic The relief and rehabilitation of people suffering from anxiety disorders. £2,000 Peter Le Marchant Trust - Holidays on waterways for people with a disability or serious illness. £1,500 Theodora Children’s Trust - Entertainment for sick children £2,000 Transplant Sport UK - Helps young people develop confidence and life skills following a transplant. £2,000 RICE – The Research Institute for the Care of Elderly - Research into the ageing process, the use of drugs and other treatments for older people. £2,952 The Ulysses Trust - Supports volunteer reserve follies and cadets in undertaking challenging expeditions worldwide. £3,500 U Can Do I.T. - Training for blind, deaf and disabled people on how to use a computer and access the internet. £3,000 For further information contact: Katrina Baker on 020 7395 9314 or Natasha Treweek on 020 7395 9394. Visit The Freemasons’ Grand Charity’s website at www.grandcharity.org Web Link: http://www.grandcharity.org

SUPPORT FOR RELIEF WORK OF FREEMASONS IN KENYA Following civil unrest in parts of Kenya, The President of the Freemasons’ Grand Charity has approved a grant of £10,000 to the District Grand Lodge of East Africa’s Grand Charity, complementing local relief efforts. Violent clashes and rioting following the results of the Kenyan Presidential election left hundreds dead and tens of thousands have been forced to flee their homes. Many families are now living in makeshift camps and are desperately in need of essential supplies like food, clean water and basic household items. The District Grand Charity has already made 1 million Kenyan Shillings (approximately £8,500) available through its own Fund for Internally Displaced People, supporting the immediate relief efforts of the Kenya Red Cross Society and Lodges in some of the areas most affected by the events. As part of this assistance, the Chairman of the District Grand Charity recently visited Jamhuri Camp in Nairobi to donate milk, bread, rice, beans and drinking water to 3,000 displaced people including children. The grant from The Freemasons’ Grand Charity will be used to increase the current support for Masons, their dependants and other needy individuals from the wider community. Web Link: http://www.grandcharity.org

The Freemasons’ Grand Charity announces latest grants to Hospices Continuing an annual programme of support, The Freemasons’ Grand Charity is donating an enormous £600,000 to Hospices across England and Wales. The money is an important contribution towards the millions of pounds needed each and every year to ensure these respected services can continue providing free physical, emotional, social and spiritual care to patients and their families. In total 227 services, including those specifically for children, will receive a grant. For many years, Freemasons have been enthusiastic in their support for Hospices. The funding announced today takes The Freemasons’ Grand Charity’s total donations to the sector to more than £7.5 million, complementing the generosity Provincial and individual Masonic Lodges regularly show for their local services. Local Hospices in West Lancashire area and the donations they received are as follows: 3,565 Derian House Children's Hospice (ch) 2,995 Francis House Children's Hospice (ch) 2,307 Hospice of St Mary of Furness 5,358 Marie Curie Centre Liverpool 1,952 Queenscourt Hospice 3,760 St Catherine's Hospice, Lancashire 4,050 St John's Hospice Lancaster 3,631 St Joseph's Hospice Association - Thornton 1,743 St Joseph's Hospice Association - Hettinga House 1,952 St Rocco's Hospice 5,793 Trinity - the Hospice in the Fylde 2,743 Wigan and Leigh Hospice 1,807 Willowbrook Hospice 1,000 Woodlands Hospice 2,210 Zoe's Place – Liverpool (ch) A full list of all hospice grants is available on the Grand Charity website using the below link Web Link: http://www.grandcharity.org/hospice_grants.php