Thanks to your votes, we were delighted to be awarded the top grant of £25,000 from Devonshire Freemasons as part of their Community Awards, a major part of Freemasonry’s 300th anniversary celebrations. The Masonic Charitable Foundation distributed three million pounds to 300 charities across the country, with the public vote deciding on the range of Awards from £4,000 to £25,000.
Our Vice-Chair and Trustee Gill Freeman, along with Dream-a-Way committee members Christina Astill and & Mike Rock, were presented with our Award at a special ceremony by the Provincial Grand Master Ian Kingsbury JP. from Devonshire Freemasons and Reuben Ayres on behalf of the Masonic Charitable Foundation on at the Mount Edgecumbe Masonic Hall in Plymouth.
The three million pound fund is being administered by the Masonic Charitable Foundation, which obtains all of its funding from Freemasons, their families and friends. It is estimated that half of Freemasonry’s total charitable expenditure of over £33m goes to charities that help people in communities across the country.
Rt W. Bro. Ian Kingsbury JP. said:
“We are delighted to be able to celebrate three hundred years of Freemasonry by helping eight excellent local charities. We’ve been active in charity work for all that time, but this is the first occasion we’ve asked the public to help us decide how to spend our money. We are very pleased that so many people from Devonshire took part in the vote.”
Our Chair, Jeff Merrett MBE added: “We are so pleased to receive this grant which will be used to update our holiday homes at Sandy Bay. A huge thank you goes to Devonshire Freemasons, the Masonic Charitable Foundation and everyone who voted for us as this award will make a real difference to the lives of people in Devon who face difficult challenges.”
About the Masonic Charitable Foundation
The Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) is one of the largest grant-making charities in the country. Funded entirely through the generosity of Freemasons and their families, the MCF awards millions of pounds each year to local and national charities that help vulnerable people, advance medical research and provide opportunities for young people. The MCF also helps to fund vital services such as hospices and air ambulances and regularly contributes to worldwide appeals for disaster relief. In total, MCF support helps to improve the lives of thousands of people every year in England, Wales and internationally. As well as providing grants to charities, the MCF supports Masonic families with a financial, health or family need. Visit www.mcf.org.uk to find out more about their work.
About the United Grand Lodge of England
The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) is the governing body of Freemasonry in England, Wales, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands (plus a number of Districts and groups overseas), formed in 1717 and has a membership of over 200,000.
UGLE celebrated its official 300th anniversary on 24 June 2017, marking the date that four London Lodges came together at the Goose and Gridiron Tavern in St Paul’s Churchyard and declared themselves the world’s first Grand Lodge.
Freemasonry is one of the world’s largest non-religious, non-political, fraternal and charitable organisations, and its symbolic origin lies in stonemasonry.
Visit www.ugle.org.uk for further information and for details of Freemasonry in Devon, please click here.
Freemasonry has recently been the subject of a major documentary by Sky TV, Inside the Freemasons. A clip can be viewed here.
