£30,000 emergency aid for Haitian earthquake 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 funds have been issued to the British Red Cross and Plan.

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 British Red Cross has been awarded £20,000 to assist with their relief efforts. 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.

Plan has also been granted £10,000 in support of their efforts in dealingwith 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.

Visit The Freemasons’
Grand Charity website at www.grandcharity.org

Freemasons help for Smaller Charities

The latest grants announced by The Freemasons’ Grand Charity focus on helping smaller charities. In total £34,000 is being given towards the important activities of eighteen charities working in the areas of youth opportunities, vulnerable people and medical research.

More information can be obtained by clicking: HERE

Freemasons provide aid for victims of Kenyan unrest

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.

Visit The Freemasons’ Grand Charity website at www.grandcharity.org

£600,000 in grants to Hospices in England & Wales

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. A full list of the individual grants may be viewed at
http://www.grandcharity.org/data/files/hospices/Hospice_grants_list_2007.pdf

The newly announced grants will take The Freemasons’ Grand Charity’s support for the sector to over £7 million since 1984. The Freemasons' Grand Charity is the principal Masonic Charity involved in donations to non-Masonic causes as well as providing assistance to needy Freemasons and their dependents.

This Province is currently heavily engaged in raising funds for the 2010 Festival in support of the Freemasons' Grand Charity. This donation is an example of the fine work done by that organisation and an illustration of why it is important that we all give our full support to the Festival.

£20,000 donation for Bangladesh Relief

Following the devastation of parts of Bangladesh by Tropical Storm Sidr, The Freemasons' Grand Charity is supporting the relief work of the Red Cross with an emergency grant of £20,000. Around 1 million people are believed to have been affected by the storm which hit the Southern Coast of Bangladesh on 15 November, destroying homes, crops and infrastructure and triggering a tidal surge that swamped three coastal villages.

The official death toll stands at over 3,100 people, but this is expected to rise as rescuers continue to recover bodies from amongst the debris. Some remote areas are still inaccessible and many survivors are without fresh water and food.

The emergency grant approved by the President of the Grand Charity will help to fund the work of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, providing for the needs of some of the most vulnerable people affected by the storm, including the provision of blankets, food, shelter, medical supplies and basic healthcare.

The Freemasons' Grand Charity is the principal Masonic Charity involved in donations to non-Masonic causes as well as providing assistance to needy Freemasons and their dependents.

£100,000 in grants for Flood Relief efforts in Britain

As torrential rain and flooding continues to affect large areas of Britain, the President of the Freemasons' Grand Charity has responded to The British Red Cross UK Floods Appeal with an emergency grant of £65,000. A sum of £35,000 has already been made available to boost Provincial Grand Lodge donations to various charitable funds. Separately, Masonic applicants will be considered for urgent financial assistance by the Masonic Relief Grants Committee.

Approximately 1 million people have been affected by the worst flooding to hit the UK in over 40 years and many have been left without access to drinking water or power. As well as supporting the work of the emergency services in the immediate aftermath of the downpours, the British Red Cross will be providing assistance as the floods begin to recede. The £65,000 grant will help support communities and individuals as people are finally able to begin returning to homes ruined by flood-waters.

In view of the severity of the situation, a sum of £35,000 has been set aside in addition to the grant to the British Red Cross to match Provincial donations to charitable organisations involved in the flood response. Nearly half the money has already been earmarked and The Freemasons’ Grand Charity aims to distribute the remaining funds over the forthcoming weeks.

In parallel with support for wider relief efforts, The Freemasons’ Grand Charity will be assisting individual Masons affected by events, and their dependants, through Masonic Relief Grants which are given to relieve hardship.

Speaking about the response, Grahame Elliott, President of the Grand Charity said “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this terrible weather which has destroyed homes and left many people in dire need of assistance. The Freemasons’ Grand Charity was established to support people in need and we hope these grants will help people cope with the impact of the floods and begin to get back on their feet.”

Visit The Freemasons’ Grand Charity website at www.grandcharity.org

Grand Charity | Hospice Grants 2006

The Freemasons Grand Charity has announced £1/2 million of support for Hospices across England and Wales. The latest round of grants brings support for the sector to over £6 million since 1984.

Of that total, £25,026 is destined for Hospices in Wales, including £12,013 for those in the Province of South Wales Eastern Division. The Hospices in Wales benefiting from the 2006 grants are shown below.

South Wales, Eastern Division (£12,013)
£1,000 - George Thomas Hospice Care
£4,758 - Marie Curie Holme Tower Centre
£2,503 - Sandville Court Self Help Centre
£500 - The Bracken Trust
£2,252 - Ty Hafan Children's Hospice
£1,000 - Usk House Day Hospice

North Wales (£6,758)
£1,000 - Gwynedd Hospice at Home
£2,504 - Nightingale House
£1,752 - St David's Hospice Ltd
£1,502 - St Kentigern Hospice

Monmouthshire (£3,503)
£1,000 - Hospice of the Valleys
£1,002 - St Anne's Hospice
£1,501 - St David's Foundation Hospice Care

South Wales, Western Division (£2,752)
£1,000 - Paul Sartori Foundation
£1,752 - Ty Bryngwyn Hospice