In what has now become an annual event David Grainger and Alan Jones from the Furness and South Lakeland Freemasons group visited St Mary’s Hospice Ulverston to present a donation on behalf of the Freemasons Grand Charity.

Zoe Guest, head of income generation at the hospice, was on hand to accept a cheque for £2,318 and observed, “Once again I am very pleased to accept this donation from the Masons who have been regular contributors for many years.”

Regional Assistant Provincial Grand Master David commented, “This cheque is from the Grand Charity, a cause to which all Freemasons donate as part of their annual subscriptions. Since 1984 the charity has donated annually to each hospice in the country. The £600,000 given in 2015 brings the total allocated to these worthy causes over the intervening years to £12million.”

The presentation took place in front of the corporate membership tree which has a prime position in the foyer of the hospice. The leaves on the tree bear the names of those business concerns who have made donations.

In addition to the hospices the Freemasons Grand Charity has supported the many air ambulance schemes nationwide with donations of £1.5million over the past eight years. In the latest round of donations the North West Air Ambulance Service received £4,000.

The West Lancashire Freemasons province, which includes the Furness and the South Lakeland group, also has its own charity which is funded from the donations of its members and the functions they organise. Following the recent floods in Cumbria the West Lancashire Charity gave £5,000 to the Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund with the national Grand Charity adding a further contribution of £25,000.

Group chairman Alan added, “These donations are typical of those made to non-masonic worthy causes by the freemasons’ national and local charities with beneficiaries including youth opportunities, vulnerable people and medical research.”

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