Members of the Freemasons of Cornwall present a cheque to representatives of the Macmillan Cove Appeal
Dozens of charities and good causes across Cornwall have benefited to the tune of more than £118,000 in recent weeks, thanks to the dedication and generosity of local freemasons.
Some £43,192 was donated to 35 organisations at the Freemasons of Cornwall’s annual provincial charity day in Newquay on May 15. This followed a cheque for £75,792 presented just a few weeks ago to the Macmillan Cove Appeal – making a combined total of £118,984.
The charity day is one of the highlights of the Cornish Masonic calendar, when representatives of local charities are invited to gather at the Lodge Room in Newquay to receive their cheques.
The Provincial Grand Master for Cornwall, Stephen Pearn, welcomed the recipients and proceeded to make the first presentation to the Mermaid Centre, based at Treliske Hospital in Truro.
David Leaity, the provincial grand charity steward for Cornwall, then announced each charity in turn, giving a brief summary of what each represented.
After the final presentation, Mr Leaity said: “Today simply underlines the principles of Freemasonry. We are ordinary men helping those less fortunate than ourselves, helping all those in the wider community with funds raised from all the Freemasons in Cornwall. It’s amazing to see so much money being raised and donated to so many worthy causes.”
Among the recipients was Cornwall Youth Brass Band, some of whose members played for the guests.
The day concluded with guests and Lodge members enjoying a buffet and refreshments and a chance to view and read about the achievements of Cornish Freemasons over the last few months, along with taking away information on The Masonic Charitable Foundation.
The day was summed up by Peter Roberts, Deputy Provincial Grand Master for Cornwall, who said: “It has been an absolutely fantastic afternoon. We have held this annual event now for three years and it never ceases to amaze me where the money comes from. All the magnificent sums of money raised are from our members, not from the general public or collections but from the generous donations by the Freemasons of Cornwall. It really is a humbling experience and makes me proud to be a Cornish Freemason.”
The full list of recipients is as follows: Royal National Lifeboat Institute, Helford River Children’s Sailing Trust, Turn to Starboard, Gurkha Welfare UK, The JJA Project, The Lord Lieutenant’s Fund For Youth, 1225 St Austell & District Squadron Air Training Corps, Falmouth and Penryn Sea Cadets, Young People Cornwall, Ist Gorran Rainbows, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Project Trust, South African Orphanage, Cornwall Youth Brass Band, Truro Cathedral Roof Repair, Newquay Lions, BosomBuddies UK, Penzance YMCA, Pengarth Day Centre, Cornwall Air Ambulance, Neonatal Unit at Treliske Hospital, Cardiac Unit at Treliske Hospital, Renal Unit at Treliske Hospital, Newquay Hospital League of Friends, Friends of West Cornwall Hospital, Cornwall Blood Bike Service, Cornwall SANDS, Myaware – South West, Allergy UK, Cancer Support UK, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Macmillan Cancer Support, Cornwall Hospice Care, St. Lukes Hospice, Children’s Hospice SW, Lifelites, The Mermaid Centre, Leonard Cheshire Homes.
In addition to these charities, the Provincial Grand Lodge of Cornwall had earlier presented Macmillan Cancer Support with a cheque for £75,792 for their Cove Appeal to build a new cancer support centre in Truro.
The aim is to provide a dedicated support facility for people in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly affected by cancer, whether they are a patient, caring for someone or simply worried about cancer.
For more information visit pglcornwall.org.uk