Youth organisations, charities who support disabled people, and schools throughout the Yorkshire region are the latest good causes to benefit from the charitable efforts of Freemasons.
Grants totalling £36,850 are being given to 20 organisations – ranging in value from £500 to £5400 – from the Freemasons Province of Yorkshire West Riding’s Provincial Grand Master’s Fund.
The money that had been raised by members and lodges within the county will be used by beneficiaries to purchase an array of specific items, including a mobile kitchen, computer equipment, wetsuits and toys and books.
Each year, the fund allocates £200,000 in major and minor grants, but, as this year marks the tercentenary of the first United Grand Lodge of England and the Province of Yorkshire West Riding’s bicentenary, this figure has been increased to £300,000.
Those to benefit from the latest round of grant offering include:
• Yorkshire Air Ambulance, who received the largest donation of £5,400. This is to fund a ground power unit to provide power to helicopter and equipment whilst on the ground.
• The Howarth Foundation has been given £2,500 in order to buy two laptops, an iPad and safety items.
• Horticap Ltd in Harrogate received £2,500 towards buying a trailer with loading ramp.
• Arksey Primary School, Doncaster, has been awarded £2,500 towards the cost of buying an outdoor canopy to facilitate outdoor learning.
• St John the Evangelist Church in Farsley, received £4,000 to buy an electric hoist, changing bed, and shower seat within its disabled bathroom.
The full list of awards can be downloaded at the end of this article.
David S Pratt, the Provincial Grand Master of the Province of Yorkshire West Riding, said: “I’m delighted that so many deserving causes are benefiting again from the generosity of Freemasons.
“These 20 recipients all make a real difference to the communities that we live and work in, and these grants will enable them to purchase a host of different items, from creating an outdoor classroom to buying a new standard, scabbard and gauntlet for a Royal British Legion branch.
“All the money has been raised at a local level to be spent here, within this wonderful province of Yorkshire, West Riding.”
Download the full list of the Provincial Grand Master’s Fund award recipients here