Congratulations to all members of the Province of Essex on raising this fantastic final figure for the Freemasons Grand Charity. The RW. Provincial Grand Master, John Webb, in the presence of the MW Pro Grand Master, Peter Geoffrey Lowndes, made the announcement at the Festival Dinner held in the Guildhall, London on the 25th June 2011. A response from the Freemasons Grand Charity was given by VW. Bro. Grahame Elliott, President of the Grand Charity.
Introduction by the Provincial Grand Charity Steward, W. Bro. Laurie Justice
Dear Brother,
On behalf of the Charity Stewards Committee I would like to thank you for taking the time to visit our Essex 2011 Festival website. We hope you find it both interesting and informative.
The Festival will continue until 2011. During this time the Province will endeavour to assist the Grand Charity in meeting its mission to bring relief to distressed masons and their dependants, support Annuitants and other Masonic or non-Masonic Charities and to provide immediate assistance for international humanitarian crises.
To help meet these needs it is suggested that a personal Standing Order of £5.00 per month be donated (or more if it could be comfortably afforded) for the duration of the Festival. ' Gift Aided, your donation will benefit from tax relief, which will greatly assist the Grand Charity in meeting its aims and objectives.
We are aware that some of our members rely on a limited pension or income and many Lodges already regularly support their preferred local charities. With this in mind, any donation a brother can reasonably afford will be thankfully received.
Your Centre Representative will assist you in your efforts. He will explain the tax advantages of the Gift Aid Scheme and provide assistance with the necessary forms. He will also be able to answer any queries you may have regarding the Festival and to inform you about the Help & Advice-lines available. Also, information can always be obtained from the Provincial website (www.essex-lodges.org) on an ongoing basis. We look forward to your support throughout the festival.
Yours sincerely and fraternally
Laurie Justice. Provincial Grand Charity Steward.
Essex 2011 Regular Payment Promise / One off donation forms can be downloaded from the document section of the website.
Most Brethren will know that there are four main Masonic Charities sponsored by the Craft on a national basis. These are:
The Grand Charity
The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution
The New Masonic Samaritan Fund
The Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys
These charities derive their income from a number of sources, primarily from the generosity of Brethren. The principal way in which that generosity is channelled to each charity is by means of an annual “Festival”.
Back in the 19th century it was suggested that each Masonic province would, every few years, be asked to support one of the national Masonic charities for one year. Because there are many more provinces than there are charities, each province would only be called on every so often. It was soon realised that by giving the provinces some years’ notice of their next call to assist, they would be given valuable time to accumulate a much greater level of support.
This system has served English Freemasonry very well for some hundred years. The Province of Essex has been called upon to support The Grand Charity for the year 2011 and has the intervening years to accumulate the necessary funds. Although like most major charities, the Grand Charity has some reserves to even out good and bad years, its ability to respond in 2011 to calls upon its resources will largely depend on the efforts of Essex masons.
Essex is one of the larger Masonic provinces and we should therefore have as an objective the desire to leave The Grand Charity at the end of 2011 in a better state than it is at the beginning.