As it was announced that Hertfordshire’s 2009 Festival had raised £3.11 million, the charity revealed that several non Masonic charities across England and Wales will benefit from generous grants totalling nearly £2 million.
The grants have been awarded to worthwhile causes in the areas of medical research, youth opportunities and vulnerable people. The grants include £500,000 for adult and children’s hospice services and £192,000 for the air ambulance services.
The largest individual grant of £250,000 was awarded for research at Moorfields Eye Hospital into ocular scarring which can cause blindness. It will fund The Freemasons’ Grand Charity Senior Research Scientist and Senior Research Technician. Other charities supported include: Barnardo’s which is set to receive £45,000 for a vocational skills instructor who will help support young people with learning and behavioural difficulties during their training; The Alzheimer’s Society’s Carers’ Programme which delivers training to the thousands of family members who are the principal carer for a loved one with dementia was awarded £50,000; and Lifelites will receive £150,000 towards its work providing IT equipment for education and entertainment to children’s hospices across the country.
Smaller charities are also set to benefit with grants totalling £50,000 and beneficiaries will be announced during the course of the year.
This is a summary of the grants approved
Medical Research
- Diabetes UK – £50,000
- Moorfields Eye Hospital – £250,000 over three years
- Motor Neurone Disease Association – £50,000 over two years
Youth Opportunities
- Army Cadet Force Association – £10,000
- Barnardo’s – £45,000 over two years
- Brathay Hall – £50,000 over two years
- The Cricket Foundation – £15,000
- Depaul Trust – £60,000 over two years
- Happy Days Children’s Charity – £10,000
- Shaftesbury Young People – £20,000
Vulnerable People
- Alzheimer’s Society – £50,000
- Aspire – £20,000
- British Red Cross – £50,000
- Calvert Trust Lake District – £50,000
- Dementia Relief Trust (For Dementia) – £38,500
- Disabled Living Foundation – £15,000
- Emmaus UK – £55,000 over two years
- Hearing Dogs for Deaf People – £15,000
- Jennifer Trust for Spinal Muscular Atrophy – £10,000
- Jubilee Sailing Trust – £20,000
- Lifelites – £150,000
- Maggie’s – £35,000
- The National Society for Epilepsy – £15,000
- Red Balloon Learner Centre – £25,000
- The Relatives and Residents Association – £17,000
Religious Buildings
- LLandaff Cathedral – £5,000
- Norwich Cathedral – £5,000
- St Edmunsbury Cathedral – £5,000
- Winchester Cathedral – £5,000
Other Grants
- Hospice Services – £500,000
- Minor non-Masonic Grants – £50,000
- Air Ambulances – £192,000
- Matched Funding Scheme – £65,000
Purpose of Grants
Medical Research
DIABETES UK (£50,000)
The grant is to fund a research project at Cambridge University into hypoglycaemia prevention for adults. This is a continuation of the Closing the Loop project, which The Freemasons’ Grand Charity funded for children in 2007.
MOORFIELDS EYE HOSPITAL (£250,000 over three years)
Research into ocular scarring and stem cell research led by Professor Peng Tee Khaw. The funding will be used for The Freemasons’ Grand Charity Senior Research Scientist and Senior Research Technician.
MOTOR NEURONE DISEASE ASSOCIATION (£50,000 over two years)
To fund research into a cough assist mechanical in-exsufflator MI-E device at Sheffield University. 5,000 people in the UK have MND at any one time and the charity funds research and provides support.
Youth Opportunities
ARMY CADET FORCE ASSOCIATION (£10,000)
An outreach project for disadvantaged young people. Outreach provides a year-long adventure training course for 12-14 year olds who are at risk of offending. Children are referred by schools, local authorities or the police and the course is run by cadet instructor volunteers.
BARNARDO’S (£45,000 over two years)
Salary of a vocational skills instructor at a training restaurant in Harrogate. Many trainees have learning and behavioural difficulties and need support during their training. About 60 young people attend each year and 25 of them achieve a full qualification up to NVQ Level 3. Barnardo’s runs 394 services nationwide.
BRATHAY HALL (£50,000 over two years)
To contribute to a bursary fund for disadvantaged young people. The charity is based in Cumbria and provides outdoor training and activities for young people to improve personal and social development. All training programmes are tailor made to meet the development needs of the particular youth group.
THE CRICKET FOUNDATION (£15,000)
To fund two new projects in state schools. The Chance to Shine project aims to extend competitive sport through introducing cricket into state schools in deprived areas. The project has social and educational impact and it also reaches ethnic communities in a way that is unique. To date, the charity has delivered 300 projects to 2,082 schools and has shown good results in its first three years.
DEPAUL TRUST (£60,000 over two years)
The grant is to support the Depaul Nightstop Scheme which offers emergency accommodation to homeless young people. Local schemes are run by volunteers and helped over 2,000 young people last year. Depaul Nightstop UK provides advice, support and training to 50 local Nightstop schemes.
HAPPY DAYS CHILDREN’S CHARITY (£10,000)
Day trips for children with special needs. The charity is based in Bedfordshire and takes disabled children on outings and holidays.
SHAFTESBURY YOUNG PEOPLE (£20,000)
For the Siblings United project, a service to help children in care who have been separated from their brothers and sisters to maintain a relationship. 84% of children in care are separated from their siblings and the majority of them have difficulty in maintaining contact and seeing each other. The project works with local authority social services to enable siblings to rebuild relationships.
Vulnerable People
ALZHEIMER’S SOCIETY (£50,000)
Supporting a new Carers’ Programme, which will deliver training to carers. There are 700,000 people with dementia in the UK, and 600,000 of those have a family member as their principal carer. Many carers lack the information that they need to deal with the diagnosis and to plan ahead. The Society will develop a high quality, consistent Carers’ Programme using facilitators to deliver information sessions to carers locally.
ASPIRE (£20,000)
To fund adaptations for Aspire Supported Housing for people with spinal cord injury. Aspire aims to have 30 houses available by 2010 and each house will accommodate 2 newly discharged patients temporarily before they return to their own homes or find new accommodation. The charity is based in Middlesex.
BRITISH RED CROSS (£50,000)
The grant will fund a new Responder emergency response vehicle in Essex for use after events such as floods, fires, major traffic incidents or terrorist attacks. The British Red Cross provides crisis response to support the UK emergency services and vehicles are also used in community services to provide first aid cover. This vehicle will be the third new vehicle funded by The Freemasons’ Grand Charity.
CALVERT TRUST LAKE DISTRICT (£50,000)
Supporting the Extending Equal Chance project to support more people with disabilities through an outreach and training programme for staff of other centres. The charity provides outdoor adventure activities for disabled people and caters for people with complex disabilities and a high level of support needs.
DEMENTIA RELIEF TRUST (FOR DEMENTIA) (£38,500)
Training for staff in RMBI Homes. The charity aims to improve the quality of life for people with dementia by providing training for healthcare professionals. The project will train 90 staff in six RMBI homes to improve the ability of the staff to deal with residents with dementia.
DISABLED LIVING FOUNDATION (£15,000)
To fund the roll-out of a further section of the free online service providing impartial advice on living equipment for disabled people. The site is created by an occupational therapist who provides independent advice on suitable equipment and the charity aims to have 750,000 visitors to the website annually.
EMMAUS UK (£55,000 over two years)
To part-fund the salary of the development manager. The charity provides a home and work for homeless people in 17 established communities across the country. It has 20 Communities in development and aims to open two new Communities each year. The charity is based in Cambridge.
HEARING DOGS FOR DEAF PEOPLE (£15,000)
For IT equipment at the training centre in East Yorkshire. The charity trained 130 dogs in 2007 at a cost of £5,000 each and there is a two year waiting list for dogs. The charity is based in Buckinghamshire and is opening a new centre in Yorkshire.
JENNIFER TRUST FOR SPINAL MUSCULAR ATROPHY (£10,000)
Supporting the outreach service providing advice, information and support to families affected by spinal muscular atrophy. The charity is based in Warwickshire.
JUBLIEE SAILING TRUST (£20,000)
Contribution towards the re-fit cost of the Lord Nelson Tall Ship. The charity takes over 1,000 disabled people on tall ship voyages each year. The total refit will cost £350,000 over two years and aims to enable the 22 year old ship to continue for another 20 years. The charity is based in Southampton.
LIFELITES (£150,000)
For the ongoing provision of computer equipment and packages for education and entertainment in children’s hospices across the country.
MAGGIE’S (£50,000)
To fund a new cancer care centre in Cheltenham. The charity has specialist purpose-built cancer centres in or near hospitals to provide information and support to patients with all types of cancer and their carers. The centres provide psychological support, complementary therapies, welfare advice and information. The charity expects 5,000 visitors in the first year, rising to 12,000 after three years.
THE NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR EPILEPSY (£15,000)
The grant is to fund the information service. The information network runs out of 120 health centres across England and provides support and information on epilepsy using volunteers. The charity also provides a schools programme as well as services in the community. The charity is based in Buckinghamshire.
RED BALLOON LEARNER CENTRE (£25,000)
Salary of the Development Manager. The charity provides intensive full time education for children who have been so badly bullied that they are unable to attend mainstream school. The charity is based in Cambridge and new locations are planned for Liverpool, Warwick and Sheffield.
THE RELATIVES AND RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION (£17,000)
Funding a project officer responsible for improving access to health care services for older people in residential homes. The charity campaigns for older people living in
care homes and their relatives and has identified that older people in residential care are often unable to obtain treatment from mainstream services such as a GP, dentist or optician.
Religious Buildings
LLANDAFF CATHEDRAL (£5,000)
To contribute to the cost of a new organ.
NORWICH CATHEDRAL (£5,000)
To contribute to the cost of fitting out a new Hostry.
ST EDMUNDSBURY CATHEDRAL (£5,000)
To contribute to a new altar in the Chapel of the Transfiguration.
WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL (£5,000)
To contribute to the restoration of the Venerable Chapel.
Other Grants
HOSPICE SERVICES (£500,000)
The Council recommends that £500,000 be placed at its disposal for grants to hospice services in 2009.
MINOR NON-MASONIC GRANTS (£50,000)
The Council recommends that £50,000 be placed at its disposal for general non-Masonic grants of £5,000 or less, in 2009.
AIR AMBULANCES (£192,000)
Support for operational Air Ambulance Services in England and Wales continues to receive widespread support from Freemasons and the Council now recommends that a further £192,000 be placed at its disposal in 2009 for grants to Air Ambulance Services.
MATCHED FUNDING SCHEME (£65,000)
The Council’s Matched-Funding Scheme, in association with Provincial Grand Lodges, has been well received and the Council recommends that a further £65,000 be placed at its disposal in 2009 for match-funding grants of £5,000 or less. On this occasion, the Masonic Provinces involved are Berkshire, Bristol, Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, Devonshire, Dorset, Guernsey and Alderney, Isle of Man, Jersey, East Lancashire, West Lancashire, Middlesex and Oxfordshire.
