Freemasonry is one of the oldest social and charitable organisations in the world. Its roots lie in the traditions of the medieval stonemasons who built our cathedrals and castles. Charity is one of the four principal values within Freemasonry.
Freemasons Charities not only provide support for the dependents of Freemasons but also for many others in the community, making significant grants to many Charitable organisations. All monies are raised directly from or by Freemasons, their families and friends, and more than £75m has been raised in the UK over the last five years for a wide range of charitable purposes.
In Warwickshire, the Royal Arch Benevolent Fund has made significant donations to projects identified by the Fund Trustees, including:
Buddy Bag Foundation
Claverdon Playground
Solihull Blood Bikes
Myton Hospice
Free At Last
Defibrillators via Midlands Emergency Response
Ashbury House Sensory Garden
And many others……
Recently a number of Warwickshire Charities supported by individual Chapters have had donations supplemented by the Benevolent Fund via the Chapter Charity Support Scheme, including:
Dogs for Good
Arrow Action
Trussell Trust
Acorns Hospice
Alzheimer’s Society
Coventry Cyrenians
Prostate Cancer
LifeLites
Free At Last
Coughton Church
St Mary’s Hospice
George’s Gift
Birmingham Children’s Hospital
Total donations this year have been over £21,000 and to be able to continue to make donations on the current scale or preferably greater, the Royal Arch Benevolent Fund needs to raise funds on a regular basis and this is fortunately forthcoming via the Chapters in the Province. We are most grateful to the Chapters who regularly make donations to the fund and also to those Chapters which nominate charities for the committee to consider supplementing. This income is the only means open to the Benevolent Fund to continue to make donations, and one collection per year from each Chapter will enable the Committee to fulfil its aims.
There are various methods of making donations and raising funds – these are outlined in the subsequent pages.
