THE MASONIC PROVINCE OF YORKSHIRE WEST RIDING

​Over £120,000 distributed in Major Boost to Local Charities
 
Brethren will be used to attending the annual meeting of Provincial Grand Lodge in May, or reading about it in the spring edition of White Rose Masonic News. Sadly, due to the pandemic and restrictions on gatherings, the meeting has been put back until September this year.
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A major part of the annual meeting, in recent years, has been the presentation of Major Grants from the Provincial Grand Master’s Fund and although the presentation of the grants cannot take place as usual, local organisations have still benefitted from the generosity of West Riding Masonic Charities Ltd and the support of the Brethren throughout the Province.
In total, grants to the value of £121,448 have been made.

Brighouse Central Methodist Church
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Over the last few years, the Church has been strongly committed to building ever closer links with the community in Brighouse. Plans have been approved for a £1 Million refurbishment of the building, making it completely accessible, with a ramp from the car park.

An artist’s impression of how the finished project at Brighouse Central Methodist Church might look.

The grant of £25,000 will provide for a lift to all levels from the reception area, truly making the building available to all; sponsored by Rastrick Lodge No 4885, Brighouse.
 
Children’s Heart Surgery Fund (CHSF)
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Around 17,000 babies, children and adults with congenital heart disease are treated as outpatients by the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit (LCHU) every year. Many are admitted to the hospital for surgery and family accommodation is available that keeps parents and siblings near to patients during what is a traumatic time for all.

CHSF’s mission is to support the LCHU in becoming a world class centre of excellence, enhancing the quality of care and support available.
The grant of £29,148 will be used to refurbish and furnish the family accommodation; sponsored by Chevin Lodge No 6848, Otley.
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Nell Bank Charitable Trust

Nell Bank is an outdoor education centre in Ilkley, providing day and residential experiences for schools and community groups of all ages and abilities. The Centre normally caters for over 20,000 children a year and many have special needs. Visitors with limited mobility have easy access to the buildings and activities.

A specially adapted electric vehicle, the ‘Nellmobile’, enables children with disabilities to enjoy woodland orienteering and habitat trails. This is coming to the end of its life and the grant of £23,400 will provide a replacement; sponsored by Olicana Lodge No 1522, Ilkley.
 
Crosspool & District Youth Sports Trust
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The Trust, set up to benefit the local community, have a sports hall, field, tennis courts and children’s playground for public use and hire at Coldwell Lane, Sheffield.
The playground had to be closed as the climbing equipment failed a recent inspection, deeming it unsafe to use. The grant of £9,600 will cover the cost of a replacement; sponsored by Royal Brunswick Lodge No 296. Sheffield.

Chapeltown Youth Development Centre (CFDC)
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Initially set up to counteract the social problems in the local area and give vulnerable young people an environment where they could grow in confidence and as adults, grow into productive members of society, the Charity continues to seek to make a difference to young people’s lives.
The centre provides opportunities for young people to participate in a range of sports, self-development and educational activities; catering for young people and adults, regardless of background, race, religion, ethnicity or gender and is open to all, regardless of ability or disability.
It caters for children from all over the Leeds area but particularly those from the inner-city areas of north and north east Leeds.
The grant of £24,700 will assist in the development of a multi-use games area, to be re-laid with 4G AstroTurf and surrounded by fencing; sponsored by Lodge of Dawn No 6511, Leeds.
 
In addition to the Major Grants, the PGM’s Fund has made grants to the following worthy causes:

Huddersfield Giants Community Trust

The Zone, home to Huddersfield Giants Community Trust, is an indoor facility that holds the largest play structure in the area. It is multi-purpose and holds adult fitness activities as well as a range of themed children’s parties. The Trust has the ability to engage, improve community cohesion, improve fitness and well-being and raise the hopes and aspirations of the people of Kirklees, Calderdale and Wakefield.
To reach out to children and young adults with physical and/or psychological challenges and to support their families and carers, the Trust are installing a state-of-the-art sensory room within the Zone. The grant of £5,000 will assist in equipping the room; sponsored by Concord Lodge No 4126, Lindley.
 
Freedom4Girls

Freedom4Girls are a Leeds-based charity fighting against period poverty. They aim to support those who menstruate, by challenging the stigmas, taboos and gender inequalities associated with menstruation.

​One of the major factors leading to period poverty is the cost of menstrual products and Freedom4Girls provide these to those in need in Leeds and across other regions of the UK, Kenya and Uganda.
Focus is also placed on the importance of education on the range of different menstrual products that exist.
The grant of £4,600 will assist in the delivery of a project designed to campaign for and create environmentally friendly period products; sponsored by Lodge of Dawn No 6511, Leeds.
Freedom4Girls said “As a small, grassroots charitable organisation, that is run almost exclusively by volunteers, we are incredibly grateful for every penny we receive towards supporting women and girls to access period products and ending stigma surrounding menstruation. Generous donations such as this, help us to continue and develop all our projects.”

Following a grant of £2,000 from the Provincial Grand Master's Fund, the St Saviours Community Project, Sheffield have acknowledged the contribution from members of the Province in their recent Newsletter.

This latest newsletter gives details of grants awarded during March, to charities and organisations across the Province.  Its aim is to ensure that all Brethren and their families within Yorkshire, West Riding are aware of how their contributions are being used and the work that WRMCL is doing, on their behalf, to support those within our communities. 
 
Since the previous update, the Provincial Grand Master’s Fund has made grants, totalling over £14,000, to six community organisations, where it is hoped there will be the biggest impact in terms of community benefit:
 
Westend Junior Football Club
 
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, members of the Huddersfield based football club formed a volunteer action group of young people, ‘Westend Community Champions’ and began fundraising to support local vulnerable families. During the past year, they have provided thousands of food items to a local foodbank, Jubilee Centre, Paddock; over 2,500 clothing donations to Sanctuary Kirklees and at Christmas, delivered presents to over 1,000 vulnerable families across the town. 

In January they began supporting vulnerable children; providing basic, essential learning items. Additionally, they are putting together ‘Pamper Packages’ for NHS and frontline care workers in the community. The young volunteers, with their selflessness, compassion, acts of kindness and dedication are helping make a positive difference to the lives of others.
 
The grant of £2,000 will assist in the provision of further packages; sponsored by Kirklees Lodge No 4710, Mirfield.

​Food4Heroes
 
Food4Heroes, a not-for-profit organisation, was formed at the start of the pandemic, initially bringing together furloughed staff from caterers, pubs and restaurants to cook nutritious meals for NHS staff.
 
Having delivered 240,000 meals to NHS staff at 43 hospitals in England, they were keen to do their bit to further alleviate the pressure on the NHS and started working with foodbanks. Still working with pubs, restaurants and caterers, meals are now distributed directly to foodbanks to supplement the non-perishable goods in food packages; giving service users the opportunity to enjoy a healthy meal that they just need to heat up at home.

​Local foodbanks receiving support, include The Welcome Centre, Huddersfield; Crossroads, Meltham and Noah’s Ark, Halifax and a small team of volunteers help with distribution of the meals.
 
The grant of £2,000 will provide 1,000 meals; sponsored by Brooke Lodge No 3608, Kirkburton.
 
Salterlee Under Fives
 
Based in Salterlee Primary School at the heart of the Shibden Valley, this committee led pre-school and playgroup aims to provide a secure and caring environment which encourages learning and development through play.
 
Play is one of the main ways in which children learn and develop. It helps to build self-worth by giving a child a sense of his or her own abilities and to feel good about themselves. Because it's fun, children often become very absorbed in what they are doing.  
 
One to one support and individual learning and development plans are available for children with special educational needs, together with speech and language development support.
 
The grant, of £1,095 will be used to purchase play resources to enhance the children’s play experience, promoting engagement and focus; sponsored by Beacon Lodge No 4066, Halifax.
 
St Saviours Community Project
 
St Saviours Community Project, provides material support for residents of High Green, Sheffield, facing deprivation; a major part of which is the provision of enough food to feed a family for about three days, from their foodbank. 

​All work is carried out by volunteers and to cope with the ever-increasing workload, they are also providing their services to the community from local schools
 
The grant of £2,000 will enable the purchase of consumables and food to make up essential food parcels; sponsored by Lodge of Industry No 6579, Sheffield.
 
Penney Field Special School
 
Penny Field School, Leeds, caters for children and young people (aged 3-19) with Complex and Multiple Learning Needs. They have specialist staff who are well trained and experienced to support their medical and learning needs; this includes an inclusion nursing team on site full-time and a high level of speech and language and physiotherapist input. They have a hydrotherapy pool and a sunken trampoline for ‘Rebound Therapy’ and exercise, as well as a wheelchair accessible roundabout and swing, sensory garden and greenhouse.
 
The school wish to buy an Acheeva bed which will assist about 35 children with complex disabilities. The bed is a cross between a wheelchair, bed and therapy table. It allows pupils to be positioned more comfortably, enabling them to fully access different lessons. 

The school was awarded a grant of £5,000 to help towards the cost of purchase; sponsored by Loyalty Lodge No 4971.
 
New Rover Cricket Club
 
New Rover Cricket Club, Adel, Leeds, has two Senior sides playing in local leagues, together with a growing and developing junior section, with teams at U9, U11, U13 and U15.  The Club is home to the Yorkshire College who host games for the Yorkshire over 60s.
 
They have a diverse membership, with about 30% of members being BAME.  They also have a growing number of female players, particularly in the junior section. The membership is a great example of ethnic diversity within the community, offering not only a good sports facility but a focal point for all the community to come together as one.
 
The grant of £2,000 will contribute towards funding a new all-weather practice net facility, for the 100 juniors and 40+ adult players.  The current facilities are over 20 years old, very worn and beyond further repair.  Replacement will benefit the development of all players and facilitate better coaching year-round; sponsored by Philanthropic Lodge No 304.