THE MASONIC PROVINCE OF YORKSHIRE WEST RIDING

​Following the donation, of £60,000, from West Riding Masonic Charities Limited, on the NHS, Social Care & Frontline Workers’ Day, a representative of the Teddies for Loving care initiative visited a number of the region’s 21 hospitals.
 
Ted had been in lockdown for some considerable time, but feeling a little more confident after having been vaccinated twice and taking a spoonful of honey every day for a whole year, he was looking forward to an adventure. 
 
It began in Giggleswick with Ted's friends, John Birkenshaw and Mike Wrigglesworth. Here they are together with Sister, Staff Nurse and Student Nurse representing Castleberg Hospital, in the sunshine.

​Ted managed to speed ahead and arrived before the rest of the team at Skipton.

Finally, he was tracked down and here he is (below), outside Skipton Hospital with Angela and Helen, before signing into Outpatients.

Ted directed John and Mike through a tricky one-way system and safely to Ripon Hospital, where the wonderful staff supported in such numbers, that everyone went outside again, into the afternoon sunshine, to stand under the 'Tree of Light' for a real picture of joy and happiness. 

​Ted was very pleased to be making everyone smile on this special day of thanks to our Yorkshire NHS Staff.
 
And finally, to Harrogate, oh so busy, but Ted managed to find a nice, quiet, variegated bush to keep everyone safely in the shade.

​What a day for Ted; £3,000 to the staff of each Hospital, to say thank you for all their hard work, commitment, help and support to Yorkshire communities, through a very testing time.
 
We may see Ted in his continuing adventures, sitting in new outdoor furniture in Giggleswick or Skipton, or in newly refurbished staff rooms in Ripon or Harrogate, keeping staff company and as always, being a good listener.
 
Ted was taken care of by Area 3 Charity Chair John Birkenshaw, supported by Deputy Chair Mike Wrigglesworth and joined by PCA David Elsy in Ripon and PCA Chris Boothby in Harrogate.

​Adventures like this need Team effort and many assisted in making this happen, pictured above are some of the key players with Emma Parker, leading as the NHS Charity Champion.
 
Photographs courtesy of Paul Durkin.

In May this year, the Provincial Grand Master’s Fund made a grant to the Friends of Woodseats Playground, Graves Park, Sheffield.
The charity trustees met in the playground recently to receive the cheque for an amazing £4,959!

​Presented by Richard Campos, Worshipful Master of Welcome Lodge No 3779, Sheffield and his wife Sandra, the trustees were thrilled to receive such a generous donation.

The funds will go towards a new exciting and challenging climbing frame for older children and teenagers, which they hope to install this Autumn.

The following letter of appreciation has been received from Highbury School, Brighouse.

Dear Sirs,

We were delighted to receive your letter of 14 July 2021 informing us that you were awarding a grant of £2775 to Highbury School – thank you so much.

We were so disappointed to learn that the insurance would not cover the cost of the malicious damage to the gates and this was a large part of the shortfall to replace the minibus and secure the school grounds. Therefore it means so much to us that you have supported us so generously to meet this cost.

We are pleased to report that your grant, along with fundraising and support from other organisations, has enabled us to secure a new minibus for September. We are so pleased that we can start the new school year with the ability to provide transport to activities which enrich the education of our pupils so much. After what has been such a difficult school year, your investment will go a long way to ensuring Highbury School can continue to provide the very best care and support to those in our community who need and rely on our services.

Thank you again for your generous grant which we will most certainly publicise when we announce the new minibus purchase in September.

Yours faithfully,
​
Mrs Debbie Sweet
Headteacher

Community Grants update – 19 July 2021
 
This latest newsletter gives details of grants awarded during July, 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, to the total value of £15,315, to seven community organisations, where it is hoped there will be the biggest impact in terms of community benefit:
 
Highbury School, Rastrick
 
Highbury School is an outstanding specialist school providing highly specialist education for children with a wide range of complex special educational needs and disabilities, from ages 4-11.
 
In March, the school’s electronic gates were broken and their minibus was stolen from within the grounds. It has not been recovered. Fundraising has been going on since, to make up the difference between what the insurance company has paid out and the cost of a replacement vehicle. Regrettably, the insurance policy did not cover the gates.

The grant of £2,775 will cover the cost of repairing the gates; sponsored by De Warren Lodge No 1302, Halifax.

​Christ Church New Mill,
 
Having been loved and cared for, over many years, the church in the Upper Holme Valley was in need of work to bring it up to modern standards and has recently been extended to provide; disabled access, a disabled toilet and a lift to the upstairs Gallery.

​The Gallery area is now to be refurbished to accommodate events and use by the wider community; this will entail modifying the kitchen.
 
The grant of £2,500 will assist in the completion of the work, in purchasing kitchen equipment and units; sponsored by Beaumont Lodge No 2035, Kirkburton.
 
Leeds Mencap
 
Leeds Mencap support children and young people with learning disabilities; creating opportunities for children and their families to be included within their communities and achieve their aspirations.

Based at the Vinery Centre, LS9, they are to set up a new lending library for families, as part of their Early Years support offer. Families will be able to borrow equipment, including a range of items, sensory equipment and specialist resources.
 
The grant of £4,960 will be used to purchase equipment; sponsored by Lodge of Dawn No 6511, Leeds.
​
Swarthmore Education Centre 
​
Swarthmore Education Centre on Woodhouse Square, Leeds, is a centre for lifelong learning, community projects and family learning sessions, as well as courses and activities   
Volunteers seek to inspire lives through friendly learning within a commitment to equality of opportunity; the main aim being to encourage people who want to learn but might not feel comfortable in more formal educational institutions. 

They work on a friendly, human scale, offering a confidential counselling service, on-site childcare and learning support.
Over 2,000 people enrolled directly onto Swarthmore courses in the year prior to the pandemic. Many more made use of the Centre as a community resource, providing facilities for a wide variety of local groups. Swarthmore attracts a social mix of people who go to the Centre because of their shared interests in learning, rather than their background.
​
The grant of £2,000 will allow the purchase of musical instruments and equipment for use in a project running in the summer holidays, to aid young people with their mental health and well-being; sponsored by Lodge of Dawn No 6511, Leeds.
  
 
Chabad Lubavitch
 
With Centres on Shadwell Lane and at Leeds Campus, educational and social programmes are provided, with a non-judgemental approach, for everyone.  There is an especial stress on reaching out to those who are disadvantaged, whether through a lack of education, life experiences or circumstances beyond their control. 

​With their ‘Loaves of Love’ care packages initiative, they deliver weekly packages of challos, chicken soup, kugel, grape juice and shabbat candles to members of the Leeds community, of all religious denominations.
 
The grant of £1,650 will purchase a commercial potato peeler, enabling the expansion of the project to cater for more of the most vulnerable in the Leeds community, with even better care packages; sponsored by the Lodge of Dawn No 6511, Leeds.
 
Garforth Musical Society
 
Established in 1959, this local amateur theatre group produces Broadway and West End musicals and performs at the Welfare Hall in Garforth. Producing two musical shows a year, for the people of Garforth and surrounding areas, their membership includes people of all ages, from 11 to 80.

​The cost of putting on the shows is high and restrictions over the past 18 months have curtailed their fund-raising effort.
 
The grant of £800 will enable the purchase of materials needed to manufacture scenery and costumes; sponsored by Aurora Lodge No 4047, Leeds.
 
Incredible Edible Kippax
 
Part of a national network, with a mission to show how ordinary people can transform their own landscapes and turn plots into abundant sources of healthy food, their vision is to create kind, confident and connected communities through the power of food. Their focus is on community and learning for all ages, through shared experience of planting, growing, harvesting and cooking food.
 
Incredible Edible Kippax aims to increase the amount of local food grown and eaten in the village. Businesses, Schools, Councillors, Farmers and the community are all involved. Vegetables and fruit are springing up everywhere. Public flowerbeds are being transformed into Community herb gardens and vegetable patches.

​Run by volunteers, funds are required for the building of another vegetable and herb bed, constructed of oak sleepers and filled with good quality compost, in a part of Kippax predominantly populated with council housing.  They also plan to fill some existing planters around the Mount Pleasant area, to compliment the planned ‘Kippax in Bloom Dementia Garden’.
 
The grant of £630 will support the cost of materials, compost and consumables; sponsored by Aurora Lodge No 4047, Leeds.

West Riding Freemasonry and West Yorkshire Lord Lieutenancy Partnership Fund
 
As reported in the Chairman’s annual report and following the success of a similar initiative in South Yorkshire, the new partnership with West Riding Masonic Charities Limited and the West Yorkshire Lord Lieutenancy has been launched; with a total of £25,000 donated in grants to smaller charities.

Dewsbury South Community Support            
DSCS is a multicultural, multi-faith, non-profit Community Group run by volunteers; supporting the people of Dewsbury who are in need, including those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
They provide food, hygiene and sanitary products and promote wellbeing. They have representatives on their committee from seven local organisations, from different parts of the community including; Darul-ilm Mosque, Thornhill Community Academy, Quba Community Hub, Thornhill Parish Church and the parish of Ravensthorpe.
Established in March 2020, they started by supporting people who were self-isolating; by shopping and collecting prescriptions. Having become aware of households suffering from food, period and hygiene poverty, they developed a food bank, with sanitary items and some basic cleaning products also provided.
The grant of £2,000 will enable the operation of the food bank to continue as restrictions are lifted.
 
The Rotary Club of Calverley
At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, in addition to their normal charitable work, members of the Rotary Club of Caverley started to provide fruit and vegetable boxes to the tenants of Leeds City Council in sheltered accommodation.
The grant of £1,000 will help them continue their much-needed assistance to the tenants.
 
Leeds Junior Conservatoire
This specialist conservatoire offers part-time opportunities for young musicians aged 9 to 18, with a range of programmes and short courses; to help to draw a diverse demographic of students and provide them with a range of high quality and accessible musical activity.
The Junior Conservatoire is committed to developing high-quality ensemble, musicianship and composition training in an effort to develop the talents of enthusiastic young musicians each year. Each project is designed to help broaden the musical horizons of each individual who participates.
The grant of £2,500 will go towards their outreach programme; specifically, to develop and enhance their activity with the Holy Rosary and St. Anne’s Catholic Primary School via their partnership with the Leeds Cathedral Choir School.
 
Batley Food Bank
The Food Bank was established in 2013 and provides food aid to meet one-off and short-term requirements for residents, in North Kirklees; referred by partner agencies such as Local Welfare Provision, support and health service professionals and community groups. 
Being a part of the network of Kirklees emergency food aid providers, they provide 7-day packs for everyone in the household, providing as balanced as possible a diet to meet their dietary or cultural needs, along with toiletries, household cleaning products and pet food as required. 
The grant of £2,000 will employ a cleaner to maintain hygiene and cleanliness in their kitchen, while volunteers concentrate on increased demand for their services.
 
Age Concern Todmorden
A small local charity supporting older people in Todmorden, Walsden, Cornholme, Portsmouth and surrounding areas, they provide information and advice, social opportunities to reduce loneliness, and healthy activities to ensure people have a long, active and happier later life.
The grant of £1,500 will be used to replace an old laptop and scanner/printer; to enable them to provide a more efficient service.
 
The Geraldine Connor Foundation
An arts organisation established in 2012 to continue the legacy of the renowned theatre director, musician and educationalist Dr Geraldine Connor. 
GCF aims to continue her legacy by bringing people together through arts and culture by engaging with more children and young people, from diverse communities across Leeds, who have limited access to arts and culture.
The grant of £2,000 will help to continue to deliver “Global Mash Up” participatory arts activities in deprived communities in Leeds over the next three years.
 
Bracken Bank & District Community Association
Based on a large housing estate in Keighley, the Association seeks to address inequalities through the promotion of self-help, community pride and mutual support; by facilitating the provision and development of services, activities and resources for the benefit of the
community.
Aimed at the government’s drive to combat obesity, it is intended to construct an outdoor exercise suite, capable of being used year-round by families, young and old.
The grant of £1,500 will contribute to the cost of providing the facility, for use by the whole community.
 
City of Leeds Sea Cadets
City Of Leeds Sea Cadets aim to give young people an experience that will help them grow into the person they want to be, in a safe and friendly environment. Through various activities and adventures, they’ll learn teamwork, respect, loyalty, self-confidence, commitment, self-discipline, honesty and how to be the best version of themselves.
The cadet training centre is based on the Leeds and Liverpool canal, near Thwaites Mills; they currently have 60 cadets trained by 15 volunteers.
The grant of £2,000 will help towards replacement of a boiler in their kitchen as part of ongoing work on the building.
 
Todmorden in Bloom
Todmorden in Bloom is a voluntary group dedicated to creating a big, bright, beautiful blooming community in the heart of the Pennines.  The volunteers look after 25 pocket gardens, 130 hanging baskets, 45 barrier baskets and Todmorden and Walsden Railway Stations.
For the past twenty years they have worked with most of the town’s community groups, the young, elderly, disabled and the vulnerable.
The group supports neighbourhood and community groups to help them develop gardens, run school gardening clubs and an annual local garden competition.
The grant of £500 will assist in the hard landscaping of a Memorial and Sensory Garden.
 
The Bradford Court Chaplaincy Service
Working in one of the most deprived areas in the country, the Chaplaincy Service provide free, confidential, on-the-spot, practical support to anyone attending courts in Bradford, both the Magistrates’ and Combined Courts (Crown, Civil and Family); including defendants and their families, friends and other court users.
The charity is funded by grants from charitable trusts, individual donations and local fundraising but these funds have been affected by the pandemic.
The grant of £1,500 will be used towards core costs.
 
Future Transformation CIC
Future Transformation is an ambitious social enterprise working to provide awareness and opportunities for communities in tech.
Working collaboratively with businesses, local authorities, social enterprises, community groups, schools, colleges, universities and trusted partners they provide people with the skills to rebalance and unlock their potential. transforming the future of work, communities and personal lives. Their commitment is to help close the productivity gap, the skills gap and the inequality gap. 
The grant of £1,000 will be used to provide tech skills training to young people in Bradford, with the purpose of helping them discover meaningful, sustainable employment.                                              
Unmasked Mental Health
Unmasked was set up by three friends from Halifax, who battled and overcame mental ill health.
Their goal is to remove the stigma surrounding mental ill health, nationwide and get people talking.
Services are accessible to everyone and several clubs have been established that meet on a regular basis. Structured meetings provide a safe platform to communicate with each other, create bonds and friendship.
The grant of £1,000 will enable the continuation of their work, through existing clubs and opening of new venues.
 
The Old Quarry Adventure Playground
The ‘Addy’, as it is locally known, provides free, open access adventure play sessions to the children of the Warwick Estate and wider Knottingley area, five days a week and longer during the school holidays.
It also provides services for the elderly, children with additional needs and for local youths and tots.
The grant of £1,500 will enable a repair to a bi-folding/sliding door that is damaged. This will enable access to the toilets of the building from outside and will improve security.
 
Ruddi's Retreat 
Ruddi’s Retreat aim to help families with seriously ill children to have access to a holiday home for free. They help families with young children suffering from the effects and after-effects of cancer treatment, life limiting illnesses or bereavement to enjoy a family holiday together.
They have recently leased premises in Slaithwaite and the grant of £2,000 will go towards the cost of the installation of a heating / cooling system.
 
Talkthru 
Huddersfield based, Talkthru provides a confidential counselling service, offering specialist psychological support for those facing pregnancy-related mental distress.
Women and their partners can access the service for support for miscarriage, stillbirths, birth trauma, and termination for foetal abnormalities.
The grant of £1,500 will allow the volunteer counsellors to concentrate on helping clients, rather than having to spend time raising necessary funds.
 
Meanwood Valley Urban Farm 
This is a working farm in Leeds, open 365 days a year for the public to visit the animals, gardens and flourishing woodland.
It was established more than 20 years ago to introduce disadvantaged urban children to farming and the countryside.  It also offers day placements in horticulture for adults with learning difficulties.
Pond dipping is an important part of the educational programme and generates great enthusiasm among the children.
The grant of £1,500 will pay for equipment hire and materials to drain, reline, refill and replant the pond on the farm.   

NHS staff across the Province are to benefit from a £60,000 grant.
​
The donation, from West Riding Masonic Charities Limited, will be used by 21 hospitals for a variety of projects including enhancing staff rest rooms, providing hospital ‘secret gardens’ and funding therapy sessions with Huskey dogs.
 
On Monday, 5 July, Freemasons across the Province will be playing their part in the first NHS, Social Care & Frontline Workers’ Day, to celebrate all those who have worked so tirelessly to help the country through the Coronavirus crisis, and who continue to support some of the most vulnerable people in society.
 
Those hospitals to benefit from a share of the grant are:
 

• Bradford Royal Infirmary - £3,000 to fund items for staff to encourage breaks by supplying all staff kitchens and staff rest areas with hampers.
• St Luke’s Hospital, Bradford - £3,000 fund items for staff to encourage breaks by supplying all staff kitchens and staff rest areas with hampers
• Airedale General Hospital, - £3,000 To provide two new garden pods for staff to use during their rest breaks
• Calderdale Royal Infirmary, Halifax - £3,000 to purchase furniture and/or equipment to be used by the members of staff using the space provided for them
• Huddersfield Royal Infirmary - £3,000 to purchase furniture and/or equipment to be used by the members of staff using the space provided for them
• Castleberg Hospital, Giggleswick - £3,000 to provide new picnic benches for staff in an outside space and to purchase some new comfortable tub chair seating for the staff room
• Harrogate District Hospital - £3,000 to enhance the staff areas and staff rooms
• Ripon Community Hospital - £3,000 to enhance the staff areas and staff rooms
• Skipton General Hospital - £3,000 to enhance the staff areas and staff rooms. and to purchase new items such as replacement mugs, plates, cutlery, and water jugs for each of the staff rooms
• Barnsley Hospital - £3,000 to pay for therapy sessions for the staff.
• Doncaster Royal Infirmary - £3,000 to provide staff therapy. In addition, it is hoping to fund a new wellbeing hut, which will be based on the hospital grounds but in a much more calming environment where staff can go to benefit from these therapies and other wellbeing sessions.
• Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield - £3,000 to provide benches in the garden for staff.
• Northern General Hospital, Sheffield - £3,000 to help provide a ‘secret Garden’ for staff and patients.
• Rotherham Hospital - £3,000 towards the Rotherham NHS Superheroes appeal and to be used to provide treats to the staff, such as coffees and cakes etc.
• Weston Park Hospital, Sheffield - £3,000 to help provide a roof garden for staff and patients.
• Chapel Allerton Hospital, Leeds - £3,000 to provide funding to improve an outdoor courtyard staff garden.
• Leeds General Infirmary - £3,000 used to enhance staff spaces for the team by refreshing the furniture and introducing better lighting.
• St James’ University Hospital, Leeds - £3,000 to enhance a staff space for the theatre team by upgrading the furniture, redecoration and providing ambient lighting to create a more relaxing space
• Pontefract, Dewsbury and Pinderfields Hospitals - £6,000 to continue therapy sessions for staff using Therapy Husky Dog Wellbeing visits

 
David S Pratt, Provincial Grand Master, said, “I think we are all in agreement that the whole country owes our NHS staff and social care workers, a huge debt of gratitude for everything they have done since the start of the pandemic early last year.
 
Whilst Freemasons up and down the country, including those in our own area, will be marking this NHS Social Care & Frontline Workers’ Day in a number of ways, we are delighted to be giving this donation of £60,000, which will benefit staff in 21 hospitals.
 
I'd also like to thank our members, who have also reacted brilliantly to the pandemic; from those who helped make PPE, to those helping out at vaccination centres and also going back into the medical profession to administer those all-important vaccinations.
 
Whilst Covid has been with us for a very short period of time, Freemasonry has been thriving within the Province of Yorkshire West Riding for more than 200 years. It is at the heart of many communities and with charity being a core theme, I’m proud to say it continues to play its part in supporting an ever increasing number of  charities and good causes with financial donations.”