THE MASONIC PROVINCE OF YORKSHIRE WEST RIDING

The directors of West Riding Masonic Charities Ltd (WRMCL), recognising the impact of the pandemic on charitable giving, have pledged support, to the tune of £150,000 towards the Provincial Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons 2023 MBF Festival.

The Mark Benevolent Fund (MBF) is the Order’s national charity and provides support to members of the Order, their families and dependants. It also supports non-masonic charities, large and small, both nationally and internationally.

The primary source of its funds is a Festival held each year in a different Province.
R W Bro James Steggles, Provincial Grand Master of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of West Yorkshire, launched the West Yorkshire Festival at the Mark Annual Provincial Meeting in April 2016 and it will run until next year, culminating with a spectacular finale at Harrogate Conference Centre on Friday, 30 June and Saturday, 1 July.
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The latest donation from WRMCL was made at this year’s Annual Meeting, when President of the Charity, R W Bro James H Newman OBE, Provincial Grand Master of the Craft Province of Yorkshire, West Riding, presented a cheque for £25,000.

​R W Bro Steggles, accepting the cheque, commented on the further evidence provided of the excellent relationship existing between the Masonic Orders and the closeness between all Freemasons in Yorkshire, West Riding.

The title may express the sentiments of those associated with the Happy Wanderers, following receipt of a Major Grant of £11,495 by the Harrogate based charity, from the Provincial Grand Master's Fund.
Below is an extract of a letter received from the Chair of the Ambulance Organisation.





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Dear Chris,

We would like to repeat our most sincere thanks for the wonderful gift from the Provincial Grand Master’s Fund.
 
Everyone associated with the Happy Wanderers are still amazed at the significant level of support given to our work alongside older and disabled people, by The Freemasons of Yorkshire West Riding.
 
Such generous support is invaluable and will be long remembered.

We are so grateful and highly motivated by the individual and collective endorsement we have received from The Spa Lodge. We are also grateful for a number of individual messages of congratulations from the Provincial Charity Committee.
 
Yours sincerely.
 
Les Sudron

Chair – Happy Wanderers Ambulance Organisation

It is always nice to receive letters of thanks from the charities and community organisations who receive grants from the Provincial Grand Master's Fund and the one below clearly demonstrates the help provided by the charitable contributions of the brethren of the Province of Yorkshire, West Riding and their families.

The Directors of WRMCL are pleased to announce details of major grants awarded in April, to charities and organisations across the Province
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The Provincial Grand Master’s Fund has made major grants, to the total value of £89,495 to four community organisations, where it is hoped there will be the biggest impact in terms of community benefit.

Focus4Hope

Focus4Hope is a Brighouse based charitable organisation, dedicated to providing help and support to people who need it most.

​The focus is on supporting local homeless, vulnerable, elderly, and otherwise isolated and lonely individuals; more recently reacting to the needs of the community during the Covid-19 pandemic. Support is provided to individuals in crisis through referrals from a local primary care network and through other related organisations.
Having a great relationship with many local businesses and with supermarkets providing surplus food, the charity also delivers foodbank projects, ensuring families can access food and hygiene items and well as more long-term support. 
 
‘Hope’, their mini bus, is a crucial means of transporting donated food items to their community-hub food bank and then out to those who need it the most, as well as transporting teams of volunteers out onto the streets. Days out are arranged for the elderly, to combat isolation and loneliness.

This vehicle is old and becoming mechanically unreliable; it is desperately in need of replacement.
The grant of £30,000 will enable the purchase of a replacement 16-seater mini-bus with wheelchair access; sponsored by Beaumont Lodge No 2035, Kirkburton.
 
Happy Wanderers Ambulance Organisation

The charity provides free transport for disabled and elderly people in circumstances outside the scope of the NHS, providing community support for hospices and disability groups.
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They operate two vehicles from premises in Harrogate and provide community support for hospices and disability groups. Volunteer drivers help people in a wide range of situations. The main focus being on taking groups of people on outings to local attractions, shopping expeditions, trips to the seaside and to church. They also occasionally help individuals who are unable to access other means of transport to allow them to visit family or friends for special events or, exceptionally, to attend hospital or surgery for medical appointments.

The doors to their garage premises are old, insecure and not safe for use and the grant of £11,495 will purchase and fit replacement doors which are secure and safe; sponsored by Spa Lodge No 7609, Harrogate.
 
John Jamieson and Hospital Schools’ Friends Group

The East Specialist Inclusive Learning Centre (SILC), Oakwood, Leeds, is one of the largest specialist settings in the North of England 

The John Jamieson school accommodates pupils, aged from 2 to 19 years, with severe, profound and complex needs, including hearing, autism spectrum disorder and other significant health conditions where medical support is required from the nursing team. They deliver innovative and creative learning and help pupils to achieve their maximum potential.
                                   
The Friends Group, a registered charity, help fund specialist equipment and learning opportunities to further enhance the education and wellbeing of the children and young people, their families and the wider community.

The grant of £28,000 will be used to establish an ‘Employment Park - Preparing Students to Work for the Future’ This will be built in the Millennium Garden, to give students the opportunity to learn real skills in a safe environment.  A garage, currently a storage space, will be turned into a workshop that allows students to make commercial grade goods to sell.; sponsored by Lodge of Dawn No 6511, Leeds.
 
St Chad’s Broomfield Cricket Club
 
Following a merger between St Chad’s Cricket Club and Headingley Broomfield Cricket Club in 1979, this village club, in an inner-city environment, is run by local community volunteers, serving the residents of Headingley and beyond.
 
The Club comprises of 20 senior and junior teams. With a new women and girl's section, and juniors starting from 5 years old, the Club provide cricket for those who have not had the opportunity in the past.

​They have an ‘outreach’ programme to schools and other organisations in the Hyde Park, Woodhouse, and other inner-city areas, with the intention of increasing South-Asian and other ethnic representation from its present 30+% level. 
 
The committee has published a five-year Development Plan to improve the quality of all playing and non-playing facilities and develop a community space for public use.  Following consultations and a community survey the initial focus is to build a new pavilion.  The pavilion will improve the lives of local people and bring them together, by providing a community space which they can use for social and community activities. 
 
The grant of £20,000 will purchase furniture, fixtures and fittings as well as contributing to the cost of mechanical, electrical and plumbing works; sponsored by Lodge of Dawn No 6511, Leeds.

​Brethren in Area 5 (Leeds) held a fundraising dinner at Castle Grove Masonic Hall, with entertainment in conjunction with the current Province-wide Spitfire fundraising campaign.
 
The ballroom was decorated in theme with memorabilia, flags and confetti, to mention but a few. After a welcoming address by Ian Lewis APGM, guests enjoyed a superb three-course meal and then learned from John Whitworth about the Freemason who designed the Spitfire, Reginald J Mitchell. 

​John gave some interesting facts about the Spitfire and its invaluable involvement in WW2. With slides being displayed on a big screen, it enhanced an enjoyable and engaging talk.
 
After the talk came the entertainment; again, led by John. This included a selection of WW2 songs and active audience participation, using song sheets and waving flags! Between songs, John kept the audience entertained with his renowned humour.
 

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​The evening was honoured by the presence of the Provincial Grand Master, James H Newman OBE.

​Organised by John Whitworth, Graham Hoyle and Ed Morris, the evening concluded with a well-supported raffle and a vote of thanks from the APGM; a total of over £1,500 having been raised in aid of West Riding Masonic Charities Ltd. 

On 26 March 2022, West Yorkshire Freemasons welcomed David Greenwood APGM (Warwickshire) to Castle Grove Masonic Hall, Leeds.
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David was fundraising towards a Relief Chest Scheme for the Warwickshire 2023 Festival, in aid of The Grand Charity
 
As part of the 2023 Festival fund, David decided to regress to his teenage years and fulfil his mid-life crisis all in one event, by visiting all Provinces in the UK over a period of just over two weeks. 

Along with willing volunteers from Mike Hailwood Lodge and others, the 56-year-old Assistant Provincial Grand Master travelled 2,518 miles in 16 days, on his VN900 Kawasaki.

Duncan R Kilbride, Chairman of West Riding Masonic Charities Ltd made a donation from ‘Your Charity’ and is pictured (right) presenting the cheque to David.  

​In thanking WRMCL and the Province of Yorkshire, West Riding for the generous donation and great hospitality, David presented a piston block as a memento of their visit.

​Members of the Widows Sons Masonic Bikers Association, Ridings Chapter, joined the visitors and later provided an escort for them as they continued their journey.

This latest newsletter gives details of grants awarded in 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, to the total value of £14,574.59 to nine community organisations, where it is hoped there will be the biggest impact in terms of community benefit.
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St Luke's Sound
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Volunteers provide an entertainment, music and news service, by radio, to and for patients and staff in St Luke's Hospital.  Live hospital radio broadcasts first began in February 1979. 

Today, St Luke’s Sound has a team of 15 volunteer presenters, who between them cover almost 50 hours of live broadcasting each week.  Premises, heating and electricity are provided by the NHS; however, all other costs must be met by fundraising activities, which have been severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

One of their biggest costs is keeping broadcasting equipment in good working order.  As old equipment breaks or becomes unreliable, the service suffers.  They have managed to keep going with old equipment for many years, but this is now getting to the point where the old equipment is adversely affecting output and they do not have the funds to replace it.

The grant of £2,050.35 will enable the purchase of a server to hold their entire music library and automation software; a battery backup device, used to keep the service online when there are interruptions in power caused by the hospital’s frequent generator tests; an Audio interface to connect the audio playout computer to the desk that provides output to the hospital and an outside broadcast PA system which will enable them to be more visible in the hospital for special events; sponsored by Airedale Lodge No 387, Baildon.

Grange Moor Brass Band
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Founded in 1854, the Band is an independent, self-financing organisation devoted to perpetuating the musical tradition and maintaining the social cohesion of its community. There are around 45 players aged from six to eighty years.
 
The Band’s annual programme consists chiefly of appearances at local community events; shows, galas, etc. and charity performances at schools, church fetes, care homes, hospices.
 
Every aspect of its members’ work, from the musical director through the senior and junior players to the band room caretaker is voluntary.
 
The Band’s principal aim is continually to recruit and train local youngsters to a good standard of performance and presentation; to be able to represent their community with pride using its traditional principles of organised collaboration and self-improvement.  The main strategy for accomplishing this is its off-shoot, the Youth Training Band, founded in 2015. 

​Many of the members are from disadvantaged backgrounds and some have special development needs. The Youth Training Band’s income has been generated through performances and through car boot sales, raffles and such-like events, involving not only the children but also their parents.  However, to maintain these opportunities, for each new generation of players, requires constant renewal of resources.
 
The grant of £1,660 will be used for the first-time purchase or replacement of a variety of essential items of equipment; sponsored by Mirfield Lodge No 1102.
 
St John Ambulance (Bradford & Calderdale)
 
A volunteer-led health and first aid charity - responding to emergencies, supporting communities and saving lives, St John Ambulance are the nation's leading first aid charity, their volunteers provide first aid in their communities, keeping people safe at events and working alongside the NHS in response to 999 calls.
 
Their Purpose - teaching first aid and providing first aid equipment via charitable community first aid courses to people of all ages; providing the opportunity to learn basic first aid skills, at little or no charge.
 
In 2019/2020, over 60,000 people nationally were trained in first aid. Whilst building costs, training courses and uniforms etc. are provided by central funds, training equipment must be purchased by each unit fundraising individually.
 
Currently there is a huge demand for first aid courses, both in schools and by charitable organisations. The equipment at all of SJA Bradford's training centres is very basic and they are there is a need to utilise up to date technology for life saving training resuscitation techniques. 

The grant of £1,691.03 will purchase three adult, Zoll AED Trainer, manikins and two junior, Laerdal Little Resus, manikins; a Ben Nye moulage training kit and Walkie Talkie Headsets; sponsored by Chapter of Faith No 1034, Baildon.
 
The Outer Turning Circle  

Meeting regularly in the Westfield United Reform Church annexe, Wyke, the Club is a community project to promote, engender, foster and in many cases, to re-awaken the skills of woodworkers from the Bradford, Leeds and Halifax areas, in turning, woodcarving and general woodworking skills. 
 
With professional mentors, it not only equips the young and middle-aged to learn a useful and rewarding trade as a potential profession but also provides those in later life with the opportunities to commence, or further, a hobby. 
 
Since its inception it has flourished with a current membership of 30, the average age being 65, with some being in their mid to late 80's.
 
The Club have ten lathes available for member use, together with sets of tools and other associated equipment.
 
One of the lathes has reached the end of its serviceable life and the grant of £1,250 will allow the purchase of a replacement; sponsored by Rastrick Lodge No 4885.
 
Holmfirth Town Junior Football Club U16s
 
The Club provides academy standard football coaching, twice per week, plus matches, played on the finest training and mini-soccer pitches in West Yorkshire, using the best equipment.
 
All done in a safe environment, promoting health and wellbeing for children throughout the Holme Valley.
 
Having successful teams from U3s to U15s, the Club has a growing number of youngsters in the U16 age group, an age group which, according to the Football Association, is most likely to see participants drop out.
 
The grant of £1,023.21 will enable the purchase of various items of kit, including team shirts; sponsored by Cambodunum Lodge No 3953, Lindley.

​Hopton Mills CC
Located in Lower Hopton, the club have a strong ethos in producing quality junior cricketers, believing that junior development is vitally important. As well as two senior teams playing in the Bradford League, there are teams for U9s, U11s, U13s and U18s.
 
Currently, the juniors have to fit in their training sessions around those of the senior teams and the fixed nets.
 
The grant of £2,400 will cover the cost of two mobile nets for use by the younger age groups; sponsored by Scarborough Lodge No 1214, Batley.
 
The Clothing Bank
 
Established in January 2020, to meet the needs of people struggling to clothe themselves, the Clothing Bank assisted over 3,000 people in 2021.  

​Collecting bagged pre-loved clothing from 81 drop-off points around Yorkshire, they sort these and distribute to the referrals they receive, including those fleeing domestic abuse, those furloughed, redundant, students and the homeless. 
 
Included in each clothing bag is underwear, which is purchased new rather than being pre-owned.
 
The grant of £1,500 will be used to purchase more underwear; sponsored by De Lacy Lodge No 4643, Pontefract.
 
Woodlesford in Bloom
 
A group of volunteers, in the suburban village of Leeds, aim to create floral displays, sustainable flower beds, landscaping of unloved areas and improve accessibility.   They also aim to improve biodiversity and thereby encourage wildlife, as well as encouraging the community to make and install bird and bat boxes.
 
To celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of HM The Queen, three silver birch trees will be planted on the Village Green and one will have a special memorial tree guard erected to mark the occasion.
 
The grant of £1,000 will contribute towards the cost of its manufacture; sponsored by Aurora Lodge No 4047, Leeds.
 
Pontefract Food Bank
 
Part of a nationwide network of Food Banks, volunteers operate out of the Central Methodist Church, Pontefract.
 
The objective is the relief of poverty in the local communities, by providing emergency food supplies to individuals and families in need and signposting people to appropriate agencies.
 
The grant of £2,000 will be used to purchase nutritionally balanced emergency food packages; sponsored by Saint Oswald Lodge No 910, Pontefract. 

​Together with other Provinces in the north of England, Yorkshire, West Riding provided a grant towards the cost of refurbishing a number of rooms at the Police Treatment Centre, Harrogate.

The Police Treatment Centres is a registered Charity supported by voluntary donations from the Police family, primarily in the Northern Forces of England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, but also from British Transport Police, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary and the Ministry of Defence Police.
The Centre at St Andrews on Harlow Moor Road, Harrogate provides physiotherapy treatment for serving and retired police officers following an injury, as well as psychological treatment for stress-related conditions or anxiety or depression.

​A grant of £3,950 was made by West Riding Masonic Charities Ltd, from the Provincial Grand Master’s Fund and directors of your charity accompanied Michael J Holmes, Provincial Grand Charity Steward, to view the newly refurbished facilities.

Pictured (l to r) are Raymond T Lodge and Mrs Lodge; Michael J Holmes and Mrs Holmes; Duncan R Kilbride - Chairman WRMCL; Mrs Birkenshaw and John B Birkenshaw - Charity Steward, Harrogate & Claro Lodge No 1001.

In May 2021 the Lodge of Dawn No 6511, Leeds secured a Major Grant of £24,700 from the Provincial Grand Master's Fund, for the building of a 4G AstroTurf MUGA (multi-use games area), for the Chapeltown Youth Development Centre (CYDC).
 
6 months later the fantastic new facility was opened, meaning that almost 1,000 children a week were able to use this valuable addition to the local community, in an area identified as the 5th most deprived area in England.
 
After much arranging and re-arranging, on a freezing, foggy morning, ten brethren of the Lodge of Dawn went down to CYDC, not only to see the facility and the children using it, but also to hear about the wonderful work that CYDC do and how the new pitch contributes to an incredible beneficial ‘ripple effect’.

Lodge of Dawn members met Luthel James – CEO, Jake Boyd – Positive Destinations Project Co-Ordinator, David Adams – Chairman and Syimah, who each explained how the MUGA was being used, and more importantly the benefits that getting the children, and in turn their parents, involved in not only the sporting side but the wider support that’s offered.
 
“It was brilliant to get the donation,” said Jake Boyd, who runs the club’s foundation age teams, “You know it’s going to engage the kids all year round, not just depending on how the weather is. Games and training would often get cancelled because the pitches got waterlogged so quickly, or they would be frozen solid which is also dangerous. The kids are buzzing with it, they aren’t bothered by the weather. They just want to play.”
 
The ‘ripple effect’ of the MUGA, more than simply young people playing sport, includes:
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·         The opportunity for the youngsters to do sport on more occasions (because it’s an all-                     weather surface)
·         Young people not doing ‘wrong stuff’ (because they are busy playing sport)
·         Connecting with the kids’ parents who need support whilst their kids are also there
·         Training others to train young people
·         Training others (e.g., to be referees, coaches etc) to create earning opportunities
 
Explaining to the brethren, Luthel James said, “With what you’ve done and the help that you’ve given us, don’t under-estimate it, because it goes MILES further than that. It’s one of those things that says ‘here’s a contribution’ but it’s been a catalyst to 50 to 100 other things happening because of that contribution.”
 
Luthel added, “Across the board the perceptions of Freemasons is that you are in your ivory towers – that’s how some people see it. But our perception and view has changed and now is that they are ‘real people who drink coffee and tea’ and parents say “ooh, we spoke to them”. So, for me it’s bridged that gap between perception and reality, because when they started seeing you in reality and that’s what happened, people now here have got a different view, not because of that [The MUGA] but because you’ve come down here and had that level of engagement as well and it makes a difference. It shows that when you people do things, the parents get to understand what your organisation has done for us, and that they appreciate it, and they respect it, because there’s not many people doing it. We appreciate it.”
 
Following the visit, Master, Christian Higgins said, “We’d hope that our involvement doesn’t stop here. We’ll be looking at additional ways to further support this great community project”.

Following the grant of £5,000 to Sheffield Young Carers by the Provincial Grand Master’s Fund, the fund administrator Chris Allen received a letter of thanks from Katie Borland, Director of Funding and External Relations:

‘Thank you so much for your generous support, which will make a huge difference to the young people and families that we work with. Your grant will be used solely for the purpose of providing digital connectivity and hardware to 15 young carers.’

​A representative of Sheffield Young Carers, Jade Hearsum, attended Tapton Hall, Sheffield to receive a presentation cheque and is pictured with members of Welcome Lodge No 3779 (l to r): David Staniforth, Chris Camps, Richard Campos, Steve Green and Mike Dally