What a generous lot they are!
Freemasons in the Huddersfield area have this month been successful in obtaining more than £70,000 for community organisations.
In addition to the £25,000 grant announced earlier this week to help support the proposed refurbished skateboard park at Sands, Holmfirth, in memory of 14-year-old Isaac Atkinson who died tragically almost two years ago, there are two other major awards from the Yorkshire, West Riding Provincial Grand Master’s Fund.
Members of the Lodge of Harmony, which meets at Greenhead Road, Huddersfield, have secured £26,225 from the fund to support the work of the West Yorkshire Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre.
The money will be used to purchase a pressure swing absorption oxygen generator for hyperbaric therapy for MS sufferers in the region.
And freemasons of the Savile Lodge, which meets at Willow Royd, West Vale, have been awarded £20,000 in support of the Whizz-Kidz national charity to purchase spcialised wheelchairs to help improve mobility for disabled young people in the area.
The £25,000 grant for the skateboard park at Holmfirth was secured by Holme Valley Lodge members who only last year handed over £18,000 to improve facilities for Huddersfield District Football League club Hade Edge FC. This followed their provision of £20,000 in 2012 to enable Hepworth Brass Band to purchase new instruments.
Ken Manning, charity steward at the Lodge, said: “We are proud to have secured this fantastic award for the skate park and look forward to meeting Chrissy Hoyle and her fund-raising team when the cheque will be handed over at our Provincial annual meeting at Harrogate next month.”
In addition to annual subscriptions to their Lodges, Freemasons make donations to West Riding Masonic Charities, parent charity of the PGM’s Fund and also to their national Grand Charity, which annually supports air ambulances and hospices nationwide, including the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and the three local hospices – Kirkwood, Overgate and Forget Me Not.
Other local causes to benefit recently are the DEMAND charity at Meltham, who will get £5,000 for the provision of specialist disabled sports equipment; Drakes League cricket club Rastrick, who have been awarded £1,500 towards a new practice cage; and a £1,000 gift which will help complete funding for the new Heritage Memorial Garden at Tolson Museum.
The Mayor of Kirklees, Clr Martyn Bolt, is to host a special luncheon for Freemasons and their families at Huddersfield Town Hall on Sunday, May 11, and proceeds will be split between the mayor’s charity and one nominated by the Freemasons’ Provincial Grand Master, David S Pratt who will attend the function.
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