Freemasons have made dreams come true for staff at Castle Hill School with a huge £40,000 grant towards a £70,000 sensory pod.

The project will provide a bespoke mobile room that will enable pupils to enjoy a multi sensory experience, including wind, smells and vibrations, without each classroom going through major renovations.

The school had raised just over £2,000 at the latest count so the grant will go a long way towards making the purchase become a reality.

The £40,000 grant to Castle Hill School, which caters for the needs of learners aged three to 19-years-old with severe or profound learning difficulties is the largest single amount since the major grants scheme was inaugurated in 2008,.

Provincial Grand Master David Pratt said said he was delighted that Freemasons had once again been able to support community groups as part of an annual distribution through his PGM’s Fund.

He said: “The generosity of our members in making either monthly or annual contributions to West Riding Masonic Charities never ceases to amaze.”

Other awards are:

* £15,000 for a proposed Isaac Nash Trust scooter park in Highburton

* £20,000 going to the Electronic Village based at Dewsbury Town Hall which provides computer education and training for disabled and disadvantaged people

* £20,000 to the White Knights Voluntary Service transporting blood to NHS, Care Homes and hospices across the region

* The remaining £14,000 goes to a Support Dogs unit in Sheffield which helps train dogs to assist the disabled.

Howard Lewis, founder member of The Isaac Nash Trust, (TINT), which was set up in the wake of the 12-year-old Kirkburton schoolboy’s death in a drowning tragedy during a family holiday in Anglesey in 2014, said: “That’s a real boost for the TINT project and I would like to express huge gratitude to all concerned.”

There are 18 Masonic Lodges in the Huddersfield and District and representatives from each attended the annual meeting of Provincial Grand Lodge at the Royal Hall, Harrogate when the cheques were presented to the grateful recipients.