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The Annual Meeting of the Provincial Grand Charity was held at Derby on 17th September 2009 under the Chairmanship of the Grand President, R.W. Bro. Graham Rudd. The Provincial Grand Treasurer, W. Bro. Geoff Crawford, presented the annual accounts for adoption and he reported that the Auditor, who was unavoidably absent, had approved the accounts, following which they were formally accepted. The Secretary reported that as a result of two representatives no longer serving as Lodge Charity Stewards it was necessary to appoint replacements. The President announced that he had received only two nominations, in the names of W. Bros. Roy Hilton and Doug Watson and declared them elected. He also announced the reappointment of Richard McDonald and Neil Hartburn as his personal nominees. The Auditor was re-elected for the ensuing year. The Chairman’s Annual Report was presented for acceptance and the Secretary announced that a copy would be included in the next edition of Derbyshire Circle. The President thanked the Chairman and other members of the Provincial Charity Executive for their work during the year and closed the meeting at a time before it was due to have started. The Annual Meeting was preceded by the half-yearly Advisory Committee of Charity Stewards and Almoners which was attended by around 40 members and held under the Chairmanship of the Chairman of the Provincial Charity, W. Bro. Brian Quartermain. Two items brought forward from the previous meeting were reported upon. The Secretary reminded members that a request had been made to move the time of the meeting to a later hour which had been done on this occasion and had enabled Almoners attending an earlier Seminar to attend without travelling to two separate venues. The President reported that the request to become involved in providing a plaque at the National Arboretum at Alrewas had been postponed pending structural changes at the Arboretum in the area set aside for Masonic memorials. The Provincial Treasurer presented a Statement of Accounts for the year ended 30th June 2009 and drew attention to certain points. He advised that investments totalling £500,000 had been removed from the Bank of Scotland and placed with the Alliance and Leicester Building Society at an advantageous rate. Total income from the Party in the Park had been received over two financial years but had amounted to £7,800. The net profit on the sale of investments amounted to £8,000 and the annual surplus was almost £47,000 compared with £32,000 in the previous year. The overall position was a healthy one with balances of £1.3M. The Provincial Grand Charity Steward, W. Bro. John Renshaw, reminded brethren that there was still a need to support the Provincial Charity as well as the 2014 Festival and thanked them for their support of the Party in the Park. The Chairman then announced that the application to Chatsworth for a similar event in 2010 had been refused but that the Standing Committee had endorsed an event to be held on Friday 2nd July 2010 at Bakewell Showground. W. Bro. Renshaw will be responsible for stewarding the event and providing tickets at a price of £6 for adults with children having free admission. The Provincial Grand Almoner, W. Bro. Brian Jones, reported that he had held two further Almoners’ group meetings and intended to arrange for regular open mornings in due course. He advised that applications to the national Masonic charities were up by 16% and that the total income received into Derbyshire from the four charities was £342,000. The Standing Committee had met earlier in the day at which it was reported that the President had attended Derby City Hospital to present a buggy for the transport of patients and visitors at an estimated cost to the Province of around £6,000. Grants approved
The Secretary reported that the Petitions Sub-Committee had met prior to the meeting and recommended that future applications to the Albert Wilson Fund where the brother was not in receipt of other Masonic charity support should be accompanied by a financial statement to be approved by himself and the Provincial Almoner. W. Bro. Richard McDonald, reported on the latest position with respect to the MSF Festival 2014 and announced that the total received or pledged to the end of August was £703,000.
Graham M. Sisson
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