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Last updated -
15 January 2010
 

Freemasonry and Charity 

From its earliest days Freemasonry has been involved in charitable activities, and since its inception it has provided support for many widows and dependants of Freemasons, as well as members of the Craft who need either short or long-term financial assistance. 

Funds have always been made available for other charitable purposes, especially when assistance is urgently required for events such as natural disasters including earthquakes, tsunamis and bushfires. 

The scale of the annual assistance provided to non-Masonic beneficiaries exceeds all other British donors with the exception of the National Lottery.  The four major national Masonic charities show total donations of over £15.5M in one year. These charities are the Grand Charity, The Masonic Samaritan Fund, the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution and the Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys.

The Grand Charity supports all hospices throughout the country and the four hospices based in Derbyshire each received grants during 2009. They were as follows:-

Provincial Grand Charity of Derbyshire 

The Provincial Grand Charity is responsible for all charitable matters relating to the Province of Derbyshire and surrounding areas supported by Derbyshire Freemasons. 

The Grand President is the Provincial Grand Master, R.W. Bro. Graham Rudd and his Deputy is V.W. Bro. John Collison.  

The Charity operates through a Standing Committee comprising 12 members whose membership relies on their offices either within the Province or the Provincial Grand Charity itself. Three members representing Charity Stewards throughout the Province are elected annually on a rotational basis and three  members are nominated by the Grand President. The Constitution allows for the co-option of a further three brethren who are considered to have a specific interest at any one time. 

The Standing Committee acts under the chairmanship of W. Bro. Brian Quartermain and the Secretary is W. Bro. Graham Sisson. 

The Standing Committee deals with all external grant applications, both Masonic and non-Masonic and supports grants made by individual Lodges. During the year 2008/09 grants totalling £14,000 were made to charitable organisations, a slight reduction on the previous year. 

The Standing Committee is supported by two other sub-committees namely :-

There is also an informal Editorial Committee which is responsible for the editorial management, production, advertising content and distribution of the Provincial magazine, the Derbyshire Circle. 

The Petitions Sub-Committee, chaired by W. Bro. Quartermain, is responsible for confidential applications for financial support from brethren and their dependants in the form of grants and loans. During 2008/09 £14,000 was paid to Lodges to meet the subscriptions of brethren in need while £1,500 was paid out in emergency grants for urgent expenditure and loans totalling almost £5,500 were advanced to assist with short-term financial difficulties.  

The Carol Service Working Party is responsible for arranging the annual carol service, presently held at Derby Cathedral. Funds raised from the sale of carol sheets are divided between a charity nominated by the Grand President and the Provincial Grand Charity for distribution within the Province. The nominated charity for the 2008 service was the Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland who received a cheque for £1,000.

W. Brother Graham Sisson.