Charity
The London Masonic Charitable Trust
One of the first objectives of the London Masonic Charitable Trust (LMCT) was to receive donations on behalf of the non-Masonic charities nominated each year by the Metropolitan Grand Lodge, to relieve the burden on what were often small charities of having to receive and administer thousands of small cheques; the LMCT received the funds and passed them on in bulk to the respective charities with the list of the Lodges & Chapters and their respective donations.
As a result of the outstanding generosity of our members, the non-Masonic charities supported by MetGL and LMCT received sums far in excess of their targets. Whilst all concerned were delighted by this success, it was felt that a review of the policy of nominating particular non-Masonic charities was necessary in order to ensure that moneys could be used more widely and to benefit more good causes. Therefore, in time, the focus for the LMCT has changed somewhat and its primary purpose now is to act as a central collection point for non-Masonic giving in London, from which the Trust will issue funds to various causes following reviews of the appeals it receives, working in a similar way to The Grand Charity but on a London-wide basis.
On that basis, MetGL and the LMCT have not identified any particular non-Masonic charities for support at the present time, but will use funds provided by the members to assist in as wide and useful a way as possible. Members making donations to be used for non-Masonic purposes are asked to submit suggestions or nominations for London-based good causes for consideration by the Trust.
With the LMCT being utilised for the conduit and disbursement of non-Masonic giving in London it should be noted that the RMBI is the focus of London’s Masonic giving at present, as it has been identified by all the Masonic charities as being the Masonic charity with the greatest need at present. We are therefore supporting actively the donation of funds to assist the RMBI, whose invaluable work is very much in need of assistance to meet its growing financial outgoings.Visit RMBI website at www.rmbi.org.uk
Please note, donations being made to the major Masonic charities (NMSF, RMTGB, RMBI, MCH and to Grand Charity) should be paid directly to those organisations and not via the London Masonic Charitable Trust. Nominations of non-Masonic good causes for support and donations for unspecified or non-Masonic purposes should be made to the London Masonic Charitable Trust.
Charity update |
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Well done, London, for your RMBI support At our last annual general meeting, the Metropolitan Grand Master, RWBro Lord Millett, informed us that the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution had asked if London Freemasons may consider making a special effort of support for the charity. There are a growing number of petitioners, both Freemasons and their dependants, of which there are currently nearly 250 London petitioners resident in masonic homes, for whom the cost in real terms alone to the RMBI is around £900,000 per annum. This appeal has the joint support of all the Masonic Charity Presidents. London, in true masonic spirit, picked up the challenge and, by a concerted effort from lodges and chapters, a sum of just over £500,000 has been raised to date and the total is still rising! A very commendable achievement from everyone, and it is hoped that by the next AGM this figure will have risen to at least £750,000. Due to the general longevity of life nowadays, the demands on the RMBI for that especial security, comfort and support required to maintain the dignity of many in their later years of life will continue to grow. The need for London, therefore, to maintain its continued support of the RMBI is paramount, and I am sure that on your behalf the RMBI can rely on London’s continued commitment. The RMBI has asked that I convey their appreciation to you all, and Lord Millett expresses his sincere thanks for your most generous response thus far. WBro Bob Corp-Reader OBE, PJGD |
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Grant to help bombing victims |
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Pioneering research |
The Grand Charity swung into action after the four bomb explosions in London on 7th July. The following week, an emergency grant of £50,000 was approved to assist the victims, after the Mayor of London had established the London Bombings Relief Charitable Fund, in association with the British Red Cross to raise money for the victims and their families. The Grand Charity’s donation was placed in the care of trustees appointed by the Greater London Authority. It was aimed at relieving dis-ability or physical and mental sickness caused by the attacks and to help with financial needs. |
Nearly half of the £2.68m grants by the Grand Charity last year is helping to fund medical research projects. The largest of these is a £1m grant to the Institute of Cancer Research, to help scientists combat testicular and prostate cancers. The money is being paid in ten annual instal-ments of £100,000 to fund The Grand Charity of Freemasons’ Chair of Molecular Biology. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer to affect men in the UK. Each year 27,000 cases are diagnosed, and the disease kills 10,000 a year. In June 2004, scientists at the ICR announced a major advance in understanding the genetic basis of prostate cancer. The ground-breaking discov-ery of the overactive E2F3 gene in prostate tumours will allow doctors for the first time to predict how aggressive the cancer will be. |
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Niger famine relief | ||
The Grand Charity made an emergency grant of £10,000 to Save the Children to support the charity’s work in Niger. A massive humanitarian crisis in the Sahel region of West Africa resulted from a poor harvest caused by drought conditions and the worst locust infestation in 20 years. In Niger, the world’s second poorest country, the United Nations estimated around 2.5 million people had been hit, including 800,000 children. Save the Children launched an emergency response to provide food, water and healthcare for about 43,000 children under five years old in the Maradi and Zinder regions of Niger. The Grand Charity’s £10,000 donation was intended to provide food for 250 severely malnourished children for 30 days, the average time spent in the feeding programme, and water-purification tablets for 10,000 children. |
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