Charity

Many people will not be aware of the significant charitable donations made by Freemasons to both Masonic and Non-Masonic Charities.

The Province of Sussex introduced the “Sussex for Sussex” initiative where Lodges contributed to a central fund which, up to October 2010, had donated over £1.9 million to Non-Masonic Sussex Charities. It is worth noting that every penny donated by a Freemason is passed to the charities. There is no administrative overhead because these costs are already covered by Freemasons’ annual subscriptions. A detailed listing of the beneficiaries of these charitable donations can be found on the website of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Sussex

Another initiative which is widely supported throughout Masonry is the TLC Appeal – Teddies for Loving Care The Appeal originated after an allergic reaction suddenly caused the swelling and blocking of the windpipe of the wife of an Essex Freemason. Her life was saved by the rapid action of the medical staff at an A&E unit, who were able to resuscitate and stabilise her. They are both eternally grateful for the swift and caring attention that she received, but found the experience the most frightening of their lives and speculated on the distress that children must face when visiting A&E units. Members of his Lodge and other Local Freemasons were asked to help to do something useful as a thank you to the A&E unit and its staff. From that point the compulsive idea of “Teddies for Loving Care” was born.