THE REPORT
OF THE PROVINCIAL GRAND ALMONER
This last
year has again been very busy and I am pleased to report that as a result of
the Almoners seminars and increased publicity more and more worthy cases are
being brought forward. I am led to hope that this increased awareness will
result in more people becoming less reluctant to petition for assistance
especially those who are already in receipt of State Benefit. Hopefully by now
all Lodge Almoners are aware that if one of their members is in receipt of
State Benefit then he or she will almost certainly be entitled to some form of
assistance from one or more of the 4 Central Masonic Charities.
In my
report of last year I spoke about the preparation of a Lodge Almoners Handbook
and its' possible publication in September 2009. Unfortunately this proved to
be a little ambitious, however, I have been assured that it should now be
published in July. The 4 Central Charities are holding a two-day conference in
York for all Provincial Almoners in the country at the end of June this year
and it is expected that the Handbook will be formally approved and launched as
part of that meeting.
Towards
the end of 2009 the Province of Bristol was selected, along with two other
Provinces, to pilot a new initiative called "Freemasonry Cares". The
purpose of this initiative is to improve the awareness of all brethren and
their dependants and to make it easier for them to contact the 4 Central
Masonic Charities for advice and assistance.
Freemasonry Cares is divided into 3 simple steps - Who is
eligible - What help do we offer - How to contact us. There is a Freephone
number: 0800 035 6090, an email address: help@freemasonrycares.org and a
website: www.freemasonrycares.org. In the past many deserving brethren
and their dependants have been very reluctant to contact their Lodge Almoner
because they were too embarrassed to discuss their personal issues with someone
they knew. Now they can call an anonymous person in London and get specialist
help and advise.
A booklet giving details of Freemasonry Cares was sent
to every Mason in Bristol with the January edition of the Bristol Standard and
within the first week of it being issued the office in London took 15 calls
from Bristol Masons or their dependants. Of those 15 calls 7 resulted in
application forms being issued. The Freemasonry Cares booklet was also sent to
all known widows in the Province and the Helpline is taking an average of 3
calls per week from Bristol Masons or their dependants.
On Saturday 24th April this year the Province hosted a
meeting for all Lodge Almoners, Charity Stewards and their wives. I am pleased
to say that 65 people attended and that most Lodges were represented. The guest
speaker was Natasha Treweek who is the Head of Information and Communications
for the Freemasons' Grand Charity and the coordinator for "Freemasonry
Cares". Natasha gave a most interesting presentation about the
"Freemasonry Cares" project and also about the "Grand
Charity". This was followed by presentations from the Provincial Grand
Charity Steward, Worshipful Brother Max Heath, and myself.
Judging by the numerous questions asked, it would seem
that everyone found the meeting both interesting and informative.
It is expected that "Freemasonry Cares" will
be formally launched across all Provinces in September this year. If any Lodge
would like more information about "Freemasonry Cares", the 4 Central
Charities, what help they offer, who is eligible and how to apply, I would be
most happy to attend one of their meetings and give them a short presentation.
My contact details are in the front of the Year Book.
During the last year I have been called upon by several
other Provinces to assist brethren or their dependants living in or visiting
Bristol. Amongst the more interesting of these was a brother from a Lodge in
Penang, Malaysia. I have also acted as "Visiting Brother"' all behalf
of the Grand Lodge of Antient Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland.
Also during the year I have had the great pleasure of
working with the Provincial Grand Charity Steward and presenting cheques to
various local charities, including several Hospices and the Air Ambulance.
During the twelve months up to the 31st March this
year, we have made numerous petitions to the 4 Central Charities and all but
one of them has been successful. Listed below is a brief summary of the
successful applications: -
| Charity |
No of cases |
Amount received |
| Grand Charity |
6 |
£20,562.00 |
| RMTGB |
7 |
£28,644.00 |
| RMBI |
3 |
£10,512.00 |
| Total |
16 |
£59,718.00 |
There are always a number of petitions in the pipeline
and on average they take about 4 to 6 weeks from start to finish depending upon
the complexity of the case and the timing of the monthly petition boards in
Great Queen Street. As I have said before, the longer I do this job the more I
become involved and in the course of the next few weeks and months I shall be
attending several meetings/conferences, the most notable of these are: -
| Group 9 Provincial Grand Almoners meeting in Exeter |
|
12th May (See note) |
| Freemasonry Cares meeting in London |
|
18th June |
| National Provincial Grand Almoners Conference in York |
|
30th June/1st July |
| Masonic Samaritan Fund Grants Committee in London |
|
29th July |
Note - The Group 9 Provincial Grand Almoners meeting is held every 3 months in
Exeter at Cadogan Court (one of the RMBI homes). We usually have a
representative from one or more of the Charities in attendance and we discuss
all aspects of our work as Almoners. We also receive updates of any changes to
State Benefits or changes in allowances relating to the Masonic
Charities.
