Provincial Grand Lodge of East Lancashire

The Freemasons' Grand Charity

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April - £34,000 given

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The Grand Charity – 20th September 2006

£705,000 TO NATIONAL CHARITIES

Grants totalling £705,000 were approved at a General Meeting of the Grand Charity held in Harrogate on 16 September. Hundreds of Freemasons voted to approve the grants to 16 non-Masonic national charities supporting thousands of people in the wider community.

CHARITY	AMOUNT and PURPOSE
Disability
BREAK	£10,000 for activity respite holidays for severely disabled children
CARE Fund	£112,000 to provide equipment and training for people with learning disabilities at a new horticultural centre.
Canine Partners	£20,000 to fund a programme for disadvantaged young people to participate in training dogs that will assist disabled people.
Dystonia Society	£20,000 to fund new information booklets. (2 instalments)
Jubilee Sailing Trust	£23,000 to fund the salary for a medical purser on a tall ship providing voyages for disabled and able-bodied people.
Multiple Sclerosis Society	£14,000 for specialist beds and lifting equipment.
Whizz Kids	£25,000 to provide funding for therapists to assess disabled children for specially designed mobility equipment.
Vulnerable People
National Council for One Parent Families	£26,000 to fund a support service for lone parents caring for a disabled child.
Prostate Research Campaign UK	£42,000 to fund the production of information booklets. (3 instalments)
Rethink	£90,000 to fund a training programme for children (2 instalments)
St John Cymru	£42,000 for new emergency vehicles

CHARITY	AMOUNT and PURPOSE
Youth Opportunities
Brathay Hall	£50,000 to provide bursaries for disadvantaged young people (2 instalments)
Fairbridge Cymru	£50,000 to fund a development tutor
Medical Research
Arthritis Research Campaign	£100,000 to fund research into rheumatoid arthritis. (2 instalments)
Deafness Research UK	£49,000 to fund research into age-related hearing loss.
Diabetes UK	£39,000 to fund research into Type 2 diabetes.

DISABILITY

BREAK - £10,000

A grant of £10,000 to fund themed holidays in Norfolk with tailored activities for severely disabled children. Break provides stimulating respite care holidays for people with learning or physical disabilities. Guests come without their parents or carers, giving the latter a complete break from their responsibilities.

CARE Fund - £112,000

A grant of £112,00 to pay for the equipment and staff at a new horticultural training centre in Ponteland, Northumberland for people with learning difficulties. CARE is a national charity that provides a range of services for 550 people with learning disabilities, including purpose built communities and supported living, day care services and employment training. The aim of the project is to provide real employment opportunities and income for people with learning disabilities.

Canine Partners - £20,00

A grant of £20,000 to fund the cost of a new trainer who will work with disadvantaged young people in the training of dogs for disabled people, specifically for a BBC programme. Canine Partners is a charity that trains dogs in specific tasks to assist disabled people in day-to-day living. The dogs enable disabled people to live more independently and to increase their working and social activities.

Dystonia Society - £20,000

A grant of £20,00 payable in equal instalments over two years to fund a new range of information leaflets for people with dystonia and for health professionals. Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder characterised by involuntary and sustained extreme muscle spasms, often affecting the neck, eyes or speech. For nearly 50% of people it can take two years to obtain a correct diagnosis and there is a lack of understanding of the condition amongst GPs and nurses.

Jubilee Sailing Trust - £23,000

A grant of £23,000 to fund the salary of a medical purser to look after the health and welfare of crew, particularly the 20 disabled crew, who will participate in a tall ship voyage. The Jubilee Sailing Trust provides adventure trips for disabled people through the experience of crewing a tall ship at sea with able-bodied people.

Whizz Kids - £25,000

A grant of £25,000 to fund a network of qualified physiotherapists to assess the mobility needs of severely disabled children. The charity provides powered wheelchairs and tricycles at an average cost of £6,250 per child, together with equipment advice and wheelchair training. The ability to be independently mobile enables disabled children to participate in society more widely, lessening their reliance on carers and increasing their self-confidence.

VULNERABLE PEOPLE

Prostate Research Campaign UK - £40,000

A grant of £40,000 payable over three years in equal instalments to Prostate Research Campaign UK to fund four booklets on specific prostate diseases, including prostate cancer. The booklets are reprinted three times a year to allow for constant updating. The aim is the booklets will contribute to a reduction in the number of men presenting late with prostate diseases as early intervention makes a significant difference to the treatment and cure of all prostate diseases.

Rethink - £90,000

A grant of £90,000 payable over two years in instalments of £40,00 and £50,000 to fund a project to educate young children of the link between cannabis use and severe mental illness. Rethink will develop and implement a DVD training package. The aim is to prevent psychosis by communicating a clear message about one risk factor (cannabis), encourage those with mental health problems to speak publicly about their experience and to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness.

St John Cymru - £42,000

A grant of £42,000 to fund a replacement emergency vehicle in Deeside, North Wales and to make a contribution toward a replacement vehicle in Holyhead. St John has a rolling programme of replacing its ambulances in Wales. Some of the cost is raised locally in each region and St. John seeks to raise the balance from charitable foundations.

YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES

Brathay Hall Trust - £50,000

A £50,000 grant payable over two years in equal instalments to Brathay Hall Trust as a bursary fund for disadvantaged young people. Brathay Hall Trust is an educational trust that helps young people to develop their potential through a mix of practical and creative activities on mainly residential training courses. In addition to those young people who join the residential courses, youth leaders are also trained at Brathay Hall and go on to deliver training locally.

Fairbridge Cymru - £50,000

A grant of £50,000 payable over two years in equal instalments to fund the salary of a development tutor. Fairbridge provides support for some of the most socially excluded and disaffected young people in the country. The development tutor will design and deliver a range of projects and activities with the aim of retraining 70% of young people on a long-term Fairbridge programme and will deliver further follow-on courses to develop specific skills.

MEDICAL RESEARCH

Arthritis Research Campaign - £100,000

A grant of £100,000 payable over two years in equal instalments to fund research into the fundamental initiation of the inflammatory destruction of cartilage by enzymes. The aim is to develop new drugs to act as road blocks to switch off enzyme production and prevent further joint destruction.

Deafness Research UK - £49,000

A grant of £49,000 to fund research into age-related hearing loss. A pilot project will investigate the degeneration of the lining cells in the ear to confirm the role of such cells in the maintenance of hair cells and the possibility of using stem cell technology to replace the lining cells.

Diabetes UK - £39,000

A grant of £39,000 to fund research to identify genes that are responsible for the inherited component of susceptibility to Type 2 diabetes. The risk of developing Type 2 diabetes arises from a combination of inherited genetic factors and environmental factors such as diet and exercise. The research will focus on investigating four genes that might affect the risk of an individual developing such diabetes.

CHARITY