Charity
At the 2006 Annual Convocation, the Grand Superintendent of the Province of Berkshire,
E Comp Kenneth Benford announced that he would like the Companions of Berkshire to focus their fund raising activities to support the Provincial Grand Master’s Festival 2011 Appeal.
The Companions have, traditionally, been most generous in their fund raising and in recent times have raised the sum of £175,000 for the Sue Ryder Home at Nettlebed and £22,500 for the Berkshire Masonic Charity.
Our efforts are now being concentrated on the Festival 2011 Appeal in support of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution (RMBI). At the Annual Convocation in June 2009, the ME Grand Superintendent announced that the sum raised that far was £66,000. This sum, by mid February 2010, has risen to just over £80,000. The RMBI, is a registered charity which established its first Home in 1850 and now provides a comprehensive range of services to older Freemasons and their female dependants, including care in its Homes and Sheltered Accommodation and practical support to those who wish to remain in their own homes.
The RMBI is committed to ensuring the individual’s right to dignity, respect, choice and control over their own lives. They strive to offer the highest standards of residential and nursing care. Professional staff balance the need for business-like efficiency with a commitment to the spirit, and to the letter, of the aims of Freemasonry as a caring organisation.
One of the RMBI Homes, Lord Harris Court, is located adjacent to the Berkshire Masonic Centre at Sindlesham, where there are 90 residents, of which 20 are from the Province of Berkshire.
The Grand Superintendent is grateful for the effort being made by the Companions and encourages them to have fun when arranging fund-raising activities.
For more information on the RMBI visit their Web Site at www.rmbi.org.uk.
For more information, or to make a donation, contact the Provincial Grand Charity Steward:
E Comp John Waters, PAGDC on (0118) 947 8080
