Charity

Sunday, 15th April 2012
CHARITY BIKE RIDE
THE PROVINCE NEEDS YOU!

BRACE (Berkshire Royal Arch Cycle Enthusiasts) YOURSELVES COMPANIONS
- - - CALLING ALL CYCLISTS - - - YOUR PROVINCE NEEDS YOU!!

Are you a keen cyclist? If you are, did you know that you can take part in a charity bike ride round the Province and in so doing raise a lot of money for charity?

E Comp Steve Hieke of St John's Chapter is organising a bike ride to all the Masonic Centres in Berkshire to raise money for the 2013 Bicentenary Appeal in support of the Royal College of Surgeons. He has already started to build a team of intrepid cyclists but he needs a few more members to complete the team. This epic journey will take place on Sunday, 15th April 2012 and has the full support of the Royal Arch Province, even to the extent that the Third Provincial Grand Principal, E Comp Ian Hopgood is in training at this very moment and is an integral member of the team.

The Grand Superintendent and his Deputy, being of sound mind but not body, will be escorting the team on the day and will be handing out refreshments and giving the odd massage when necessary and encouraging the team ... by telling them they've not far to go ... well not too far anyway!

The team will start at Sindlesham then go to Newbury, Hungerford, Wantage, Faringdon, Abingdon, Wallingford, Pangbourne, Wokingham, Windsor and finally return to Sindlesham, a distance of 129 miles. The team will consist of a maximum of 10 riders. There will, of course, be a support team of willing volunteers to follow them and it is also hoped that Companions from each centre will be there to greet the team when they arrive.

The team so far consists of five (5) members; they are E. Comp Ian Hopgood, Third Provincial Grand Principal, E. Comp Philip Howells (Christopher Wren), E. Comp Steve Hieke (St John's), E. Comp Dave Pendleton (St John's) and Mrs Helen Warner (wife of E. Comp Mike Warner ProvDepGDC). They are looking for 5 more Companions to join the team. So if any Companions or their wives would like to join this arduous, but enjoyable event, please get in touch with E Comp Steve Hieke on steve.hieke@virginmedia.com,
mobile 07870 598939 or at home 01784 259848 for more details. A fairly high degree of fitness and determination is required.

The team are looking for sponsors and it is hoped that each Chapter in the Province will back this effort and worthy cause by donating a minimum sum of £100 in sponsorship. All cheques are to be made out to The Grand Charity and sent to the Provincial Grand Charity Steward, E Comp John Pegler.

The members of the team will also be looking for individual sponsorship as they and the Provincial Executive travel around the Province promoting this fantastic event.

Let's make this an event to remember in the history of the Royal Arch Province of Berkshire ... your Province needs you!

The RMBI Festival which was launched in March 2006, officially ended on 31st March 2011 and the Festival Ball was held at Ascot Racecourse on Friday, 3rd June 2011, when the total amount raised, was announced. The members of Berkshire Provincial Grand Lodge raised the magnificent sum of £2,276,000.50p and the contribution from the Royal Arch Province, consisting of thirty eight Chapters and eleven hundred members was an incredible £118,926.94p.

The ME Grand Superintendent is most grateful to all the members of the Royal Arch Province for making such a substantial contribution to such a worthy cause.

The completion of the Festival in support of the RMBI also marked the retirement of the Provincial Grand Charity Steward, E Comp John Waters, PAGDC. John has served the Province with great distinction since 1995 and since that time has spearheaded no less than three major appeals.

At Provincial Grand Chapter in June 2011 the Grand Superintendent announced that Supreme Grand Chapter will be celebrating the Bicentenary of the declaration of the Royal Arch as the completion of pure Antient masonry, in October 2013. As part of the celebrations it has been decided that a donation will be made to the Royal College of Surgeons, to help fund the College's successful Surgical Fellowship Scheme. Research is the foundation of good surgical practice and forms an essential source of knowledge for the surgeon, the surgical profession and medicine as a whole.

There are over 4 million operations in England alone every year. Surgical research is unique in its single-minded search for solutions to a specific disease or problem, identified by practising surgeons on the patients they treat every day. However less than 2% government funding for medical research is applied to surgically-based projects and there is a desperate need to redress this balance. The Royal College of Surgeons launched the Surgical Fellowship Scheme in 1993 to promote varied and significant surgical research throughout the country. Research projects are linked to wider programmes designed to solve long standing problems and bring patient benefit at the bedside.

Each Fellowship endows a full-time research programme lasting from 1-3 years which is supervised within an UK department of surgery. This will be a powerful way of enhancing surgical research in this country and is a development of national importance. Proposed research projects can cover any surgical specialty, and may be self-contained or part of a larger research programme. The College aims to award in the region of 25-30 each year, dependent on number and quality of applications and funding available. The scheme is funded entirely with charitable (voluntary) income. The calibre and number of applications continues to rise steadily every year and currently the RCS are unable to fund 80% of the applications they receive.

The Grand Superintendent would be very pleased if all members of the Province would support the 2013 Appeal. All cheques are to be made out to "The Grand Charity" and sent to the Provincial Grand Charity Steward, E Comp John Pegler, who will be able to keep an accurate record of all our donations and who will be pleased to answer any questions about the Appeal.