Worth the wait at Wilbraham
 
At the installation ceremony of Wilbraham Lodge on Thursday 11th April 2024, the installing Master gave notice to W Bro Stephen Walls, the representative of the RW PGM, of the lodge’s intention to donate monies to charities. Although W Bro Rob Williams proffered a piece of paper on that day, it was only on 27th April that cheques were handed over.
Brian Horabin and Chantelle from Alzheimer's Society
Rob chose to encompass the giving into a day arranged via his Craft lodge (Goodwill) to make a bigger impression on the charitable giving. It was well worth the wait. The event highlighted the companionship enjoyed by the Craft and the Mark Degree and also allowed over a dozen charities an opportunity to network so mutual benefits could be achieved.
 
The event was a huge success with over £5k being donated on the day to both local and national charities.  Three charities were supported with cheques from Wilbraham totalling £750.
Ian Rowan with Joanne Fowler, Stick n Step
Arnie Arnold, of The Armed Forces Community Support, accepted a cheque from W Bro Rob Williams then gave a short resume of his life to date leading to his work with this charity. One of the aims of the AFCS is to enable veterans to become more inclusive to civilian environments through local engagement. To that end, they are currently running a scheme to give veterans the necessary tools and equipment to service bicycles within local communities. Although they use a base in Warrington, they have a vehicle that enables them to reach out to communities. This has proven to be of great value to all (veterans and civilians) and it is their current aim to get a second vehicle on the road to help reach a wider geographical area and even more veteran and civilians.  The donation will go a long way to help.
Rob Williams with Arnie Arnold
Taken directly from their website, Stick “N” Step state;-
We enable, inspire and support children with cerebral palsy and their families.
This sentiment was strongly supported by Joanne Fowler, seen receiving a cheque from W Bro Ian Rowan when she took the floor to thank Wilbraham for the donation made. Joanne was supported on the day by baby Iris who, although not “diagnosed” (as we understand) with Cerebral Palsy, is showing signs of the affliction and is receiving valuable support. One of the key messages for young people is “core strength” and Iris is able to hold her head high, at a very early age. Their work can be reviewed at https://www.sticknstep.org  Keen golfers may be interested to take a close look at the site where they will have an opportunity to put their “walking” prowess to the test.
 
The third charity supported was the Alzheimer’s Society. A short, finance and research based, talk was given by Chantelle Day, after receiving a cheque from W Bro Brian Horabin. Chantelle told us that the money donated today would make a huge difference to their ability to continue to support sufferers and their families.  She went on to advise of the great strides made by the charity to help ease and slow down the effects of Alzheimer’s. More than 40,000 people under the age of 65 in the UK have dementia. It is not only in the domain of the elderly and it is not a natural part of ageing. Please visit https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org to get a real feel of the society and to help answer many of the questions raised during post presentations on 27th.

All in all, the giving event was greatly received.  It made a pleasant change to hear some of the stories of those whom we have chosen to support as opposed to posting off a cheque. The event was well attended and led to a sharing of common interest between the Craft Lodge and Wilbraham. The “Magic of the Mark” was very well evidenced with Craft members taking an interest in how we manage to raise our donations.
 
Words and pictures by Steve McNee