MARK CHARITIES HEADLINES Select from the list below
| RIDING FOR THE DISABLED | 1st Dec, 2008 | St.ANNE'S LIFEBOAT TRAILER | 27th Nov, 2008 | MAYOR'S CHARITY CHEQUE PRESENTATION | Oct, 2008 | LIFEBOAT £1.6M DONATION | Oct, 2008 | MARATHON RUN | 2nd May, 2008 | ROSE & THISTLE DONATION TO WIGAN HOSPICE | 30th April, 2008 | BRIAN HOUSE HOSPICE DONATION | 17th April, 2008 | MARK MASONS HELP HOSPITAL | 12th February, 2008 |
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Pictured above: The Provincial Grand Master, Peter Connolly, opens the new stable and
presents a plaque commemorating the donation by the Mark Masons of West Lancashire. |
Pictured above: The Provincial Grand Master and Michael Clarke, the Provincial Charity
Steward, with the plaque they have just secured to the new stable. |
St.ANNE'S LIFEBOAT TRAILER
On Thursday 27th November, the Provincial Grand Master visited the St.Anne's Lifeboat Station accompanied by Howard Emmett, the Provincial Grand Senior Warden, W.A.Swindlehurst, the Worshipful Master of Semper Fidelis Lodge and Michael Casey, the Charity Representative. Michael Casey's son is a member of the lifeboat crew. They were there to view the modifications that had been made to the lifeboat trailer, funded by the Mark Masons of West Lancashire. A number of the crew expressed their gratitude for the help we had given them.
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Pictured above from left to right: The Worshipful Master of Semper Fidelis Lodge,
W.A.Swindlehurst, the cox of the lifeboat, the Provincial Grand Master, Peter Connolly and Michael Casey, the Charity Representative. |
Pictured above: The modified lifeboat trailer. |
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Pictured above from left to right: The Provincial Grand Senior Warden, Howard Emmett,
W.A.Swindlehurst, the Worshipful Master of Semper Fidelis Lodge and the Provincial Grand Master, Peter Connolly. |
MAYOR'S CHARITY CHEQUE PRESENTATION
At the annual Church Service of the Wigan Freemasons held at Wigan Parish Church on Sunday 18th October the Mayor’s Charity ‘Over the Rainbow’ was given a huge boost through a cheque for £2,471 presented by Peter Connolly, the Provincial Grand Master of the Mark Masons of West Lancashire. The Mayor of Wigan Councillor Rona Winkworth, said, “I always thought the Freemasons were a closed shop, but through the exhibition at the Heritage Shop and today, I realise I was wrong, their generosity is outstanding and this cheque is a wonderful surprise and a real boost to the charity.” The donation will enable the Charity to pay for a specialised cot for seriously ill children, which is the most up to date and technologically advanced of its kind and will be presented by the Mayor to the NHS.
The church service was attended by over 200 Masons with their wives and families which was conducted by the Revd, John Sharples and Revd. Graham Halsall, Deputy Provincial Grand Chaplain for West Lancashire Freemasons. Also taking part in the service was Rebecca Goulden, a local and very talented young lady who is studying at the Royal College of Music in London, who sang the song ‘Over the Rainbow’ specially for the Mayor and believe me there wasn’t a dry eye in the Church.
Later the Mayor invited some members to a reception at the Mayor's Parlour.
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Pictured above: The Provincial Grand Master, Peter Connolly, presents the cheque to the
Mayor of Wigan, Rona Winkworth, along with the Assistant Provincial Grand Master and Wigan group chairman, Danny Jones and their wives. |
Pictured above: The specialised cot for seriously ill children which
‘Over the Rainbow’ will present to the Wigan Infirmary.
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Pictured above: The Provincial Grand Master, Peter Connolly, presents the cheque to the
Mayor of Wigan, Rona Winkworth, along with the Assistant Provincial Grand Master and Wigan group chairman, Danny Jones and their wives. |
Pictured above: The Mayor, Rona Winkworth with (from left to right) Harry Fairhurst,
WMM of Rose & Thistle Lodge, Clifford Gibbs, WMM of Red Rose Lodge, the Provincial Grand Master, Peter Connolly, John Mason of Murray Mark Lodge, Gordon Walsh, WMM of
Charity Mark Lodge and the Assistant PGM, Danny Jones.
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LIFEBOAT DONATION
The Autumn 2008 issue of “the lifeboat”, the magazine of the RNLI, contains an article titled “The Life-Saving Craft” which talks about the longstanding close charitable links between Freemasonry and the RNLI. The following is an extract from the article, which will be of particular interest to Mark Masons.
“The Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons has a charitable arm, the Mark Benevolent Fund. Thanks to a £1.6M.donation from this fund, the Pembrokeshire-based Angle lifeboat crew will soon have an all-weather lifeboat. (…to be named the Mark Mason…).This huge donation completed the task to foot the £2.6M price tag that was begun so effectively by grass-roots RNLI supporters in Birmingham and Wales.
Grand Secretary, John Brackley, says that the Mark Master Masons are delighted to have helped provide such an advanced life-saving vessel: “We’re an island nation; we know what a fine job the lifeboat volunteers do, and that the RNLI does not receive Government funding. So when we heard that the charity was raising money for a Tamar class lifeboat, we thought it would be an excellent cause to choose.”
The impressive figure was raised through collections and fund raising events at meetings across England and Wales………..HRH Prince Michael of
Kent is the Grand Master of the Mark Master Masons and due to visit RNLI headquarters as this issue of “the lifeboat” goes to print”
MARATHON RUN
Peter Taaffe, Past Master of Lebanon Mark Lodge and an honorary Auditor of the Province, is running in the New York Marathon on Sunday 2nd November in aid of the British Heart Foundation. The West Lancs Mark Charities have agreed to support him in his efforts. He choose that charity in memory of a friend of his, Simon Callaghan, who died last year of heart problems having just had his 50th birthday. He'd known Simon since they were both 4 as they both went to the same school and from thereon until his sudden loss which came as a shock in many ways.
ROSE & THISTLE DONATION TO WIGAN HOSPICE
On Wednesday 30th April, 2008 W.Bro. Roger Crook, Charity Steward, presented a cheque for £400 to Dr. Jen Wardell of Wigan Hospice in the
presence of W.Bro. Dennis Houghton, Almoner and W.Bro. Chris Furmston, Secretary.
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Pictured above, from left: Dr.Jen Wardell, W.Bro.Chris Furmston, W.Bro. Roger Crook,
W.Bro. Dennis Houghton and Nurse Irene Giles. |
BRIAN HOUSE HOSPICE DONATION
Brian House at Bispham, Blackpool, forms an integral part of Trinity Palliative Care Services, caring for children with life limiting or life threatening conditions and their families and is one of the services developed out of the original hospice adult inpatient unit, opened in 1985.
Bispham with Norbreck Mark Lodge’s Charity Representative and Almoner, Past Master Ron Weatherill, together with Henry Stirzaker, the Lodge’s Junior Overseer, visited the Hospice to see if there was any way they could help by funding a particular piece of much needed equipment. They met Jane Molyneux who outlined the want of a Tom Cot Bed, designed for Children with Special needs. They discovered that the hospice had the bed on trial, but it was to be returned until sufficient funds were available. Rather than wait until our Festival, the West Lancs Mark Province funded the bed immediately and a cheque was sent within 48 hours; to the surprise and delight of both the hospice and Bro. Ron! The PGM said he would take Bispham with Norbreck Lodge on trust to produce their contribution subsequently. Which of course they did.
The Lodge raised £1753 and the fund made up the donation to the full cost of the bed at £4290.
On the afternoon of Thursday 17th April, the Provincial Grand Master, Peter Connolly accompanied by the Deputy Provincial Grand Master,
Tony Harrison, and the Assistants Danny Jones and Keith Beardmore, together with the Provincial Grand Charity Steward, Michael Clarke, met the
Worshipful Master of Bispham with Norbreck Lodge, Neil MacSymons, Ron Weatherill and Henry Stirzaker to make a formal presentation of the Bed to
the Hospice. Also present was Colin Moxey, the Provincial Grand Masters Special Representative for the Area and John Shrewsbury the Deputy Leader
for the Area Charity Group.
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Pictured above: The Worshipful Master of Bispham and Norbreck Mark Lodge, Bro. Neil MacSymons
with R.W.Bro. Peter Connolly, Provincial Grand Master in front of the donated bed with the certificate recording the donation. |
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Pictured above, from left, Front: W.Bro.Keith Beardmore, W.Bro.Danny Jones, APGM. Rear: Bro.Neil MacSymons, W.Bro.Michael Clarke, W.Bro.Tony Harrison, DPGM, W.Bro.Colin Moxey, W.Bro.Henry Stirzicker and R.W.Bro.Peter Connolly, PGM. |
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Pictured above, from left: Bro. Neil MacSymons, R.W.Bro.Peter Connolly, PGM., and Health Care Assistant, Teresa Jeng-Rouse (who demonstarted the bed) and Ron Weatherill, in fron of the bed. |
MARK MASONS HELP HOSPITAL
Rt.W.Bro.Peter Connolly, Provincial Grand Master for the Mark Province of West Lancashire, visited the Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit at Southport & Ormskirk District General Hospital on Thursday 12th February 2008 to present two new exercise cycles and a new PowerPoint projector on behalf of Mark Masons of Southport.
The Lodges raised the magnificent sum of £1,500 and the Province added a further £1,200 to hit the required total of £2,700.
A number of Southport Masons in Craft and the Mark Degree have undergone open heart surgery in the past few years, the most recent being
W.Bro.Tom Holt who first approached me with a request for Mark Masonry to acknowledge the wonderful work done by the Cardiac Unit. Having spoken
with the nursing staff in the Rehab-Unit it became obvious the exercise cycles were desperately needed, at the same time the PowerPoint projector
failed and an urgent replacement was required.
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Pictured above: R.W.Bro. Peter Connolly, Provincial Grand Master of the Mark Province of West Lancashire and his wife Lynn, putting the newly donated exercise bikes at Southport D.G.H. to the test. To the P.G.M's right are W.Bro. Michael Clarke (Mark Charity Treasurer), Mrs. Ruth Molyneux and W.Bro. Brian Molyneux, supported by brethren of the Southport Group of Mark Master Masons. |
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Pictured above, from left: Bro. Eric Bullock, W.M. of Southport Mark Lodge and
Bro. Kevin Collins, W.M. of Lathom Mark Lodge with the newly donated powerpoint projector presented to Southport District General Hospital
Card8ac Rehabilitation Unit. |
I send my sincere thanks to all Mark Masons who have supported this project, and my thanks to our Provincial Grand Master and his wife Lynn for
joining us for the presentation.
W.Bro.Brian Molyneux, PAGDC
Group Mark Charity Representative