Service

South Down Lodge and service including Charities

The brethren of South Down Lodge have always been more than happy to support the charities both masonic and non-masonic, individually and through the Lodge; it is after all what masons do!

The Lodge itself is a Grand Patron of the Masonic Samaritan Fund and qualified as a Grand Patron Lodge for the 2004 Sussex Appeal for the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution. The 2017 Festival in support of the Freemasons’ Grand Charity, saw the Lodge qualify once again as a Grand Patron and in the Sussex for Sussex 2022 appeal the Lodge achieve Platinum status.

In addition, the Lodge has also been proud to support amongst others, the Teddies for Loving Care Appeal tlcappeal.org which provides teddies to A & E units for children in severe distress and the Masonic Trout and Fishing Charity mtsfc.org.uk which charity’s aim is to bring an interactive fishing and countryside experience to people with special needs.

The Lodge and its members also support the Friends of Barford Court. Barford Court is the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution home in Hove and its web site is [email protected]

South Down Lodge members in the past few years have also happily supported a number of local non masonic charities including the Rockinghorse Appeal, the Clock Tower Sanctuary, Tackle Africa, New Note Projects, the Martletts Hospice and the Sussex Cancer Fund as well as Alzheimer’s Research, the Salvation Army Christmas Appeal and charities in support of the refugees from Ukraine.

Presently most members of the Lodge are making regular payments in support of the Provincial Grand Master’s Appeal for the 2028 Festival in support of the Masonic Charitable Foundation. The payments from individuals are usually by use of direct debit in favour of the MCF and in order to make the contributions as tax efficient as possible, members have made Gift Aid declarations with that charity.

In addition, members and their guests Gift Aid their donations to the regular alms’ collections at our meetings.So as to ensure that the charity contributions from individuals are made in the most tax efficient way, the Lodge has opened a RELIEF CHEST with the Masonic Charitable Foundation.

By making donations to the alms collection using the Gift Aid envelopes provided by the Foundation or by use of a QR code, every donor who is a UK tax payer ensures that for every £5 they give out of their taxed income, the charity collection benefits in the sum of £6.25 at no additional cost to the giver!

If you are interested in obtaining further details of how a Relief Chest operates as a service to every Lodge or other masonic unit, you should visit the Masonic Charitable Foundation’s web site on https://mcf.org.uk/reliefchest/

The Masonic Charitable Foundation is now the central masonic charity and is the body which every freemason in England and Wales supports through his Lodge.

This web site will endeavour to keep readers up to date with some of the Foundation ‘s activities but if you are a freemason, a member of the family of a freemason or a non-masonic charity looking for support, please visit the Charity’s own web site on https://mcf.org.uk for the latest up to date information.

Dudley M Wensley
Charity Steward, South Down Lodge
December 2024