June 2008

BMCF Grants Support Our “Freemasonry in the Community” Programme

The following grants, totalling £16,030, were approved at the latest BMCF Committee meeting held on the evening of 14th May 2008:

£1,000 for holidays in 2008 organised by the Vitalise charity for disabled youngsters from Buckinghamshire.

£3,130 to Wycombe Hospital Radio for the purchase of new portable transmitting equipment for outside broadcasts.

£3,000 to Chiltern Dial-A-Ride to provide an integral tail lift in a new vehicle being purchased to replace the oldest one in the fleet.

£2,000 to enable Grenville Lodge to proceed with a project to replace a minibus used by the Fremantle Trust’s Buckingham Residential Home. The grant will be treated as “Top-up” funding to Grenville Lodge and the other Lodges supporting this community project (including Grand Union Lodge, Roman Way Chapter & Wineslai Lodge), which had already committed over £8,000, plus £5,000 from the residential home, towards the cost of a new vehicle.

£1,500 to the Malthouse Square Playground Association to purchase a “Tyre Traverse” in the Woodland Trail planned for communal improvements to this playground recreational area in Beaconsfield.

£2,000 to the Royal Blind Society to cover the deficit for a respite holiday at the RBS Belmont Hotel in Llandudno for twenty one Aylesbury blind/partially sighted persons. The BMCF Committee noted that this holiday is partially funded by Bucks Association for the Blind

£2,100 to the Hughenden Valley Community Shop Ltd for the purchase of one chiller display cabinet. This is a community action to re-establish a village shop.

£1,300 to hire a coach for a day trip to France for members of Slough Mencap and their carers.

A grant of £500 had been agreed previously ex-committee in response to a “Top-up” funding request by Watling Street Lodge to enable the terminally ill Worshipful Master to benefit Milton Keynes Hospital by augmenting monies raised at his Ladies Night and from the Lodge.

In addition to the above grants, the BMCF Committee made donations of £500 each to the local Mayors’ Appeals at Amersham, Beaconsfield, Chesham and Marlow in our continuing support of the Provincial Freemasonry in the Community programme. The donations were made to coincide with the end of the Mayors’ terms of office, and the culmination of their charity appeals.

BMCF Secretary Alan Watkins and BMCF Trustee Peter Harborne
present the BMCF cheque to Roy Hickman, Director of Woodrow High House and primary recipient of the Amersham Town Mayor’s Charity Appeal, at the Mayor’s special Charity May Fayre.

More Information on the BMCF
· Look on this website for “BMCF” under the ‘Charities’ and the ‘Freemasonry in the Community’ sections for more information about the Fund and submission of applications to the Fund Secretary
· The Provincial Directory 2007-2008 contains further information on the BMCF (pages 307 & 308).
· Contact the BMCF Honorary Secretary - W Bro Alan R Watkins (Tel: 01844 291275)
Or e-mail alanwatkins590@btinternet.com