£125,000 donated to charitable causes by Bucks’ Freemasons.

On Sunday 7th May Buckinghamshire Freemasons held a cheque presentation evening at the Aylesbury Masonic Centre on Ripon Street when they gave away more than £125,000 to local and national charities and good causes.

Hosted by Graham Dearing, AsstProvGM, the highlight of the evening was the presentation of a cheque for £35,000 to the South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust to cover the cost of two brand new First Responder vehicles to be deployed in the county. The money was donated by the Bucks' Masonic Centenary Fund (BMCF) in memory of Rodney Meerza, a local Freemason.

Among the many other recipients were the Thames Valley Air Ambulance (£5,200), The Aylesbury Prostate Cancer Support Group (£1,700), Child Bereavement UK (£3,000), The Gateway Club, Aylesbury (£1,400) and the Disability Karate Federation (£1,000) which is a registered charity that creates mass participation in Martial Arts for people who are disabled, disadvantaged or living with poverty.

Graham said: "We hold these cheque evenings on a regular basis and it is our pleasure as Freemasons to donate to so many worthy causes. Our Lodges do so much good work within their local communities and it is evenings such as these that we can show a wider audience just what we achieve every year."

Gordon Robertson, ProvGM, was in attendance with his wife, Fran, who collected a cheque on behalf of Macmillan Nurses (£1,147) and added: "In this the 300th anniversary of Freemasonry, we are very keen to show our commitment to all the members of our society, whether young or old.

Notes:

Intro photo shows: Ray Sweeney, CEO of the Disability Karate Federation, and some of the students who attend the centre.

Article photo shows: Left to Right: Joyce Thomas, Gemma Draper who attends the Gateway Club, Paul Maddock of the Gateway Club and Peter Thomas (Master of Vale Lodge, No. 6632).