Jersey Freemasons have given £25,000 to the Stroke Association as part of its Community Awards organised to mark Freemasonry’s 300th anniversary celebrations.
Four local charities have benefited from the awards with Jersey Hospice Care receiving £15,000, Macmillan Cancer Support Jersey £6,000 and Jersey Cheshire Home £4,000.
As part of the celebrations of Freemasonry’s 300th anniversary celebrations, the Masonic Charitable Foundation was distributing three million pounds to 300 charities across the UK. In Jersey, £50,000 was distributed, with the public vote deciding on the range of awards from £4,000 to £25,000.
Tracy O’Regan, Fundraising and Operations Manager at the Stroke Association in Jersey, said: “The grant of £25,000 which we have been awarded following the public vote is hugely important. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who supported us. The money raised will go a long way in helping to support people who are living with the effects of stroke in Jersey, and their families and carers, as well as help to prevent people from having a stroke.”
The charities will be presented with their awards at a special ceremony hosted by the Provincial Grand Master of Jersey, Kenneth Rondel, along with representatives from the Masonic Charitable Foundation, tomorrow at 15:30 at the Masonic Temple on Stopford Road.
Kenneth Rondel, Provincial Grand Master for Jersey, said: “We are delighted to be able to celebrate three hundred years of Freemasonry by helping 4 excellent local charities. We’ve been active in charity work for all that time, but this is the first occasion we’ve asked the public to help us decide how to spend our money. We are very pleased that so many people from Jersey took part in the vote.”
The three million pound fund is being administered by the Masonic Charitable Foundation, which obtains all of its funding from Freemasons, their families and friends. It is estimated that half of Freemasonry’s total charitable expenditure of over £33m goes to charities that help people in communities across the country.
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