Charity 

As the covid-19 pandemic has severly curtailed attendance at the cenotaph for the annual remembrance and laying of wreaths, the Brethren have elected this year to send a donation to the NGVFA, the National Gulf Veterans and Families Association, which became a registered charity over twenty years ago Like many other charities, this Hull-based organisation has suffered during the ongoing crisis, but is now again supporting those Veterans of the Gulf Conflicts, Iraq and Afghanistan who have health and social problems since their return. The charity's mission is to provide a safe haven for the Veterans and their families, enhancing their quality of everyday life through support, information, advocacy and counselling, and to increase awareness thereof to the public and health care professionals. Many thanks to W Bro Ian Syddall, who is well au fait with the NGVFA and who gently pointed out that while doubtless the Brethren will be purchasing their poppies to support the national appeal, this worthy charity is not so well known and on our very doorstep.

W Bros Richard Smedley and Ian Syddall have enrolled the Humber Lodge Charity on Amazon Smile so that Lodge members with an Amazon account can log in through  https://smile.amazon.co.uk/ and start shopping, registering purchases to The Humber Lodge Charity Fund. Then each quarter, Amazon donate 0.5% of our purchases to our charity. It costs us absolutely nothing extra to purchase through this route, but the Humber Charity could benefit considerably.

Richard asks "Could I call upon you all to register your accounts to this system and hopefully the charity will benefit."

Freemasons practise Charity on many different levels. Every subscribing member annually donates to the Grand Charity (which is huge: apart from the National Lottery, Freemasons contribute more to charitable causes than any other organisation) and to the Provincial Charity. However, there is charity work done by each Lodge, the Master (assisted by his Charity Steward - this year W Bro Malcolm Forbes for the Humber Lodge) may select particular causes to support, and during his year of office, other causes, local, national or international might require assistance from the Brethren. Nor is it all about giving money: the Lodge Almoner (W Bro David Terry) is active, visiting the widows of Brethren who have passed away, checking on the health of those who are ailing; sometimes exhorting the Brethren to assist with lifts or simply giving up some of their time. There are some Masonic groups dedicated to supporting charitable causes: The Daggards (of whom several Humber Brethren are members) put on lectures, presentations and entertainment to help the homeless and others in need of assistance.

Click the link here to find out about the Grand Charity. 

The Masonic magazine Freemasonry Today has a number of articles about different charities, including the Royal Masonic Trust for Boys and Girls: click the link to find out more. The Masonic Charitable Foundation explains something of the long history of Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth , the precepts upon which the Organisation is founded.

Click on the logo to find out about the Daggards.

The Worshipful Master's selected Charities for 2019 - 20 are the Candlelighters (Hull) concerned with children's cancer and the Hull Dove House Hospice.