Annual Review 2011-12
Introduction from the President and Chief Executive We are pleased to present our latest Annual Review which highlights another challenging and successful year for the Trust. VW Bro Mike Woodcock (left) joined the Trust in 2005 and has been President and Chairman of Council since 2008. W Bro Les Hutchinson (right) has worked for the Trust for 24 years, the last four as Chief Executive.
Despite receiving a record number of new enquiries, we were able to provide life-changing support for all eligible children from Masonic families brought to our attention; a proud record which we have maintained for nearly two-and-a-quarter centuries. In addition, we continued to demonstrate our commitment to non-Masonic children through our Stepping Stones and Choral Bursary schemes and Lifelites. We are fortunate to have access to the skills and expertise necessary to guide us through the current economic uncertainty and protect our financial investments, most of which have been laid down by previous generations of Freemasons. In addition, our properties in central London are generating a substantial and increasing income stream.
It has been another successful year for Freemasonry’s oldest charity and we thank all of our donors and volunteers for their generosity and support.
Our achievements this year would not have been possible, however, without the generosity of today‘s Freemasons and we are immensely grateful for their support. We were particularly delighted to join Worcestershire Freemasons and their families at the 2011 Festival celebration where a total of over £1.6m was announced. We look forward to celebrating the conclusion of Devonshire’s Festival Appeal in November 2012. Our thanks go to all our Trustees and members of Council, in particular this year, to RW Bro Peter Marsh, Past Provincial Grand Master for Gloucestershire, who retired after 11 years’ service as a Trustee. We wish his successor as Trustee, RW Bro Revd Malcolm Lane, Provincial Grand Master for Monmouthshire every success in his new role. We also record our thanks to all the Almoners, Charity Stewards, Ambassadors and our staff, who make a vital contribution to everything that we do. VW Bro Mike Woodcock President
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W Bro Les Hutchinson Chief Executive
Relieving poverty, advancing education
Our mission Our mission is “to relieve poverty and advance the education of children of a Masonic family and, when funds permit, support other children in need.” During the last year, we achieved our mission and supported the children of Masonic families by:
We were also able to support other children in need by:
• Assisting those experiencing financial hardship
• Awarding grants to children’s charities
• Fostering exceptional talent
• Providing bursaries to choristers at cathedrals
• Enabling unique and life-changing opportunities
• Helping Lifelites to support children’s hospices
In total, our work during the last year has benefitted over 11,000 children and young people, helping them to overcome poverty or adversity and complete the education and training they need to succeed in life.
William and Phoebe When William (pictured, left) was only two and his step-sister Phoebe (right) was eight, their Freemason father died; he was just 47. Since his death, we have provided regular maintenance grants to help meet their day-to-day needs and have assisted with childcare costs, helping their mother to return to work. 3
Assisting children and young people of Masonic families We supported almost 2,000 children and young people of Masonic families who have experienced a life-changing distress which has led to financial hardship … Jasmine is ten and came to our attention after her Freemason father was made redundant. We granted Jasmine and her elder brother a regular maintenance allowance to provide them with the essential items that they need. Jasmine is an aspiring singer and recently performed in a concert to launch the Province of Nottinghamshire’s 2018 Festival Appeal in support of our work.
Our core support is available to children and young people of Masonic families, including grandchildren and step-children, who have experienced distress – a significant and often tragic event which has led to financial hardship. Of those currently supported:
46%
have a parent who has left the family home
22%
have experienced the death of a parent
12%
have a parent that has a disability
10%
have experienced a financial distress, such as redundancy, within their family
As in every year since we were founded, we were able to accept all eligible applications received from Masonic families in need.
8%
have experienced the death or desertion of both parents
2%
have severe disabilities 400 –
New Petition cases accepted each year
350 – 300 – 250 – 200 – 150 – 100 – 50 – 0– 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Since 2008 we have received and accepted an increasing number of new Petitions for support. 4
… by providing over £7m in the form of financial grants and welfare support to help them overcome the effects of poverty and complete their education. We continue to provide assistance for children from Masonic families in two principal ways:
Financial grants Our tailored packages of financial grants provide appropriate levels of support for each family and may include: • Maintenance allowances • Undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships
Niall lives in East Lancashire with his parents. After sustaining a head injury, he had a stroke and fell into a coma for five months. When he woke he was unable to walk. Niall has since overcome many of his mobility problems and now attends his local college. We have been able to support his physiotherapy and travel costs as well as providing a computer package and a contribution towards a respite break for Niall and his family.
• Computer equipment • Educational visits • School travel • School uniforms • Course fees • School fee bursaries • Musical instruments and lessons • Sports equipment and coaching Families with particularly low incomes may also receive Christmas or summer holiday grants to enable them to spend some quality time together. Support towards independent school fees is only considered in a very limited number of cases for which there are exceptional circumstances.
Practical assistance Our Welfare and Case Adviser teams provide practical support and guidance and remain in regular contact with families in order to assess changing circumstances and needs.
A tailored package of financial grants is provided together with the support of our experienced welfare team who remain in regular contact with families.
Members of these teams use their experience in areas such as counselling, family therapy and educational and careers’ guidance to ensure that families can access other relevant services and receive state benefits to which they are entitled.
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Fostering exceptional talent – TalentAid Jude Edington
Although a part of the Team GB Olympic Development Programme, Joshua receives no funding and his family are unable to fully support his training needs. We provided Joshua with a competition standard boat and other essential equipment necessary to enable him to compete at the highest level.
We continued to support exceptionally talented young people who have realistic prospects of a successful career in music, sport or the performing arts. Our TalentAid scheme supports young people of Masonic families who have an exceptional talent in music, sport or the performing arts but cannot afford the costs associated with developing their skills. TalentAid contributes towards essential equipment and training as well as other costs, such as transport and competition expenses.
Who can qualify for TalentAid? Support from TalentAid can be awarded: • if the young person is able to demonstrate that their talent is truly exceptional and has the potential to develop into a successful career; and
Helping young people from Masonic families achieve their potential and fulfil their ambitions.
• if the costs of continuing to develop the talent are financially unviable for the family and other sources of funding, such as sponsorship or scholarships, are not available. In total, 73 young people benefitted from our TalentAid scheme during the year. Our support helps to ensure that these talented young people are able to pursue and achieve their ambitions. Since TalentAid was introduced in 2001 over £3m has been awarded to over 300 young people.
Enabling life-changing opportunities During the year, we enabled over 250 young people of Masonic families to embrace unique and life-changing opportunities such as post-graduate study or overseas educational travel. We also provided safe, affordable accommodation at Ruspini House (left) in central London for students who were studying or undertaking work experience in the capital and supported accommodation costs for students at other locations. As with all support, our assistance is subject to a financial test. 6
Awarding grants to children’s charities – Stepping Stones We awarded almost £200,000 to charities working to improve the lives of children and young people.
In addition to our direct support for the children of Masonic families experiencing financial hardship, we also provide support to other charities through our nonMasonic grant-making scheme, Stepping Stones.
We awarded a grant of £15,000 to the British Schools Exploring Society’s outreach programme, enabling some of the country’s most disadvantaged young people to participate in a tall ship expedition to Norway.
Improving outcomes for young people
All of the participants had experienced a difficult childhood, but the expedition’s training programme allowed them to develop the skills they need to seize new educational and employment opportunities.
Now in its third year, Stepping Stones provides grants of up to £30,000 to registered charities working to alleviate the effects of poverty and improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged children and young people. Last year, almost £200,000 was awarded to ten charities that have established specific projects providing longterm benefits to over 2,000 young people.
Support at local and national levels In addition to supporting those local charities shown on page 8, Stepping Stones also provided grants to the following national charities: • British Schools Exploring Society: £15,000 was awarded to support an outreach programme (see picture and caption above). • National Literacy Trust: £15,000 was given to the ‘Words for Work’ project to develop youth workplace communication skills. • Sailors’ Children’s Society: £6,000 supported the provision of clothing and Christmas grants for children of seafaring families experiencing financial hardship.
Through Stepping Stones, Freemasons supported some of the most disadvantaged children and young people in England and Wales.
• WellChild: £30,000 contributed towards the ‘Helping Hands’ project to adapt the homes of children with severe medical problems.
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Maintaining a provincial presence Our fundraising and grant-making at a local level benefits children throughout England and Wales. RW Bro Michael Penny, Provincial Grand Master for Devonshire, presents a cheque to our President for £50,000 towards the 2012 Festival Appeal. We are grateful to all Provinces in Festival for their generous support.
Centrepoint – North East
York Minster
Current Festival Appeal
•
Local charity supported by Stepping Stones Children’s hospice supported by Lifelites* Choral Bursary** 2017 North Wales
2014 Lincolnshire
2018 Nottinghamshire
Acorns Children’s Hospice
2015 Bedfordshire
2013 Monmouthshire
Trax
The Roundhouse Trust Young Lives Foundation
2012 Devonshire
Venturers Search and Rescue
2016 Hampshire & Isle of Wight
Family Support Work
* For a list of all hospices supported, together with further information about Lifelites, please visit www.lifelites.org ** Further information about Choral Bursaries can be found at www.rmtgb.org/choralbursaries
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Centrepoint – North East
Stepping Stones awarded a grant of £30,000 to Centrepoint’s Youth Educators project in the North East, to provide training for previously homeless young people. This grant enabled Centrepoint to run workshops in schools and local organisations to train ‘at risk’ young people by highlighting the realities and dangers of homelessness.
Providing bursaries to choristers markwilsonphotography.co.uk
Our Choral Bursary scheme enabled 33 talented choristers from low-income families to join cathedral choirs and attend the choir school. Recipients do not have to come from a Masonic family and are normally nominated for support by the cathedral following a successful voice trial. Joseph (right) is a Chorister at York Minster and has received support since 2008.
Helping Lifelites to support children’s hospices Lifelites brought fun and educational computer and gaming technology to 7,000 children with life-limiting conditions who visit children’s hospices. We provide office premises and accountancy services at no cost, enabling Lifelites to focus its resources on the needs of children. During the year, David Strudley CBE (right), Chief Executive of Acorns Children’s Hospice, delivered a moving presentation to our Trustees and staff about the valuable contribution Lifelites makes to 44 children’s hospices throughout the country.
TRAX Motor Project Through the development and provision of an alternative curriculum, Oxfordshire-based TRAX aims to improve the lives of vulnerable, disadvantaged and marginalised young people. A Stepping Stones grant of £17,000 is being used to train ‘hard to reach’ young people in cooking skills, healthy eating and budgeting. Our grant helps participants to gain a professional qualification and provides a healthy meal at each TRAX meeting. 9
Helping our supporters help us
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Assisting our fundraisers
A successful appeal
Last year, in conjunction with the other central Masonic Charities, we hosted a Provincial Grand Charity Steward’s Conference which saw the launch of a handbook for Charity Stewards: a valuable resource for Masonic fundraising. We have also redesigned our website – www.rmtgb.org – to provide donors and supporters with more information and up-to-date news as well as fundraising materials. In addition, our Ambassadors and members of Council have delivered presentations about our work throughout the Provinces.
In June 2011, the Province of Worcestershire concluded its 2011 Festival Appeal. At a banquet held at the ICC in Birmingham and attended by over 700 Freemasons, wives and partners, the Provincial Grand Master, RW Bro Richard Goddard announced a magnificent total which has since increased to £1,671,749 following further receipts, including a special donation of £35,000 from the Order of the Secret Monitor. We are extremely grateful to the Freemasons of Worcestershire and their families for their generosity.
Financial report We were able to meet our commitment to existing beneficiaries and support other children in need.
During the year we supported almost 2,000 beneficiaries from Masonic families. The number of new cases that were accepted increased for the third consecutive year and this reflects the continuing financial difficulties being experienced by many families. Grants to non-Masonic charities through Stepping Stones and our Choral Bursary scheme enabled us to support an additional 2,000 children and young people. Our subsidiary charity Lifelites (Registered Charity No. 1115655) helped a further 7,000 children through its support at 44 children’s hospices.
Summary group accounts (£000s)
2011
2010
799
1,390
3,569
3,376
Income Net investment income Festival income and other donations Legacies
322 737
4,690 5,503
Expenditure
Festival Appeals and other voluntary income continued to represent a significant part of our revenue and although lower than in 2010, legacies continued to be an important source of income. We are immensely grateful to all those who have made a donation or remembered us in their will.
Petition Beneficiaries
Fundraising and governance
1,172
To protect our portfolio from major falls in the markets, our investment managers have continued to maintain a defensive strategy which has resulted in lower investment returns than in previous years. In view of the current market volatility, our Trustees are satisfied that this approach is appropriate and are monitoring our investment performance closely.
9,280 9,233
Once again, we were able to achieve our mission and meet our commitments to existing beneficiaries and provide support to other eligible children brought to our attention.
Income
7,066
7,103
TalentAid
438 511
Stepping Stones and Choral Bursaries
350
Lifelites
254 328
219
1,072
Investment gains (losses)
(3,808) 9,131
Net surplus (deficit) in the year
(8,398) 5,401
Full accounts which have been audited without qualification and signed on 18 May were approved at the Annual General Court held on 27 June 2012 and are available on request.
Expenditure Festivals and donations
7
(17%)
Legacies (7%)
% 76
(76%)
3
Net investment income
17
Petition Beneficiaries
12
(76%)
TalentAid (5%) Stepping Stones and
4 5
%
Choral Bursaries (4%)
76
Lifelites (3%) Fundraising and governance (12%)
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With generous support from Freemasonry the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys...
… assisted around 2,000 children and young people of Masonic families
… awarded almost £200,000 to charities working to support disadvantaged young people
… fostered the exceptional talent of over 70 young athletes, performers and musicians
… provided bursaries to more than 30 choristers from low-income families at leading cathedrals
… enabled over 250 young people to embrace life-changing opportunities
… helped Lifelites to support 7,000 children who visit hospices
Thank you for your support Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys 60 Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5AZ Tel: 020 7405 2644 Email: info@rmtgb.org Web: www.rmtgb.org Registered Charity Number: 285836
@rmtgb facebook.com/rmtgb