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From the Provincial Grand Master The Masonic Province of Devonshire It is with the greatest of pleasure I write this foreword as the Province embarks on an exciting and stimulating venture for the next 5 years – a Festival for the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls & Boys (RMTGB) to be celebrated in 2012. Many brethren will not understand the meaning of a Festival but no doubt there will be other senior brethren who will be able to enlighten them, having experienced the last one in 1994. On that occasion, a sum of £1.75m was raised for the Grand Charity in a period of just 4½ years! 18 years later in 2012, we shall hopefully be looking for a figure well in excess of any previously raised. This, of course, requires a financial commitment from each and every one of us. I hope that every brother in the Province will not only be able to donate on a regular basis, say each month, but also “Gift Aid” the donations thus enhancing their value to the Trust and to our Festival total. It is most important to remember that the Masonic Charities are the foundation stones of our Order. If the valued work of the National Charities is to be continued, we have to remember that they – and in particular the RMTGB – must be the focus of our charitable giving in the next 5 years. Further details of the qualifications required for Stewardship, Vice-Patron, Patron and Grand Patron are to be found in this brochure. Additionally, I hope as many Lodges as possible will endeavour to achieve Grand Patron status. I feel privileged to be your Provincial Grand Master at the launch of the Festival as I know just how generous are the brethren of Devonshire. I have no doubt you will not be found wanting on this occasion. Front cover: James and Sarah, two of our younger beneficiaries
RW Bro Robin O. Osborn, Provincial Grand Master for the Province of Devonshire
Over the past few months, a start has been made by many Lodges resulting in an encouraging sum having been already raised. I look forward to your continued support to myself and my successor VW Bro Michael T. Penny who will have the privilege of presiding over the Festival in 2012. Let us together raise a sum worthy of our wonderful Province in the knowledge that we shall be helping those, who through no fault of their own, could find themselves in distressed circumstances. Robin O. Osborn Provincial Grand Master January 2007
Devonshire, Freemasonry and Charity Devon, one of the largest English counties, has an extensive coastline on the north and south with the River Tamar forming a natural western boundary with our sister Province of Cornwall. Devon’s landscape is additionally dominated by Dartmoor in the middle and Exmoor in the east. The county of Devon has a distinguished history with a long association with the Royal Navy through the port of Plymouth, and, with its numerous ports, providing homes for the fishing fleets. The fertile farming lands around Dartmoor have meant that agriculture has played a significant part in the development of Devon. Exeter, being the site of a Cathedral for over a thousand years, has attracted many craftsmen including mediaeval stonemasons and Freemasons.
The Province and its brethren have always received much assistance from the national Masonic charities: the Grand Charity, the New Masonic Samaritan Fund (NMSF), the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution (RMBI), and the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls & Boys (RMTGB). They are large National Charities and require substantial income to cover their expenditure. In addition to sources such as investment income, a high proportion of their annual income comes from one of the 47 Provinces holding a Festival – i.e. from the results of an extended period of charitable giving by a Province’s Lodges and brethren. The word “Festival” refers to a period of celebration or rejoicing. Masonic Festivals usually conclude with an event to celebrate the culmination of the appeal (in our case this will be some time in 2012).
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The geography, history and traditions of Devon have been reflected in the evolution and development of Freemasonry within the Province of Devonshire. The earliest Lodges may have been formed in the Middle Ages but the oldest recognised Freemasons’ Lodge is St John the Baptist Lodge No 39. It does not have a warrant but operates under the oldest existing deputation in English Freemasonry (dated 11th July 1732). The Lodge of Fortitude No 105, meeting in Plymouth, was formed by the Royal Marines in 1759. The Provincial Grand Lodge of Devonshire was formed in 1775 when there were nineteen Lodges, mainly meeting in Plymouth and Exeter and also in Barnstaple, Bideford, Dartmouth and Teignmouth. The arrival of the railways in the 1840s and 1850s opened up the county and the Province, leading to easier access and more frequent visiting. Over 90 Lodges were created in the period between 1860 and 1960 with the majority commencing in the periods to 1914, the inter war years and the period just after the Second World War. The Province now has 136 Lodges with a membership of approximately 6,300 masons. The average membership per Lodge is around 50.
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Below: Cadogan Court, Exeter
Charitable giving has always been central to masonry and indeed to this Province. Over the years, Devonshire has hosted many fund raising events for the National Charities. In 1910, Devon hosted the Festival for the RMBI and raised the sum of £32,086 – at the time the third largest sum contributed to that organisation in its history. The 1947 Festival for the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys (a forerunner of the RMTGB) raised £184,607 the second highest on record at the time. The Province raised £167,455 (out of a grand total raised of £310,723) for the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls in 1962. The 1977 Festival for the Boys raised £819,144, including £649,393 from Devon. The 1994 Festival for the Grand Charity raised £1.75 million. One of the most celebrated Provincial Grand Masters of Devonshire was RW Bro William Alexander Kneel who was PGM from 1970 to 1984. Bill Kneel, as he was affectionately known, was a man of tremendous energy, a visionary leader as well as being a raconteur and consummate public speaker. He had two dreams for the Province of Devonshire: the first was to build a home for the elderly; and the second was to create a fund to help local charities and organisations within the Province of Devonshire. Plans to provide a home for elderly and lonely Freemasons and their dependents started in 1973, a plot of land near Exeter was
Our Mission acquired in 1983 and in 1987 Cadogan Court was officially opened as the 15th RMBI home. Being purpose built, it is surrounded by landscaped gardens and trees and provides bedrooms, living rooms, bathrooms, kitchen, medical suite and care wards – in all some £2 million had been raised for the RMBI towards the cost of erecting and equipping Cadogan Court. His second dream was the idea of a charitable Fund with the aim of making annual disbursements to local charities and organisations in need of assistance. Preference would be given to charitable and local organisations in Devon, especially where there is a clear connection with a Lodge (through donations or an active involvement by Lodge members). Over the years some £600k had been accumulated (mainly through legacies) for this purpose and the Provincial Grand Master, RW Bro Robin Osborn expressed his wish shortly after becoming PGM in 1999 that he wanted to build the fund (to be called the William Alexander Kneel Endowment fund or WAKE fund) up to £1 million in value. That was successfully achieved and the fund is now worth in excess of £1.4 million. Since 2001, there have been six annual disbursements from the Fund. In 2006, the Fund distributed £40,000 over two evenings – at the St Aubyn Masonic Hall, Plymouth and at the Tiverton Masonic Hall. Over 100 people attended each event. Since 2001, some £147,000 in total has been distributed to charities and local organisations within the county of Devon. This is a tremendous achievement, which is helping to promote “Freemasonry in the Community”. Devon has a long history of Freemasonry associated with charitable giving and we hope that the 2012 Festival will be very successful both for the RMTGB and the Province of Devonshire.
“A man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child” For over 200 years the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls and the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys have helped to relieve poverty and advance the education of the children of deceased or distressed Freemasons. This purpose and other far wider terms of reference were taken up by the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys (the Trust) when, in 1986, it took over the running of the former charities. Today the Trust could at any one time be actively supporting as many as 2,000 girls and boys at schools, colleges or universities. The support provided takes many forms but the particular needs of the child remain the Trust’s clear priority. Every case is considered on its merits but a degree of poverty must exist for support to be considered. Despite a focus on educating children, the Trust is a Poverty Charity and to receive maximum support, a family’s annual income must be less than £5,000. The Petitions Committee of the Trust meets four times each year to consider applications submitted on behalf of needy Freemasons and their families. Members of this Committee are often shocked and moved by the heartbreaking and tragic events they read about, exposure which clearly put into perspective why your continued support is so important. If the Trust accepts a Petition on behalf of a very young child the commitment will remain either
When tragedy strikes!
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until the child has completed his or her education, or until the financial circumstances of the family improve. In some cases this can mean supporting a family for as long as 20 years . This long-term financial commitment is substantial, and so the Trust needs to ensure it has funds not just for this year, but to be able to continue to protect its beneficiaries for many years to come.
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will care for Ben and Alex, now aged 15 and 11, when the inevitable happens but the Trust remains a constant in their lives, not just giving generous grants, but offering advice and support to help these Masonic dependants look beyond their tragic situation and to provide a guiding hand to their future. This story, based on an existing case, is tragic but not untypical of the family situations the Trust encounters on a daily basis.
The Freemason father died suddenly of a heart attack in 1997. He left a widow and two young boys, Ben then aged six, and Alex three.
Each year the Trust spends in the region of £9 million helping children like Ben and Alex.
Life insurance policies cleared the mortgage on the family home but there was no pension. The mother, having to care for her young family, was unable to work and existed entirely on state benefits.
Right now the Trust faces a stark choice; to raise more money or to cut back on our help for the distressed children of Masonic families. For today’s Freemasons to fail the distressed child of a Masonic family would be unthinkable.
Both boys attend local State schools and since 1998 they have each received a termly maintenance allowance to assist with their upkeep, and an annual Christmas grant from the Trust to help bring some additional festive cheer.
“A Mason never stands as tall as when he gives generously to help the distressed child of another Mason”
In 2001, four years after the death of her husband, the mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. Despite extensive surgery and a brief period of hope that the cancer had gone into remission, it began to spread. It is now so advanced that chemotherapy can do nothing for her. This mother is now approaching the end of her life.
Keeping families together
She continues to care for the boys and the Case Almoner visits the family on a weekly basis to make sure the Trust is kept constantly up to date about their needs. It has not been decided who
The Trust in action today Maintenance allowances to assist the family in the support of the child
Wh yo supp can Scholarships to top up student loans and grants while at university
Christmas Grants
£15, Will pro orphaned b with the st security of school env for a
Student accommodation
Informal counselling and support
£2,300 Will pay for a medical student to complete an elective period in a foreign hospital and assist in his/ her qualification as a doctor
£77 £750 Would pr Would purchase 11-year old a desktop term’s mai computer with allowanc printer, software and a 3-year family inco housing co warranty than £10
Fostering exceptional talent
£300 Would allow a child to join classmates on a school organised educational visit
£60 Would provide an achievement award in recognition of at least 6 GCSE passes at ‘A’ Grade
£350 Will buy a complete school uniform for a child to make sure they fit in with their peers on their first day at school
£250 Will buy a flute for a child to develop their musical interest
£130 Would prov a Christm Grant to a income fam
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Facts and Figures
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Single grants for books, clothing, child-minding, fees, educational travel, equipment and materials
Summer Holiday Grants
,000 ovide an beneficiary tability and a boarding vironment a year £1,000 Would provide a scholarship for one year for a beneficiary from a low income family while attending University
During 2005 the Trust supported 988 girls and 910 boys at schools, colleges and universities. Many others benefited from grants from the subsidiary funds, Talentaid or received a Choral Bursary. The Choral Bursary scheme forms part of the Trust’s non-Masonic giving programme. The Trust has supported a Chorister at Exeter Cathedral since September 1997. In all over 2,000 young people were helped at a cost of over £9.4 million. Lifelites, the scheme established by the Trust to provide education and entertainment technology for children’s hospices in England and Wales was established as a separate charity on 1 January 2006. It remains under the administrative umbrella of the Trust but is now able to seek the Masonic and non-Masonic support that will safeguard its future. Your own children’s hospice, Little Bridge House in Barnstaple, joined the scheme in 1999 and received a full equipment upgrade in 2003.
Our Presence in Devonshire
70 rovide an d with one intenance ce where ome after osts is less 0,000 p.a.
£800 Will allow a child to receive counselling following the death of a parent
£400 Would pay for one years music lessons for a child who is working towards graded examinations
vide mas low mily
The Trust is currently supporting 29 children and young adults from the Province of Devonshire. Over the last 12 months over £75,000 was spent on these beneficiaries alone and over the last five years this expenditure increased to over £437,000.
£420 Will pay for an Educational Psychologist Assessment to identify and help with a child’s learning difficulties
£260 Will pay for a child to go on an activity holiday as respite from their responsibilities at home, where their parent or sibling in disabled
£200 Would pay for one term of specialist tuition for a child with learning difficulties
Computers and Special Needs Equipment
Making it happen – raising the money Legacy Giving By remembering the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys in your Will you can make a real difference to the level of support we provide. Legacies are immensely important to our work. Making a Will is a simple but very important step. It is the only way of ensuring that you decide who will benefit from your estate after your death. Your legacy can help us to change the lives of generations of children by enabling us to continue our work well into the future.
Planning an Open Day? Did you know that the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys has a professional presentation stand, which can be used to illustrate some of the important works carried out by this charity?
Guest Speakers Your Area Manager will, on request, arrange for a speaker to attend Lodge meetings to talk about the work of the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys. The contact details for the relevent Area Manager can be found on the back page.
The Trust actively encourages all eligible donors to complete a Gift Aid declaration, which enables the benefit of your donation to be maximised. For your donations to qualify for Gift Aid you must pay an amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax at least equal to the tax that the Trust reclaims on your donations in the appropriate tax year (currently 28p for each ÂŁ1 you give). Please ensure that you contact the Trust if your tax situation changes or if you change address.
Gift Aid Envelopes Gift Aid envelopes are also available. The envelopes enable the Trust to reclaim tax on donations made through alms collections, festive boards and ladies nights.
Support the Trust and come to the Festival Once every year the Trust holds a Festival, at which the total amount achieved, including promised donations, is announced. On each of these occasions a distinguished Brother, usually a Provincial Grand Master, presides and, in the latter case, the Brethren of his Province and their Ladies are invited to support him to the utmost of their ability.
In 2012, the Anniversary Festival is being held under the presidency of the Provincial Grand Master for Devonshire. Brethren and Ladies qualified as Festival Stewards are entitled to attend the Festival and dine on paying the dining fee.
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Festival: Devonshire 2012
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Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys o rls a nd B
31 Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5AG www.rmtgb.org
Registered Charity No. 285836
GIFT AID DECLARATION Details of Donor (Please use Block Capitals) Title
Forename(s)
Surname
Home Address
Post Code
Contact Telephone Number
E-mail Address
I want the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys to treat all donations I have made since 6th April 2001 and all donations I make from the date of this declaration until I notify you otherwise as Gift Aid donations. I understand that I must notify the Trust if I no longer pay an amount of Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax equal to the tax the Trust reclaims on my donations in the tax year (for 2006/2007 this is 28p for every £1 I give). I must also notify the Trust of any change of address.
Signature
Date
(Signature of taxpayer named above) Unless this declaration relates to a donation/s already received by the Trust please complete the Banker’s Order below or alternatively attach your cheque for: £ Important Note: The Trust will reclaim tax on specific donations only if notified in writing. It is important that you read the Gift Aid explanatory notes available from our web-site. Details of your donations and RMTGB Status will be stored and processed by the Trust in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. Donor details will only be shared with relevant bodies connected with the Masonic Charities Festival system. Higher rate taxpayers may nominate the RMTGB to receive any additional tax relief due by entering the unique code VAE64YG when completing their tax return.
BANKER’S ORDER To: The Manager
Bank PLC
Account No
Sort Code No
Address On the lst day of
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and thereafter at Monthly/Yearly intervals*
For FIVE* years until 2012*
please pay the sum of £
(
pounds (words)
(figures) p (words))
*Please alter and initial as appropriate
To: THE FESTIVAL ACCOUNT, ROYAL MASONIC TRUST FOR GIRLS AND BOYS (A/c No. 36123560) at the National Westminster Bank PLC, (60‑30‑06) Bloomsbury Parr’s Branch, 214 High Holborn, London WC1V 7BX and DEBIT my account.
Name in CAPITALS
Signed
Address
Date
RMTGB Ref. No
Please do not detach Banker’s Order from Gift Aid Form. This Banker’s Order will be forwarded to your Banker by the Trust.
Festival Honorifics Become a Steward of the 2012 Festival by paying a minimum of £300 towards the Festival Appeal. Once qualified, you can apply to receive your Festival jewel. This equates to a regular contribution of £5 per month over 5 years.
Qualified Stewards may wish to become a Vice-Patron of the 2012 Festival by paying or promising to pay a minimum of £600 towards the Festival Appeal, this includes the £300 already paid to become a Steward. Vice-Patrons are entitled to wear the VicePatron bar on their Festival Jewel. This equates to a regular contribution of £10 per month over 5 years.
Qualified Stewards may wish to become a Patron of the 2012 Festival by paying or promising to pay a minimum of £1,200 towards the Festival Appeal, this includes the £300 already paid to become a Steward. Patrons are entitled to wear the Patron bar on their Festival Jewel. This equates to a regular contribution of £20 per month over 5 years.
Qualified Stewards may wish to become a Grand Patron of the 2012 Festival by paying or promising to pay a minimum of £3,000 towards the Festival Appeal, this includes the £300 already paid to become a Steward. Grand Patrons are entitled to wear the Grand Patron bar on their Festival Jewel. This equates to a regular contribution of £50 per month over 5 years.
Ladies who qualify as Stewards are entitled to apply for the Ladies brooch. Ladies and Lewises may obtain Honorific Ranks in the Festival for half those amounts shown for Brethren.
Lodge Honorifics Lodges may obtain honorific ranks in respect of the 2012 Festival Appeal as follows: Subscriber (£5,000) Vice-Patron (£10,000) Patron (£15,000) Grand Patron (£20,000)
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Our history...
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HRH the Duchess of Cumberland (below) was the Trust’s first Royal Patroness. With Chevalier Ruspini, a prominent 18th century Freemason, she founded The Royal Cumberland Freemasons’ School in 1788. Under the firm direction of the Duchess, King George III’s sister-in-law, the school educated and cared for poor and orphaned girls. Out of that school grew both the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys and The Royal Masonic School for Girls at Rickmansworth. This contemporary engraving, after a painting by the fashionable portrait painter Richard Cosway, is in the possession of the Trust.
The picture of about 1802 shows Chevalier Ruspini, one of the founders of the first Masonic school, leading the pupils into Grand Lodge in the presence of HRH George, Prince of Wales.
... Their future Christopher and Nicholas are the sons of a Freemason. Their father died of a heart attack. At the time, Christopher, then aged 17, had tried to resuscitate his father. Their mother, like many women, had given up work when her children were born. The Trust accepted a petition on the boys’ behalf. Christopher, an academic high-flyer, is now studying to be a large animal vet at the Royal Veterinary College, London, and is in receipt of a RMTGB Scholarship. Nicholas, who was on the special needs register at school due to his Dyspraxia, now attends a local college where he is studying Motor Vehicle Maintenance. This will allow him to develop and utilise his practical skills. He continues to be supported by the Trust. With RMTGB support both these boys will be able to follow their chosen careers and become valued members of society.
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The Trust today Mission Statement To continue to relieve poverty and provide an education and preparation for life for the children of the family of a Freemason and, where funds permit, for any children, as their fathers would have done, had they been able so to do.
Grand President HRH The Duke of Kent KG GCMG GCVO ADC Grand Master President Andrew Stebbings Treasurer Nigel Buchanan Chief Executive Clive Andrews
Secretary to the Council Les Hutchinson
Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys 31 Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5AG Telephone: 020 7405 2644  Facsimile: 020 7831 4094  Web-site: www.rmtgb.org Registered Charity No. 285836
Province of Devonshire contact numbers For specific enquiries concerning individual Lodges or requests for presentations or speakers, please contact one of the Area Managers: East Devon Colin Eaton 01884 258883
Plymouth Eric Collings 01752 771166
Exeter & Newton Abbot Alan Gill 01626 369928
Richard Beeson 01752 895314
North Devon Peter Hammond 01837 840234
Torbay Gerald Watson 01803 782506
Andy Vodden 01752 481415
For general enquiries, please contact: Festival Chairman William S. Daw 01752 839366
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Festival Secretary Conrad Donaldson 01392 215746
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