Freemasons rise to Covid-19 challenge with donations and volunteering Faced with the greatest global pandemic in living memory, Freemasons came together in 2020 and donated a total of £1m as well as their time to help those in need.
Freemasons have achieved all of this in just a few months and have also given their time to produce and deliver food to the vulnerable.”
The UGLE is also encouraging its The donations were used to help members to roll up their sleeves communities in various critical areas, and volunteer to help vaccinate the including foodbanks, support for population. “More than 18.5 million unpaid carers, personal protective hours of volunteer work were equipment (PPE), supplies for undertaken by Freemasons. Now it Freemasons helping in Buckinghamshire during the Coronavirus hospitals and hospices, support for pandemic. is crucial that we help in every way women’s refuges, and funds for NHS we can to protect the population. hospitals and care homes, donating nearly workers, ambulances and equipment. 1,000 tablets to provide vital contact If the NHS needs volunteers, then we are between coronavirus patients and their happy to emphasise the importance of this Freemasons also worked 18 million hours loved ones. The tablets were provided to to our members,” said Dr Staples. as volunteers in a range of different areas, more than 50 hospitals, care homes and where there was a need, including driving hospices. In London, hospitals including He continued: “Our response to the vulnerable people to hospital, preparing The Royal London, Queen Mary's and Pandemic shows what Freemasonry is all meals, taking care of people at risk, St Thomas' received approximately 115 about; supporting those in need, giving organising care packages, producing scrubs, tablets; while in Kent, Surrey and Sussex, back to our communities and volunteering PPE and hand sanitiser. where it can make a real difference. some 200 tablets were donated. Freemasons have been doing this for over At the start of the crisis in April 2020, some Elsewhere, to support thousands of families 300 years and I am proud of the time and Freemasons adapted their businesses’ struggling during the crisis, Freemasons commitment that our members have given production lines to produce nearly 5,000 donated 300,000 meals and 38 tonnes of to support the nation in its fight against visors for use in healthcare settings. Since food to homeless people, women’s refuges Covid-19.” then, Freemasons have produced or and vulnerable people, supporting more procured tens of thousands of pieces of than 120,000 people in total. Moreover, In addition to the £1m donated in 2020, the additional PPE. £560,000 was donated to provide meals Freemasons have committed a further fund of £2.1m to support the ongoing Covid-19 and help numerous foodbanks. Meanwhile, to help protect women and crisis response. Of that £2.1m, £850,000 children from domestic abuse, Freemasons Dr David Staples, chief executive of the has been allocated to support homeless donated more than £165,000 in 2020. The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE), people through several charities with donation helped more than 2,000 women said: “No one in this day and age should which UGLE partners. More than 40,000 during the lockdown, who received more have to worry where their next meal is homeless individuals are being provided than 1,000 parcels containing essential coming from. We are so glad that we were with food and essentials, transport, help able to provide thousands of families across with accessing services such as counselling items for women fleeing domestic abuse. the UK with a hot meal or food donations and healthcare, as well as employment and Freemasons also focused their efforts on to help get them through this current crisis. training opportunities.
OSTEOPATH WENDOVER HEALTH CENTRE Penny H. Dathan BsC (Hons) DO Please call 01296 696999 or email pennydathan@live.co.uk. to discuss your musculoskeletal needs. Website: www.pennydathanosteopath.co.uk For your safety and reassurance, new measures have been undertaken to keep you safe at this time.
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Wendover News May 2021
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