The Pro Grand Master,
Lord Northampton,
addresses the meeting
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The General Meeting of the Grand Charity
was held in Birmingham on 16 October
2004 and was attended by more than 500
Brethren and their guests. The Deputy
Grand President, the Most Hon the
Marquess of Northampton, presided.
The Grand Charity holds three general
meetings each year its AGM, as part of the
Grand Lodge Quarterly Communication
in March, and two others, typically one in
the Provinces and one in the greater London
area. The formal business of the Charity
is conducted reports are made of the
proceedings of the Council and resolutions
are put to the members for approval,
including grants recommended by the
Council for non-Masonic charities.
Equally important, the meeting provides
an excellent opportunity for the Craft to
learn more about the work of the Grand
Charity. As a public meeting, wives and
distinguished local dignitaries are also able
to gain an insight into one of the central
activities of Freemasonry, charitable support
both for Masons and their dependants and
for the wider community, through the
grants given to non-Masonic charities.
To reach the widest possible audience,
the Grand Charity holds meetings in a
different region of the country each year.
Having touched the peripheries in previous
years, this year's Provincial meeting was
held in the centre, with support for its
planning and attendance from 11
surrounding Provinces.
Following the formal business of the
meeting, speakers from three charities
described the work that they are undertaking
as a result of the Grand Charity's support.
Professor Colin Cooper, who holds the
Grand Charity of Freemasons Chair of
Molecular Biology at the Institute of Cancer
Research, described his work to solve the
genetic puzzle of prostate and testicular
cancer. The newly appointed Chief
Executive of the Prince's Trust, Martina
Millburn, emphasised the importance of
the help given by the xl clubs, funded in
part by the Grand Charity, for `at risk' young
people, who desperately need support to
make a successful transition to adulthood.
John Overton, the Chief Executive of the
Acorn Children's Hospice Trust, described
the great need for hospice care for children
and thanked the Grand Charity, and
Freemasonry as a whole, for the tremendous
support, totalling many millions of pounds
over the years, that is given by the Craft to
hospices throughout England and Wales.
A summary of the report of the Council
of the Grand Charity for the General
Meeting follows.
General
New members of the Council
Following the appointment by the Grand
President of W Bro Adrian R. Chalk
PJGD as Deputy President of the Grand
Charity, the Council has filled the casual
vacancy among Provincial representatives
by appointing W Bro Michael J. Foxwell
PGStB. The Council has also co-opted
W Bro Roderic W. Mitchell, ProvGTreas
(Staffs).
Masonic grants
Applications for Masonic Relief Grants:
Since the last report, the Council has ratified
the following grants made by the Masonic
Relief Grants Committee:
Date
(2004) | No. of Grants
awarded | Total
relief |
| 18 February | 142 | £200,330 |
| 17 March | 127 | £237,101 |
| 21 April | 146 | £272,739 |
| 19 May | 94 | £175,536 |
| 16 June | 166 | £294,959 |
| 21 July | 175 | £293,090 |
District Grand Lodge of Ghana
The Grand Charity received a request from
the District Grand Lodge of Ghana for a
donation to an appeal for a teaching hospital
in Accra. The Council approved a grant of
£5,000 to the District, which the Deputy
Grand Master presented on his official
visit to the District Grand Lodge of Ghana
in October.
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