Brethren on the voters list for the
year 2005
To Lodge representatives on the voters
list for the year 2005
Notice is hereby given that the
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
and
GENERAL COURT
will be held on
Wednesday, 29 June 2005
Full details of the agenda and nominees
for election will appear on our website by
1 June 2005.
Those eligible to attend the meeting are
Patrons of the Trust, Vice Patrons of the former
Institutions and Representatives of Patron
Lodges. If you are in any doubt about your
eligibility please contact the Trust.
Copies of our Annual Review will also
be available after the Annual General
Meeting and can be requested on-line
at www.rmtgb.org or by telephoning the
Trust on 020 7405 2644.
Registered Charity No. 285836
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Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution
Friends of the RMBI Summer Ball
On Saturday, 18 June, RW Bro David Cons,
Pro Provincial Grand Master for Middlesex,
will host the annual Friends of the Royal
Masonic Benevolent Institution (RMBI)
Summer Ball at the beautiful and historic
Painters’ Hall (shown left), 9 Little Trinity
Lane, London. There will be a champagne
reception, music, dancing, casino, raffle
and a cash draw.
Tickets £70 per person (including wine),
with money raised on the night going to
the RMBI Good Neighbour Fund, which
is used to send older Freemasons with poor
health and their dependants on much
needed respite holidays, both in the UK
and abroad, as well as providing emergency
financial assistance.
Tickets are on a first come, first served
basis and are selling quickly. To purchase
your ticket, or to make a donation, please
call Natalie Chevin on 020 7596 2400.
Gift Aid makes donations go further
As long as you are an individual taxpayer
you can Gift Aid your donations to the
RMBI, meaning that for every £1 you
donate, the charity can claim an extra 28
pence at no extra cost to you.
This will make a huge difference to the
RMBI’s fundraising, so make sure that you
are registered today by calling 020 7596 2400
or by completing the Gift Aid form on our
website and returning it to the RMBI.
Rooms available in RMBI Homes
As part of the RMBI’s capital investment
programme, several RMBI Homes have
been extensively refurbished for the benefit
of older Freemasons and their dependants,
who might need to take advantage of
the range of services provided. Some
Homes have accommodation available
for immediate occupation, and the RMBI
is very keen about filling them, particularly
Ecclesholme in Manchester, Queen
Elizabeth Court in Llandudno and James
Terry Court in South Croydon. If you
know someone who may be interested,
please contact your Lodge Almoner.
Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys
Grant Reductions
Fundraising by members of the Craft is
essential to the work of the Royal Masonic
Trust for Girls and Boys (RMTGB), but
it also depends heavily on investment
income to finance its grants. Like many
other organisations and individuals it was
severely affected by the downturn in the
stock market two years ago.
The Trust’s Council has therefore
decided to make economies to ensure
that expenditure does not exceed income.
It will cut grants, but in such a way that
beneficiaries are disadvantaged as little as
possible. At the same time, administrative
costs are being reduced.
The main cuts will be in grants to
university students. The Council has chosen
to make the cuts there because students
already have access to a loan and generally
have the opportunity to work part-time.
In addition, students from lower income
families who started their courses last
September, or who will start in 2005,
are eligible for a non-repayable Higher
Education Grant of up to £1,000 per year
from the Government.
UndergradAid Grants will not, therefore,
be available in 2005, and Scholarships paid
to full beneficiaries who started university
courses in 2004 or 2005, and who are eligible
for the Higher Education Grant, will be
reduced by £500 per year from the autumn
term 2005. Other economies include a
reduced budget for the successful TalentAid
scheme, which supports gifted children and
young people. All existing commitments,
for example where the Trust has agreed to
pay fees at a drama or dance college, will be
honoured, but less money will be available
for new applicants.
The Lifelites project, which is equipping
every children’s hospice in England and
Wales with IT equipment, also has reduced
funds. New equipment will still be installed
but existing hospices might have to wait
longer for their equipment to be upgraded.
No other grants to non-Masonic
organisations will be made at present,
although existing obligations will be
honoured, including our programme of
choral bursaries in many cathedrals.
Another project that will continue will
be the equipping of the classroom facilities
in the new Children’s Hospital for Wales,
which will take place later in the year.
Grants to full beneficiaries of the Trust,
other than students, will change very little,
if at all. The Council will, of course, keep
the situation under review.
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