Charity Update February 2024

Since our last update, The Chase Lodge members, their families and visiting Brethren have enabled us to continue supporting charities near and far.

This year will see the culmination of the Festival Appeal of The Provincial Grand Lodge of Staffordshire. I am humbled and proud that through your remarkable commitment and consideration for others, we, as a Lodge, are nearing a figure of £14,000 donated to the Appeal, including gift aided tax relief.

This magnificent sum together with what else we can contribute during the next few months, will be distributed, together with donations from Freemasons country wide, to causes throughout the world, as Grand Lodge reacts speedily on our behalf to disaster appeals often sending aid and relief within weeks of these terrible events taking place around the world.

It is often forgotten that within the Province of Staffordshire, individual Brethren and Brethren and their families benefit in many ways every year from support from the Grand Lodge Masonic Charitable Foundation at a time when they are in need. We must also remember that this help and support is also provided by the Grand Lodge Masonic Foundation to several very worthy causes in our Province.

Locally we have continued to support several organizations in the area including Special Needs Adventure Playground, Katherine House Hospice, Rugeley and District Stroke Club, Masonic Widows, Ukrainian Wives and Children, Penkridge First Responders and West Chadsmoor Family Centre.

It was truly gratifying that at our Ladies Evening in 2023 we were able to raise in excess of £600, all of which has been forwarded to support local good causes.

We should not forget the countless hours of support that are given by Freemasons as, and when the need arises, a priceless gift for those in need of company and kindness.

I feel very proud as your Charity Steward of what has been achieved and for whatever we are able to do in the future to relieve the suffering of those less fortunate than ourselves.

To conclude and on a very worthy note, together with support from friends, families and brethren, over the last ten years, The Chase Lodge 6291 has donated in excess of £25,000 to worthy causes.

Truly Wonderful.

W Bro Andy Brittle
Charity Steward

Charity Update November 2020

Brethren All
What a year for everyone!!!
As we all reflect on the despair and suffering this year, it is gratifying to consider how wonderful it is that your collective generosity will brighten the dark days of so many.
Earlier this year, when we all had to adjust our lives and suffer so many privations, little did we know that one escape from the difficulties would be to bring some relief to the suffering of others through our charitable giving.
The appeal for your help and support when we could no longer attend our monthly meetings, to enable us to continue our annual contribution to good causes, was met with an extraordinary response, with some Brethren still opting to contribute each month and others forwarding gifts, as and when they can.
This generosity and consideration for others has enabled us to forward £2,860 to date, to the Grand Charity, Provincial Grand Lodge, Covid Appeal Fund, together with local organisations and individuals.

We have again supported our Widows, although few in number, their appreciation for the acknowledgement for being remembered, is perhaps worth more than any financial support. This is well worth remembering that Charity is not just in the form of money, our time and concern can often be more beneficial, and this has proved so during the Lockdown periods, when a quick phone call or message to a Brother has been so gratefully received.

How proud we should all feel, that we have been able to surpass our giving of recent years by donating £1,850 to 5 local organisations, so worthy of our support, these being £250 to Rugeley and District Stroke Centre, £600 to Katherine House Hospice, £200 to Penkridge 1st Responders, £600 to SNAP, (Special Needs Adventure Playground), £200 to Midlands Air Ambulance. These organisations rely so much on private donations and their own fund raising efforts and all are extremely thankful for our continued consideration. Further recent donations will enable us to distribute additional financial support, divided between those Charities and good causes we regularly support and are so appreciative of our assistance.

As reported previously, it is not right that we should maintain a high Bank Balance, as any money is of better use to those in need.
Should anyone have a cause close to their hearts that they feel merits consideration, please let me know and we will do all we can to assess their needs and support them if we can.

On behalf of all of those you support through your kindness and generosity, thank you so very much.
W Bro Andy Brittle
Charity Steward
November 2020

Charity Update January 2020

The Chase Lodge Members and their families, together with our Brother Visitors,  have continued with their generous support and commitment to Charity.

During 2019 we have again maintained our tradition of supporting local Charities and have made donations in excess of £1,000 to 5 deserving causes. These include Katherine House Hospice in Stafford, Rugeley and District Stroke Club and the Special Needs Adventure Playground (S.N.A.P.), in Cannock. The sincere appreciation shown by all recipients of our support is demonstrated by the letters of thanks and phone calls received, saying how much our support means to them, this is truly a heart warming and humbling experience.

S.N.A.P. are always grateful for any support and they extend an open invitation to any of us and our families to visit their organisation to see first hand the way our help is applied to those truly in need of it.

S.N.A.P. site at Pye Green Road, Cannock.

As we do every year, the Widows of the former members of Chase Lodge were provided with a financial gift at Christmas. Special mention must be to our Lodge Almoner, Worshipful Brother Wilf Moore for his continued efforts to ensure the Widows are as well as can be expected.

It should not be forgotten, that a phone call of support carries a priceless value and we are indebted to all those who found time to do this. To do so, whether it is to a Widow or a Brother and his family, is often worth more than any financial benefit.

This year we have managed to support the 2024 Staffordshire Festival, through Grand Charity donations in excess of £1,700, with individual donations of over £1,000, truly a wonderful achievement in these demanding times. As the majority of this is Gift Aided for Tax allowance, this adds another £425 to our contributions.

John Lockley, Provincial Grand Master for Staffordshire (centre) celebrates handing over Freemasons hospice grants at Compton Care, Wolverhampton. Pictured with him are Daniel O'Brien from Acorns Hospice, Stella Pass from St Giles Hospice, Kelly Day from Katherine House Hospice and Angela Ives from Compton Care.

It should be recognised that Grand Charity support local, national and international good causes and make donations to tune of £5 million each year. One such example of international support, was that in October 2019 they were able to donate the sum of Aus$150,000 to help those affected by the Australian bushfires at a time they needed it the most.  Local support has included Midland Freewheelers/Blood Bikes and various Hospices in our region, including Compton, St. Giles, Acorns Children’s Hospice and the Donna Louise Trust.

On behalf of all of those supported, in what ever way, either financially or with your time, a sincere thank you.

W.Bro. Andy Brittle

Charity Steward

Charity Update January 2019

Looking back on the year, we continue to support Grand Lodge Charities, as well as local Charities, but it is interesting to note how Grand Lodge use the income provided. Over the last forty years, the Masonic Charities Foundation has provided over £130 million to charities. Their grant-making programmes for charities target funding where it is considered most needed. The current target areas are:

-         Creating the best start in life for disadvantaged children and young people-

-         Reducing isolation in later life

-         Medical research into degenerative disease

-         Care services in the hospice sector

The Provincial Grand Lodge of Staffordshire have supported numerous good causes in the Province throughout the year, the most prominent one being the National Arboretum at Alrewas.

However, we at Chase Lodge consider that local deserving Charities and good causes feature high in our minds and in our priorities.

We have recently donated £350 to Rugeley and District Stroke Club, and our continual support greatly helps the Committee and Volunteers to continue their wonderful work and provide for a Christmas outing and meal for the users of the service. The Committee sends us all seasonal greetings and grateful thanks, together with an open Invitation to all Brethren and their partners of the Chase Lodge to visit the Centre and to see the work in operation.

We continue to support Katherine House Hospice and this year W Bro. Bob Osbourne represented us all, when he attended the Ladies Day golf tournament. We have again supported a local Scout group this year, being the 1st Heath Hayes Scout Group.

We have also supported the Special Needs Adventure Playground (SNAP) in Cannock again with a donation of £300, which they will use to cover the catering costs at a Charity Ball they are holding in Bridgtown on 25th January 2019, meaning that all money from ticket sales and raffles will go directly to SNAP. Any surplus will be put to good use, and as a small but very worthwhile Charity, they rely to a very large extent on the Charity givings, in order to enable them to carry on their special work.

As is the case every year, we continue to support the Widows of the Lodge, one of whom – Sylvia Burton even at 100 years of age, still holds the Lodge in great esteem and is always interested in what we are doing and how things are going.

Our Christmas Lodge of Instruction informal Ladies Evening provided a good night for all who attended and an added bonus was the fact that we managed to raise £320 for local Charities on the night. A little of the money raised was used to sponsor the Carol Service at Wilson Keys Court and this was another reminder to us all that our time when given freely carries with it, as great a value as any amount of money. It truly was a joyous evening and in whatever way you have supported our Charity giving, thank you so very much.

I conclude with a quotation from John Ruskin, which I consider puts all OUR Charity activity into perspective - ‘To give alms is nothing unless you give thought also’.

W Bro. Andy Brittle

Charity Steward

Charity update January 2018

Brethren, through your continuing support and generosity, together with that of your Ladies, our Brother Visitors and your Guests at our Masonic functions, the Chase Lodge has once again been able to support local causes and contribute to larger causes and Charities through the last year.

We have continued to support local charities and organisations, and some of these include Katherine House Hospice in Stafford, Rugeley and District Stroke Club and the 1^st Hednesford Scouts Group.

You were kind enough to enable us to donate tickets for the M Fest weekend at Weston Park in June, and I can inform you that a number of local adults and children had a wonderful time in helping us celebrate 300 years of Freemasonry in this Country. Your kind support brought countless smiles to families less fortunate than ourselves. The families concerned thank you all for the joy and pleasure your kindness and generosity gave them.

Also at a local level, we were able to support a local family in a state of sadness, their circumstances being too hurtful to report in any detail. We provided a donation via Staffordshire County Council which enabled the family to purchase 2 bikes for the children, and again the family have thanked us and said that the gifts have had a huge impact on the family.

You can appreciate the difficulty when trying to address such sadness, but I, on behalf of you all, feel honour bound to do what we can, whenever and wherever such misfortune is brought to our attention.

We have continued the tradition of supporting the Widows connected with the Lodge, with a Christmas donation.

We have also continued to support Grand Charity as we work towards our next Provincial Festival in 2024. Our contributions through your donations has enabled Grand Charity to support many national and international causes. Some of the national recipients in our Province include Air Ambulance, Midland Freewheelers/Blood Bikes and Staffordshire Women’s Aid. One of the many international causes worth mentioning is the donation made to the Caribbean Relief efforts after the devastation caused by Hurricane Matthew.

As a Lodge, later this year we are planning to support Wilson Keys Court in Rugeley at their Christmas Party, and this will remind us all that our time when given freely is greater than any amount of money.

Brethren, please let you Ladies know of how your and their support has helped us assist so many worthy causes throughout the year.

W. Bro. Andy Brittle

Charity Steward

January 2018

Charity update Jan 2017

Since our last update, and as at January 2017, the Chase Lodge has continued it’s policy of supporting National Masonic Charities and local Non Masonic organisations.

We have been able to make two donations totaling £450 to Rugeley and District Stroke Club which were greatly received and appreciated and has resulted in the Manager sending us an open invitation to anyone from the Lodge to attend any of their meetings and be able to see the wonderful kindness and joy shared between the volunteers and those who use the facilities of the Centre.

We have also been able to make the following Donations:

£250 to Katherine House Hospice, Stafford

£500 to St Giles Hospice, Lichfield

£500 to West Midlands Air Ambulance

£400 to the Salvation Army in Cannock

We have also purchased a small number of Tickets for MFest 300 to be held at Weston Park on Saturday 24^th and Sunday 25^th June 2017, which is to mark 300 years of Freemasonry and will provide a wide variety of entertainment for Masons and non Masons. These are Family Tickets for children and their guardians who may be less fortunate than ourselves.

In addition, we continue to support National Masonic Charities such as Prostate Cancer Research, Flood Relief in Cumbria and the National Memorial Arboretum and also of course those much closer to Home, our Masonic Widows, who each received a Christmas Gift from the Lodge.

On this note of the Widows supported by the Lodge, a recent visit to Mrs Sylvia Burton, wife of the late W Bro Gerry Burton (Sylvia is aged 98 and still lives at Home in Hednesford), she always enquires about the Lodge and how we are doing, and has donated a special bottle of Whisky, for which she would like the proceeds go to help others. (The Sylvia and Gerry Burton Raffle springs to mind).

As a Lodge and as a Province we are now heading towards our next Festival and we hope to match or hopefully surpass the £11,400 we contributed to the £1.67m raised by Staffordshire Lodges for the previous Festival in 2013.

W Bro. Andy Brittle

Charity Steward