ANOTHER WAY TO MAKE DONATIONS COUNT TOWARDS THE 2014 FESTIVAL

Just a reminder for some and new information for others, below is a link to the 'justgiving' pages which will allow you and your Members to run events and have the sponsors link into these pages and they will automatically credit your Festival with the money.

The RMTGB are already have a number of events being run on these pages and are receiving the donations, already gift aided, on a regular basis. Here is a chance to use this facility and perhaps encourage new money?

THE FESTIVAL FOR THE ROYAL MASONIC TRUST FOR BOYS AND GIRLS IS OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED IN LINCOLN

Friday the 17th October saw the official launch of the 2014 Festival at the County Assembly Rooms, Lincoln. Senior Provincial Officers, representatives of the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys (RMTGB) and some 200 Freemasons from across the Province attended to hear a number of presentations outlining the work of the charity, how it is funded and how we as a Province need to work with enthusiasm and dedication to meet the target for the Festival.

The Provincial Grand Master, Rt.W.Bro. Graham Ives, addresses the meeting.

The presentations took place during a most enjoyable dinner. Following the starter, W.Bro. les Hutchinson (Chief Executive RMTGB) gave a moving presentation entitled 'When Tragedy Strikes'.

The following text and graphics were taken from his presentation to the Brethren.

RW Provincial Grand Master, Brethren, It is my pleasure to be with you today to deliver a short talk on the work of the RMTGB; one of the four central Masonic Charities and launch the 2014 Festival Appeal in support of the Trust.

I am delighted to be joined by W. Bro Keith Emmerson, Deputy Chairman of the Trust and also Chairman of the Petitions Committee. Keith will be speaking to you a little later on.

Our presentation has been broken into three sections entitled:-

When Tragedy Strikes,
Relieving Poverty, Advancing Education
and finally Their Future in your hands.

And I hope that we will be able to give you an interesting and enlightening insight into the work of this very important charity which we are proud to call the Jewel in the Crown of Freemasonry.

But before I go on, let me give you a very brief glimpse into our past.

First, we travel back to the year 1788 when two unlikely characters formed a working partnership.
The Duchess of Cumberland was the imperious sister-in-law of King George III.
The second character was Chevalier Bartholomew Ruspini, a London Freemason and holder of a Papal Knighthood. He was dentist to the rich and famous at a time when dentistry for most consisted of a pair of pliers preceded by a bottle of brandy!

Together they formed a school "The Royal Cumberland Freemasons' School for Female Objects". A similar provision for boys was founded in 1798.
Some time later it was realised that sending a poor child away to school was not always the best solution; so the trustees of the school later began to give what was termed 'Out Relief' as well. These were financial grants to children living at home.

And so the work of the Trust continued, with many beneficiaries - boys as well as girls - being offered a place in its charity schools; while others stayed at home and received the benefit of financial support.
Between 1788 and the 1970s not much happened to the Trust or its Masonic traditions! The girls' school and the boys' school grew larger. The Institutions helped ever increasing numbers of Masonic children, and from time to time they relocated the schools to ever bigger and grander buildings.

Then in the early 1970s things began to change. Fewer and fewer beneficiaries were being sent to the boarding schools and more and more were receiving 'Out Relief'. Eventually, the Royal Masonic School for Boys became financially unviable and, sadly, closed its doors.

Some of you may be aware that the girls' school at Rickmansworth was not sold but, by way of an endowment, was set up as a separate foundation. It is an independent school for girls operating in the private sector. However, two injunctions were laid upon the school by the Charity:

Firstly, any girl placed there by the newly formed Trust would be accepted by the school, and secondly, If petition children ceased attending the school in the future, the endowment would revert back to the Trust to support petition girls elsewhere.

There are currently 36 beneficiaries of the Trust attending the Royal Masonic School for Girls at Rickmansworth. (February 2008)

The former Institutions were considered by many to be too institutional and not in keeping with modern thinking on education and child welfare. For example, the Girls Institution was only able to assist legally adopted or legitimate daughters of Freemasons; thus preventing step-daughters or the daughters of unmarried Freemasons from benefiting. The amalgamation of the former Institutions to form the RMTGB with its new rules removed many of these old-fashioned anomalies.

Today, our mission is:-

' 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.'

You will note that our assistance falls into two categories, Masonic and non-Masonic. It is only after discharging our duty to Masonic beneficiaries that we may, if funds permit, consider helping non-Masonic children.

Turning first to our core business, helping Masonic beneficiaries, we may assist any children of the family of a Freemason. This means any child that was at one time cared for by a Freemason that for reasons of his own distress is no longer able to help.

This can include Stepfathers, Grandfathers and even unrelated Freemasons provided they have brought up the child as their own.

Like all Charities we have our set criteria for Grant Making. Cases must fall into a specific category before assistance can be given. In all we have 11 categories of distress, the four main categories relate to distress where the father of the child or children is a Freemason, these are:-

Death
Desertion
Disability
and
Financial Distress

Then there are those cases where the father is not a Freemason but where some other person often the Grandfather, has to some extent supported the child

The final four categories cover the death or desertion of both parents, our orphans, children of former beneficiaries of the Institutions, cases where the Freemason father is over retirement age and lastly cases where the child has special physical, mental or educational needs.

In 1986 the Trust had 749 beneficiaries on its books. The numbers have, however, risen steadily and during 2007 we supported over 1,800 girls and boys at schools, colleges and universities.

This significant rise in the numbers under our protection over the past twenty years is attributable to a number of factors:-

a growing awareness of the relief available from the Trust

an increase in the rate of desertion, in the early days of the charity most of our cases were accepted as a result of the death of the father, things have changed however, in 2007 only 17% of all cases were accepted under this criteria whereas 48% were due to the desertion of a parent.

The third reason for the increase in numbers is due to an increase in appeals resulting from temporary financial distress (i.e. unemployment or bankruptcy) We are watching with baited breath to see how our work is affected by the current financial crisis and economic downturn.

and the final reason is that young people are now tending to stay in education for a longer period. Something we actively encourage.

Several years ago the Trust accepted a Petition on behalf of two boys. Effectively they were orphans.

Their father, a police sergeant, was accused and convicted of murdering his wife by beating her to death with his truncheon. He had attempted to conceal the act by faking an accident. Until that time he had also been a Freemason. With no parents around to look after them, the boys ended up being cared for by their elderly grandparents.

The grandfather, then in his 60's, suffered from cervical spondylosis and high blood pressure. He had retired early from his employment as a miner on medical grounds, so his meagre pension meant that the family finances were not good. In fact, the family's assessable income was less than £4,000 per annum.

The grandparents needed financial help caring for the two boys and this assistance is still being given; even though the father was obviously expelled from the Craft.

Sadly, as the last real life story illustrates, many cases arise where the parents and particularly the Masonic father, have behaved in a way we consider abhorrent. Whilst expulsion in such cases is a matter for the Craft, we believe that the father's behaviour or crime should in no-way disadvantage his family and, as such, we always consider both the individual needs of the child and the financial circumstances of the family as a whole, when assessing what assistance, if any, to give.

In all cases poverty and need have to be proven. In the first instance the Trust is a poverty charity, not an educational charity, as many Freemasons may think! In terms of need, only families with an income of less than £5,000 (after deducting housing costs) will gain our maximum support.

There followed a break while the Brethren enjoyed the main course of the dinner after which W.Bro. Keith Emmerson rose to make his presentation as follows:

Ladies and Brethren, as Chairman of the Petitions Committee I can assure you that nothing can prepare you for the never-ending stream of heartbreak and tragedy witnessed by members of this Committee; but it clearly puts into perspective why the future of this particular Masonic Charity is so important to all of us here today.

Our support takes many forms including scholarships for those at University or the provision of London accommodation. But maintenance allowances; addressing the lack of income and thus having a direct effect on relative poverty are the most common way that we help our families, particularly where younger children are involved.

But, income is just one measure of poverty. It can also be measured by looking at deprivation of items and services, such as the ability to afford to go on school trips or to have a hobby.

Imagine your child starting their new secondary school and they haven’t got the same school shoes and bag as everyone else, perhaps they don’t have a computer at home, straight away they are labelled as different.

Also, many poor families find the long summer holidays very difficult. The loss of free school meals and the other costs associated with having their children at home all day means extra financial pressure on parents. In response, the Trust awards a summer holiday grant to each child of our lowest income families. This means that the children have the chance to enjoy day trips or cinema visits during the summer, just as their classmates will do.

We try to target grants to help with specific markers that stereotype poverty, things that make a huge difference to children’s lives.

Yes, in some cases we do pay fees - to 14% per cent of our beneficiaries last year to be precise.

Fee support, however, is usually only provided when a child is mid way through a particular course at a particular school when the poverty strikes or to support an orphan where the suitability and security of a boarding school is considered to be in their best interests.

This is not supporting posh schools for posh kids. This is supporting the right school for the child in their time of need.

Finally, we have several subsidiary funds to give relief to children and young adults. These fall into two categories.

The first contains 2 special funds available to the Trust to provide immediate relief in an emergency.

The second comprises scholarships, bursaries and travelling fellowships available to qualified students on application and awarded on merit. In 2007, 66 young people received grants from subsidiary funds.

One of the larger subsidiary charities is the Masonic Boys' Welfare Fund, which can give support to boys and young men even if they have no Masonic connection. It is used especially to give support to disabled children and young people

Every application for support is different, the needs of each family will vary significantly and will depend on the funds now available to the family and the realisable expectations of the family had poverty not struck.

As a retired Police Officer myself I was particularly saddened by the story of the police officer that killed his wife. In this case there were two sons involved. When the petition was accepted one was aged 10 the other 7. The eldest boy is now an adult, having graduated from University in 2005.

As Les has already stated, the assessable income of the elderly grandparents is very low. Initially, as the grandparents would have struggled to cope on a full time basis, it was agreed to support the eldest boy at a fee-paying school on a weekly boarding basis.

Over a 12 year period the Trust provided support in excess of £65,000 for this boy alone. It would have cost a lot more, had the school not awarded a bursary equating to 50% of the fees.

£65,000 - or an average of £5,400 per annum for this one child alone! At any one time, we could be supporting as many as 1,800 children. So it is easy to see how our costs could escalate in the future!!!

Of the £65,000, just under half went towards the residual school fees. The remainder provided a termly maintenance allowance and then a Scholarship when he went to University.

This grant included a clothing allowance in order that the appropriate school uniform could be purchased, a travel allowance to meet the cost of returning home at weekends, a computer and each year a Christmas grant to help bring some additional Festive cheer.

Despite the disruption to his family life, it is worth mentioning that this boy also received an achievement award from the Trust in recognition of the fact that he attained 9 GCE's at the 'A' grade.

For the record, the second child of the family received almost identical support and attended the same school.

As of yesterday there were 29 beneficiaries receiving the care and protection of the Trust from the Province of Lincolnshire. In the last twelve months, almost £106,000 was expended on these beneficiaries alone. If we look at the last 5 years expenditure increases to almost £543,000.

Thus far we have focussed on our Masonic beneficiaries. However, as Les mentioned earlier, when funds permit the Trust also assists children who are not the children of Freemasons; usually by making direct grants to other National charities operating in the same field of Relief.

We also continue to offer bursaries for choristers at many of our Cathedrals.

In 2007 - 24 Choristers benefited at a cost of over £210,000. We are currently supporting Choristers at Lincoln Cathedral and St James's Parish Church, Great Grimsby.

Let me now just mention TalentAid, the name for one of our more recent initiatives, which aims to provide support for the gifted children of Freemasons. This scheme targets those families who are unable to afford the additional costs associated with having a talented child.

Those candidates whose father, step-father or guardian is a subscribing Freemason, or was in good standing at the time of his death, will be eligible for TalentAid. This scheme is also available for the grandchildren of Freemasons.

In 2007, 66 grants were awarded, some recurring grants for fees at specialist schools and colleges (such as Millfield for sport) and other one-off grants for sports coaching, advanced music lessons, the purchase of instruments or equipment and for travel expenses when taking part in competitions.

We have a supply of TalentAid application forms with us today, further forms can be obtained by writing directly to the Trust. Perhaps you already know of a Brother who has a child or a grandchild with a particular talent that could benefit from this fund?

Through the TalentAid scheme We are currently supporting a number of young members of Team GB and we have high hopes for them in the 2012 Olympics.

I now turn to Lifelites. In an effort to counter the adverse press Freemasonry has received in the past and to illustrate some of our good works, such as 'Lifelites', our millennium project which supports the Children's Hospice movement, we now actively take steps to publicise our non Masonic giving.

Where possible a Provincial Grand Master will be invited to present non-Masonic awards on behalf of the Trust. The local press are also invited to attend and report.

Every Children's Hospice in England and Wales has now joined Lifelites and in view of it's huge success the project, with the aid of a £4m grant from the Trust, it has been established as a separate but subsidiary Charity, able to seek both Masonic and non-Masonic support that will safeguard it's future. Your local children's hospice, St Andrews at Grimsby, has been part of Lifelites since 2000.

Of course the latest vehicle for publicity is the Internet and we are also publicising our work through the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys Web Site that can be found at www.rmtgb.org.

We also have a number of presentation stands, two of which are here today, which are readily available for open-days or fundraising events and help illustrate some of the important works carried out by the charity. If you are able to assist us in this connection please contact Les directly at the Trust.

W.Bro. Emmerson then handed the dias back to Les Hutchinson for the conclusion of his presentation entitled "Their Future in your hands"

Brethren, as with the other three central Masonic Charities, a Festival sponsored by a Province is held annually in support of the Trust.
The funds raised depend largely upon the size of the Province, the commitment and generosity of the Brethren involved and, dare I say it, the enthusiasm and leadership skills of every Worshipful Master and Lodge Charity Steward!

However, please remember that when the Trust accepts a new petition our commitment will remain either until the child or young adult completes his or her full-time education or training or until the financial circumstances of that family improve sufficiently.

If we accept a child under our protection at a very young age our commitment could continue for anything up to 20 years or more. Our long-term financial commitments therefore are considerable and this is without taking into account many of the additional projects we have mentioned.

The Trust is not a rich Charity!!!

Expenditure in the last four years or so has exceeded income by as much as 40%. That is simply not sustainable for any length of time.

Unless addressed this deficit would threaten the Trust’s ability to maintain support for its core petitioners and our proud statement that no child in need has ever been turned away through lack of funds.

This graph shows that total expenditure of the Trust over the last 21 years was £156M. Festival Income in that time amounted to £52M

A shortfall of over £104M which we have had to meet from the Endowment, funds which were accumulated through the generosity of our predecessors over a period of some 250 years.

Our current level of assistance costs the Trust over £9M per year. Donations during the year from Festivals and legacies average less than £3M therefore our capital funds must produce a shortfall of over £6M.

An active dialogue is continuing between the Trust and the other three main Masonic Charities on steps that we can take together to share resources. This has produced some significant proposals, which the Council have agreed. Including the decision that we should move to Freemasons' Hall in order to reduce overhead costs and enable greater economies of scale. The move took place in February.

Together with steps we have already taken, this should ensure that the effectiveness of the Trust and modest cost of running it are both optimised and that funds ultimately available to our beneficiaries are maximised.

Today, more than ever, the Trust is being asked to fund more & more cases and on your behalf, we continue to disburse grants and manage the welfare of these Masonic petitioners.

Education, maintenance, special needs assistance, choral bursaries and TalentAid costs are continuing to increase and your support is needed more than ever so that we continue to undertake the work entrusted to us over 200 years ago by Chevalier Ruspini.

The continued generosity of Provinces through the Festival system is vital to our long-term strategy.

Returning to the earlier case of the imprisoned police officer and the two sons that the Trust has assisted.

You may recall that the eldest boy had recently graduated and I am pleased to show you this recent picture together with extracts of the letter of thanks received by the Trust.

There can be no doubt that our support has and will continue to have a significant impact on this young man's life.

Each year the Trust receives hundreds of letters of thanks from grateful Freemason's and their families. I can assure you that they really do appreciate how fortunate they are to have the support of the Trust.

In May 2003 Her Majesty the Queen gave permission to restore our 'Royal' title and I hope you will agree that this is a fitting tribute to the work carried out by your Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys and the Craft in general.

In 2014 you will celebrate the culmination of the Lincolnshire Festival Appeal in support of the Trust. The success of your Festival rests in the hands of every Brother and Lodge in the Province.

Now is the time to ensure that every Brother in your Lodge is a team player. Please keep up the good work by encouraging and enabling every Brother in their support of your Provincial Grand Master's appeal, so that he and they can be proud of their efforts and the final Festival result in 2014. Please remember the significance of Gift Aid tax relief. Regular giving by standing order spreads the pain and eases the gain. Little and often can make a huge difference to the lives of the children that we help. By giving a minimum of £10 per month throughout the appeal you can become a Festival Steward and ensure that your Province meets its target. For £14 per month you can even become a Vice Patron of the appeal. Regular giving is the key to a successful appeal. Alms collections, boxes for your loose change and lodge events are the icing on the cake and enable us to do just a little bit more to help our needy children.

RT.W. Bro. Provincial Grand Master thank you for accepting the challenge and agreeing to support the Trust for your next Festival Appeal.

Brethren, Keith and I hope we have given you enough ammunition tonight to make your job just a little bit easier. We would be grateful if you would now help spread the word throughout the Province and please do not hesitate to contact us directly if there is any further assistance you require.

Brethren during the course of this evening, approximately 3 hours the Trust has disbursed approximately £3,250, during the same time we have received just over £1,000 or about one third from new donations. We need to reduce this imbalance.

Finally, you will see from your menu that this is Marcus shown here with his rabbit and magic wand. A beneficiary since his father died of cancer at the age of 37.

The magic that we can work for him and for so many other children depends so much on your continued generosity. We thank you for your attention and, on behalf of all the beneficiaries of the Trust, we wish you well and thank you for your support. Thank you brethren".

The Provincial Grand Chaplain then returned thanks and the Provincial Grand Master proposed the Loyal Toast.

The Deputy Provincial Grand Masters Speech

The Deputy Provincial Grand Master, W.Bro. John Hockin, then rose and gave one of his usual rousing presentations in which he outlined the tragets for the Festival and the part each Lodge and Mason in the Province could take to ensure the Festival was a success.

He started by saying .... "Tonight you have had information about this magnificent charity and many people have asked "Can we see what has gone on the screen?" and the answer is:- that an edited version of will be available soon on the web site of most of what you have seen on the screen..... but my wonderful job tonight is to bring you the icing on the cake. You have heard the benefits of this charity and are saying "How can we become involved?"

W.Bro. W.J. Hockin, the Deputy Provincial Grand Master, makes his impassioned speech to the Brethren.

Because here we have the leaders of the Lodges now and the leaders of the Lodges to 2014. We wanted everybody to know how the targets were set and how we can become involved. I am not going into the technicalities of how you can achieve them - that will be organised by my successor (as Provincial Charity Steward), W.Bro. David Richardson who will be talking about this at the training session for Lodge Charity Stewards.....we really need to get one from every Lodge at that training session for we are going to be a team.

Let us look at what has happened in the past. When we had the 2003 Festival, all of you will know that the target was £1.5Million. What was the result - £2.6Million. So the first thing we have to get in our heads is that the target is not a ceiling -the target is a base-line and we go through the base-line to where we need to be. But so that we can put everything into context. The 2003 Festival was started in 1996. This Festival is starting in 2009 which is not many months away and it is important that people in the Lodges make sure that the destination for their contributions are to the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys. All that needs is a word from the Charity Steward.

When I prepared this presentation I could give you some facts but in the last week those facts have been 'up-skittled' a bit because from 1996 to today the increase in the Retail Price Index and inflation is considerably more than 39%. If you take 39% above £1.5M which was the target before we come to a target of just over £2M........ but the 2003 Festival was over 7 years but this is over only 5 years but the beneficiaries of our giving are not bothered whether it is a 7 year or 5 year campaign - the money needed is just the same.

When the target was fixed for the 2003 Festival, the targets from Lodges were based on the contributions from 100% of the membership. Plus the fact that members who were members of more than one Lodge were considered more than one person. So that, if you were a member of three Craft Lodges, you were expected to pay three times as much. So I am going to be real..... we are countering some of the excuses that we had in 2003 i.e. some of our people are on fixed incomes, some are young people with young families, some of our people we never see, some are in Masonic Centres where there are other demands.

We are taking into consideration all the excuses that we are likely to hear because we are not talking about those who can't but those who won't - and there is a significant difference. So, when we are setting the targets for 2014, the targets will be based on 85% of the membership in the 'Blue Book' thus allowing for the 15% who are on fixed incomes, have young children, or from areas where there is another demand on their money. The excuses have been removed. The other thing we are saying is that multiple members can decide which Lodge they want to contribute to..... and we will adjust the figures accordingly.

We also want to have 100% of all those UK taxpayers on Gift Aid.....and each Lodge member will be getting one of those in due course.....we have 3700 members in the Province of Lincolnshire.....85% of which is 3145 without any excuse what so ever to contribute. They are the real team players.

We know the local circumstances and we know that the end result is going to be more important than the target because we want to go through that ceiling - recognising the base-line as the figure which you are going to tell me is what we are to set.

For the benefit of all of you, I am going to publish a list of all Lodges, in rank order, according to where they stand in their per capita giving over the year. The only people that will complain about that are the people at the bottom - for whom I have no sympathy what so ever because they can remove themselves from the bottom, quite simply, by giving more.

When talking about figures, we musn't talk about the global figure..... or the annual figure....that's too big....we need to have 'bite size' amounts. We also need to realise that we need to encourage this regular contribution through standing orders.....after three months it is going and is not noticed. We need to have a positive attitude within the Lodges. We need the Masters and Charity Stewards all to be saying....." we are going to be on board. We know that there are other demands on you but this is important.....this is what we promised to do when in the North East Corner....that we would give freely".

It is the attitude that is important and we need to have an understanding of the Festival and I believe, you will go away from here as ambassadors for the Festival. You can convince the members of your Lodge, those stone-age obstructionists, you can convince them of the need to give. Anyone who leaves here tonight who doesn't understand and want to give - I think you need an emotional transplant!

Let us have special events, social events - Masons and their families all revolving together. Not a fund-raising event but a social event - and if you have a happy social event you will make it a fund-raising event. Get the money while they're smiling!

All we need to do to achieve the target is £10.00 per month from every member of your Lodge and without anything else you will succeed.

Ten pounds a month is less half a gallon of petrol a week which to some of you who drive cars means three miles!

Ten pounds a month is less than a gin and tonic a week

Ten pounds a month is less than a pint of beer a week.

Anybody who can't give £10.00 a month is a won't not a can't. We need to face reality of what a pound is today - irrespective of the financial situation throughout the world. If we can do this and everybody completes a Gift Aid form we have done it".

W.Bro William John Hockin, the Deputy Provincial Grand Master, then proposed the toast to the Provincial Grand Master, Rt.W.Bro Graham Ives. He began with a most humorous story as to his own appointment as Deputy and having got his audience in the right frame of mind he continued with the toast.

He paid tribute to the previous Provincial Grand Master and his officers and then to Rt.W.Bro Graham Ives, the Provincial Grand Master, saying…."he is one who will ensure we have a happy and successful Festival and that the targets will be achieved and surpassed enormously. We are very lucky, we have a man of the 21st Century who will enable us to evolve and, under his leadership, we shall have a happy and successful Province". He then proposed the toast to the Provincial Grand Master of Lincolnshire.

The Provincial Grand Master's response to his Toast

The Provincial Grand Master, in his response to the toast, thanked the brethren for their support on this very important event.....saying "I am sure you have a large amount of information which you have accumulated and will retain. I do urge you to visit the Provincial web site and thank W.Bro. Stewart Oxborough for his attendance and hard work in connection with the web site. I suspect that this event will be recorded on the web site very shortly, maybe even next morning, so I do urge you to refresh your memory as to what happened this evening and also to encourage your Brethren of your Lodges to visit the web site and to gain information about the Festival and other Provincial matters. Indeed, I urge you to go to your Lodges and impart all the wonderful information that you have obtained this evening in support of the Festival.

In that respect, I really would like to extend again grateful thanks to the representatives from the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys who have spoken to us so professionally and so well this evening - W.Bro Les Hutchinson, the Chief Executive and W.Bro Keith Emmerson the Deputy Chairman. They are, already, our good friends and Brothers and we are looking forward to a long, close and happy association over the next few years and do hope you can accept our invitation, on an annual basis, to attend our Provincial Grand Lodge meeting on the second Wednesday in May at the Epic Centre and perhaps, on occasion, be able to address Provincial Grand Lodge on the Festival and all that is happening.....we look forward to seeing in Lincolnshire very soon".

The Provincial Grand Master then thanked the Provincial Grand Stewards Lodge, the Hall staff and Bro. Martin Pettit of Lincoln for all their assistance in the arrangements. He then went on to say....."my address would not be complete without thanking my Deputy Provincial Grand Master, W.Bro. John Hockin, for all his hard work in not only his arrangements for this evening but also the arrangements for the Festival generally - ably supported by our new Provincial Grand Charity Steward, W.Bro. David Richardson. Grateful thanks to both of them. It is a great comfort for me to know that I have their efficiency and loyalty by my side.

I am sure that, having listened to W.Bro John Hockin today with his usual great humour but also his efficiency and professionalism, you fully support and understand why he is my loyal Deputy Provincial Grand Master. So thank you very much John and you David for all the work that you have done and will do for the Festival.

I did say earlier that, so far as the Festival is concerned, I want it to be a happy and positive occasion over the next five years. I don't want it to be a chore, I want it to be happy and I think you have before you a very manageable target which I am sure we will reach and we go beyond. So please go into your Lodges and encourage all your Brethren to have as much information about the Trust as you have gained this evening and to encourage them to make the monthly payments that have been suggested".

He then thanked the Provincial Grand Director of Ceremonies, W.Bro Robert Holland for looking after him so well. He, again, thanked the Brethren for attending, wished them a safe journey home and said....."please, please support and look forward to the Festival with enthusiasm". He then sat to a standing ovation from the Brethren.

W.Bro John Hockin then told the Brethren that there were two surprises for them - saying....."The Lincolnshire Provincial Social Committee raise a lot of money and, on their behalf this evening, W.Bro Keith Slater would like to pass a cheque to W.Bro. Keith Emmerson, the Deputy Chairman of the RMTGB".

W.Bro. Slater said that, while it was not the role of the Committee to raise money but to bring the Brethren together for social events, the Committee would like to 'kick-start' the Festival and presented a cheque for £4000.00 for which he was warmly thanked.

W.Bro. Hockin then informed the Brethren that the Brethren of the Stewards' Lodge would pass out papers to each Lodge giving the number of members, what was required for the annual target and what would be achieved after the five years. He said in closing....."All of you have said that you are committed to it, there is no problem - this is the answer. Thank you very much".

The Provincial Grand Master then retired with his party.

LODGE TARGETS FOR THE 2014 FESTIVAL

“Revised December 2008”.

Lodge & No:	Annual Total £	Festival Total £
Harmony 272	7,395.00	36,975.00
Witham 297	4,760.00	23,800.00
Doric 362	5,865.00	29,325.00
Yarborough 422	7,990.00	39,950.00
Shakespeare 426	5,865.00	29,325.00
Hundred of Elloe 469	6,885.00	34,425.00
St Botolph's 588	5,780.00	28,900.00
Lindsey 712	6,035.00	30,175.00
Pelham Pillar 792	4,420.00	22,100.00
Franklin 838	6,545.00	32,725.00
Alexandra 985	5,185.00	25,925.00
Hereward 1232	6,375.00	31,875.00
Ancholme 1282	6,035.00	30,175.00
Bayons 1286	5,865.00	29,325.00
Saint Albans 1294	2,805.00	14,025.00
Olive Union 1304	6,545.00	32,725.00
St Hugh 1386	4,335.00	21,675.00
St Matthew 1447	5,270.00	26,350.00
Isle of Axholme 1482	6,545.00	32,725.00
Hamilton 1600	5,185.00	25,925.00
Lumley 1893	5,950.00	29,750.00
St Lawrence 2078	5,525.00	27,625.00
Smyth 2284	5,270.00	26,350.00
Ermine 2351	3,825.00	19,125.00
Earl of Yarborough 2770	5,780.00	28,900.00
St Guthlac 2880	3,060.00	15,300.00
Excalibur 2959	4,420.00	22,100.00
Lord Worsley 3017	5,015.00	25,075.00
Astral 3841	6,375.00	31,875.00
Daedalus 3843	4,505.00	22,525.00
Paulinus 3957	4,080.00	20,400.00
St Clement 4300	4,760.00	23,800.00
Industry 4662	5,185.00	25,925.00
Lindis 4690	6,885.00	34,425.00
Granta 4950	4,335.00	21,675.00
Gainas 5121	3,400.00	17,000.00
Ashlar 5219	3,315.00	16,575.00
Apollo 5471	4,675.00	23,375.00
Shire 5610	5,100.00	25,500.00
Lindum 5777	3,655.00	18,275.00
Lord Heneage 5979	4,420.00	22,100.00
Pharos 6450	4,845.00	24,225.00
William Peters 6761	5,355.00	26,775.00
Hermes 6861	5,865.00	29,325.00
Vigilantes 7264	3,060.00	15,300.00
Saint James 7415	5,440.00	27,200.00
Saint Godric 7517	4,675.00	23,375.00
St Peter 7648	4,420.00	22,100.00
St John 7840	4,675.00	23,375.00
Saint Mary 7898	5,015.00	25,075.00
Temple Belwood 8073	6,460.00	32,300.00
Sir Isaac Newton 8103	4,845.00	24,225.00
Bolingbroke Castle 8173	6,375.00	31,875.00
Round Table of Lincolnshire 8240	5,695.00	28,475.00
St Pega 8317	4,930.00	24,650.00
Eccles 8632	3,230.00	16,150.00
Old Clee 8697	3,315.00	16,575.00
Minster 8702	3,060.00	15,300.00
Pilgrim Fathers 8795	5,015.00	25,075.00
Wellow Abbey 8819	4,165.00	20,825.00
St Denys 9032	5,100.00	25,500.00
Aveland 9060	3,655.00	18,275.00
Lincs Bicentenary Lodge of Inst. Masters 9467	10,285.00	51,425.00
Vermuyden 9482	5,185.00	25,925.00
Welland 9556	3,230.00	16,150.00
Rudyard Kipling 9681	3,315.00	16,575.00
Lincs Prov Grand Stewards Lodge 9726	5,355.00	26,775.00
Daylight 9748	3,400.00	17,000.00
Glanford Vale 9769	4,675.00	23,375.00
Trent Valley Daylight 9779	4,165.00	20,825.00
Meridian Daylight 9813	3,570.00	17,850.00
Lodge of Established Order 9822	2,975.00	14,875.00
Fenland Daylight 9825	4,165.00	20,825.00
Sir Joseph Banks Daylight 9828	4,080.00	20,400.00
Grand Total		1,844,075.00

To be continued.......................................

TRAINING DAY FOR LODGE CHARITY STEWARDS FOR 2014 FESTIVAL

Charity Stewards representing 45 Lodges from throughout the Province attended an Information Event for the 2014 Festival towards the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys, at the Alford Masonic Hall on Saturday 15th November 2008.

Chaired by the Provincial Grand Charity Steward W.Bro. David Richardson, they received presentations from the Deputy PGM, W.Bro. John Hockin; W.Bro Chris White (Norfolk), representing the RMTGB; W.Bro. Paul Daubney and W.Bro. Brian Marsh. The meeting gave the Brethren details of the Charitys' work, and how the Brethren can best achieve the raising of the Provinces target.

L to R:W.Bro.Michael Carter, W.Bro.Brian Marsh, W.Bro.W.J.Hockin.DEP.PGM, W.Bro.Chris White and W.Bro.Paul Daubney

W.Bro.D.B.Richardson (DBR) Provincial Grand Charity Steward, welcomed the Deputy PGM and the Brethren.

He then introduced the panel of speakers:
W.Bro.Chris White.P.A.G.PURS. (CW), W.Bro.Paul Daubney.P.Prov.G.Reg. (PW).
W.Bro.W.J.Hockin.DEP.PGM, (WJH) W.Bro.Brian Marsh.P.G.Std.B. (BM) and W.Bro.Michael Carter who had kindly agreed to take the minutes.
Various Forms were available:
• Brochures for the 2014 Festival (The Brochures allocated to each Lodge were taken to the various Masonic Centres by those present)
• RMTGB Gift Aid/Standing Order Forms.
• Gift Aid Envelopes
• Gift Aid envelope guidance notes.
• Gift Aid envelope verification schedule.
• Annual Return Forms.
• List of Targets for Lodges for the 2014 Festival
• Lodge Charity Steward Handbook
• Lodge Charity Steward Receipt Books.
• If any Lodge Charity Steward requires these documents please contact DBR

The main topic for the meeting was to be the 2014 Festival for the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys (RMTGB).

W.Bro. David Richardson (Shown right at the Festival launch in Lincoln) gave guidance on how Lodge Charity Stewards are to make sure that the existing Donations and Standing Order contributions from their Brethren go towards the Festival Targets by ensuring that all monies on the Annual Return are directed to LMCA, and that they are all Gift Aided.

He also pointed out that the preferred method of dealing with Donations and Contributions for the 2014 Festival was to use the RMTGB Standing Order/Gift Aid Form. The forms showed the amounts required for the Festival Honorific Jewels. Donations etc would go direct to RMTGB who would also take care of the administration making it very much easier for Lodge Charity Stewards.The money would also reach RMTGB sooner and be put on deposit until the end of the Festival at a very attractive interest rate.

There would be a report at regular intervals showing amounts that individuals and Lodges had accrued. These reports would be transmitted to the Lodges. DBR also referred to Gift Aid envelopes that can be used for Charity Collections in Lodges especially at events such as Installations. Again, these are sent direct to RMTGB who claim the Gift Aid for individuals and Lodges. There is an ample supply of these. Lodge Charity Stewards only need to get in touch with DBR for supplies.

DBR asked that changes of Lodge Charity Stewards should be notified to him and Provincial Office.

DBR asked Lodge Charity Stewards to always have some news to give to the Brethren when they give their report in Lodge.

DBR asked Lodge Charity Stewards to work with Lodge Almoners to ensure that no distressed Brethren were overlooked.

DBR asked that all Donations to Local Charities and Good Causes that are not included in the Annual Returns be reported to him so that all the many excellent Charitable Works by Lodges are known throughout the Province.

DBR concluded his welcome and intoduced CW who was representing The Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys.

CW gave graphic accounts of two cases which had been dealt with by RMTGB. In each case children and families had been left in dire circumstances. The Trust had stepped in to offer immediate help.

Each year approximately 1800 children benefit from the Trust’s involvement with their welfare. It costs £9m per annum with £3m of that being donated from Provincial Masonic Festivals. The other £6m is from historic investments wisely brought about by our masonic predecessors.

The biggest task we face during the 2014 Festival is to improve communication.

Many comments are made about The Trust being elitist, supporting only ‘Posh Schools for Posh Kids’ as the common cry. CW asked all present to speak to brethren and put over to them that only 14% of monies goes towards school fees. These are paid in cases where The Trust accept that moving a student from a fee-paying school and causing that person more disruption to their already truamatised existance would be detrimental to their wellbeing.

He went on to state that any person with a masonic relative qualifies for help from the RMTGB. He elaborated by referring to an on-going case where a 53 year old Grandfather who was himself in ill health and on state benefits was trying to look after and bring up his Grandchildren. The Trust was now involved and immediate relief had been given.

Help is also available for those items a child may need so as not to stand out and be different from their peer group, school uniform, a home computer, hobbies, summer holidays, school trips and even an outing to the cinema were all funded by The Trust.
CW asked that we all be vigilant. Our role as Freemasons was not just raising money but being aware. If we know of a family in need, please contact the RMTGB.

The RMTGB now occupy offices on the charity floor at Grand Lodge with other masonic charities and work closely with them. Brethren are invited to visit, where they will be warmly received and shown the work relating to our Festival.

The best way of contributing is by regular payments to RMTGB. Forms are provided for this purpose. The other way is by Gift-Aid envelopes. The Essex Festival raised £400,000 in Gift-Aid alone. CW advised Charity Stewards to put out Gift-Aid envelopes for their lodge Charity collection. The line where the lodge name is inserted could be used either for the host lodge or visitors could put in their own lodge name. The individual brother would have the contribution added to his festival donations anyway but the host lodge would have that amount credited to their target if that was entered on the envelopes.

Monies from raffles CANNOT be Gift-Aided. IT IS ILLEGAL.

CW concluded by wishing The Lincolnshire 2014 Festival every success and said he looked forward to visiting The Province again during this interesting time.
An email attachment of CW’s presentation will be available from DBR and will be published gere when available.

DBR thanked CW for such an eloquent and interesting presentation. He then welcomed PD who had attended The Festival Forum at Grand Lodge in 2008.

PD gave a very comprehensive account of the aims and objectives of the Forum and ideas that had come to the fore in the discussion groups that had taken place. The Forum will be expanded to take in the experiences of the other Masonic Charities based at Grand Lodge who also have Festivals. It is hoped that valuable lessons can be passed on the Provinces holding Festivals in the future.
DBR thanked PD for his interesting presentation.
An email attachment of PD’s presentation is available from DBR.

THE 2014 FESTIVAL FOR THE ROYAL MASONIC TRUST FOR GIRLS AND BOYS

The Deputy Provincial Grand Master, W.Bro W.J. Hockin, opened his presentation by saying that all brethren present were the key people and the fulcrum of The Festival. He hoped that all Charity Stewards would stay in post for the duration of The Festival. It is a big task to ask of one man but stressed that lodges could nominate another member to help The Charity Steward.

Brethren should be aware that Lincolnshire had received £126,000 from RMTGB over the last 12 months and more than £542,000 over the last five years. We need to dedicate ourselves to the cause and exceed our targets. WJH said he had every confidence that this could be achieved. He went on to say that the £1.5m was a target not a ceiling.

Reiterating what had been said by CW he said that Charity Stewards should try to sign the brethen up for Gift-Aided regular payments. No amount is too small. Some senior brethren may still be on the old Covenant system. He urged Charity Stewards to talk to those brethren and update their contributions. Some lodges are still making returns to the 2003 Festival. Please look into this and make certain all Lodge Returns are with The Prov Charity Steward by 31st January 2009. WJH went on to stress the importance of helping brethen fill out the bank mandate and Gift-Aid form. He joked that if they leave your sight they always get lost in the return post and you have to start all over again. Brethren must be made aware of the destination of monies from collections before that collection takes place.

Making reference to The Festival honorifics he said that the Jewels were in the draft stage and had to be approved by Grand Lodge. W. Bro Hockin concluded by thanking veryone for giving up a Saturday morning and wishing them well. He then introduced BM who has been appointed The Festival Ambassador.

BM said that The Ambassador Scheme had been set up by RMTGB and Lincolnshire was only the second Province to make that appointment. His role was to travel round The Province and visit lodges. Also to liaise between The Trust and The Province. We need to dispel the myth that The Trust is cash rich. It is not. As previously stated, it gives out £9m per annum and only receives £3m from Festivals. He constantly has to explain that spending The Trust’s capital will result in a reduction in the much needed interest. When a petition is presented it is means-tested but judged fairly. He encouraged brethren to make certain those in need get help. Please communicate with Lodge Almoner. BM said he would be delighted to visit a Lodge to help in any way. He concluded by quoting the poignant saying ‘A Man Never Stands So Tall As When He Stoops To Help A Child’.

QUESTION TIME. WJH and DBR then invited questions from the floor. Numerous items were discussed and WJH answered the queries and misgivings of the questioners successfully.

CLOSE. The brethren were told that many of their questions could be answered by reading the booklet ‘2014 Festival Province of Lincolnshire’. That booklet is available to all brethren of our Province. Bundles had been provided for each lodge and brethren were asked to take away those bundles relevant to their Masonic Centre.

DBR stated that he would be happy to be contacted to help and answer questions anytime. Together we can have a happy, exciting and successful Festival. He wished everyone a safe journey home.

TSUNAMI CHILDREN'S SCHOOLING PROGRESS CHECKED

We have received the latest news from Sri lanka regarding the Masonic Province of Lincolnshire's on-going project for the Tsunami children.

Jagath Chandra Dias wrote to tell us that the money for the months of July, August, and September was distributed on 2nd August 2008. He also reported that the President of the Southern Province Childrens Fund (S.P.C.F.) Dr, Indra Dias and the Vice President of the S.P.C.F., Professor Garvin Dias, had come to Sri Lanka for a short visit. They reviewed the progress of the children and had individual discussions with every children.

The Children meet with Dr Indra Dias and Professor Garvin Dias

They examined the students mid-term marks and encouraged them to be more attentive and enthusiastic in their weaker subjects and expressed their satisfation with the performances they already achieved.

The children gather for a photograph after the visit

Jagath Dias was also looking forward to another visit by W.Bro. John Speed who will be undertaking a two days tour to hill-country in mid April of next year. Arrangements have not yet finalized and will be notified later.

MARKET RASEN FUNDAY FOR THE dISABLEd - SUNDAY 1ST. JUNE 2008.

Time for a Bacon Sandwich

The Bouncy Castle is unfolded

Barton Town Brass Band

The Crowds building up

W.Bro Brian Hind does his final inspection

The Animal Characters appear

27 Caribbean Steel Band

Scunthorpe Lodges

The Crowds building up

The Crowds building up

The Crowds building up

The Picnics come out

The clowns entertain

The Tombola Stall

Face painting

Glanford Vale Lodge Balloon Race

Teacup Ride

Horncastle Lodges Bouncy Castle

Horncastle Lodges Ball Game

Assault Course

Crowle Lodges Stand

Lindsey Lodge Game stands

Lindsey Lodge Game stands

Crowle Lodges Stand

Enjoying the day

The Brit Chix play for the crowd

More picnics come out

Where did I put the tea cosy?

A stall attracts a customer

The crowd enjoy the entertainment

W. Bro Ray Perrin and the Disabled Car Driving

W. Bro Ray Perrin and the Disabled Car Driving

The crowd enjoy the entertainment

Doric Lodge Stall

W. Bro Don Teesdale arrives in style in his vintage Mayors Car

Punch & Judy

A final polish for a lovely old Land Rover

Clearing up

Photographs kindly provided by W.Bro. Bruce Goodman.

CHILDREN OF THE PROVINCE'S SRI LANKA PROJECT ENJOY A DAY OUT

Jagath Chandra Dias, the principal trustee of the Southern Province Children's Fund (SPCF) in Galle, Sri Lanka which administers the Province of Lincolnshire's aid to the area, wrote to tell us of a day out enjoyed by the children we help support.

The children gather for their trip out

The Fund organized a one day trip for the children, their guardians and their other family members to Dehiwala zoo and also visited some other places of historical importance. Three children who are sitting for the ordinary level exam this year remained true to their studies but all the others participated in the trip and enjoyed it very much.

Children, guardians, and other family members at the Dehiwala Zoo

Some of the younger children beside the aviary in Dehiwala Zoo

The trip gathers together for another photo opportunity

In addition to the day out enjoyed by the children, Jagath Chandra Dias also gave details of the schooling and other aid that is being given to help these children make a brighter future for themselves.

After such a traumatic experience as the tsunami all is still not well for some of the survivors. The Fund has assisted some children who needed counciling to attend a counciling program conducted by a qualified doctor. Jagath Chandra Dias reports that this program was.." a great relief and helpful to change their mental attitudes to a great extent". They also identified three other children they hope to direct for further counciling.

During a visit earlier in the year by W.Bro. John Speed, who is Almoner of Olive Union Lodge No:1304, it was seen that the Fund needed to be more flexible and arrangements were made so that assistance could be directed quickly to any of cases which required aid. As a result computers were made available and handed over to T. Prasadi and T. Kalpani.

The computers are handed over to the children

As is the case all over the world, the children are much happier getting on with computing without the grown ups about

Although not given exact details, we understand that three students have finished their studies and the Fund has, on the advice of the Province, enrolled new children in place of them.

In addition to the above activities, the Fund hopes to evaluate the progress of the student's academic activities of the last term and give presents to those who showed good progress. Jagath firmly believes that this act will be a great help to encourage them for studies.