Freemasons have been busy cooking up financial support to help upgrade a North Yorkshire rescue organisation’s base.
Members of Olicana Chapter, which meets in Ilkey, secured £1,500 towards new kitchen units for Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association’s Grassington headquarters.
The donation came courtesy of the Provincial Grand Master’s Fund, which in the last round of grants gave just short of £30,000 to 26 groups including churches, educational establishments, hospices and those supporting both the young and elderly.
Last year, UWFR spent £250,000 upgrading and extending their “Hut” which it moved into in 1976. The money secured by Olicana Chapter will be used to help put the finishing touches to the well-used kitchen.
Roger Newhouse, Assistant Provincial Grandmaster of the Freemasons’ Province of Yorkshire West Riding, said: UWFR is an organisation that we have supported in the past and are delighted to support again.
Each year, the Provincial Grand Master’s Fund awards grants totalling £200,000 to organisations within our Province. These range from £1,000 right up to £50,000.
This we are celebrating the tercentenary of the first United Grand Lodge of Lodge, and the bicentenary of our own Province. And, to mark this double milestone, we will be awarding grants totalling £300,000.
All the money for these grants is by individual freemasons and lodges, and goes to help a wide range of good causes, such as UWFR, which is run entirely by volunteers and provides life-saving services, here in North Yorkshire.
Stuart Benson, UWFR member from Addingham, said: Once again I’d like to thank the Freemasons for their continued support. The money we spent last year didn’t go as far as improving our kitchen facilities, so this donation is very much appreciated.
Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association is made up of more than 60 well trained and well equipped volunteer cavers, climbers and mountaineers and is on call 365 days a year.
Its membership live in the Dales or travel from as far away as Leeds or Bradford and are prepared to respond to a callout at any time of the day or night in the worst of weather conditions.
