Two Harrogate schools and a Knaresborough band are benefitting from the latest round of grant giving by the region’s Freemasons.
Donations totalling £35,000 have been given to 20 organisations courtesy of the Province of Yorkshire West Riding’s Provincial Grand Master’s fund.
Each year the fund distributes £200,000 to good causes in north, east, south and west Yorkshire. And, in addition to the minor grants given on a quarterly basis – which range from £500 to £5000 – major grants are presented annually at the fraternity’s annual meeting at the Royal Hall in Harrogate. These can often exceed £30,000.
The three local recipients to benefit are:
- Saltergate Infant & Junior schools, Harrogate – £5,000 to provide a designated multisensory space and linked garden
- Knaresborough Silver Band – £2,000 to purchase sousaphones to replace heavier tubas when the band marches
- Pannal School Parent Teacher Association – £1,800 to buy four cameras to create a hub enabling 12 local schools to participate in free photographic workshops.
David S Pratt, the Provincial Grand Master of the Freemasons Province of Yorkshire West Riding, said:
It gives me great pleasure to be able to support these organisations within our Province.
Charity is at the very heart of Freemasonry, and without the continued generosity of our members, we simply wouldn’t be able to give the sums we do each quarter.
Each recipient has been nominated by the members of a lodge, and the grants will help them to continue the valuable work they do within the local communities where they are active.
The Province of Yorkshire West Riding is based on the old West Riding, geographically ranging from Sheffield in the South to Ripon in the North and Goole in the East to Waddington in the West.
