Wiltshire Freemasons found themselves in the wonderful surroundings of The Grange at Winterbourne Daunstey where they held a Teddy Bears Picnic

Entry to the event was free on the condition you brought a teddy bear and there was lots of entertainment on display for all the family including three bouncy castles games with a teddy bear hunt, a duck race and a thrilling birds of prey flying display.

There was also the opportunity to enjoy music on the lawn before adjounring to the magnificent recently converted Tithe Barn for afternoon tea.

The superb grounds of The Grange were bathed in glorious sunshine and the sound of happy children filled the air as they explored the woodland searching for hidden teddy bears and watched as rubber yellow ducks washed down the stream, cheered on by anxious owners desperate to win a bag of sweets.

The Provincial Grand Master for Wiltshire Philip Bullock was thrilled with the day, commenting: 'I know that members of the Salisbury Lodges put a great deal of effort into making this day a success - they can be very proud of their achievement.'

The real winners though were Teddies for Loving Care (TLC) and the assisted living bungalow at nearby Alderbury, who between them shared almost £2,000 from the fundraising.

Rosie Greer, a senior sister at Salisbury Hospital enjoyed her day helping man the Teddies for Loving Care stand and display. She said: 'I have been especially pleased to be able to tell lots of people how a little TLC bear makes such a big difference to a child's time in our Accident and Emergency department.'

An auction held by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Surrey has helped to raise £1,500 for Police Constable Keith Palmer’s family

The auction was held after a day’s golf and dining, organised by W Bro David Eager, and included a very poignant item – a framed Charlton Athletic FC football shirt which had been brought along by David’s son, Cliff Eager, who is a Safety Officer at Charlton.

Cliff Eager outlined that this shirt was a one-off design worn by all the players for a league match following the sad death of PC Palmer, who was on duty when the terror attack took place at the Houses of Parliament in March.

PC Palmer had been a Charlton Athletic season ticket holder for a number of years and this was one of the club’s tributes to him. The player who had worn this shirt had signed it and it also bore Keith’s Police Warrant Number.

The Surrey Masonic Sports Association had agreed to match the auction figure raised which was a £500 bid by Julian Whiteaker, after which Kevin and Beverley Field then donated a further £250 – making the final total raised £1,500 for PC Palmer’s widow and young daughter.

Freemasons from the Bordon, Alton and Petersfield Masonic Centres held a charity presentation evening to celebrate the United Grand Lodge of England’s Tercentenary

Held at the Bordon Masonic Centre, the evening was well attended by local charity and community representatives and Freemasons including Chairman of East Hampshire District Council Lynn Evans, Mayor of Alton Dean-Paul Phillips and Mayor of Whitehill & Bordon Colin Leach.

Provincial Grand Master of Hampshire and Isle of Wight RW Bro Mike Wilks opened with a talk about Freemasonry and the values it represents and teaches its members. A total of 26 local charities and community organisations were supported and then given the opportunity to talk about the amazing support and services that they provide to the local communities.

Over £17,500 was presented to the below charities:

• Alton Cardiac Rehab - Provides exercise and health education for post-op rehabilitation
• Lifelites - Provides specialist technology for children in every children's hospices
• The Rosemary Foundation - Charity providing a 'Hospice at Home' service
• The Petersfield Society of Special Needs - Improving the quality of life of those who develop a disability in childhood
• Petersfield Counselling Service - Offers short and long term counselling to people 18 years and over
• Petersfield ShopMobility - Motorised scooters and wheelchairs for hire
• Petersfield Girl Guides - Run exciting activities for girls
• The Oaks Playscheme for Disabled Children - Run playschemes during the Easter and Summer holidays for 3-11 years
• Bisters Big Build - Raising funds to build a downstairs bedroom and wet room for Joseph, who has a range of serious medical conditions
• Alton MS Society - Offer help to people who are living with or affected by MS
• Holybourne Theatre Company - A not for profit amateur dramatics group run by volunteers which stages an energetic and diverse entertainment programme
• Kings Arms Young Carers - Charity set up to meet the needs of the young people of Petersfield and the surrounding villages
• The Murray Parish Trust - Charity dedicated to raising £2 million to build a new Children's A&E department at Southampton
• Friends Forever - A service set up to meet the leisure expectations of a group of disabled people who wanted to have the opportunity to rekindle old friendships and make new friends
• Homestart Weywater - Independent charity supporting families in need
• The Downs Syndrome Association - Charity focusing solely on all aspects of living successfully with Down’s syndrome
• Hounds for Heroes - Provides specially trained assistance dogs to injured and disabled men and women of both the UK Armed Forces and Emergency Services
• The Royal Marsden Hospital - A specialist cancer treatment hospital
• The Kevin Ackling Fund - Raising funds for The Brain Tumour Charity in memory of Kevin
• Headley Youth Football Club - Provides inclusive football for all ages from under 6 to under 18
• Headley Holme Primary School - A school for boys and girls aged from 4 to 11
• St Johns Ambulance - First aid charity
• Riding for the Disabled - Charity dedicated to improving the lives of thousands of people through education, therapy and fun
• Masonic Trout & Salmon Fishing Charity - Provides exhilarating fishing day experience for people with special needs
• Headley Sports Association - To provide facilities for recreation for the benefit of the Parish of Headley
• Kings Arms Young Carers - Raises awareness and money for children with cystic fibrosis

This money is achieved by Freemasons holding charity evenings or by regularly contributing to a Lodge charity fund, which is then used for the benefit of local causes. 

Mike Wilks commented: ‘Listening to the charity representatives explain the work they do was very humbling. It provided even more motivation for us to keep raising funds for such worthy causes. 

‘For 300 years we have been supporting charities and I hope we’ll still be doing it in another 300 years.’

The evening concluded with a social gathering in the dining hall of the centre. This provided a great opportunity for the charities to further explain what they do and to learn about Freemasonry from its members.

A Surrey Freemason will be donning his hiking boots and preparing to take part in the Nijmegen March this July

Spread over four days from 18th – 21st July 2017, W Bro Nigel Feltham will be taking part in the 101st International Four Day March in Nijmegen, Holland, for the fourth time.

During the four days, Nigel Feltham will be walking approximately 100 miles, alongside a total of 47,000 starters of this popular event. He will be joined by his friends Andrew Bignold and Cornish Freemason Michael Wierenga, who is also a member of Stoneleigh Coronation Chapter in Surrey and will be completing the walk for the ninth time.

Nigel Feltham commented: ‘The party and carnival atmosphere in the village every night is incredible, hundreds if not thousands of walkers sharing their experiences of the day. The last day is the best, with bands playing and people cheering; it’s a very emotional experience with a medal waiting for you at the finish line.’

Nigel Feltham will be raising money for the Surrey 2019 Festival appeal, with proceeds going to the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution (RMBI).

You can sponsor Nigel Feltham by clicking here

Ten members of King's College School Lodge No. 4257 will be taking part in an underwater cycle event to raise £5,000 for the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution (RMBI), as part of the Surrey 2019 Festival

Each of the team – most of whom have no scuba experience – will have to dive to the bottom of a 3.2 metre tank to sit on specially fixed bikes and pedal one mile each.

The event has been organised by the Lodge's Assistant Charity Steward Bro Mark Tuvey, with the assistance of the London School of Diving in Chiswick, where the event will take place on September 3rd 2017.

The money raised by this initiative will contribute to the overall £3.25 million target set by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Surrey, of which just over half has already been raised.

Donations to the underwater cycle event can be made by clicking here

With fundraising for Surrey’s 2019 Festival in full swing, W Bro Steve Guzy of Ember Manor Lodge No. 4740 decided to look for a different way to raise money for the Festival appeal

The answer was a sponsored walk of 163km between the 11 major Masonic Centres in Surrey – to be completed in eight days.

On paper that might have seemed enough of a challenge, yet Steve is 62 and his co-walker, W Bro Roy Baker is 65! What hadn’t been foreseen was that the date for the walk would coincide with the hottest weather so far this year.

With challenging temperatures and difficult terrain facing them every day, the brethren strode through Surrey, discovering parts they didn’t know existed, with panache and plenty of water.

Having successfully completed their walk, the intrepid duo helped to raise over £1,000 for the Surrey Festival.

The Yorkshire, North and East Riding Freemasons have donated a £170,000 grant to the York Minster Fund which has helped to create three new stonemasonry apprenticeships

The three apprenticeships are being introduced over three years, with each individual learning their craft in the cathedral’s Stoneyard alongside award-winning craftspeople, while studying part-time at York College.

The grant comes through the Masonic Charitable Foundation, which is funded by Freemasons and their families from across England and Wales, and is being given in memory of Iain Ross Bryce, a former Provincial Grand Master of Yorkshire and East Riding Freemasons, who died in June 2015.

The first apprentice to benefit from the grant is 27-year-old Lewis Morrison, who joined the cathedral in August 2016 after completing an NVQ Level 2 stonemasonry qualification at York College.

Lewis, who moved to York from Aberdeen in 2015 to start a stonemasonry course at York College, commented: ‘I have an arts based background with a BA in Fine Art Printmaking and was looking for a career which was practical and creative.

‘After completing my course, I knew I wanted to work in the heritage sector and obviously jumped at the opportunity to work at one of the world’s great medieval cathedrals. The apprenticeship offers me the opportunity to develop my skills working alongside some of the country’s most talented craftspeople.’

The apprenticeships in architectural stonemasonry last for four years and include training in stone conservation and repair techniques and fixing masonry on site. The team uses traditional hand tools and the same techniques passed down over centuries by masons working at the cathedral. Individuals also complete a Level 3 NVQ course in banker masonry at York College.

John David, Master Mason, said: ‘We’re hugely grateful to the Masonic Charitable Foundation for the donation. Investing in future generations of craftspeople is something we’re committed to at the Minster and the funding allows us to provide young people with specialist training while investing in the fabric and future of this ancient building.’

Interviews for the second apprenticeship are due to take place this summer with the third opportunity recruited for in 2018.

Mrs Janet Bryce, the widow of Iain Ross Bryce, said: ‘I am very proud as Iain’s wife to be here today. As a long-standing Yorkshire Freemason, the heritage of this county was very close to my husband’s heart. He would have been absolutely delighted to see these new apprentices safeguarding the future of York Minster.’

The Metropolitan Masonic Charity has donated £100,000 to provide immediate relief support for people affected by the Grenfell Tower fire on June 14th

Sir Michael Snyder, Leader of London Freemasons, commented: 'This donation is made on behalf of all London Freemasons. 

'The Metropolitan Masonic Charity regularly supports many local charities and community initiatives across London and we wish to assist those who have lost their homes as well as all of their possessions.'

A fund set up by East Lancashire Freemasons in response to the Manchester attack has currently raised over £100,000

With generous donations from both Provinces and individuals across the country, it will go towards helping those affected by the shocking terrorist attack which took place at the Manchester Arena on Monday May 22nd.

The fund was opened by the Provincial Grand Lodge of East Lancashire’s charity, who commented: 'Freemasons in East Lancashire will have woken up on the morning of the May 23rd to hear the tragic news of the terrorist attack on Manchester, the city which has and always will be, the heart and historic home of our Province. There will be a desire in the coming days and weeks to want to do something to demonstrate our support and contribute in some way.

'With that in mind, the Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master Sir David Trippier has decided that our own East Lancashire Masonic Charity should be the focal point of any masonic giving, which in due course will then be directed to the most appropriate cause for those affected.'

The charity have been inundated with queries from Freemasons who wish to plead their support and if you would like to donate, please click here

The District Grand Lodge of South Africa, Western Division has selected a partnership with the Cape Town Society of the Blind (CTSB) as its Tercentenary Community Project, with an initial fundraising target of one million rand.

The CTSB is an innovative, non-profit, community-based service organisation with a dedicated and talented team working to support blind and visually impaired people in society. The organisation equips them with the skills they need to become economically independent and socially integrated, and provides training and development services to enable them to become self-sufficient in all areas of life.