The Management Committee of the Somerset Masonic Charities has agreed to place an Application Form on this website which will enable and assist any prospective organisations seeking funding. Please click here to download the form.

Quarterly Report from the Somerset Masonic Charities - April 2012 At a recent meeting of the Management Committee of the Somerset Masonic Charities seventeen applications for grants were considered. Eleven grants, totalling £8,250, were awarded to the following organisations which provide a wide range of support to disadvantaged people in Somerset. Nailsea Disability Initiative This charity, established in 2003, provides a free ‘drop in’ information and support service for elderly and disabled people and their carers throughout North Somerset. The project is prominently located in the Nailsea shopping precinct and it attracts an increasing number of ‘clients’. Information on home adaptations, disabled access to buildings and entitlement to Welfare Benefits is provided at the ‘shop’, which is open 4 days a week, and by the ‘home visit’ service which is available to those unable to access get out and about. The project is run by 20 volunteers, and in 2011 over 1,200 people were assisted by the service. It is estimated that approximately £120,000 a year in Welfare Benefits is accessed by users of the project who would otherwise not have known they were entitled to benefits. This Grant of £500 will go towards the running costs of the project. Portishead Youth Club The Youth Club has recently been re-developed and is now based in a specially designed state-of-the-art building that is cost efficient and environmentally sustainable. The Club aims to provide a hub for youth activities for hundreds of children and young people from Portishead and the surrounding area. In addition to traditional activities they have a recording studio and training facility for musicians, dance classes, media suite, computer area and a good range of sports activities including table tennis, 5-a-side football, and basket ball, and for young children there is a soft play area. This Grant of £250 will go towards the running costs of the Club. Community Alcohol & Drug Abuse Forum The Forum was established in 1996, following the death of two local youngsters from drug overdoses, with the aim of devising preventative strategies to help reduce the misuse of classified drugs and alcohol in Nailsea, Backwell, Yatton and the surrounding villages. The Forum works with statutory agencies and local authorities as well as Nailsea and Backwell Secondary Schools, Primary Schools and Parent Teacher Associations. In 2011 375 year-six pupils attended Alcohol & Drug Awareness Sessions, bringing the total number of children who have participated in these half-day workshops to nearly 5,000. This Grant of £400 will go towards the cost of running similar workshops in 2012 & 2013. Somerset Sight Somerset Sight is an independent local charity providing advice, services and activities for visually impaired people across Somerset. They provide a free audio library, consisting of approximately 2,000 titles, and anticipate an increase in demand for their service now that RNIB has introduced a subscription charge for their talking book service. Many of their titles are in tape format and they wish to increase the range available in CD format. This Grant of £500 will enable the charity to improve its service and increase the range of titles available. Bath Institute of Medical Engineering – Wizzybug Project The Wizzybug Project at the Bath Institute of Medical Engineering designs and constructs powered vehicles for disabled children to experience early-years mobility. The vehicles have a range of controls and seating adjustments and can be used with close adult supervision, indoors and outdoors in accessible areas such as level gardens, playgrounds and parks, thus enabling children to have fun and roam free for the first time in their lives without someone pushing them in a wheelchair. This Legacy Match Funding Grant of £3,500, together with the combined donation of £3,500 from the seven Lodges in Bath will enable two Wizzybugs to be purchased for the benefit of disabled children. St Margaret’s Hospice, Taunton This local charity provides specialist palliative care, advice, support and respite to patients and their families. The Hospice offers its services to those with terminal or life-limiting illnesses such as cancer and motor neurone disease. With their medical expertise, nursing skills and specialist support services, they are able to provide physical, emotional, and social care to patients and their families. This Legacy Match Funding Grant of £150, together with the donation of £150 from Wellington School Lodge will go towards the overall costs of running the Hospice. Wincanton Primary School The Headmaster of the School has been appealing to local organisations for funds to provide decking around the school’s pond to improve access and safety and accordingly enrich the pupils’ nature studies. The local craft Lodge (Lodge of Science) and the side degrees have all agreed to contribute to the appeal, and this Legacy Match Funding Grant of £200 will bring the overall donation from our fraternity to around £700. Somerset Bowel Cancer Support Group The Charity Somerset Bowel Cancer Support Group was established in 2006 by a cross section of cancer suffers and cancer care professionals to provide support and information for patients, their families and carers. The Group also seeks improvements in medical support services provided for cancer suffers and it raises funds for local Colorectal Hospital Departments. They have recently purchased some pressure relieving cushions and chairs and hope to present a ‘Colonoscopy Imager’ to Musgrove Park Hospital. The first-hand experience and knowledge of members of the Group enables them to offer unique support to newly diagnosed patients and their families. This Legacy Match Funding Grant of £750, together with the donation of £750 from Marine Lodge will go towards the overall costs of running the Group and providing valuable support to bowel cancer sufferers. St Francis Holiday Club, Bridgwater This Club was founded in 2000 and is based on a large Council Estate in an area of recognised social deprivation. The Club provides a safe, affordable and exciting venue for young people aged between 5 and 12. Activities include craft, music and games, and the Club also arranges days out to the zoo and local YMCA centre. For many youngsters these activity days are the highlight of their holidays as and the only time they get out of town. Most other play schemes are unaffordable for families in this low income area. The Grant of £500 will go towards the cost of running the Club in the forthcoming School Summer Holidays. Carrymoor Environmental Trust Carrymoor is an environmental education and nature conservation charity in Castle Cary and it supports local people recovering from mental ill health by providing them with opportunities to undertake practical outdoor volunteering activities. The charity has supported a weekly team of recovering mental health volunteers for nine years, working with over 75 volunteers in that time. Existing and new members are welcomed to the group, but the unpredictability and changing group dynamic, means that a skilled Group Leader is needed to provide the familiar routines and secure environment needed by group members. The Grant of £500 will contribute towards to cost of employing a Leader.   Somerset Motor Project The Project was established in 1992 to provide a programme for persistent motor offenders as an alternative to a custodial sentence, offering work and training on motor vehicle maintenance and road traffic requirements. The scope of the Project has been broadened to include young people excluded from mainstream education who were at risk of offending, and also adults with learning difficulties. The Project is used by schools, colleges and pupil referral units during school hours and by young offenders and adults with learning difficulties in the evenings. It is ideally placed to motivate disengaged young people and adults, raising self esteem and self worth. This Grant of £1,000 will be used to provide much-needed replacement equipment.   Roger Poynton Provincial Grand Charity Steward

For any website related issues, please email the webeditor. The Provincial Grand Lodge of Somerset cannot be responsible for the appearance or content of external websites linked. This site has been approved by the United Grand Lodge of England. © Provincial Grand Lodge of Somerset.