This evening our Training Officer, Elaine Gilliland, was delighted and honoured to be invited to the 6th Annual Charity Giving Evening of the Freemasons of Bolton and Farnworth Lodges.

Held in the Bolton Masonic Hall, Institute Street, Bolton, Freemasons from the twenty Lodges and eleven Chapters making up the Bolton and Farnworth District of the Province of East Lancashire Freemasons were in attendance, giving charitable donations to twenty two charities present tonight.

Guest of Honour was the Mayor of Bolton, Councillor Norman A. Critchley and his wife the Mayoress of Bolton.

Over the course of the evening, under the excellent stewardship of Freemason Terry Kakoullis, District Charity Steward, an incredible total amount of over £25,000.00 raised by the Freemasons of Bolton and Farnworth District was handed out to the representatives of the twenty two very worthy charities present tonight.

The charities present tonight who benefitted from the kindness and generosity of the Freemasons of Bolton and Farnworth District were:

Birtenshaw Hall School, Bolton Sea Cadets, Whizz Kidz, Harwood Community Stroke Unit, Bolton Y.M.C.A., North West Air Ambulance, Kearsley Youth Brass Band, Bolton Mountain Rescue Team, Insulin Dependant Diabetes Trust, St. Ann’s Hospice, Little Hulton, Derian House and Lodge, The Showmen’s Children’s Charity, British Heart Foundation, Men Matter Cancer Charity, Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, Bolton Hospice, Hearing Dogs for the Deaf, The Christie, The Forgotten Children of Chernigov Trust, Handicapped Children’s Pilgrimage Trust, Fortalice Bolton Women’s Refuge and The Mayor’s Charity.

A fantastic total donation of £332.00 was made to our team by the Lodge of Antiquity No. 146 and the Corinthian Ladies Group, who both made a very kind and appreciated donations of £146.00 and £186:00 respectively to the team.

Our Training Officer, Elaine, accepted these wonderful donations from representatives of Lodge of Antiquity No. 146 and Corinthian Ladies Group, and was then invited (as were all the other charity representatives present tonight) to address the assembled guests, Freemasons, their partners and friends and the Mayor and Mayoress, to outline briefly the work and role of the team.

Elaine gave a brief presentation about the team and their contribution to the community, thanking the Freemasons present for their wonderful support and stating that the ultimate beneficiaries of their kindness will be the members of the local community we assist.

The evening concluded with kind floral donations to some of the Lady members present including the Mayoress of Bolton, followed by refreshments available to all attending.

The whole team membership wishes to extend its heartfelt thanks to the Freemasons of Bolton and Farnworth District, and in particular to the members of Earl Ellesmere Lodge 678 and Euclid Chapter 9468 for their wonderful support.

Please also see website ’news’ article dated 28th April 2009, when at this same evening, their 3rd at the time, Annual Charity Giving Evening of Bolton and Farnworth District Freemasons, we received a very kind £220.00 donation from Bolton Lodge 6603 of Bolton and Farnworth District Freemasons.