This evening our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE was honoured to be invited to the 4th 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 forty four 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 forty four 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;
Alzheimers Society, Bolton Newstalk, Bolton Mountain Rescue Team, Destitute Animal Shelter, Bolton Y.M.C.A., Marie Curie Cancer Care, The Christie Hospital, Wigan Air Cadets, Lydia Brian (Gap Year Orphanage work in Moldova), Sam Hesketh (Fund Raising for World Challenge), Eleanor Minors (Trip to Nepal, Helping Hands Girl Guides), Fort Alice Women’s Refuge, Royal British Legion, Bolton Hospice, Child Victims of Crime, Leukaemia Research, Bolton Sea Cadets, British Heart Foundation, Macmillan Cancer Support, Royal Bolton Neo Natal Unit, Bolton Samaritans, Ladywood School (Littel Lever), Cancer Research UK, Parkinsons Disease Society, Derian House, R.S.P.C.A., Help our Heroes, Farnworth Little Theatre, Community Stroke Team, Bolton Kidz2gether, National Association of Colitis and Chrohns Disease, New Bury and Farnworth Boys Boxing Club, Bolton Children’s Epilepsy Support Service, St. Catherines Hospice, MhIST Mental Health Support, Only Foals and Horses, North West Air Ambulance, Prostrate cancer Support Group, Bolton Hospital Teddies, Masonic Benevolence Account, Hewlett Court, Clic Sargent Children’s Cancer Care, Lancashire Borders Guides and The Mayor’s Charity.
A fantastic total donation of £500.00 was made to our team by the Earl Ellesmere Lodge 678 and the Euclid Chapter 9468, who both made a very kind and appreciated donation of £250.00 each to the team.
Our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE accepted this wonderful donation from representatives of Earl Ellesmere Lodge 678 and Euclid Chapter 9468, 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.
Garry outlined our recent winter work assisting the Ambulance Service, 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 this truely fantastic evening.
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.