Mark Benevolent Fund Capital Grant Cheque Presentations

   As part of the MBF Capital Grant initiative all 48 Mark Lodges in Essex selected a Hospice of their choice and these were collated by the Provincial Almoner. There were 9 Hospices identified by the Lodges and with a total of £48, 000 to distribute the following Hospices received their grant.
 
                                                              Farleigh Hospice Chelmsford                               £5000
                                                              St Francis Hospice Havering                                £5000
                                                              St Helena Hospice Colchester                               £9000
                                                              Haven House Children’s Hospice Woodford        £3000
                                                              Hospice Southend                                                  £4000
                                                              Little Havens Children’s Hospice                         £7000
                                                              St Luke’s Hospice Basildon                                  £10000
                                                              St Clare’s Hospice Harlow                                    £5000
                                                                                                                                         --------------
                                                                                                                                           £48000
As soon as the bids were accepted by the MBF, the Charities Manager, W. Bro. Darren Coleman-Heald based at Mark Masons Hall, contacted the Hospices and advised them of the grants, making payment direct to them.
It was then that our Provincial Almoner, W. Bro. Roy Kaye organised a presentation of the grant cheques to each of the Hospices, with the Deputy Provincial Grand Master supported by both of the Assistant Provincial Grand Masters and the Provincial Wardens also in attendance.
In each case, the staff and volunteers at the Hospices were both surprised and overjoyed with the generosity of the grant and thanked the MBF and the Mark Lodges of Essex for their consideration.
Below is a selection of the photographs taken at the various presentations to the Hospices.
Special thanks to W. Bro’s Les Morgan and Peter Nason for their photographic skills and W. Bro. Geoff Newman for producing the cheques.