The Victory Freemasons Lodge, who meet at Newbury in the Province of Berkshire, have made a generous donation of £2,000 to Loose Ends.
A Newbury-based charity that provides a drop-in place for the vulnerable and homeless facility for adults in Newbury and local areas. A hot meal is available, and a warm welcome is guaranteed. Berkshire’s Freemasons are active in their communities, and their members are usually drawn from the local areas.
When Nicola and Lee Farmer were looking for a suitable charity to raise funds for, they stayed local to Newbury. Lee was to be the ‘Master’ of the Lodge for a year, and he and his wife Nicola were impressed with the ethos and locally targeted aid offered to vulnerable adults of Newbury by Loose Ends.
The charity was founded in May 1990 and has grown from providing just a sandwich lunch on Sundays to now operating five days a week, with hot food and other facilities on offer. For more details about Loose Ends, please visit their website: https://www.looseendsnewbury.org
In September, a Ladies Festival was held where members, their friends and guests were invited to a formal dinner and evening of music and fundraising efforts. The families and guests of Victory Lodge were very generous in their support of both Nicola and Lee and their choice of charity.
The week before Christmas, it was time to present the donation to the Loose Ends. Nicola and Lee attended Loose Ends base at Newbury Cricket Club to hand over the funds and find out more about what the money would be used for. The base is just a short walk from Newbury High Street to ensure it remains accessible to those in need.
They met Diana Lacey, Chair of the Trustees and Ian Nichol, Loose Ends Treasurer. Diana became involved with the Charity as she previously worked as an NHS Senior Executive in London; it left her wanting to be involved more locally and be ‘hands-on’ with helping. Ian told how he’d been introduced to Loose Ends when a neighbour was retiring, and that neighbour was also the Treasurer of the Charity. He found that his Treasurer role was an excellent use of his time and offered the opportunity to help the community he lives in.
It was explained that the donation from the Berkshire Freemasons of Victory Lodge would translate into three months of operating their service over Christmas and into the New Year. Given the winter, rising operating costs, and Christmas and New Year pressures felt by the vulnerable, this is a valuable and very welcome gift from the Freemasons of Newbury.
