Air Marshal Sir Dusty Miller, the High Sheriff of Gloucestershire, rounded off the presentations at our fourth (now annual) Charity Day in Stroud. This has become a great resource for charities in the Province of Gloucestershire. Sir Dusty described the money raised through their charitable work (and that donated by the masons) as the ‘base metal’, going on to describe the work the various charities do with the money, as changing lives and turning ‘the base metal into gold!’
For those new to the idea, Gloucestershire Freemasons provide a forum, which many charities are invited to attend. Some get a chance to present their work, and in many cases they are able to describe the difference it has made working with the Freemasons. For almost all present, this special day is maybe the only chance they have had, as widely varied organisations, to share their journies and concerns with each other. Whilst there are many resources out there to help spread good practice and new ideas, this is a very sociable and gently paced means of forging new connections and demonstrating that they, as volunteers, and hard-working and dedicated charitable bodies to boot, are the glue that helps hold our communities together. And of course, as masons, we are delighted to assist those efforts, both financially and through innovative initiatives such as this.
Provincial Grand Master, Tim Henderson-Ross, and Provincial Charity Steward, Peter Coles, were delighted with the event. As the feedback continues to be logged we are preparing to release more details of the event in words and pictures. As they say ‘Watch this space!’
