Here
you can see the new Charity Jewel which has been available from 1st
January, 2005 to Shropshire Masons who support the New Masonic
Samaritan Fund Festival, which will reach its climax in 2008. During the
intervening years the jewel may be worn by all those entitled to it, and it is
the hope of the Provincial committee that the Festival will prove so successful
that the Grand Master will declare it a 'permanent' jewel - in other words, one
that may be worn after 2008.
Masons having a minimum of £100 in their 'A' fund account (check with your Charity Steward if unsure) need to fill in a form guaranteeing that this amount (or more) will be transferred to the Festival total in 2008. This qualifies you as a Steward of the Festival, and you are then entitled to wear the jewel. The jewel itself costs £15 to purchase.
For those wishing to pledge more to the Festival, higher honorific titles are available, up to Grand Patron. Details of these titles and the totals required to qualify are also to be had from the Lodge Charity Stewards.
NEW
MASONIC SAMARITAN FUND – 2008 FESTIVAL REPORT
There
is now less than 24 months to go before the conclusion of our Festival and I am
pleased therefore to take this opportunity of addressing you all through the
medium of this Newsletter as to the progress we have made and the plans that we
have for the completion of our Festival.
During
the last 12 months or so there has been a slight reduction in our charitable
contributions to the Festival – and I accept that that was inevitable for two
very good reasons: firstly, there have been many other calls upon the
Brethren’s charity for worthy causes such as the Tsunami Appeal, Dream On
Florida and the Queen Elizabeth Court Fete 2006; secondly, one must anticipate
that in any long running Festival it is difficult to always maintain the year by
year targets. However the success of
the Festival so far is there for all to see, as we have now generated a fund
just under £800,000 which represents 105% of the initial target.
We
are now entering the final phase of the Festival and we must pull together in a
concentrated push towards it conclusion in 2008, so that we can hopefully
achieve a Festival Fund figure that reflects honour upon the Province and our
Provincial Grand Master, and provides maximum funding to meet the rising medical
costs and number of applications being dealt with by the NMSF.
I
wish everyone a happy and enjoyable forthcoming Masonic year and my thanks as
always go to the Group Leaders and the members of the Festival Committee for
their hard work and dedication and also to all the Charity Stewards around the
Province for their valued assistance to the Members of the Committee and myself
in this great undertaking. Peter
Allan Taylor, Deputy PGM, Shropshire
Toye, Kenning and Spencer have also produced a limited number
of fine cufflinks which bear the Masonic Samaritan Fund title and the Provincial
badge; these are available from Michael
Heywood or via your Charity Steward. The
cost is £17.50, and once again, the profit from this venture will help boost
the 2008 Festival Fund.
For Masons wishing to learn more, and most especially for those wishing to subscribe towards a jewel, details are available from the Charity Stewards of the individual Shropshire Lodges.
Further items available towards the 2008 appeal:
Jewel holder/case: £5
Festival Tie: £10
Sweatshirt (long sleeve): £18.50 Please quote size: S, M, L, XL, XXL
Polo shirt (short sleeve): £16.50 Please quote size: S, M, L, XL, XXL
Golf Umbrellas: £15
"Behind the Wire" - a book on Masonry in POW camps: £5
Available from Lodge Charity Stewards or Allan McCartney.