Warwickshire Freemasons have awarded £246,182.70 to 99 charities and community organisations, supporting an extraordinary variety of good causes across Warwickshire, Birmingham and the wider region.

The donations have helped organisations working in healthcare, medical welfare, youth services, homelessness, disability, emergency response, veterans’ welfare and community activities.

Hospitals, hospices, rescue services and air ambulances received more than £71,700. Beneficiaries included Acorns Children’s Hospice, Birmingham Hospice, Marie Curie Hospice in Solihull, Mary Ann Evans Hospice, Myton Hospice, The Shakespeare Hospice, Midlands Air Ambulance and Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance.

More than £43,000 was awarded to charities providing medical care and support. These included Coventry and Warwickshire Mind, Molly Olly’s Wishes, Brain Tumour Support, Headway Birmingham and Solihull, Parkinson’s UK, the MS Society and the Coventry and Warwickshire Motor Neurone Disease Association.

A grant of £5,500 was also made to Fisher House, which provides free accommodation for military patients and their families while they receive treatment at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Fisher House is the chosen beneficiary of the Warwickshire Tercentenary 2028 Appeal, and this grant represents just one of the regular contributions being made through the campaign. The appeal has already raised more than £600,000 for Fisher House.

Community organisations received a further £41,000. Grants supported Birmingham Crisis Centre, Warwick District Foodbank, Warwickshire Search and Rescue, St Basils, Harbury e-Wheels and organisations helping people affected by homelessness and domestic abuse. The largest individual grant on the list was £10,000 to Camp Hill Communities in Nuneaton.

Children and young people benefited from more than £27,000 of funding. Recipients included the Buddy Bag Foundation, The Little Princess Trust, The Lily Mae Foundation, Help Harry Help Others, Young People First and The Bradby Club.

Other grants supported people with disabilities, veterans and serving military personnel, medical research, places of worship, Scouting, Sea Cadets and recreational activities. Among the beneficiaries were Dogs for Good, Guide Dogs, Cakes for Casualties, Walking With The Wounded, The Veterans Contact Point and Coventry Masonic Pantomime.

Charities welcomed to annual presentation

Many of the donations were presented personally by Philip Hall, the head of Freemasonry in Warwickshire, during the Warwickshire Freemasons Charitable Foundation’s annual charity presentation.

The event took place on Wednesday 12 August at Edgbaston Golf Club in Birmingham, where representatives from 26 local charities gathered to receive their cheques and speak about the work they undertake within their communities.

Philip expressed his admiration for those who give their time, effort and expertise to help people in need, often in extremely challenging circumstances. He also thanked Warwickshire Freemasons for their generosity and fundraising efforts, which made the donations possible.

Read more about the charity presentation at Edgbaston Golf Club.

Part of wider charitable giving

The donations listed here form part of approximately £300,000 distributed this year by Warwickshire Freemasons at Provincial level.

This does not include the considerable additional sums donated directly by individual Lodges and Royal Arch Chapters to charities and community organisations of their own choosing.

From major regional charities to smaller voluntary groups working within individual communities, every recipient provides services that make a genuine difference to people’s lives. These donations reflect the continuing commitment of Warwickshire Freemasons to supporting those in need throughout Warwickshire, Birmingham and beyond.