Eight local charities have benefited from a series of special Community Awards from South Wales Freemasons following an unprecedented public vote of 178,801 votes across England and Wales.
The Community Awards are a major part of Freemasonry’s 300th anniversary celebrations. The Masonic Charitable Foundation is distributing three million pounds to 300 charities across the country, with the public vote deciding on the range of Awards from £4,000 to £25,000.
The full list of Community Awards in South Wales was:
NSPCC WALES
Congratulations to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children Wales who received the most votes in South Wales and have secured a grant of £25,000!
Touch Trust
Touch Trust has been awarded a grant of £15,000
Alzheimers Society South Wales
Alzheimers Society South Wales has been awarded a grant of £15,000
Age Connects Cardiff and the Vale
Age Connects Cardiff and the Vale has been awarded a grant of £6,000
Thrive Cardiff
Thrive Cardiff has been awarded a grant of £6,000
Prostate Cymru
Prostate Cymru has been awarded a grant of £4,000
South East Wales Downs Syndrome Support Group
South East Wales Downs Syndrome Support Group has been awarded a grant of £4,000
The Princes Trust
The Princes Trust has been awarded a grant of £4,000
The charities were presented with their Awards at a special ceremony at Cardiff Masonic Hall by the Provincial Grand Master Gareth Jones OBE from South Wales Freemasons on Tuesday 19th December 2017.
The three million pound fund is being administered by the Masonic Charitable Foundation, which obtains all of its funding from Freemasons, their families and friends. It is estimated that half of Freemasonry’s total charitable expenditure of over £33m goes to charities that help people in communities across the country.
Gareth Jones said: “We are delighted to be able to celebrate three hundred years of Freemasonry by helping 8 excellent local charities. We’ve been active in charity work for all that time, but this is the first occasion we’ve asked the public to help us decide how to spend our money. We are very pleased that so many people from South Wales took part in the vote.”