Freemasons are well-known for their charitable giving and the Venables Llewelyn Lodge of Freemasons in Porthcawl is no exception. Over the last year, during the Covid-19 pandemic, its members have given £2,380 to several local charities to help them through the crisis.
Although not able to meet in person because of the lockdown restrictions, the members of the Venables Llewelyn Lodge have been active with their fundraising. Several local charities have benefited from the donations, including the British Legion who was given £50; £200 to Ty Hafan – a paediatric palliative care charity; £250 to The Sandville – a self-help charity on Porthcawl.
Sister Gwyneth Poacher, founder of the Sandville said. “On behalf of everyone at the Sandville Self Help centre, thank you most sincerely for the very generous donation given to us today. I feel very privileged that you support us in the way you do.”
Further donations amounted to £1,082 for the Porthcawl foodbank, £200 to Porthcawl Comprehensive’s technology staff – who have been producing safety visors for front-line workers – and £600 to the Porthcawl Covid-19 Strategy Group for their work in supporting the vulnerable residents of Porthcawl and helping in the refurbishment of computers to aid distance learning for school pupils.
Kerry Marlow of the Porthcawl Covid-19 Strategy Group said: “We are very grateful for the support we have had from Venables Llewelyn Lodge. It has enabled us to support the local community across several projects. Most recently, we started a project to supply computers for children to continue their learning at home, and the donation has helped us to upgrade the hardware that has been donated.”
A spokesman for the Venables Llewelyn Lodge said: “We are proud to support these local organisations and salute the sterling work they are all doing. With Freemasonry being at the heart of our community we are particularly happy, especially at this difficult time, to be able to support the charities that operate in and for the community in Porthcawl.”
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