Freemasons give Alford charity a Â£6,000 boost

Pictured are members of Alford Day Centre, which has benefitted from a Â£6,000 boost. EMN-171109-111221001

Thousands of pounds have been awarded to a charity which supports elderly people in the Alford area.

Alford Day Centre has been given a £6,000 sum by the Lincolnshire Freemasons as a ‘Community Award’.

The awards are a major part of Freemasonry’s 300th anniversary celebrations.

Chairman at Alford Day Centre Andrew Rae said: “We are absolutely thrilled, it is a wonderful surprise.

“The money will secure the work of the day centre and will help us expand to make life better for more people.”

Provincial Grand Master from Lincolnshire Freemasons, Graham Ives, will present the award.

He said: “We are delighted to be able to celebrate three hundred years of Freemasonry by helping six excellent Lincolnshire charities.”

The six charities -which also included good causes in Scunthorpe, Boston and North Hykeham - were chosen following an unprecedented public vote of 178,801 votes across England and Wales.

Eighty-seven per cent of votes were from non-masons.

The cash is 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 UK.