Report and photos: Barry Dickinson

West Lancashire Freemasons - together with their colleagues across England and Wales - have raised more than £1 million to support those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

And despite the continuing lockdown preventing Lodges from meeting and holding charitable collections, Freemasons have used technology to keep raising money to support its national response.

Online and text donations have been pouring into the Freemasons’ Covid-19 Community Fund from Freemasons up-and-down the country; the half a million pounds raised from individual Freemasons and their Lodges is being doubled by the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF), the Freemasons’ charity, bringing the fund’s total to more than £1 million - and that could exceed £2 million as donations continue to flood in.

This fundraising is in addition to the £2.5 million the MCF has already allocated to fund more than 50 local projects around the country, and a major grant of £250,000 to Age UK’s coronavirus emergency appeal.

Projects that Freemasons have chosen to support involve the provision of much needed face visors, and other PPE, to health workers in hospitals and care homes. In addition they have donated more than 1,000 tablets to hospitals, made thousands of food donations to local food banks on a weekly basis, and cooked meals for the vulnerable and isolated.

In several cases local Freemasons have been directly involved in the manufacture of PPE using laser printers and cutters, while others have been delivering supplies to food banks and meals to vulnerable people in their areas.

There has also been a major donation of hundreds of tablets and smartphones to more than 50 hospitals, care homes and hospices, to help patients stay in touch with their families while normal visiting is suspended.

All this is in addition to the estimated £45 million that Freemasons across England and Wales give to charity every year and the 18.5 million hours of practical assistance they provide to those in need.

Tony Harrison, leader of West Lancashire Freemasons, said: “Once again Freemasons in West Lancashire are making a major contribution in response to a national crisis. I am proud of the way they have continued to financially support the MCF in these difficult and uncertain times and of our many members out in the community providing much needed practical assistance.”

David Innes, Chief Executive of the MCF, said: “Covid-19 has created an unprecedented national crisis and I’m absolutely delighted that Freemasons have reacted with their usual generosity. A huge amount of critical support has already been provided and we’ll continue to deliver help and support where it’s most needed.”

Pictured are two local Freemasons, Ron Elliot and Jake Huggett delivering food packs to Ormskirk Hospital with porter Phil Salter (centre)