East Lancashire Masonic Charity

ELMC Annual General Meeting - 14 September 2010

 

ELMC Chairman - Paul Rose

The Provincial Grand Master, President of the East Lancashire Masonic Charity, opened the Annual General Meeting and greeted the brethren attending. It was fitting to start the evening with presentations given by two of the many organisations recently supported by the ELMC Community Fund in conjunction with Freemasons from the local Districts.

WBro Paul MA Rose, PSGD, PAPGM, ELMC Board Chairman (above), welcomed the first of these, Steve Lynch, the Secretary from Chadderton Park Football Club.

Chadderton Park Football Club

Steve Lynch

Steve spoke of the excellent support given by Freemasons to support the club at their time of need. A superb PowerPoint presentation gave a detailed description of the history of the development of the Club and the involvement of Oldham Freemasons and the Community Fund in its completion.

The Chadderton Football Club supports under 7’s and yearly increments up to the age of 16, for both boys and girls teams. Many of the teams have been very successful over the years and have won many trophies and awards, however, their club house was a dilapidated brick building which stored the goal posts and nets. The children’s parents got together and formed a committee to examine the possibility of building a new club house which could have a store room, changing rooms for home and away teams together with toilet and kitchen facilities.
  
The committee held many fund raising events, beg and borrowed, had a buy-a-brick scheme, and persuaded many local companies to support them to raise funds for the basic material of the building. One of the parents, who was a builder, agreed to erect the building and await payment of the building costs when funds were available. They ended up with a wonderful club house building (see images below).

At this state their funds supported by parents pockets ran dry and they asked the local newspaper, the Oldham Advertiser, to put an article in the paper asking for a sponsor to furnish the inside of the building. The article was brought to the attention of the Oldham District Freemasons (Chaired by Philip Price) who were looking for a project to support in the local community.  

Discussions took place with the football committee, (who incidentally were amazed that we wanted to help freely and without gain), to complete the furbishment of the inside of the building.

WBro David Dunn District Charity Steward, together with the project leader, WBro Edwin Baines, submitted an application to ELMC for funds to complete the project. The ELMC Community Fund agreed to the application and £7,000 was granted.

WBro Baines approached many brethren to assist him in the project which consisted of manufacturing changing room benches, door frames, architrave and skirting etc, installation of three toilet suites, ladies gents and invalidity together, hot and cold water pipe-work and toilets half tiled, fitting of doors to all rooms, and the assembly of kitchen units, worktops, sink and hot and cold water system, and supply cooker and fridge.

The project started in August and was completed six weeks later to the extreme delight of the football club committee. The footballer, Paul Scholes, opened the building during the football season.

Of great note is the active involvement a number of brethren from Oldham had with this project - WBro Philip Price (District Chairman), WBro David Dunn (District Charity Steward), WBro Les Tailor (District Mentor), WBro Peter Clegg (District Secretary), WBro Jim Clegg and WBro John LeBrun (District Communications Officer).

Football Club from Start to finish

 

Next was another heart warming presentation from Harriet Roberts, Chief Executive of the Thwaites Empire Theatre:

 

Thwaites Empire Theatre

Harriet Roberts

For the second year running, in 2009, we were nominated by the Community Fund to receive special funding towards the promotion of our annual pantomime. At a cheque giving charity night the Freemasons of Blackburn and Darwen presented cheques from the Community Fund and also the Blackburn and District Freemasons totalling a staggering £9,500. In 2010 we have received a similar £8000 from the Community Fund topped up by the Blackburn and Darwen Freemasons.

We are humbled to receive such generous donations when there are so many other worthwhile causes in the area. As the theatre moves towards the centenary it is gifts like this that will help to secure the future of the theatre for another 100 years.

It's moving to think that when the pioneers behind the renovation and the restoration of the Empire began this project it was an impossible task to persuade and funders to take the project seriously.  In the recent past we have had a seal of approval in the form of cheques from the two biggest funders to charity, The National Lottery and also Freemasonry.  That's testament to the hardwork and professionalism that is put in everyday by so many volunteers.

She explained that as with most theatres the fortune of the Empire relies on the success of the pantomime to balance the profits and losses from the rest of the year.  With a marketing and publicity budget funded by the Freemasons which will include competitions for all schools to take part in, its hoped that this year will be another box office success. Last year the theatre announced a fantastic competition for children to take part in designing the costume for Daisy the cow in Jack and the Beanstalk.  There was a prize worth £3,000 for the winning school in partnership with Huntley's Moo to You Ice cream.
In the past three years local Freemasons have held fundraisers at the theatre raising a total of nearly £8,000.  

The costume last year, designed by John Brooking, was based on the design of Georgina Dent of St Christopher's High School, the winner in the competition sponsored by Blackburn with Darwen Freemasons and Moo to You Ice cream.

Georgina's design was picked from 3 thousand entries.  She won £100 and tickets for all her school to the see the show. Daisy appeared at the Thwaites Empire Theatre Pantomime with a cast featuring Coronation Street's Chris Quinten (Brian Tilsley), Pop Idol Finalist, Anthony Batey and Grease is the Word contestant, Alison Crawford.  BBC North West Tonight, BBC Five Live and BBC Radio Lancashire's Tony Livesey played the voice of the giant.  

Each year, Nigel Bramley-Haworth and Derek Thornhill have played cameo roles in the pantomime (see Pictures below). In 2010 we are running Mother Goose and the competition for the schools is to design the goose.

The success of the pantomimes (responsible for a quarter of our annual income), has come through promotion funded by the Freemasons - editorials, shopping centre displays, posters, magazines, buses, radio etc. All material has prominently displayed the Freemasonry in the Community Logo.

Thwaites Empire Theatre

 

The President thanked both of the speakers. "We help and do what we can, when and where we can. We offer money and often support in a practical way. There are many community activities we are called on to support, sometimes we help, sometimes we need to ration what we are able to give. However, these have been two examples of extremely worthy causes to support".

The AGM continued with the Treasurer's and Auditors' reports. The accounts are available in the very comprehensive Annual Report that all members of the Charity should hav received. Although there was a deficit of income over expenditure of £12K, investments have grown as the market has recovered. Donations are down by £31K. The current Festival, will of necessity reduce the Charities donation income, but at this time, when the needs and number of beneficiaries is increasing, the PGM hopes that the brethren will consider the ELMC as the next priority for support after the RMBI 2015 Festival, which should be everyones main priority. The ELMC Chairman, Paul Rose, with the rest of the board, are in total support of this. The Community Fund will continue its good work (although with a restricted budget of £30,000 per annum) and the surplus within the accounts, together with ongoing donations from the brethren, will ensure that the ELMC will meet its obligations during the next 5 years.

The appointment of Officers to the ELMC Board and the various ELMC Committees ensued. There are 8 elected Board Directors and 4 ex officio Directors (the PGM (President), Deputy PGM (Vice-President) and the Provincial Grand Charity Steward and Provincial Grand Almoner.

 

DOWNLOAD FULL LIST OF OFFICERS BY CLICKING HERE

 

Paul Rose then took the time to thank Peter Rothwell for his valuable service and wise counsel on the Board (below). Peter will remain a member of the Hewlett Court Management though. He also thanks John Holt (Hewlett Court Management), whose job will be taken over by Alan Smith. Philip Crumbleholme is retiring and great thanks from all were recorded - he has been a wonderful servant of the Charity.

Derek Thornhill is joining the board along with William Waite and Philip Mountford, in his capacity as Chairman of the Community Fund Committee.

The Chairman asked that if any Brother, and there are many talented, gifted and dedicated Freemasons out there, has a particular interest in any aspect of the work of the ELMC then he should make himself known. Please pass this on to your brethren in Lodges and Chapters.

Brian Sigsworth (ProvGChS) with Peter Rothwell

 

The President, Jack Price, thanked all the brethren for their attendance, and also all those who serve so diligently on the various ELMC Committees. They work so hard for the ELMC, sometimes over many years.

He expressed his appreciation for the work of Julie Ward and, more recently, Karen Hall - both always efficient and effective. He thanked all volunteers in whatever capacity for their time, committment and energy. He also expressed his personal thanks to John Holt who had Chaired the Hewlett Court Management Committee for many years.

Finally he thanked the brethren from the Lodges and Chapters whose generous donations allow the Charity to do so much for our Beneficiaries. The Charity itself is a good advertisement for Freemasonry - we have humility at heart and one of our virtues is that we give,collectively, for the benefit of people less fortunate than ourselves.

Lastly the President referred to the RMBI 2015 Festival - this must be our priority - it is the one Charity that needs constant feeding from the Provinces to meet the increasing needs of its care for the frail, elderly and vulnerable people it looks after, mostly in their twylight years. Money doesn't grow on trees - we need to look after the Festival as a number one priority, then the ELMC and after that, any other financial support is then a matter for the brethren themselves.

goodnight and godbless.

After the meeting the Goulborne Lodge Room was the venue for a glass of wine or juice and some gentle conversation before the Ladies and brethren retired.

 

ELMC AGM