Charity is a crucial part of Masonic life. Nationally, Masonic charity is managed by the Masonic Charitable Foundation, and you can find out more about their work on the MCF website. In addition, Lodges support many local charities, and Lovekyn Chantry Lodge has a proud record in this respect.
There is an alms collection at every Lodge meeting, and for many years the collecting box used by Lovekyn Chantry Lodge was a model of the Chapel made by two of the Founder Members, Archie and David Hatten, shown on the right. It still stands on the Secretary’s table at all our Lodge meetings, but is no longer used for the original purpose. Instead we use a scrip purse, awarded in recognition of the Lodge’s contribution to the 2008 Surrey Provincial Charity Festival, in aid of the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys.
Masonic related donations
Over the past few years the members of the Lodge have made a number of charitable donations. £5,500 towards the Province of Surrey 2019 Festival in aid of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution (a ‘Festival’ is a five year fundraising programme in aid of a designated Masonic charity, and each Province undertakes a Festival starting every 12 years or so). The RMBI provides care facilities in residential and nursing homes through England and Wales, additionally direct donations were made to Friends of James Terry Court £120, and Shannon Court £60. The Surrey Festival raised a total of £3.3million over its five year period, and Lovekyn Chantry Lodge is proud to have achieved Steward status through its generous support of the Festival over that period. The current Provincial Appeal is the 2030 Festival for the Masonic Charitable Foundation, and the lodge has already achieved Stewardship Status with a donation of £10,350 in February 2025.
Local Community Donations
Likewise in recent years the Lodge has donated £2,000 to Bedelsford School Kingston, £500 to Teddies for Loving Care, a charity which provides teddy bears for children suffering the trauma of emergency hospital treatment. Teddies are very effective in offering some comfort and reassurance (not to mention a distraction!) in trying circumstances. Most recently the Lodge has also donated another £2,000 to the Princess Alice Hospice Esher, and £2,500 to the RNLI. During 2019 the Lodge donated £2,500 towards providing an annual Kingston Grammar School Chemistry Prize in memoriam of W. Bro. Ivor Vials, a Past Master of the Lodge and former pupil of the school with a distinguished career in the chemical industry. The most recent donation to the School in 2024 was £5,000 in October 2024 towards refurbishment of the Science Laboratories.
It is important to stress that all these monies are donated by members of the Lodge, and none are collected from the public in any way demonstrating the commitment that freemasons show towards a charitable ethos.