The Province of Nottinghamshire has launched its 2018 Festival Appeal in support of the RMTGB at a special event held in Nottingham on Sunday 22 April 2012.

An unforgettable afternoon at the Royal Concert Hall featured musical performances from the internationally renowned Cantamus Girls' Choir (Choir, background; Director Pamela Cook, right) and rising opera star Nicholas Sharratt (left).

Current RMTGB beneficiary Jasmine Elcock (centre), who has received financial support since her father was made redundant last year, sang at the concert and many other recent cases of support were highlighted throughout the event.

Following the musical performances, the Provincial Grand Master for Nottinghamshire, Robin K. Wilson formally announced the beginning of the Appeal.

During the event, the RMTGB’s President and Chief Executive both delivered short speeches which explained the history and current work of Freemasonry's oldest charity to members of the Province and many members of the public who had also purchased tickets for the event.

During his speech, President Mike Woodcock, himself a Nottinghamshire Freemason, said:

The RMTGB’s work is so important and I know that Nottinghamshire Freemasons, who have an enviable record of charitable support, will help us maintain our proud record of having never turned away a child in need because of a lack of funds.

Members of the Province, together with their families, will be aiming to raise a total of £3m during the next six years and the Provincial Grand Master reported in his speech that great progress has already been made, with over £820,000 being raised before the formal Appeal had even been begun.

For further details about the Festival, including information about donating and fundraising, please visit www.nottinghamshiremasons.co.uk or www.rmtgb.org/2018

A selection of further photos of the concert can be found on our Facebook page.

(Photo credit: Paul Hancock)

The Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys has relaunched its website – www.rmtgb.org – to provide accurate and up-to-date information about its work to Freemasons, their families and the public.

The new website features the latest news from the Trust and includes detailed information about the charitable assistance available to the children and grandchildren of Freemasons who have suffered a distress which has led to financial hardship.

Grants from the Trust's TalentAid scheme for young people with exceptional talent in sport, music or the performing arts are also explained together with the assistance available for those wishing to embrace other life-changing opportunities.

Schemes to support children and young people without a Masonic connection also feature prominently including Stepping Stones, which awards grants to local and national children's charities and the Choral Bursary scheme which supports choristers at cathedrals across England and Wales.

The wealth of information contained on the website makes it a useful resource for Charity Stewards, Almoners and other Freemasons as well as those thinking about applying for support.

For Freemasons wishing to support the charity, there are details about donating and fundraising, including dedicated pages for each current Festival Appeal being held in support of the Trust.

Mike Woodcock, President of the Trust, said:

"Our new website provides an excellent link between the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys, the Freemasons who support our work and those who are seeking our help.

"I encourage everyone to visit our new website to find out about a little more about our life-changing work."

The new website can be found at www.rmtgb.org and will be regularly updated with news, features and other information.

As well as the new website, the Trust has further increased its online presence by establishing Twitter and Facebook pages to reach out to the growing Masonic community which already uses these social media platforms.

At the last meeting of the RMTGB's Petitions Committee, seven non-Masonic charities were awarded grants ranging from £6,000 - £30,000 as part of the RMTGB's Stepping Stones scheme.

Together, these grants amounted to over £125,000 and were were awarded in addition to three grants which had already made earlier in the year. The total amount awarded by Stepping Stones in 2011 was around £175,000.

The latest tranche of grants were made to:

• The National Literacy Trust
• Centrepoint
• Family Support Work
• WellChild
• The Roundhouse Trust
• Sailors’ Children's Society
• Venturers Search and Rescue

Much like the RMTGB, these charities all work to reduce the impact of poverty on children’s education and welfare.

Together the grants made in 2011 will provide assistance to over 700 children and young people throughout England and Wales.

The positive impact that Stepping Stones is having is clearly illustrated by Thomas (pictured), a young boy with cerebral palsy who was provided with mobility equipment. His new equipment was supplied by Motability which received a grant from Stepping Stones in July 2011.

Thomas’ mother said that the support she received “has had the biggest positive impact on our ability to live our lives more easily than any kind of help we have had before.”

On Friday 3rd June 2011, the Province of Worcestershire held its 2011 Festival event at the ICC in Birmingham. A magnificent total of £1.6m in support of the RMTGB was announced.

The event was attended by the Deputy Grand Master RW Bro Jonathan Spence and hosted by the President of the Festival and Provincial Grand Master RW Bro Richard Goddard.

VW Bro Mike Woodcock, President of the RMTGB, attended on behalf of the charity accompanied by the Chief Executive Les Hutchinson and other members of Council.

On Saturday 19 March 2011 Les Hutchinson (left), Chief Executive of the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys was Invested as President of the Old Masonians Association (OMA) by Ege Parker at their Annual Dinner which was held at the Royal Masonic School for Girls, Rickmansworth.

The OMA, which currently has about 1,000 members, aims to keep alive the memory of the Royal Masonic Schools for Boys and encourage those who were taught at the school to take a continued interest in the work of its successor, the RMTGB.

The Association was founded in 1886 and its first President, Frederick Binks was the Secretary of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys. 125 years later, W Bro Les Hutchinson, PAGDC, is proud to hold this prestigious position to help strengthen the links between the modern charity and its ‘Old Boys’.

For further information, or to join the Old Masonians Association, please contact the Secretary, Robert McGovern.