Hampshire and Isle of Wight Freemasons donate £500,000 to help Ukrainian refugees

Some 9,000 Freemasons from Hampshire and Isle of Wight, along with others from around the country, have contributed to the £500,000 donation.

Jon Whitaker, who heads the Freemasons in Hampshire & Isle of Wight, said: ‘Freemasons have an outstanding record helping those in need in this country and around the world, but this huge sum to support Ukrainian refugees was raised in record time.’

‘I’m very proud that Hampshire & Isle of Wight Freemasons have been able to play such an important part in this essential work.’

The money will go towards charities working on the ground in Ukraine, as well as organisations helping refugees in neighbouring countries including Poland, Moldova, Romania, and in the UK.

The £500,000 was raised in under three weeks and the total is still growing as Freemasons over Hampshire and Isle of Wight continue to donate to help the refugees.

As one of the world’s oldest and largest charitable organisations, Freemasonry is a society of men concerned with values such as integrity, kindness, honesty and fairness.

The five chosen charities, each receiving £100,000, all focus on improving the care and wellbeing of Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian conflict.

This includes Unicef which is helping to set up a ‘Blue Dot Hub’ to provide a safe space for up to 5,000 children and families and Plan International UK, who are setting up 55 temporary learning spaces so children can safely learn and play.

Also the Refugee Council, providing specialist therapy for hundreds of traumatised refugees, the British Red Cross, helping refugees overcome loneliness and isolation and the UN Refugee Agency which aims to provide essential repairs to severely damaged homes in Ukraine.

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Freemasons contributed to the grant through the Masonic Charitable Foundation, which is funded by Freemasons across England and Wales.

To find out more about their local work visit hiowmasons.org.

The News is running the Community Chest scheme with local Freemasons, which donates cash to worthy causes in this area. To apply for a grant email [email protected]