Royal Arch Freemasons’ £45,000 donation helping puppies being trained to be guide dogs

Labrador puppies Joshua and Benny will become lifelines for two blind people, enabling them to live much more normal lives.

Steve Allum, who heads Hampshire and Isle of Wight Royal Arch Freemasons, met the pups to see how they were doing.

He said: “It was a great opportunity to see how Joshua and Benny are progressing. Both puppies were delightful and so well behaved.

“Every year we support a charity where we can make a difference and in 2021 we chose Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.

“We were able to fund two dogs and it’s been wonderful to follow their story since they were selected for training, having been judged to have the correct temperament.”

The size of donation meant the Royal Arch Freemasons were able to name two further guide dogs, which they called Lilly and Betsy.

Shona Lawson, Community Fundraising Relationship Manager for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, thanked Steve and all the Royal Arch members.

Every hour, someone in the UK goes blind and 180,000 people with sight loss rarely leave home alone.

Almost two million people in the UK are living with sight loss. By 2050, there could be nearly four million people with sight loss in the country.

Since fundraising for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, the Royal Arch Masons have raised £45,000 for the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.

They have also raised money for local Hospices and Macmillan Cancer Care.

Their chosen charity for 2023/24 is the Southampton Centre for Cancer Immunology.

*There are around 8,000 Freemasons in Hampshire and Isle of Wight, and over 250 Lodges.

Freemasonry is one of the oldest social and charitable organisations in the UK, with roots lying in the traditions of the medieval stonemason who built cathedrals and castles.

For Freemasons, there are four important values that help define their path through life: Integrity, Friendship, Respect and Service.