Suffolk Freemasons

Suffolk Masonic Charity Clay Shoot at High Lodge Shooting School

It was a warm autumnal day on the 29th of October 2022 when Suffolk Masonic Shooting Society (SMaCSS) held the ‘later than usual’ annual summer charity clay pigeon shoot.Thirty four keen clay shooters comprised of Suffolk Masons, masons of other provinces and friends turned up at High Lodge Shooting School to shoot the 100 bird sporting competition. It was fair to say that numbers were down compared to previous years, but it didn’t hinder the fun and social ‘banter’ that was witnessed as old and new friends prepared for the challenge ahead. The event was kicked off by a plated English breakfast before SMACSS Chairman Roger Nash opened the day with a Suffolk welcome, a safety briefing and an outline of the rules for the day. With that said, all shooters readied themselves to head onto the shooting ground in their respective squads.

The sporting layout for the day was comprised of ten stands of ten clays (affectionally known as birds) per stand with varied difficulty to suit the social and serious shooter. High birds, fast crossing low birds and ‘rabbits’ had everyone scratching their head at some point. After three hours of shooting the results were collated and announced. In 1st place with 85/100 was Phil Ramsey (Suffolk Masons), 2nd place with 83/100 was Terry Chorlton (Essex Masons) and in 3rd place with 82/100 was Rob Styles (West Kent Masons), a satisfying day for the Suffolk Masons. We concluded the day with a raffle and appraisal of money made for charity for which we are delighted to report £302. Thank you to all who participated and supported Suffolk Masonic Shooting.

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Suffolk Freemasons show their support to serving military and veterans
by signing the Armed Forces Covenant

The Suffolk Freemasons Almoners Conference 2022, which formed part of the ‘Year of the Almoner 2022’ celebration, took place on Sunday 16th October at Ashlar House, Bury St Edmunds. The 124 delegates from lodges all over Suffolk as well as many present and past military veterans, witnessed the signing of the Armed Forces Covenant by the Provincial Grand Master for Suffolk Ian Yeldham and Air Vice-Marshall The Honourable David Murray CVO OBE DL on behalf of the military.

The Armed Forces Covenant is a bespoke document specific to Suffolk which makes additional guarantees and promises above and beyond the basic principles of the standard Covenant. It is a pledge that together we acknowledge and understand that those who serve or who have served in the armed forces, together with their families, should be treated with fairness and respect in the communities, economy and society they reside.

Ian Yeldham explained “By signing this on behalf of all of the Freemasons in Suffolk, I am delighted to pledge our support to the Armed Forces Covenant, in this, our ‘Year of the Almoner’ and in the memory of all our own members that served, which is something very close to our hearts and being”.

Air Vice-Marshall Murray said “The Freemasons are really leading the way in signing the Armed Forces Covenant and showing their support for the Armed Forces community - both the serving and veterans - in Suffolk, they have certainly set an excellent example for other organisations and individuals to follow”.

The signing was followed by a presentation from ‘The Not Forgotten’ military charity which provides support to any serving man or woman who is wounded, injured or sick and any veteran with a disability, illness, or infirmity; whatever the cause and whenever it arose. Their Chairman David Cowley OBE said after the Conference “I was delighted by the offers of help received following my talk on the work of ‘The Not Forgotten’ for veterans of all three Services and the Merchant Navy. I am confident that with the support of the Suffolk Freemasons ‘The Not Forgotten’ will play an increasingly important role in helping those in Suffolk who have served in the Armed Forces and who now suffer. I am very grateful to be given this important opportunity to spread the word about our work”.

Jamie Gwatkin, Provincial Grand Almoner and organiser said “I am delighted that the Conference was such a success. The feedback has been excellent which was summarised by one attendee who said “A wonderful day all around, one you couldn’t buy”.

Military veterans at the signing of the Armed Forces Covenant by Suffolk Freemasons

 For further information about the Armed Forces Covenant visit www.armedforcescovenant.gov.uk/about/

Ipswich children with additional needs and disabilities to receive help and support
thanks to Suffolk Freemasons

Local children with conditions such as autism and cerebral palsy will be able to access specially designed playgroups thanks to a grant from Suffolk Freemasons to the Ipswich Opportunity Group charity. The £4,000 grant will help the charity continue to run three groups per week for their clients. Monday morning is for the very young and more vulnerable children, Monday afternoon and Friday morning are for the older children up to five years old. These are held at the Salvation Army Hall on Woodbridge Road. Families attend one session a week with up to 10 children at each session.

During the sessions the charity provide appropriate play activities including creative, constructive and physical play. They use a variety of communication methods to engage the children, including signing, photos and the Picture Exchange Communication System. Ipswich Opportunity Group is a registered charity set up in 1991 to support families who have pre-school children with a wide range of special needs/disabilities, including physical, sensory and learning difficulties. It is managed by a voluntary management committee which includes parents and professionals. They support 40-50 pre-school age children annually, as well as their siblings and parents. Children can stay until the age of five, which is when they transition into primary school or other education settings.

Parents benefit from having time to socialise together, and share their lived experiences; providing guidance, support and friendship to one another. Having a disabled child can be very isolating as the children have such high dependency needs they have to be supervised at all times. Some of the children have mobility problems and are unable to move on their own which means parents and carers do not have any time to themselves increasing their isolation. The children benefit from socialising with other children in a safe environment. Many of the children supported can be disadvantaged because of their disabilities and their opportunities within their community and within society are limited.

Many of the children Ipswich Opportunity Group work with have a number of professionals involved, and the charity is able to support both the children and their families to work towards their goals – whether it is speech and language or occupational therapy. The multisensory approach and specialist provision enable a consistent holistic and therapeutic service. A supportive service at the beginning of a long and difficult journey for parents and children who are often overlooked elsewhere. All sessions are provided by experienced and qualified Play Workers and supported by trained and DBS checked volunteers. The Ipswich Opportunity Group is registered with Ofsted and follows the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The grant from Suffolk Freemasons comes through the Masonic Charitable Foundation, which is funded by Freemasons, their families and friends, from across England and Wales.

Cheryl King, Co-ordinator of the Ipswich Opportunity Group, said: “We’re very grateful to Suffolk Freemasons for their generous grant, which will support our work with pre-school children with additional needs and disabilities. It’s clear that parents of children attending our groups notice a significant improvement in their child’s engagement and communication skills, which are critically important as they move into formal education.”  Kelvin Avis from Suffolk Freemasons, added:“I’m very pleased we’ve been able to help the Ipswich Opportunity Group with their hugely important sessions for children with these conditions. The sessions help not only the children but also their parents who can become isolated as a result of their caring duties.”

About Ipswich Opportunity Group Ipswich Opportunity Group is a support group for families who have pre-school aged children with additional needs/disabilities. We provide appropriate play activities for the children in a large playroom as well as support for parents/carers who stay for sessions. Parent/carers have the opportunity for some time to themselves in a quiet room while staff and volunteers look after the children. As well as staff supporting parents, parents are also very supportive of each other. Activities are planned so that children of all abilities can access them - visit www.ipswichopportunitygroup.org.uk