Local charity Jessie May, which supports children with terminal illnesses across the area, is celebrating after receiving a £15,000 Community Award from the Freemasons following a public vote.
The charity which supports children with terminal illnesses in Bristol, Bath, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire appealed to friends, supporters and service users to vote online and help them win a slice of the £3,000,000 up for grabs as part of the Freemasonry’s 300th anniversary celebrations.
Jessie May was one of 300 charities across the country which could win a grant ranging from £4,000 to £25,000 from the Masonic Charitable Foundation.
Thanks to the overwhelming support of voters from the West Country, Jessie May received the second prize of £15,000.
Jessie May, which provides care within the home for terminally ill children, requires around £1,400,000 every year to provide vital support for families.
Julian Withers, head of fundraising at Jessie May said: “This grant of £15,000 will make a huge difference to our work and will help us continue to provide medical, respite and bereavement support to our families.
“Every year our costs are going up as we take on different regional areas and expand our services to the children, their parents and siblings, so a substantial grant like this is great news.
“I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to vote for us and to the Masonic Charitable Foundation for the wonderful prize.
“I’d also like to thank the Provincial Grand Lodge of Gloucestershire which nominated us for the award and in particular Tim Henderson-Ross the Provincial Grand Master for Gloucestershire.”
The Masonic Charitable Foundation obtains all of its funding from Freemasons and their families. It is estimated that half of Freemasonry’s total charitable expenditure of over £33m goes to charities that help people in communities across the country.
