The charity is an amalgamation of the former Provincial charities, being the General Charitable Trust and the Ella Brading/Herbert Giles Trust. The full name of the charity is the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Masonic Charitable Trust.
Being a trust, it is managed by a total of 5 trustees and two co-opted members. These are assisted by The Provincial Grand Secretary and one of the Provincial Treasurers team. The current Chair of the Trustees is W Bro Jonathan Bell.
The Trust has a series of investments and currently a number of properties which generate interest, and it is that interest which the trust uses every year to support members and projects around the Province.
There have been many projects at Masonic Centres where support has been given, especially in the provision of facilities to make the buildings more accessible. These have included lifts, stair lifts, disabled toilets, and fire escapes. Part funding from the MCT towards the cost of these projects has enabled the centres to undertake the works. All of these have previously been approved by the Provincial Grand Superintendent of Works, before being submitted to the Trustees for approval.
Amity groups around the Province have also been supported by the provision of start up funds for new groups and occasional donations to enable them to provide outings and entertainment for the many members of the groups.
For many years the Bournemouth Holiday Scheme was supported by the MCT, and now that scheme has come to an end, the MCT is supporting a Holiday Break Scheme for those in need of a holiday or short break. Details of that scheme are outlined in another part of this website.
Young people have featured heavily in past giving, with support to the Tall Ships Trust, which has enabled many youngsters to go on sailing adventures around the British Isles. Support has also been given to those attending Outward Bound and similar courses.
The seminars which have been organised by the Provincial Grand Almoner are also funded by the MCT, as it recognises the real benefit of the information which can be disseminated at these events and enable members of the Province to become more aware of, for instance, Mental Health and availability of Care.
However, the greatest impact of the fund is in the support that it can provide to qualifying members of the Province. This support can include but is not restricted to.
Those who are entitled to make an application are:
In most cases the first person to be contacted will be the Lodge Almoner and he will then pass on the request to either the Area Almoner, or to the Provincial Grand Almoner (PGA). It is necessary to ensure that due diligence is undertaken in the matter of eligibility for the grant. Following that it is necessary for the applicant to complete the MCT application form for income and expenditure. Whilst it is appreciated that this a form of means testing, it is essential to ensure that the person is in need.
The figures are based on the weekly figure so that an evaluation can be made of the level of support. A copy of the form is attached. If the applicant is unable to complete the form, then it may be done on their behalf by an Almoner. It must be always made clear that the information is treated with the strictest of confidence and seen by the least number of persons possible.
When the form has been completed it is forwarded to the PGA who will undertake a check of the figures and then complete the calculation of any grant which may be made. When that is complete, the PGA sends the form electronically to two Trustees for approval, together with a report outlining the reason for the application.
If the approval is given, the PGA will contact the applicant and send them the Authorisation form for them to complete. The information they must include is the name of their bank, the correct name on the account, the sort code, and the account number, following which they will sign to say that all information is correct. A copy of the form is attached. When all of this has been completed and returned to the PGA, he will forward this to the Provincial Treasurers, who arrange for a BACS payment to be made to the applicant’s account.
No cash or cheques will be given out in the process.
If the PGA feels that the applicant could be assisted by an application to the masonic charitable foundation, he will contact you to discuss this further.
A copy of the application form is shown below.
Please note the following comments when completing the form.
