charities we support
Charity has always been a cornerstone of Freemasonry, whether it be for support of members or local communities.
Royal Clarence Lodge No.68 has a “Chest” which funds some £7,000 plus each year for local and national charities, such as Childrens' Hospice SW, SW Air Ambulance, Bristol Baby Bank and many smaller charities in need.
Each year the Installed Master nominates his charity, to be supported by collections during the year from dining or social events.
Our Master's nominated charity for 2026 is PTSD Resolution. "PTSD Resolution is a UK charity that provides free mental health support for veterans, reservists, and their families struggling with trauma from military service or other life challenges. Our network of 200 accredited therapists delivers confidential, one-on-one sessions to relieve symptoms like flashbacks, nightmares, and depression—helping clients rebuild work and family life."
We were very lucky to receive a visit from Ashley Lamb, Outreach Manager at PTSD Resolution, who gave a real insight into the charity and its workings, and were delighted to offer first donation of £250 to support their ongoing work.
At our October 2024 Meeting we were delighted to be able to support the Worshipful Master's nominated charity by presenting a cheque for £1,000 to Healing Venezuela. The money was raised in conjunction with a fundraising picnic in the summer, and we were delighted to host Cinzia De Santis, Chairwoman & Founder of this hard-working charity, who gave us a presentation outlining how their team work to support the peoples of Venezuela.
“You may recall that in 2021 Royal Clarence Lodge No.68 made a donation of £500 to Southmead Hospital in response to an appeal for support in purchasing a Synaptic Modus X robotic microscope. I have been informed that, having raised a total of £833,952 the microscope was delivered to the hospital just before Christmas, having travelled all the way from Canada.
Staff training is due to begin at the end of January and soon the treatment of brain cancer and other neurological conditions will be transformed. You may wish to know that Southmead is the first hospital in the UK to have this world-leading technology. The microscope will transform surgery for thousands of people living in the Southwest.
Southmead Hospital has commented that is has been quite a journey to get to this point. The appeal, originally launched in 2019, was immediately set back by the Covid-19 pandemic. Then the impact of the cost-of-living crisis made it even harder to raise the funds needed. Despite all this, the hospital team say they are humbled by the response from the community, saying:
“You have been incredible”
I thought you would all like to be informed of this, and perhaps take some little satisfaction that our Lodge played a part in making this possible”