Since my last report, the UK Grand Priory has been active and has held fundraising events and made donations to various local Charities.
A Quiz Night was held and the money raised is being used to purchase equipment for COATS a local charity. A meeting is being held with them to discuss how the money raised is to be used.
Bramble Verbiage CIC – a donation if £250 was made to help with the provision of transport for equipment. Bramble Verbiage is a Community interest charity that promotes and runs live music events with an emphasis on social inclusion and participation for those with mental and physical disabilities.
The Oxford Shoe Box Appeal – following an e-mail sent out by the UK Grand Prior asking for contributions to the Oxford Shoe Box Appeal, a charity set up to help women and children who have suffered domestic abuse and are in Refuge Centers. It was decided that the Priory of St. George would donate funds to purchase items of baby clothing, toiletries and everyday essentials, together with food supplies. Members of St. Boniface Priory also supported this appeal with donations of food and packed shoeboxes. In total 40 Shoe Boxes were donated, all of which contained various items of clothing, i.e. hats, gloves, scarves as well as everyday necessities. A collection of winter clothing was also donated to homeless and rough sleepers in Oxford through a local church.
Donation of a computer printer – Dame Jenny Habib kindly supplied a new computer printer which was donated to a local Oxford Charity TRAX who works to engage young people who are interested in mechanics; they offer a variety of mechanics-based programs along with Catering and Hospitality. Young people also experience issue-based group work, to develop personal and interactive skills. TRAX works throughout Oxfordshire with its outreach program and has training facilities at Red Barn Farm, Oxford, the project works with ‘difficult to engage’ young people who may be on the verge of exclusion and aims to, “channel the natural enthusiasm of young people for vehicles, into a positive and challenging direction, to aid their development towards future achievement.” The programs provide Entry Level and Level 1 qualifications and the young people gain job-hunting skills, work experience, Functional Skills and a City and Guilds qualification in Mechanics or a BTEC Level 1 in Catering. TRAX also has a Foundation Learning program available to those young people who are NEET (not in education, employment or training) ages: 16 – 18. They also offer bespoke bike and motorbike projects, activity days and experience weeks.
Camberley Night Shelter: A donation of Sleeping Bags, Hot Liquid Mugs, Sleeping Mats was made to the Camberley Night Shelter to enable those people in need of the shelter to have a more comfortable night at the Shelter.
Medical Supplies for Macedonia: Following an e-mail from our Prince Grand Master regarding the need for medical equipment in Macedonia it was decided that as we had shipped nearly 1000 beds over the past
12 years to the Caribbean and various other countries in Africa we could be able to help. Chev Steve Gotting, Deputy Prior of St. George’s Priory spoke to his contacts at a few of the London Hospitals and by chance between 30-40 beds were coming off the ICU wards at St. Georges Hospital, one of London’s oldest and largest hospitals. Chev Steve Gotting notified the Priory of St. George and it was agreed that we would obtain these beds for the Ministry of Health in Macedonia and it was agreed to load the beds on Wednesday 24th January into 2 x 20-foot containers. Chev. Steve Gotting, H E Chev Malcolm Hitchman and H E Chev Andrew Stone went to supervise the loading which was being carried out by four young labourers, paid for by the UK Grand Priory. The equipment which has been supplied is as follows:
- 41 X electric hospital beds
- 2 X Children’s metal cots
- 2 X wheelchairs
- 2 X Theatre trolleys
- 2 X boxes of assorted spares for the beds including new motors and controllers
Several boxes of Gynae instruments some assorted bandages containers took just under four hours to load followin
g which they were shipped to Thessaloniki in Greece on the vessel whose details are shown below. On arrival in Thessaloniki, the Internal Freight forwarding company Kuhne & Nagel collected the containers from the port and delivered them free of charge to the Ministry of Health in Macedonia. It is our sincere wish and hopes that these beds and the assorted spares and instruments that we have supplied free of charge will enable those that are in need in Macedonia to be given the assistance and care that they so sorely need.
Curry Lunch Fundraiser – Members of St Georges Priory along with family and friends met for lunch at a local Indian Restaurant in Reading, Berkshire Organized by Honorary Knight Chandra Bagga MM the event raised £150.
