Provincial News

Royal British Legion’s Dunkirk Memorial House Receives £12,376 From Somerset Freemasons

Dunkirk Memorial House situated at Bishops Lydeard near Taunton is the only Care Home in Somerset run by the Royal British Legion (RBL).  All of the residents have connections with the Armed Forces and their ages range from 51 to 101.

Anticipating that due to the pandemic, the annual poppy appeal would year yield considerably less than normal, the PGM, David Medlock, decided that the Province should make a special appeal to support the RBL here in Somerset.

Assistant PGM Martin Slocombe, through David Sidwell, who is the RBL Acting County Parade Marshal and WM of Sir Isaac Newton (9801), contacted RBL County Chairman Major Robert McDonald and he recommended Dunkirk Memorial House as the recipient of the appeal.

The result was the raising of an amazing £12,376, which included donations from 63 Craft Lodges, and 5 from Mark, Chapter and Rose Croix, as well as Provincial support from the Royal Holy Arch, the Mark Degree, SMC and the MCF.

On December 18th in a gazebo erected outside the building, home manager Anne Lewin was presented with a Freemasons Footprint plaque by Graham Puddy (Rural Philanthropic 291) to commemorate the occasion. She thanked Somerset Freemasons and said that a donation as large as this can make a real difference to resident’s quality of life, and that the money will be used for things that are not funded by the RBL, including building a Pagoda in the wonderful rose garden, so that our residents can enjoy the shade in the summer months.

County Chairman Major Robert McDonald said, “I too would sincerely like thank the Freemasons for this most generous contribution, it’s absolutely tremendous and will mean so much for our residents”.

From left to right:
Burt Pearson (mask exempt) (DMH Committee)
Major Robert McDonald (RBL County Chairman)
David Sidwell (WM Sir Issac Newton)
Anne Lewin (Home Manager)
Ross McKee (DMH Committee)
Graham Puddy (Rural Philanthropic 291)
Photo taken in the shelter of the gazebo, at the presentation of a memorial plaque.

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