Festival 2011 - R M B I

The last Festival that Berkshire held in aid of the RMBI was in 1973 when RW Brigadier Edwin Flavell was the President. On that occasion the brethren of Berkshire donated the highest per capita sum in the history of the Charity.

Our next Festival for the RMBI will be in 2011 and I am sure that Berkshire will again show that it is the Province that the others strive to emulate.

We are aiming to hit a target of £1.5 million, but I am convinced that we will surpass that target by a considerable margin. Some members better placed than others, but an average of £2-50 per week per member will mean that we will hit the £2 million mark.

At one time the RMBI would only take fit persons, but now they have special nursing wings as more cases need special attention. This all adds to the costs of running our RMBI homes.

In order to generate the best possible result, I am asking all lodges to donate 100% of their charitable giving for the next five years. Any local charity requests that a Lodge wishes to support should be able to be met by an appeal to the Berkshire Masonic Charity, where we have the funds to help, especially following my recent appeal to raise the capital sum of the Charity, and the splendid performance of our Investment Committee. The Berkshire Masonic Charity is yours, so please use it.

I am very privileged to have a Festival Committee with a wide range of expertise in such subjects as Banking and Investments, Almoner and Charity Work, Sales and Marketing, and Administration. All members give generously of their time and experience, as well as all the Lodge Almoners and Charity Stewards, so together we have a formidable team.

Apart from gift aid donations, raffles and other fund raising events, another way to help is to leave bequests in your will. Instead of paying inheritance tax, which would go to the Chancellor rather than your family, you can remember the RMBI with a bequest. The BMC appeal received over £300,000 in this way during the last three years. I hope that everyone will live forever, but we all know that the end has to come eventually and the wisest of us knows not when.

If we all make maximum use of the Gift Aid Scheme and tax efficient bequests, the biggest single donor to our fund will be the Chancellor, by means of tax credits.

Above all I would like every member of the Province to get involved, have fun and enjoy all the many different events during the next five years.

Michael Hooton
Provincial Grand Master