The West Yorkshire Freemasons have made a significant donation to a charity dedicated to helping the deaf and blind, Rotherham Sight & Sound (RSS). The £34,500 grant will facilitate the installation of a lift in the RSS headquarters located in the town center, enabling visually impaired individuals to access all three levels of the building. The lift installation is part of an extensive refurbishment of the Ship Hill-based charity, which also includes new restroom facilities, a café, and a revamped entrance and reception area.
The grant application was sourced by the Rotherham-based Sandbeck Lodge from the West Riding Masonic Community Fund. The application was made in honor of their late member, Joe Walker, who was a staunch supporter of philanthropic endeavors both domestically and abroad.
When the Freemasons inquired about the charity that Walker would have wished to support, his widow Margaret suggested RSS, a charity that Walker highly respected. James Newman, the provincial grand master of the Freemasons’ Province of Yorkshire, West Riding, expressed his pride in the generosity of Freemasons across Yorkshire which enables them to aid transformative charities like RSS.
RSS’s Chief Executive, Joanne Ardern, expressed gratitude for the donation, noting that it will allow the charity to serve their increasing number of clients more effectively. Over the past six years, the charity has seen its client base grow from zero to over 2,200 and it continues to expand. Ardern extended a heartfelt thank you to Sandbeck Lodge on behalf of the charity and its clients.
Source: rotherhamadvertiser
