Sussex
Festival 2028
Website

It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that I announce the launch of the Sussex 2028 Masonic Charitable Foundation Festival in support of our national charitable body.

The amalgamation of the four former central masonic charities into the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) in 2016 has resulted in a more efficient and streamlined administration of our central masonic charitable system without losing the core principles and objectives of the former charities it absorbed – indeed it has enhanced them. In doing so it continues to offer maximum support not only to many diverse charitable bodies outside Freemasonry, and of which we are all made aware, but also to our distressed brethren and dependants for health, financial, family and care related needs – but the specific circumstances of which are rightly not made known to us. Freemasonry in England and Wales makes charitable grants in excess of £50 million a year and the vast majority of that is through the MCF.

The Province of Sussex is a net recipient of MCF grants. In other words, charitable grants received in the Province far exceed the amount we, Sussex freemasons, contribute to the MCF. It is therefore right beyond a peradventure that the masonic Province of Sussex should play its part in replenishing the coffers of the MCF and thereby enable it to continue its sterling work on behalf of English Freemasonry. Each Province does that by periodically taking part in the Festival system and it is our turn to do so again between 2022 and 2028.

In difficult economic times, which seem to become more difficult by the day, our task will not be easy. We will only succeed if we all pull together and do not just rely on a few generous brethren to lead us along the path to success. Charitable giving is one of our core tenets and I am sure we will all, and I mean all, wish to practice that tenet to the best of our individual ability. We can all afford something even if, in terms, it is “the widow’s mite”.

It is the case that the success of the Festival will depend upon every one of us signing up to give whatever he can reasonably afford on a regular basis. Raising charity money, however, can also be made enjoyable by ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit in organising fund-raising events and schemes whether individually, by lodges or by masonic centres or groups.

A target of £2,800,000 will be difficult to attain in the present economic climate but Sussex has an enviable reputation for generous masonic fund raising – as has been amply evidenced by our targets in past Festivals being well exceeded. I am therefore confident that we will continue with that honourable tradition and achieve our goal in six years’ time. I don’t mind how it is done (within the law, of course) but I hope that you will do it not only to the benefit of our Sussex reputation but, most of all, to the benefit of the MCF and its eventual beneficiaries.

Brethren, “2.8 for 28”.

Chris Moore
Provincial Grand Master