FREEMASONS in York have donated nearly £39,000 to charity at a special presentation evening held at the Masonic Hall, in St Saviourgate.

The Lord Mayor of York, Coun Susan Galloway and the Lady Mayoress, Lorraine Meehan, were guests of honour, with one of the Lord Mayor’s chosen charities for her year in office, Our Celebration, one of the recipients.

Nine lodges presented their donations to a total of 16 charities, including ABF, the soldiers’ charity, SSAFA, Diabetes UK, York Railway Institute Band, York Against Cancer and Martin House Hospice.

Other beneficiaries included York Joint Scout Trust, Candlelighters, St Leonard’s Hospice, St Monica’s Hospital, The Wilberforce Trust, Snappy, the York Group of the Riding for the Disabled Association, the Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Royal British Legion.

A further 15 charities, not present at the function, received donations throughout the year.

The Press reported in August how almost £3,000 had gone from Minster Lodge to York and District Against Motor Neurone Disease to buy a special electrically-operated chair, which enabled sufferers to adjust the position of the chair, helping to reduce sufferers sores and making life more bearable.

Earlier in the year, the lodge presented the Wilberforce Trust in York with a donation of £1,895 to purchase a desktop reading machine to produce audio reports of printed material, and Brunswick Organic Nursery and the York Coronary Support Trust also received donations.

Keith Bell, chairman of the organising committee, said money was raised by freemasons and their families through regular donations, after-dinner raffles, barbecues, sponsored walks/runs and many other social fundraising events.

He said freemasonry was the largest “fraternal charitable organisation” in the world.

He said: “Freemasons are taught to practice charity and to care, not only for their own but also for the community as a whole, both by charitable giving and by voluntary efforts and works as individuals.”