Preston Masters Donate £1000 to local charities as the current Chairman steps down.

Tim Horton was appointed chair of Preston Masters Group just before Covid hit, and has ensured
that fund-raising activities have continued throughout, where possible, but all good things must
come to an end and, with Tim no longer in the chair of Preston Guild Lodge No. 4408 the time has
come to hand over the reins to the current master of Fraternity Lodge No. 4072, Alan Brindle, who
we are sure will pick things up where Tim left off, starting with the 2022 Masters Walk.
To mark the end of Tim’s tenure the Preston Masters agreed to use funds raised at the recent quiz,
together with surplus carried over from 2021 and make 4 donations of £250 each to charitable
causes in the region, the beneficiaries being nominated by the committee members. These are
Integrate Preston (Sow’n’Grow), North West Blood Bikes, North West Air Ambulance and Emmaus
Preston

Integrate Preston for their Sow ‘n’ Grow Nursery

Sow ‘n’ Grow, Integrate’s little piece of heaven, has been operating on Haslam Park since the late
90’s, evolving from a very popular allotment the charity used to have on Blackpool Road. Their
primary aim is to provide meaningful daytime activity for people with a learning disability, autism or
mental health issues.
Being in a quiet corner of the park makes it the perfect setting for those with a busy mind or who
benefit from a peaceful natural environment. The team grow a wide variety of outdoor plants which
are ideally suited to the local climate. For the past 8 years they have also run Plants+, the shop at the
entrance of the park, to make our plants and gifts more accessible to the public
Tim Horton, IPM of Preston Guild Lodge No. 4408 hands over the cheque for £250 to Sow ‘n’ Grow at
their Haslam Park nursery.

North West Blood Bikes Lancashire and Lakes

They started operating in May 2012 and aim to provide a totally free, but professional, voluntary
service, out of normal working hours for the transportation of Urgent and Emergency items, e.g.
blood, platelets, samples, donor breast milk, patient notes, theatre equipment, in fact anything that
can be carried by motorcycle, solely for the benefit of the publicly funded emergency services and
the patients being treated by them, within the NHS Hospitals.
They provide this service through the night, and 24 hours per day at weekends and Bank Holidays,
enabling hospital funding to be better spent on patient care.

Alan Brindle, the current master of Fraternity Lodge No. 4072 presented the cheque for £250 to
Martin and Paul, two fellow Masons, who are both volunteers at the Preston branch of North West
Blood Bikes. Martin is a Rider and the charity’s Treasurer, while Paul is a Rider, the Fleet Manager
and the Vice-Chairman of the charity. The Preston Masters’ money will go towards the upkeep of
NW Blood Bikes’ latest motorcycle which was donated by the family of a recently deceased fellow
Mason.

North West Air Ambulance

Since 1999, the North West Air Ambulance Charity has had a huge impact on the lives of many
across the North West, initially operating just five days per week, with a full 7 day service by 2002.
Recently joining forces with the North West Ambulance Service to provide inter-hospital transfers in
response to the Covid-19 pandemic, helping prevent any one hospital becoming overwhelmed. Also
partnering with Blood Bikes Manchester, and Salford Royal Hospital transfusion service to administer
lifesaving blood transfusions by the roadside.

Emmaus Preston

Emmaus Preston is a charity that provides a home and work to people who have been homeless or socially excluded. It is only through charitable donations that they continue helping to change lives in Preston. Emmaus Preston is an independent charity and a member of the Emmaus UK federation.