Cambridgeshire Freemasons have donated £500 to the Soham Community Association, a local organisation that works with the community to help people stay connected, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Members of Descensus Aquarum Lodge, which meets at the Masonic Hall in Silver Street in Ely, raised money via an online raffle with fund-matching by the Bethel Scheme which is run by Cambridge University and City Masonic Trust.
Jenny Fletcher, from Soham Community Association, said:
Over recent years there has been growing public attention to loneliness in our communities. We’re very grateful for the funding from the Freemasons, which has helped us to set up links between school children within the Staploe Education Trust and the elderly in Soham. Students from the Weatheralls Primary School in Soham and adults in the local community decorated notebooks for each other in their separate environments and then thank you cards were exchanged. There are further projects planned for when schools reopen and we are planning to organise a get-together event for all those involved, so they can meet their partners and chat about their shared experiences.
Before the pandemic, various Soham organisations organised events which included gardening projects, papercraft sessions and hand painting. In an effort to maintain these relationships, a VE Day letter-writing event was organised by the Association, with children writing about themselves and how they feel about lockdown, while asking the elderly their memories of VE Day and their school days.
Lodge member John Sinclair said:
It’s great to see the support from our members at our monthly virtual raffles. We’re really pleased to see how our donation has helped the community in Soham. Together we can carry on bringing local Freemasonry to our local communities and make a difference.
Our photograph shows students at Weatheralls Primary School showing off their notebooks and thank you cards.