The East Lancashire Mark Benevolent Fund (ELMBF) have invited each of the 72 Lodges which meet within the Province of East Lancashire to nominate a charity which they feel would especially benefit from a donation of £1000 towards the services they provide for the public at large. This would be an important opportunity for the Mark degree to support a wider public audience and to try and make a difference to the lives of a number of people who are not Freemasons.
Quite recently, V.W.Bro. David Thompson and W.Bro. Steven Bolton, on behalf of The Lodge of Good Report of Royal Ark Mariners No. 1309, were invited to view a refuge where abused women and children could just arrive at a moment’s notice and be offered food, personal hygiene products, clothing and shelter along with a real opportunity to escape the torment which they have been suffering from an abusive partner for a period of time. Housing up to 37 women and children at any one time, they would have their own bedroom and bathroom with joint cooking and laundry facilities with other residents.
This is one of a number of shelters established throughout the country to provide that safe haven for those abused women who feel threatened and are situated within the Trafford area. Similar shelters exist for abused men as well, as 1 in 6 men are victims of abuse by their male or female partner. Trafford Domestic Abuse Services (TDAS) work in partnership with other voluntary organisations to support families across Greater Manchester to assist with short or long term care.
They were welcomed by both Samantha Fisher who is the CEO of TDAS and Vikki Bassek who is the Head of External Engagement and Income Generation. They both thanked the ELMBF for their kind donation and felt it would go some way towards helping the needs of the abused 🤝
Trafford Domestic Abuse Services have a core value of being ‘Inclusive’ means they support all victims of domestic abuse with their female and male accommodation and group work services delivered separately. They provide safe women only and safe male only spaces in both their accommodation and group work programmes. You can find out more about the TDAS by visiting – https://www.tdas.org.uk/