£2,587 donation towards Christmas meal appeal

More than £2,500 was donated to The Ely Community Christmas Meal Appeal thanks to money raised from an online festive quiz that was held by Descensus Aquarum Lodge Ely. 

The quiz also attracted sponsorship from Savills in Cambridge, and prize donations from Iceland in Ely and Homebase in Newmarket.   

Prep team (volunteers at shop): Michael Howe and Kim Sechrist. - Credit: ELY & CAMBRIDGESHIRE MASONS

Further support was provided by the Province of Cambridgeshire Charity for Care and Relief, and was match funded by the Masonic Charitable Foundation. 

The Ely Community Christmas Meal Appeal was born out of The Ely Cathedral Christmas Dinner Appeal that has run in previous years. 

Freemasons donated £1 million between April and July to help those impacted by the Covid-19 crisis, and are now focusing on protecting the homeless, with a new series of donations across England and Wales. 

Group presentation from left to right. Front: Pastor Giles Cornell, John Sinclair, Pat Kilby. Back – Sallyann Ford, Gretchen Floyd - Credit: CAMBS MASONS

Giles Cornell, pastor of the Ely Lighthouse Centre and principle organiser of the Ely Community Christmas Meal Appeal, said: “We were blown away by the generosity of the local community and this donation made a big difference.” 

John Sinclair, charity steward of Descensus Aquarum Lodge in Ely, said: “We are very pleased that we have been able to give our support to this worthwhile appeal and help those less fortunate than ourselves particularly at this seasonal time of the year.”