Members, staff and volunteers at Old Silk Works club are celebrating after being awarded £60,000 by Wiltshire Freemasons.
The donation from Masonic Charitable Foundation will help the Warminster day club continue to provide its unique and much-loved blend of care, support and camaraderie, as well as essential respite for family carers.
The grant, which will be paid over three years, is funded by Freemasons and their families and friends from across Wiltshire.
Three representatives visited the club this week to hand over the first tranche of the grant and meet the people who will benefit. Head of Wiltshire Freemasonry John Reid, Devizes chapter representative Paul Robinson and press officer for Wiltshire Freemasons Des Morgan spent the morning meeting club members and finding out what the club means to them.
Club member Duncan Baxter told them: "We are all very grateful and you picked the right thing to support. This club means the world to me. It has changed my life around and it keeps me going." Jon Shobbrook, who lives with early onset dementia, said: "I love coming here. I really do."
Provincial Grand Master John Reid said: "I’m really pleased we’ve been able to help Alzheimer’s Support with their vital project. The Old Silk Works provides an essential service to its members, providing a rich social life and essential support for their physical and mental health. This is a wonderful club that provides much pleasure and practical benefits to those that use it."
Des Morgan said: "One of the main principles of Freemasonry is friendship, and that is what we have seen in abundance here today. Genuine warmth and friendship. Thank you for making us so welcome."
Alzheimer’s Support CEO Sarah Marriott said: “We are thrilled and very grateful to the Freemasons for their generous grant to Old Silk Works. The club means so much to the families that rely on it and depends on fundraising to stay open.
“This significant donation will have a real impact on the support we can provide and we would like to say a huge thank you to the Freemasons for their ongoing support and understanding of our work.”