The Masonic Samaritan Fund (MSF)

The MSF is still a young charity. It was established in 1990 for the relief of suffering and sickness in respect of Freemasons, their wives, children or dependants, or the widows, children or dependants of deceased Freemasons.

The interests and needs of each applicant will be paramount in determining how and where relief will be granted.  The terms of the Trust Deed under which the Fund is required to operate require that relief can only be provided to applicants who demonstrate that the cost of private healthcare would be a financial burden and, who are otherwise unable to obtain treatment on the National Health Service without undue delay.

To date, the Fund has supported treatment for over 6,500 individuals ranging in age from 18 months to 104 years. This involved allocating grants totalling over £30 million. Whilst many of the conditions funded via the MSF may be associated with advancing years - hip and knee joint replacements, cataracts and prostate problems - funding can be available for everything from scans to major heart surgery. Although painful and often distressing, such complaints are not life threatening and often involve a long wait on the NHS. The Fund will not provide support in emergency or life threatening cases where the NHS will deal with it promptly and efficiently.

Applicants do not need to be financially destitute to qualify for assistance. In establishing the financial need we will take account of both income and capital but will not include the value of your home. Allowances are made for certain items of expenditure and for reasonable savings. Some applicants may be asked to make a contribution towards the overall cost of treatment. Once an application is accepted, the interests of the patient will be paramount and the required treatment will be obtained at whichever hospital is the most appropriate and, if possible, near to where the patient lives.

Please click on the logo on the right to visit the Masonic Samaritan Fund home page (actually the text and photographs as shown above are a direct copy from the MSF site)  for an amazing story .... Now if you have assimilated anything from the site you have just reviewed, well, hopefully you will now appreciate exactly why our Festival has chosen to support this amazing charity.

In fact why don't you visit our Downloadable Documents to start your donation stream today ......  Please ?

Donations made directly to the Fund, whether one-off payment or by means of a regular contribution can be made via 'Gift Aid.' This is a government approved scheme by which the tax associated with the donation is reclaimed by the MSF to significantly enhance the value of the donation (presently by an additional 28%). Gift Aid donations can be implemented by the envelope scheme or by filling in a form, details of both will be found in the Downloadable Documents. For more information about Gift Aid in general, please click on the Gift Aid logo to the right.