Colin chose the Trust as his chosen charity as a result of the support and guidance his son received when he volunteered with the Trust several years ago. This support, combined with receiving an award for his volunteering from Chris Packham and the Mayor of Basingstoke, inspired his son to pursue a related career. Following undergraduate and master’s degrees in landscape architecture, he has progressed into a highly successful career in the field.
In June 2022, the lodge held a Garden Party in memory of one of their members who sadly passed away the previous year. The event had over 100 attendees and his widow put on a fine spread for everyone. A fantastic amount of money was raised from tickets sales as well as from a raffle which was held on the evening, which was shared between several charities/groups including the Trust.
The lodge met monthly for a meeting followed by dinner and a fundraising raffle, with a wide range of prizes donated by members. In September 2022 he gave a presentation on Formula 1 to The Chequered Flag Lodge (a Motorsports themed Lodge), raising £380 in one evening. This talk was accompanied by a whiskey raffle and a small auction, which are all contributing to helping to protect wildlife habitats across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. At their February meeting, they invited a guest speaker who provided a lecture on the last flight of the Halifax bomber, which was extremely popular with the members who attended.
At the end of his term as Worshipful Master, Colin applied for a grant from the Tom Langton fund, which he was successful in. The fund was a legacy set up by member Tom, designed for Masonic Lodges to apply to and give support to non-Masonic charities. This grant added a further £400 to the total raised by the Lodge throughout the year.
In total, Colin and Loddon Lodge raised £2126 for the Trust over the course of his term as Worshipful Master. Colin showed a huge amount of dedication to the Trust over the year and has inspired members to support us in creating a wilder Hampshire and Isle of Wight.
To find out more about Hampshire freemasonry visit https://www.hiowmasons.org/
If you are interested in fundraising for Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, either on your own or as part of your local community group, please get in touch with our fundraising team at fundraising@hiwwt.org.uk.