A grant from Northumberland Freemasons, via the Richard Henry Holmes Benevolent Fund, has ensured that a local community hall can continue to offer services to the local population.
The £600 donation assisted, in part, towards the replacement of the internal gas distribution pipe work which had finally succumbed to corrosion. This essential work was vital for the day to day functioning of the hall, which currently hosts more than thirty events and classes a week for the community.
Due to the Government Pandemic restrictions, the Hall had to close temporarily causing all hire income to totally dry up.
Situated close to the centre of Ponteland on Darras Road, the Hall, which was built as a memorial to the fallen of World War One, opened in 1922, after being paid for by the residents of Ponteland, and continues to be an essential community centre and social hub.
Robin Ramsey MBE, the Chairman of Ponteland War Memorial Hall, explained “The Hall is very grateful for the support that the Masons has given in grants from Provincial funds. The £600 helped us greatly with an unglamorous project of replacing the gas main.”
Stuart Cairns, the Secretary for the Trustees of the Richard Henry Holmes Benevolent Fund, said “Last year the Ponteland Memorial Hall incurred a sizeable cost to replace corroded gas pipes and which substantially depleted the Hall Reserves.
Two of our Lodges, Castle Wardens Lodge No 8213 and Ocianus Lodge No 8329, meet at the Memorial Hall and always praise the facilities and great service that they receive. Together they donated £600 towards the cost of the repair work.
The Trustees of our Benevolent Fund were delighted to match that donation and awarded an additional amount of £600 towards the costs”
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