The Lord Raglan Lodge of Freemasons presented a donation of £500 to the Manx Benevolent Fund, whose objects are the relief of financial hardship for people residing on the Isle of Man.

Jeff Williams, Membership Officer for Lord Raglan Lodge, emphasised the ongoing commitment of Freemasonry in the Isle of Man to support the local community through both charitable giving and service.

Manx Benevolent Fund Chairman, Charlton Krentz, expressed his gratitude, noting that generous donations such as this help provide assistance for genuine cases of need through direct payment of goods and services, ranging from clothing, food, and white goods, through to medical equipment and services supporting mental health.

The Manx Benevolent Fund is delighted to have receive a donation of £1,000 from the Luxembourg Manx Society (LMS).

Henry Kelly, President of the LMS, explained that fostering interchange between Luxembourg and the Isle of Man was a key objective of the LMS, and supporting good causes on the Island demonstrated this ongoing commitment.

MBF Chairman Charlton Krentz expressed his gratitude, noting that the MBF continued to see a high level of applications. Generous donations such as this help the MBF to support genuine cases of need in the Island’s community, with assistance provided through direct payment of goods and services, ranging from clothing, food, and white goods, through to medical equipment and services supporting mental health.

You can find out more about the Luxembourg Manx Society on www.luxmanx.org.

Peel Charity Shop reached a huge milestone in surpassing a total of £2 million raised, and the MBF were absolutely thrilled to be one of the organisations to have received a very generous donation at their event last week. This support will go a long way in helping us provide relief to those facing financial hardship on our Island.

The work we do is only made possibly through amazing people like those at Peel Charity Shop, and we are truly grateful that they have shared the results of their hard work and dedication with us.

Our Chairman Charlton Krentz was very fortunate to be given the opportunity to speak on Manx Radio on 09 November 2021, about some of the work the MBF has been doing, particularly over the past year.

One of the main areas of assistance we currently seem to be dealing with, is fuel poverty. It is particularly concerning, at a time when we are coming into the winter months, that there is a significant portion of our population who are still having to make the ‘eat or heat’ decision on a daily basis.

Under the new  ‘Low Income High Costs’ indicator used by the Isle of Man Government, fuel poverty was in a 2020 report calculated to have affected 9.3% of households in 2018. Under the old 10% indicator this number rises to 15.8%; a very small decrease from figures recorded five years prior, and a number which we fear may have now increased in reality, given the massive impact of the Covid pandemic.

One of the problems we appear to face on the Isle of Man, is that unlike in some main UK cities for example, our issues surrounding poverty are not overtly visible, yet there are people facing real and daily struggles, simply to meet basic needs. It is vital in such circumstances to not plead ignorance to the struggles faced by people every single day, and instead, to join together in helping those less fortunate than ourselves, who often through no fault of their own, find themselves in the depths of despair. By doing so, we nurture the community which we are all a part of, and which we should all strive to see succeed for the benefit of everyone who calls this Island their home.

To hear the full interview which covers various other aspects of our work, skip to the 17 minute mark on this link. A feature article is available here.