Local Lodge Lends Fundraising Support to Berkshire’s Young Dementia Charity

Before Christmas the Padworth Freemasons Lodge made a donation to the Younger People With Dementia charity. The lodge’s donation is being used to provide age-appropriate activities at the Padworth Old Rectory venue for those that have been diagnosed with working-age dementia. This is dementia in those of 65 and younger. These activities, including gardening, craft and cooking, keep those with dementia active, providing therapeutic benefit throughout their time with this progressive illness.

The work of Younger People With Dementia (YPWD) came to the Lodge’s attention as a longstanding friend and work colleague was diagnosed with working-age dementia four years ago.

People with working-age dementia tend to be just that, people of working-age who are in the midst of a career, with plans to realise and families to support. As dementia is a progressive illness the diagnosis means that families have to change their life plans through no fault of their own.

The charity’s work focuses on helping those with dementia to live well and provides the opportunity to maintain skills, wellbeing, creativity, a sense of purpose, to be included and to remain living at home for as long as possible.

Every year the Padworth Lodge contributes several thousand pounds to a variety of Masonic and non-Masonic charities, both at local and national levels. Clearly larger national charities are best placed to provide a service to the public at large, therefore they are incredibly happy to support these charities. However, being able to support charities within their own community and see at first hand the benefit that their small contributions make is far more rewarding.

Neil Murphy one of the Lodge members says: “When I approached YPWD to explore the possibility of some financial support coming from the Masonic fraternity and discovered that YPWD were about to embark on their “Padworth Old Rectory Project” I felt it was an opportunity too good to miss. My Masonic colleagues readily agreed, everyone at Padworth Lodge is delighted to support YPWD and we thank the Berkshire Masonic Charity for providing some additional funding to this very worthwhile cause. I look forward to visiting the Old Rectory later in the year to see the progress that has been made.”

The charity’s work at the Old Rectory has involved taking an unused garden space and, through donations and voluntary support, renovating this space into a functioning garden for people with working-age dementia to work in, socialise in and live well with dementia in. It provides a year-round venue, including an indoor space, in a beautiful part of Berkshire, offering therapeutic benefit to those that attend.

The charity’s Director Mark Hainy feels that this support from the Padworth Lodge will help catalyse further support for this particular project, “The Old Rectory site is unique, with significant potential for the charity to develop a wealth of other smaller and beneficial projects for those that use it’s services. The support from the Padworth Lodge has allowed us to realise the potential of this brilliant venue, so we are incredibly grateful.”