Suffolk Freemasons

Suffolk Masonic Clay Shooting Society donates to Suffolk Accident Rescue Service

On Monday 27th November 2023 SMaCSS Chairman Roger Nash, SMaCSS Vice Chairman Shane Brereton and SMaCSS Secretary/Charity Phil Ramsey had the pleasure to meet with Dr Ben Peirce and Kim Turner from Suffolk Accident Rescue Service and hand over a cheque for the sum of £1,500. This charity donation has been made possible by the ongoing support of those who attend our social clay pigeon shoots and give generously within the framework of fun, friendship and fundraising.
SARS is over 50 years old and has grown from a small group of voluntary GPs who predominantly responded to road traffic collisions, into a large team of volunteer clinicians who respond to any manner of serious medical events throughout Suffolk. The 35 responders include Consultant Anaesthetists, GP's, Specialist Nurses, Paramedics and Clinical support practitioners, they all work in the medical profession and donate their time, skills and knowledge to SARS enabling them to take pre-hospital emergency medicine to the patient. So far this year they have been mobilised to over 430 medical emergencies and have been the first medical resource on scene in approximately 30% of cases.
Kim Turner added ‘SMaCSS decision to sponsor volunteer clinicians Ben and Jared means the world to us. Having a sponsor is a great boost to our clinicians who feel valued and understand just how important the donations made by our supporters are. A donation of £1,500 can help enormously with the cost of continued professional development for the clinicians and can purchase fundamental lifesaving kit. Without donations like this SARS would not be able to mobilise to, or expand their offering to, those in our community who require such assistance. We thank SMaCSS so much for your continued generosity.’

Bury St Edmunds care home rated 'Outstanding' by Care Quality Commission

Resident Mary Matter (102) and staff member Emma Gibson enjoy a ride on the rickshaw around the Home’s grounds.

RMBI Care Co. Home Cornwallis Court, in Bury St Edmunds, has achieved an 'Outstanding' rating following its latest inspection by care regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC). 

Following an inspection in July 2023, CQC’s report said the management team “led by example and put people at the heart of the service.” The report added: “People’s views were valued and they were consulted in the planning for improvement in the service.” This puts Cornwallis Court, which provides residential care, nursing care and residential dementia support for up to 57 residents, amongst the top 5% of care homes in the UK that have received the highest rating by CQC (source: carehome.co.uk). It is also the fourth Home to be rated ‘Outstanding’ for RMBI Care Co., the charity that operates Cornwallis Court. The Home was praised by CQC who said: “People were cared for by a dedicated and compassionate staff team who were valued and appreciated.” The report also confirmed: “The service had a warm and homely environment, welcoming of people's friends and relatives, especially during organised events. People were supported by staff, including activities staff who had the skills to meet their individual needs.”

Planning permission is currently in progress to build a new care home on the site of the existing Home as, due to the age of the building, it has certain limitations. The new care home will be designed and created to meet the changing needs of older people in a homely environment. It will be built in a series of phases to enable residents and staff to continue living and working in the existing building, before moving across to the new Home once it is ready.

Denise O’Brien, Home Manager at Cornwallis Court, said: "We are thrilled to receive our 'Outstanding' rating from CQC. Our staff are passionate about supporting our residents’ health and wellbeing, and helping them to live to the fullest".

For more information about RMBI Home Cornwallis Court or any of RMBI Care Co. care services, please visit: http://www.rmbi.org.uk/

Suffolk Freemasons donate £13,250 to Cathedral Chair Appeal

Following the Tuesday 4th April meeting of Suffolk 250 Lodge No. 10014 at Ashlar House, Bury St. Edmunds, members and their guests welcomed the Dean of St. Edmundsbury Cathedral, The Very Reverend Joe Hawes. The Deputy Provincial Grand Master Tim McCormick then explained to everyone present the connection that Suffolk Freemasons has with the Cathedral, the assistance it had given over the years and how pleased he was to be able to present a £13,250 cheque to the Dean for the Cathedral Chair Appeal.            

The Dean thanked the Deputy Provincial Grand Master and all the representatives of the various Suffolk Lodges and Royal Arch Chapters present for their kind donations and stated how grateful the Cathedral was for the help received from Freemasons in Suffolk and that he hoped we would once again attend the Cathedral for an Evensong Service in October.

The Cathedral wants to be a centre of learning, both for the Christian faith and beyond and wishes to assist helping towards a more caring and just society, both locally and further afield. The Dean then went on to talk about the current aims of the Cathedral and how it was assisting to house local homeless people and look after those who are lonely and in need.

 Suffolk 250 Lodge was formed in 2021 to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the foundation of Provincial Grand Lodge of Suffolk in 1771.