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Norfolk freemasons donate to Hunstanton RNLI

Lifeboats News Release

Freemasons on the Norfolk coast made donations to the charity that saves lives at sea along with a host of other good causes.

RNLI/Chris Bishop

Worshipful Master Steve Chalmers, flanked by (left) Senior Warden Warren McShane and Junior Warden Will Guy, presents a cheque to David Coggles from the Hunstanton crew.
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Members of the Martin Folkes Lodge, which is based at Heacham, near Hunstanton, staged a special presentation in their temple on Wednesday January 28.

The RNLI was one of seven charities given a share of £3,200 raised from lodge regulars reaching into their own pockets last year, as the craft - as members call it - does not solicit donations from the public.

Worshipful Master Steve Chalmers handed over the cheques from the imposing master's chair, from which he oversees meetings in the temple with its chequered carpet and masonic regalia.

Andrew Clifton, secretary of the 50-strong lodge, said: 'We don't go out rattling collecting tins or buckets, the money we give all comes from ourselves as members.

'Our only criteria is you have to be a local charity and you have to be doing good in the local area.'

Peter Irons, its charity steward, said: 'We give what we can afford, we're not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination.

'We're donating to the RNLI because of what it does, saving lives at sea.'

Crew member David Coggles spoke to lodge members before accepting a £500 cheque on behalf of Hunstanton RNLI.

'We're all volunteers, none of us gets paid for what we do,' David said, adding members also gave up many hours of their own time to train to maintain their skills and help run the busy station.

'And we're charity, so as a station we couldn't function without the support of people like yourselves who kindly give donations.'

One freemason replied: 'So you get no government funding, you don't even get paid a retainer.

'I find that incredible for all that you people do, I will certainly think even more highly of the RNLI for that in the future.'

Other causes which received a donation from the lodge were the East Anglian Air Ambulance, the Norfolk Hospice Tapping House, West Norfolk Riding for the Disabled, Theresa's Tiny Treasures, Snettisham Sailing Club and the Hunstanton Scouts.

Freemasonry dates back to Medieval times, when stonemasons who built the nation's great cathedrals formed guilds to protect their trade secrets and stave off shoddy workmanship, using symbols and code words.

Martin Folkes Lodge is a more recent arrival. It was founded in 1948 at a hotel near the present-day lifeboat station, after interest in Freemasonry boomed following the end of the Second World War.

Notes to Editors

For information about how the RNLI is funded, please visit:

https://rnli.org/about-us/how-the-rnli-is-run/running-costs

Volunteers at Hunstanton RNLI operate both the inshore lifeboat Spirit of West Norfolk and search and rescue hovercraft Hunstanton Flyer from their base on Sea Lane.

They cover The Wash, a coastal estuary of more than 200 square miles fed by four main rivers along with parts of the North Norfolk coast.

Crew members at the busy station are on call 24/7, 365 days a year; while their work is supported by its visits, shop and outreach teams, along with the Hunstanton and West Norfolk RNLI Lifeboat Guild which raises funds for the charity that saves lives at sea.

RNLI Picture caption

Worshipful Master Steve Chalmers, flanked by (left) Senior Warden Warren McShane and Junior Warden Will Guy, presents a cheque to David Coggles from the Hunstanton crew.


Credit: RNLI/Chris Bishop.

RNLI media contacts

For more information call Chris Bishop, Hunstanton RNLI volunteer Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer on 07584 147219, Clare Hopps, RNLI Regional Communications Manager, North and East on 07824 518641, or the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,700 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.

About the author

Chris Bishop
Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer, Hunstanton

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