Essex Freemasons raise over £15,000 for Army Benevolent Fund

The Essex Freemasons met on September 7 at the St Giles Masonic Centre, in St John’s Green, Colchester, to hand over £500 to the Army Benevolent Fund (ABF) and to celebrate their continued support of the charity.

It brings the total figure raised by The Essex Freemasons to £15,500.

The ABF is ‘the Soldiers’ Charity’ which provides crucial support to both active and retired members of the UK’s military, as well as their family members.

Most of the Essex Freemason’s £15,000 donation, was raised and donated in March, the funds were used towards the ABF's Operation Camouflage.

Success - The Essex Freemasons and members of the ABF celebrated the group's on-going support of the charity in early September (Image: Essex Freemasons)

Operation Camouflage was a three-week summer activity in Woodbridge, Suffolk, where children of service personnel at the Colchester Garrison and under-privileged children from the local area could take part in.

Simon Ferrier, the ABF Briefing and Liaison Officer for London and East Anglia, is delighted with the Essex Freemason’s continued support.

He said: “The donations that we have received from [the] Essex Freemasons [go] a long way to [allow] the ABF [to be] able to support children of service personnel and to help in our other activities.

“The ABF relies on support from many sources to be able to help other military charities such as SSAFA and BLESMA.”