CHARITIES across north Essex received almost £500,000 in funding from Essex Freemasons.

Across last year, Masonic Centres from all over the country supported worthy causes with fundraising campaigns.

Donations from masonic centres across north Essex add up to about £468,000.

Centres in Maldon, Brightlingsea, Burnham and Witham, Brentwood and Chelmsford gave the highest contribution of £230,000.

Braintree contributed £80,000.

Frinton, Clacton, Colchester, Kelvedon, Harwich, Wivenhoe, West Mersea and Tollesbury raised £108,000.

Saffron Walden and Halstead raised £50,000.

Dave Todd, a Clacton Mason, raised £2,000 completing a wing walk on a bi-plane with speeds in excess of 130mph.

The money raised from the wing walk went to charities in the Harwich area through the Freemasons’ Grand Charity.

Last October, Essex Freemasons helped replace a stolen bike which belonged to injured war veteran, Ash Hall.

Ash lost both legs after a bomb blast in Afghanistan and needs a specially adapted bike.

It was stolen from Mr Hall’s home in Henry Everett Grove, Colchester, in April. Essex Freemasons paid £8,000 for a replacement bike, which had to be crafted by a team of experts in Austria over four months.

Rodney Bass OBE, Provincial Grand Master, said: “Essex Freemasons are making a huge difference in every area of the county.

“We have now donated in excess of £3.4million over the last two years.”