London Freemasons pledge support for young Londoners with mental health challenges

Thousands of young Londoners with challenges around mental health will get help and support thanks to grants totalling £70,000 from the London Freemasons.

In response to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on mental health, particularly among the young, the London Freemasons – in partnership with the UGLE (United Grand Lodge of England) and MCF (Masonic Charitable Foundation) – have made grants totalling £70,000 to three organisations focused on youths’ mental health.

These are: Papyrus, which will further develop its Papyrus Community Hubs and focus on young suicide; Place2Be, which provides mental health support in London schools; and Young Minds, which is developing its ‘Never Alone’ initiative and creating a world where no young person feels alone with their mental health.

The donation is part of a big project created during almost two years of the pandemic. The United Grand Lodge of England, the governing body for Freemasonry in England and Wales, formed the Covid-19 Response Group to support those in need and during this period they have donated millions of pounds to support people in need.

London Freemasons and provinces across the country donated many tonnes of food, tablets for hospitals, ambulances and PPE, as well as supporting carers, women’s refuges, care homes, hospitals, hospices and funds for NHS workers. In 2020, the Freemasons total charitable donations topped £51 million. The grant from London Freemasons is funded by Freemasons and their families from London and beyond.

Ged Flynn, chief executive of the charity Papyrus Prevention of Young Suicide, said: “We would like to say a big thank you to the London Freemasons and the Masonic Charitable Foundation for this generous funding, which will help us to continue giving hope to young people who are struggling with life.

“The funding will help us to support and train volunteers to become local community champions across London. They will engage with communities, equip people with the skills to recognise and respond to suicidal behaviour, and help to make London a suicide-safer city.

“We believe many young suicides are preventable and funding from the Masonic Charitable Foundation will enable us to reach more children and young people who are in desperate need of help and support.”

Place2Be CEO Catherine Roche added: “Even before Covid-19, the need for specialist mental health support for children and young people was high. Now, with the additional pressure caused by the pandemic, it’s more important than ever that children have easy-to-access, high-quality mental-health support within their schools. The grant from London Freemasons will enable Place2Be to reach more children and young people across the capital before it’s too late. We are hugely grateful for this support.”

Young Minds director of development, Vanessa Longley, commented: “We are extremely grateful to London Freemasons for their generous grant to our charity. Young people have faced unprecedented challenges during the course of the pandemic – this grant comes at a time when it is vitally important that we continue to ensure that young people can get the mental health support they need, when they need it, no matter what. These funds will go towards helping young people navigate their mental health with the right information online and ensuring that no young person feels alone with their mental health. Thank you to all those at the London Freemasons for their support.”

Finally, London Freemasons charity leader Tony Shields concluded: “We work hard to support our communities, so we are proud to be able to help these organisations to assist young people with their mental health, given the dreadful time many of them have had in the last 18 months.”