FREEMASONS from across the county have donated to a national appeal aimed at helping families hit by a typhoon in the Philippines.
The group has given £25,000 to Plan International which will share hygiene kits, including soap, shampoo, towels, toothpaste and brushes to 851 families to help them keep clean and healthy in the aftermath of the devastating typhoon.
Typhoon Rai hit the Philippines on December 16, leaving almost 400 people dead and causing massive damage.
Winds of up to 120mph, heavy rain and storm surges battered the islands, leaving entire villages submerged in floodwater, trees uprooted from the ground and hundreds of thousands of people seeking shelter.
The grant from the Freemasons comes through the Masonic Charitable Foundation, which is funded by Freemasons, their families and friends, from across England and Wales.
Rose Caldwell, chief executive of Plan International UK, said: “We’re very grateful for this generous grant which will allow Plan International to provide essential support to thousands of people in the aftermath of this terribly destructive typhoon.
“It’s critical that we act now to help those most at risk”
And Les Hutchinson, Chief Executive of the Masonic Charitable Foundation, said the group were pleased to help.
“This is a desperate situation and Plan and the other organisations helping on the ground need all the help and support we in the outside world can offer.”
