Ian puts on his running shoes

Ian on completion of one of his runs.

Later in the year Widnes Group Charity Steward Ian Lynch will be running the Edinburgh Marathon on Sunday 28th May in support of two very worthy causes – ‘The Cheshire Fire Brigade Nepal Project’ and the ‘Masonic Charitable Foundation’.
15 highly motivated Cheshire Fire Cadets and nine volunteer leaders will head out to Nepal in the autumn of 2017 but first they need to raise over £70,000. This will fund the building of a new school and enable the team to go to Nepal and finish off the build where they will also meet and work with the children and villagers who will be using the facilities for generations to come.
Over 18 months on from the first earthquake in Nepal on the 25th April 2015 children are still living and studying under tarpaulins, so it’s important that this group raises the money to enable them to help these young people as much as possible.
Working with the charity – ‘Classrooms in the Clouds’, the Cheshire group are aiming to build a brand new six-classroom school in a remote village in the Basa region of Nepal. The region also suffered a huge amount of destruction to villages and communities from last year’s earthquakes, so the need for this building is even greater.

The ‘Masonic Charitable Foundation’, the second worthy cause for which Ian is aiming to support from his Marathon run, builds better lives by enabling opportunity, advancing healthcare and education and promoting independence for Freemasons, their families and the wider community.

Some of the young Cheshire Fire Cadets who went to help in Nepal in 2015.

The Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) was launched in April 2016. It over-arches the work of the four national Masonic charities. This will simplify a wide range of grants and assistance for Freemasons and their families, as well as providing aid for the wider community. The MCF will allocate funds made by the four charities. The charities that are supported make a significant and lasting difference to people in need. In addition to the support that the MCF provides to Freemasons and their families, it awards millions of pounds each year to local and national charities that help vulnerable people, advance medical research and provide opportunities for young people. The MCF also awards grants to other charities, hospices, and disaster relief appeals and is one of the largest grant-making charities in the country.

There are also sponsorship forms posted around the various sites in the Widnes Group for those who prefer not to use the just-giving site.

All donations (no matter how small) are most welcome and will be thankfully received and faithfully applied on behalf of the eventual recipients. In addition, your support may also ease Ian’s pain throughout his training!!