Freemasons donate £75k to help rebuild community in Wainfleet area

The fund has been set up by the Lincolnshire Community Foundation, which is bringing together fundraising efforts behind the long-term recovery plan which will swing intoaction once the floodwaters have receded.Already there have been about 500 people from a number of agencies working around the clock to provide an emergency response to the incident, which has forced theevacuation of almost 300 homes.But it’s the recovery phase that will take time, and that’s where the Freemasons’ donation will be directed.

Provincial Grand Master Dave Wheeler said: “To see anyone driven from their home by flooding is heartbreaking, especially when it’s in your own community.“The emergency response to the incident has been extremely effective through the days after the torrential rainfall followed by the breach of the banks of the River Steeping,but that is only part of the story. The recovery phase will be long, and will take considerable effort.“I’m pleased that we have been able to move so quickly in making this donation of £75,000. It underlines that Lincolnshire Freemasons are determined to help put the heart back into this part of Lincolnshire, and we have every confidence that the Lincolnshire Community Foundation will make sure the money is used effectively in making that happen.”The donation is made up of three Masonic grants of £25,000 each, from The Province of Lincolnshire, the Mark Benevolent Fund, and the Masonic Charitable Foundation. Thelatter two are national charities subscribed to by Freemasons all over the country, including those in Lincolnshire.James Murphy, Joint CEO of the Lincolnshire Community Foundation, said: “There are lots of people for whom properties in Wainfleet are their ‘forever home’. We shall bedoing what we can to return things to normal for this community. It’s when something like this happens that you find out how good a community is, and Wainfleet’s isparticularly strong.

‘The Lincolnshire Community Foundation is working in partnership with the Recovery Coordinating Group to raise funds and support Wainfleet and the surrounding area.Money donated will help to relieve hardship, complete repairs, make good loss or damage, help to prevent the flooding happening again, and to improve the response inthe event that it ever does. 100% of donations will be spent in and around Wainfleet,” he added.In addition to the £75,000, more the £2,261 have been raised on the TotalGiving appeal online. To make a donation, please visit here.Proceeds from Naylor's auction in Wainfleet this morning are also being donated to victims and there are a number of fundraising events

Hundreds of pounds have already been raised to help the victims of the Wainfleet floods.An appeal launched on JustGiving by Donna Marshall for £5,000 has already raised more than £1,482.Donna said: “Let’s try raise as much as we can to help those poor folk get back to some kind of normality once the flood water has gone and the clean up starts.”Music events are now also kindly donating money raised to help the victims.The Hydro-Bats are appearing at the Woolpack Pub and Kitchen in High Street on Saturday evening at 9pm.Coastal Sound Radio has also announced putting an event together in just 10 hours after calls by their listeners for something to be organised.A show called ‘Yellow Bellies United’ and featuring Lincolnshire artists is to be held at the Embassy Centre in Skegness on July 3.