Young carers enjoy an indoor picnic at Honeypot House before the lockdown
The Honeypot Children’s Charity in Hampshire has received £8,000 from the Freemasons as it moves towards resuming respite breaks for young carers.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the charity was forced to halt its crucial residential breaks for the youngsters who are aged between five and 12.
Its emergency action plan, launched in March, attracted a large number of donations.
These enabled it to reach and continue supporting young carers with an innovative online support service.
Following the Government’s guidance and easing of lockdown, the charity is preparing to resume residential breaks at Honeypot House in the New Forest.
While these preparations are underway, Honeypot will be working to return its seven acres of recreational land and gardens to being as special as the young carers remember.
Freemasons in the Southampton area assisted the charity with a grant of £8,000 from the Masonic Charitable Foundation’s Covid-19 Fund.
This very welcome donation will help Honeypot to continue its present lockdown services and fund a renewed maintenance programme at Honeypot House.
Alan Naylor, the local Freemason who was instrumental in arranging the grant, said: “There are children as young as five years old caring for a sick or disabled parent or sibling.
“They face a childhood of isolation, anxiety and stress as part of their daily lives.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic, those challenges have been exacerbated. Young carers need Honeypot’s support more than ever.
“I hope this very worthwhile charity can soon return to providing much needed residential respite breaks.”
Simmi Woodwal, Chief Executive of Honeypot, thanked the Freemasons for the grant, saying: “We are very excited with the prospect of brightening the lives of incredible Honeypot children in the weeks and months ahead.
“Thank you again for your commitment to help young carers – it is giving them hope for a happy childhood, even during a crisis.”
Editor’s note:
There are around 9,000 Freemasons in Hampshire and Isle of Wight, and over 250 Lodges. Although Freemasonry has been an open and transparent organisation for some time, there are still many misconceptions. Essentially, Freemasonry is a society of men concerned with moral and spiritual values based on integrity, kindness, honesty and fairness. It is one of the world’s oldest and largest non-religious, non-political, fraternal and charitable organisations.
For further information please contact:
Provincial and masonic information: Provincial Marketing Officer, Roger Maber, email: roger@guessens.com tel: 07802605499