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Freemason row: Mayor releases statement

1:09pm Thursday 14th May 2009


THE Mayor of High Wycombe today said she had been assured a controversial Masonic charity backed by her official appeal will consider non-Masons.

In a statement (below), Councillor Julie Pritchard said she was “saddened” by concerns over her choice of The Royal Masonic Trust For Girls and Boys for the Mayor’s Appeal.

Liberal Democrats questioned choosing the charity which says it gives “most” cash to families of Freemasons.

The Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys says its “primary aim” is to help Masonic families.

The Mayor’s Appeal takes donations from members of the public and holds events for the Mayor’s current charity. It raised £17,500 last year for South Bucks Hospice.

Cllr Pritchard’s statement said:

The Royal Masonic Trust For Girls and Boys (RMTGB) is a charity like any other, they identify a need that is not met through other sources and try to help. They have criteria and like the Air Ambulance cannot get funding from the lotteries commission. Clearly everyone has a limit to what and who they can support. I have been assured that the RMTGB will look at each application individually and judge each on its merits, regardless of any Masonic connection or lack of it.

Since 1977, at the instigation of Honorary Burgess and former Cllr David Fieldhouse, it has become a tradition for the elected Mayor to fundraise on behalf of a charity. That charity or charities are chosen by the Mayor and the Mayor alone.

Over recent years charities supported have been Air Ambulance, Hearing Dogs for the Deaf, Ian Rennie Hospice, The Alzheimers Society, Special Care Baby Unit, The Dialysis Unit and South Bucks Hospice. None of these are Wycombe Town based and none can be said to exclusively support the Town’s residents. They all are invaluable charities, have eligibility criteria for their services and have been supported admirably by the appeal.

Charter Trustees and the Mayor are apolitical. Let’s not forget I am also fundraising on behalf of another charity as well as RMTGB that is not Wycombe based – the Air Ambulance. Given they have a specific remit and a wide geographical area to cover, this is no reason not to support this charity just because it cannot guarantee that the funds will be used exclusively for High Wycombe residents.


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Your Say YourLondon

You ain't seen me, Right! says...
1:15pm Thu 14 May 09

Can anyone join the Masons, or is it just brick-layers?

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Townman, High Wycombe says...
1:32pm Thu 14 May 09

Sad to say, I nor my family will be supporting the Mayors appeal this year. We have over the years donated at the street collections etc. The Mayors statement does nothing to help the situation. Her attack on another Charter Trustee, highlights the now political nature of the High Wycombe Mayorality. It was done for many years, on an apolitical way. Cross party Mayors, working with the Charter Trustees to raise funds. Her comments that is has nothing to do with the other Charter Trustees, is sad. So instead of them all doing their bit. It will be down to her, to raise the money.

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Catflap, Bucks says...
1:50pm Thu 14 May 09

Assured by who Julie. this is not the statement that is on their website. also you are failing to understand peoples feelings towards this. The chrity doesn't necessrily need to be Wycombe based, although that wold be nice, but it does need to be able to benefit the general public. This does not.Give it up Julie.

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Catflap, Bucks says...
1:50pm Thu 14 May 09

Assured by who Julie. this is not the statement that is on their website. also you are failing to understand peoples feelings towards this. The chrity doesn't necessrily need to be Wycombe based, although that wold be nice, but it does need to be able to benefit the general public. This does not.Give it up Julie.

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yog, says...
3:13pm Thu 14 May 09

You can hear the sound of heads banging on walls all across Wycombe. She is clearly out of her depth, come on Lesley Clarke show some leadership and sort it out.

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Mutley, High Wycombe says...
3:57pm Thu 14 May 09

It's obvious that the Mayor just doesn't "get it". This issue is not about whether the charity is Wycombe-based but whether the help offered by the charity is open to all equally. We all expect charities to have some kind of eligibility criteria - the hospices would help the terminally ill and their dependents, the hearing dogs for the deaf would help those with hearing difficulties, the air ambulance wouldn’t come out to everyone who needed a trip to the hospital, etc. etc. But a charity whose primary aim is to help disadvantaged children of freemasons with others considered on a secondary basis, although maybe a worthy cause in itself, clearly doesn’t treat everyone equally. And while the masons may raise a lot of money for charity, there is also the fact that freemasonry is a secret organisation behind the scenes and consistently stands accused of dubious practices by many investigators. I will be giving any money which would have been destined for the Mayor’s appeal directly to the air ambulance.

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thentherewere4, says...
4:05pm Thu 14 May 09

No surprises there then. Free Masons giving money to one another. Well it is a secret society and if you're not a member don't bother knocking on the door.

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Hit me, HARD! says...
4:08pm Thu 14 May 09

Oh please no. If she gets involved she will prbably close the mayor down. And the masons. And the air ambulance. And the rest of wycombe that she hasnt already closed.

Not edne though. Thats a success.

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Hit me, HARD! says...
4:08pm Thu 14 May 09

Oh please no. If she gets involved she will prbably close the mayor down. And the masons. And the air ambulance. And the rest of wycombe that she hasnt already closed.

Not edne though. Thats a success.

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Hit me, HARD! says...
4:08pm Thu 14 May 09

Oh please no. If she gets involved she will probably close the mayor down. And the masons. And the air ambulance. And the rest of wycombe that she hasnt already closed.

Not edne though. Thats a success.

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Hit me, HARD! says...
4:34pm Thu 14 May 09

...and dont you wish BFP would fix the web **** so it stopped doing that? Telling you you have the wrong security word and posting anyway.... Is it only me?

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You ain't seen me, Right! says...
5:33pm Thu 14 May 09

^ It's only you !

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You ain't seen me, Right! says...
5:34pm Thu 14 May 09

^ It's only you !

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You ain't seen me, Right! says...
5:35pm Thu 14 May 09

B0LL0CKS!

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wycombenewbie, Wycombe says...
6:20pm Thu 14 May 09

What a mess Wycombe's politics is in.

here's some irony...the security word I've got to enter is "vote-pool". BFPs clearly pushing its own agenda here!

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Hit me, HARD! says...
6:30pm Thu 14 May 09

Sorry - we dont do politics in Wycombe. We tried it once and were a bit rubbish, so we closed it down.

We are good at some things though.

And if anyone knows what it was, please write back soon....

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weyfarer, Princes Risborough says...
7:05pm Thu 14 May 09

I know plenty of Masons, all of them decent people and sorry to dissapoint you lot- none of them have horns.
While terrorists of every colour creed and desription are plotting to hurt maime and kill us all you are all getting in a flap about the Masons. Sorry but I must have missed something here?

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smiley cat, High Wycombe says...
7:17pm Thu 14 May 09

Hit me wrote:
Sorry - we dont do politics in Wycombe. We tried it once and were a bit rubbish, so we closed it down. We are good at some things though. And if anyone knows what it was, please write back soon....
We are dead good at roundabouts and traffic lights.:)

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Golly, West Wycombe says...
8:29pm Thu 14 May 09

Mutley
If that's how you feel, give it to the air ambulance direct.
Yog
sort your own life out first before letting anyone else affect it.
Thentherewere4
Get the facts sorted and come back when you have a clue what you are on about.
Weyfarer
Me too.

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Hit me, HARD! says...
9:11pm Thu 14 May 09

^ Wink shuffle Shake shake shuffle.

I nose.

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Mogley, High Wycombe says...
1:17pm Sat 16 May 09

You aint seen me..Right!...Anyone can be invited to become a member of The Freemasons.

Townman...You can support what ever you like, it's a free country.

Catflap....You are unable to spell! What education did you receive? The RMTGB does give to all, don't believe everything you hear or read?

Yog....Julie isn't out of her depth and Lesley Clarke could not sort squat-didley! Most of her Council Chamber are made up of Masons..Ha..Ha!!

Mutley....Are you married to Penelope Pit-Stop then or have you just been brain-washed by your mate...Dick!! Freemasonry is NOT a secret organisation. You are welcome to give money where you please. TVAA will be grateful, I'm sure, but the Chopper will probably be piloted by a Mason and the nurse looking after the patient on board may be a Mason and the Doctor and the Surgeon in the hospital will also be a Mason too. Get a life mate!! Masons and their charities are great for this country and the world over.

Thentherewere4....I like your spirit but again, Freemasonry is NOT a secret society. At least you can spell, well done!

Hit me, HARD!.....What school did you go to?
You are unable to spell the simplist of words! You se, if you had attended the RMSGB the teachers would have taught you to spell edne the correct way,like this..EDEN. In answer to your earlier quote...we're not good at politics but it appears some of us can spell!!

Weyfarer....I'm with you.

Smiley Cat....Nice one!

Stepehn Guy and Trev-the-Rev Snaith had better be careful from now on. Just who will greet them when they bang the doors in search of a vote at the next County Elections in June. Yes you can bet your fraternal frollicks that a lot of Masons will open the door and you won't have a clue that they are Masons but they (at least) will know of your coments surrounding Freemasonry. I wonder if you will be asking them for their vote? The LibDems in Totteridge and Ryemead are both marginal seats and the real vote will be at the ballot box in June. What the LibDems should now realise is that their seats in the above 2 wards will not be under threat with the other 2 main parties but with the Freemasons in those wards. I can't see these 2 wards coming out on top in this Election now!!

Good luck Mayor.









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Mogley, High Wycombe says...
1:22pm Sat 16 May 09

SPOT MY DELIBERATE SPELLING MISTAKE?????

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towncryer, HIgh Wycombe town says...
6:49pm Sat 16 May 09

Well mogley
from your comments its seems your one of those Freemasons or a Tory that seem to think Bucks residents love them

There are more worthwile local charities without any hidden agenda that could have been supported

Mogley --Get real there is more to life than being a Freemason.




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Save Wycombe, High Wycombe says...
4:47am Sun 17 May 09

'The Freemasons is not a secret society' - that's a bit like saying the BNP aren't racist, isn't it? Freemasons take a solemn oath never to reveal the secrets of the craft. Fact.

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yog, says...
12:07pm Sun 17 May 09

I think the comments above from Mogley just underline why there is so much concern about the Mayors choice of charity.

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tony_t, High Wycombe says...
2:58pm Mon 18 May 09

Charter Trustees apolitical! what a joke.

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Comments are closed on this article.

Mayor of High Wycombe Councillor Julie Pritchard on Saturday Freemason row: Mayor releases statement


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