What is a Provincial Lodge?
A Provincial Lodge (or a Provincial Grand Lodge) is an administrative sub-division of a Freemasonry Grand Lodge. Under the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) jurisdiction, Provincial Grand Lodges are the regional authorities of the organization all over England and Wales, as well as in the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. At this time, the number of Provincial Grand Lodges regulated by UGLE is 47. The majority of these lodges have boundaries that mainly overlap with the ones from the historic England counties. A Provincial Grand Lodge is commandeered by a Provincial Grand Master.
Provincial Lodge Charitable Work
A lot of Provincial Lodges are popular for their charitable work. Although not the organization's primary activity, charity forms are important parts in Freemasonry and allows Masons to provide support and offer assistance to those who are in need. Most of the Provincial Lodges, like the Provincial Grand Lodge of Essex, only collects funds at their own assemblies and functions, but not the general public. Even with this limited scope for fund-raising, Masonic charities are able to share millions of pounds every year to causes that are not exclusively related (sometimes even without a connection) to the brotherhood.
In the Provincial Grand Lodge of Gloucestershire, the lodge’s charity work involve the care of ill children and older people. Over 50 percent of the funds raised by the Masons for charity are bestowed to non-Masonic charities, local and nationwide, in support of the respective organizations' works for the benefit of the local neighbourhood and the general society. This consists of long-term financing for medical research for the cure of ovarian and prostate cancer.
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