At Pleiades Mark Lodge Installation on the 14th May,  V.W.Bro Jeff Attwood made comment about the manner in which Mark Masons Charity works in surprising and delightful ways, of which we should be rightly proud.

Oscar, a little boy from Paington, was born 10 weeks premature and suffered neonatal Sepsis at two weeks old, it was soon noticed that he was not making the normal development of a young child. At 18 months after various assessments he was diagnosed with Spastic Diplegic Cerebral Palsy.  With this condition he has increased muscle tone in his legs which means they are constantly stiff (Spasticity) it also causes difficulty in movement, co-ordination and balance. Initially the NHS would not fund the operation needed due to the high cost of after care, but in July last year they changed their mind if they could be assured that the £30,000 needed for after care and equipment could be provided.

By chance V.W.Bro Jeff Atwood met Oscar's Grand Mother at a social event, where she told Jeff that the fund raising efforts had stalled at about £13,000. Jeff said he would see what help he could get from local Lodges in the Torbay area and the cheques soon started coming in.  Bro. Simon Rowe of Amity Mark Lodge (E Comp. Grand Superintendent) became aware of the situation and sent a cheque for £750 and at a meeting of Jordan Lodge 1402 they made a grant of £250 and a collection bringing the total to £625: at that very meeting was visiting Past Provincial Grand Master from Hampshire and Isle of Wight and he passed the information of the case onto his friend Bro. John Prizeman, R.W.Bro Prizeman is the Deputy Grand Master of the Mark Grand Lodge. .  

You can imagine V.W.Bro Jeff's surprise to receive a telephone call from the Deputy Grand Master asking for further information on "Oscar's Happy Feet Appeal", this has resulted in the Mark Benevolent Fund making a top up grant of £6,000 which was presented to Oscar's family prior to the meeting of Torbay Mark Lodge on Friday 10th May by W.Bro. Darren Coleman PAGDC Mark Charities Manager who travelled down from London.

  

Oscar with his parents and brother, R.W.Bro. Peter Balsom and W.Bro. Darren Coleman (Charities Manager MMH)