At the last meeting of the RMTGB's Petitions Committee, seven non-Masonic charities were awarded grants ranging from £6,000 - £30,000 as part of the RMTGB's Stepping Stones scheme.

Together, these grants amounted to over £125,000 and were were awarded in addition to three grants which had already made earlier in the year. The total amount awarded by Stepping Stones in 2011 was around £175,000.

The latest tranche of grants were made to:

• The National Literacy Trust
• Centrepoint
• Family Support Work
• WellChild
• The Roundhouse Trust
• Sailors’ Children's Society
• Venturers Search and Rescue

Much like the RMTGB, these charities all work to reduce the impact of poverty on children’s education and welfare.

Together the grants made in 2011 will provide assistance to over 700 children and young people throughout England and Wales.

The positive impact that Stepping Stones is having is clearly illustrated by Thomas (pictured), a young boy with cerebral palsy who was provided with mobility equipment. His new equipment was supplied by Motability which received a grant from Stepping Stones in July 2011.

Thomas’ mother said that the support she received “has had the biggest positive impact on our ability to live our lives more easily than any kind of help we have had before.”