LD North East, a Wallsend-based charity dedicated to supporting people with learning difficulties, has received a generous donation of £1,000 from Northumberland Freemasons. This vital funding will support the charity’s choir, Northern Notes, ensuring its continued success and enabling further community engagement.
LD North East focuses on enhancing the quality of life for people with learning disabilities by helping them achieve three key goals: feeling good inside, maintaining physical health, and fostering social connections. The charity addresses serious issues such as social isolation, hate crime, and ensuring individuals receive the benefits and support they need. By offering activities and support that many take for granted, LD North East helps individuals build essential social skills and live more fulfilled lives.
The Northern Notes choir, composed of around 30 adults with learning disabilities and autism, meets every Friday at a local church in Wallsend. The choir performs a repertoire of classic Geordie songs, including “Blaydon Races” and “Fog on the Tyne.” Over the years, the choir has performed at prestigious events across the region and will soon make an appearance at the Mouth of the Tyne Festival. Recently, the choir recorded their first professional CD, made possible by previous crowdfunding efforts. The CD is set for release in the coming weeks, marking a significant milestone for the choir.
The connection with the Northumberland Freemasons began through Keith, a long-time choir member, whose father John Hetherington is a Freemason. Faced with the potential shutdown of the choir due to financial constraints, Keith’s family supported a crowdfunding campaign. Recognising the choir’s importance to Keith and his fellow members, his father approached the Freemasons, resulting in this substantial donation.
Danielle Falcus from LD North East said: “This generous donation will be used to replace aging equipment, purchase new performance T-shirts, and cover travel costs for performances further afield. The funding will also help the choir achieve its dream of performing in Northumberland and beyond.”
Stuart Cairns from Northumberland Freemasons explained that each year, the Provincial Grand Lodge of Northumberland through the Richard Henry Holmes Masonic Benevolent Fund donates around £160,000 to local charities and good causes including food banks to boost worthwhile and deserving projects throughout Northumberland, Newcastle, and North Tyneside.
“This is a great example of how a charity is going beyond its day-to-day activities by running a choir to help the people they support. We are delighted to help fund a small part of their activities and we look forward to hearing them sing across the region.”
Freemasons buildings in the Province of Northumberland can be found in:
Alnwick, Amble, Ashington, Bedlington, Bellingham, Berwick, Blyth, Byker, Cramlington, Haltwhistle, Hexham, Mickley, Morpeth, Newbiggin, Jesmond, Newcastle, North Shields, Seahouses, Seaton Delaval, Shiremoor, Throckley, Wallsend, Whitley Bay and Wylam.