You have probably accessed this website through the Provincial Grand Lodge of Sussex.

In that website there is a section headed "What is Freemasonry" which includes significant detail of the various charities and charitable practices that relate to freemasonry. It is not, therefore, necessary to repeat those details here, but, only, to refer to our activities as a private lodge.

All members make a contribution to The Grand Charity under the control of the United Grand Lodge of England and this is paid annually with the relevant annual dues and is included in our annual subscription.

At almost any given time the Province of Sussex will be running a Festival for a particular masonic fund. For example we have just finished raising funds for the 2004 Sussex Festival for the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution. The target was set at approximately £2.4 million, which was exceeded. These Festivals are spaced about eleven to twelve years apart and reach their climax with a Festival presided over by the Provincial Grand Master at which the funds raised are presented to a representative of the applicable Charity or Fund.

All lodge members are expected to make an annual contribution to this fund and this is normally done under a deed of covenant that enables tax to be reclaimed. Targets are set for each lodge and, hence, for the Province as a whole. We have had festivals in 1966, 1978, 1989 and 1997 (a mini-festival) and laterly in 2004.

Since its formation, the Arthur Jolly Lodge has always exceeded its target and ,on a per capita basis, have been in the top few lodges in the Province.

However in addition to these central funds, the Arthur Jolly Lodge has its own Benevolent Fund and a Welfare Fund and also raises funds to support non- masonic charities. These are achieved by a combination of alms, collections, raffles, social functions etc.

The particular distinguishing feature of masonic charity fund raising is that all contributions come from the members themselves, or on the occasions such as a Ladies Night, Summer Barbecue etc from invited friends, who may not themselves be masons, and, of course, their ladies.