£15,000 for Carers in Bedfordshire

The Charity Carers In Bedfordshire, based in Bedford, have just been awarded a grant from the Masonic Charitable Foundation for £15,000 under The Freemasons’ COVID-19 Community Fund.

The money will be used to redevelop their website and incorporate new digital tools to better meet carers’ needs.  As a specialist Carers’ charity, they provide information on a wide range of topics from mental health to power of attorney.

The redeveloped website will;

• Modernise the layout and improve navigation
• Create the facility to upload videos for carers who cannot attend events live
• Create an on-line discussion forum so carers can ask questions, start conversations and engage with each other at any time of day.
• Make it easier to register for their services or book an event on-line.
• Introduce a live chat feature to give carers another option for contacting them.
• Update the photography and create videos to make the website more appealing to carers finding the charity for the first time.

They will also work with their database provider to create a ‘Carers’ Portal’.

Martin Wilson, Provincial Grand Charity Steward, said “We identified the Charity in Bedford that met the criteria of the COVID-19 Community Fund and approached them to see how we could assist.  After submitting an application on their behalf to the MCF we had an agonising wait until this last week when we were informed that the bid had been successful.”

This is just one of the various charities in Bedfordshire that has been supported by the MCF.  The grants made by the MCF can only continue through the support of your, and the Provinces’, support of the MCF through the Festival system.