Following on from a donation of £395 from Maidstone’s Robinson Lodge of Mark Master Masons to the Maidstone branch of Parkinson’s UK, the Lodge’s Arthur Roberts and KMBF Chair Fred Brown, recently revisited the group to present a cheque for an additional £360 to enable the renewal of their singing therapy equipment.
L-R Arthur Roberts – Robinson Lodge, Sue Thistlethwaite – Parkinson’s Maidstone, Fred Brown – KMBF.
When Arthur became Worshipful Master of Robinson Lodge in 2024 he nominated Parkinson’s as his chosen Charity for the year. Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological condition, which means that it causes problems in the brain and gets worse over time.
The Maidstone group, like others locally and nationally, provides friendship and support to people with Parkinson’s, their families and carers.
When the Charity started singing therapy at the Maidstone support group around seven years ago, they purchased some cheap hardback lever arch type folders to keep the song-sheets in and a plastic trolley to store /carry them. Both folders and trolley are showing their age after regular use and wear and tear. During one of his visits, Arthur became aware of this and petitioned the KMBF for financial support to replace them with more modern lighter user friendly equivalents, and a lighter, (though more robust), trolley for their storage and transportation.
Sue Thistlethwaite, Parkinson’s Maidstone Branch Secretary, told us “The replacement folders and trolley will make an appreciable difference to our branch operations and the support for our members. The singing group is very therapeutic as well as beneficial to those who attend. It helps strengthen the voice by exercising the vocal cords and trains participants to sing and this helps them speak more positively.” Adding; “This can help overcome feelings of isolation which can happen when speaking in groups. Having the funds to continue providing this facility is very important to ensure those affected by Parkinson’s can continue as long as possible to enjoy social activities. The lighter folders and new trolley will also make an appreciable difference to whoever has to transport them to the sessions as the old ones are heavy and unwieldy.”