FREEMASONS in Christchurch, the New Forest and Bournemouth donated thousands of toys for children in need this Christmas.

The Mayor of Bournemouth, Cllr Anne Filer, was at the Freemasons’ Hall, in Knowle Road, Bournemouth where she was handed the items given by members.

She said she was “blown away” by the generosity of the Freemasons, and also presented cheques totalling £900 to a number of charities the group has been collecting for.

They were the Salvation Army, Hope 4 Food, the Dorset Children’s Foundation and the Mayor’s charity, Macmillan Caring Locally.

The toys will be distributed by various charities to youngsters who are disadvantaged and might not receive any presents.

“I’m completely blown away by the boxes and boxes of toys for children. And they are of an amazing quality – any child would be happy to receive them,” the mayor said.

“They will give children a happy Christmas and I’d like to express my sincere thanks.

“The mayoralty has changed from lots of dinners and formal events to doing things like this and helping people get what they need.”

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Chris Lockwood, who heads the Freemasons in Bournemouth, Christchurch and the New Forest, said: “It was great to have the mayor visit us and see some of what we do.

“Our members support national charities but also spend a lot of time raising money and helping local charities and good causes in our communities.

“There were around 3,000 toys collected which will go to children who otherwise might have nothing to open at Christmas.

“We also had 500 soft toys that were crocheted by a member’s wife and they are unique and will be distributed.

“It was also great to be able to ask the mayor to present some cheques on our behalf. We don’t ask for donations from the public, so the money all comes from our members.”