Hertfordshire and East Herts Freemasons' donation to Grove Cottage, the home of Mencap in Bishop's Stortford

Hertfordshire Freemasons have supported Grove Cottage in Bishop's Stortford with an £800 donation.

The gift was presented to Natasha Rayner, deputy manager of the special needs nursery at the London Road charity, the home of Mencap in Stortford, by Colin Mackay on behalf of the East Herts Border Lodge and the Provincial Grand Lodge of Hertfordshire.

Grove Cottage fundraising assistant Alison Cameron said: "We would like to thank the [lodges] for their kind and generous donation, which will help us continue to provide activities and services for local people with learning disabilities, including our special needs nursery. It is very much appreciated.

"It costs nearly £400,000 to run Grove Cottage for one year and we receive no central funding from Mencap and very little statutory funding, therefore we rely heavily on donations such as this to allow us to continue."

The London Road centre provides social and educational activities for people of all ages with learning disabilities.