DEDICATED staff at a Coalpit Heath-based charity saw their hard work rewarded with two special presentations.

A cheque for £1,000 from the Gloucestershire Freemasons was presented to Paul’s Place founder Kath Aldom whilst her years of work for the charity saw her presented with two special gifts by the outgoing High Sheriff of Gloucestershire.

The Gloucestershire Freemasons donate more than £10,000 to local charities each year and handed over a cheque to Paul’s Place on the recommendation of the former High Sheriff of Gloucestershire Thomas Frost.

He then presented Kath Aldom, who was awarded an MBE in 2008, with a special tankard and certificate for the work she had done for the charity which supports 350 adults with physical disabilities.

Paul’s Place was set up in June 1995 and relies in donations upwards of £100,000 each year to continue its vital work.

“I first met Kath about a year ago when I visited Paul’s Place to see the work they do for people in the area,” said Thomas Frost of Thornbury.

“She is fully deserving of all the honours she is given. This is such a good cause and no one has achieved anything like what she has in supporting people here.”

Provincial Grand Master of Gloucestershire, Tim Henderson-Ross, presented a cheque on behalf of the Freemasons praising the support the charity offers to people in the region.

“We give out between £14,000 and £15,000 a year to charities and organisations in Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire but we know that we may be unaware of work being carried out by many,” he said.

“As such we asked Thomas Frost, as High Sheriff, to recommend a group that could benefit from a donation.

“We were delighted to support Paul’s Place on his advice for the dedication staff gives to people”.

Paul’s Place works with a number of carers and has a dedicated social worker to provide support to hundreds of adults with disabilities across the region.

About 70 per cent of the people supported by the charity come from South Gloucestershire and they provide them support five days a week whilst also arranging respite trips for them.

Mrs Aldom said: “I’d like to thank the Freemasons for their donation and Thomas for all his support over the past year.

“It’s really lovely to be given these awards but I don’t do what I do for personal recognition, I do it because I love it and I love everyone here.

“We couldn’t do this work without the support of our staff and all the support we have from the public.”