Freemasons donate £800 to Hospiscare's Pine Lodge

This year as part of their annual support of hospices throughout the country the Provincial Grand Master of Devonshire Rt. W. Bro. Ian Kingsbury can be seen presenting a certificate denoting the £800 given on behalf of the Devonshire Freemasons and the Masonic Charitable Foundation to Denise Hook, Sarah Burns and Chris Webber at Hospiscare’s Pine Lodge Day Hospice in Tiverton.

The Masonic Charitable Foundation will this year give grants totalling £600,000 to the 245 hospices in England and Wales, including nearly £7,000 to seven hospices here in Devon as part of the £12 million total given since 1984. This will include £300,000 which has been distributed amongst the hospices that each receives less than 65% funding by the NHS. A further £300,000 will be provided to the national charity for hospice care, Hospice UK, in a partnership aimed at developing and extending bereavement support services in hospices. 

The Freemasons have been long term supporters of Hospiscare’s Pine Lodge, Tiverton and along with individual donations made by many of the 133 Lodges that meet throughout the county and together with the Masonic Charitable foundation have donated nearly £105,000 to Hospiscare.

  On receiving the certificate, Denise Hook, Community Fundraiser, commented: “It is wonderful news that we have again been lucky enough to be awarded £800 to support our specialist care at Pine Lodge Day Hospice this year.  We are reliant on over 80% of our funding coming from voluntary sources such as the Masonic Charitable Foundation, and would not be able to deliver our care to terminally ill patients in the local area without this support. Thank you from all at Hospiscare.”

Hospiscare’s Pine Lodge Day Hospice, which can be found on Post Hill Tiverton, provides day hospice services as well as acting as the base for Hospiscare’s local community nurses that support patients and their families in their own homes with specialist end of life care.

The Provincial Grand Master Rt. W. Bro. Ian Kingsbury on presenting the certificate said: “It’s always a delight to be here with such dedicated and wonderful people. The Freemasons are very happy to help by making this donation towards the on-going work of the hospice and appreciate the dedicated staff and volunteers who work here. Long may it continue.”