Essex Freemasons fund new Hospice service to care homes

Farleigh Hospice has launched a major new programme, funded by Essex Freemasons, to support residents at care homes across mid Essex with critical end of life and palliative care.

The programme will cost £33,000 to deliver, money donated by Essex Freemasons via the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) and is urgently needed to support the care home sector which has been badly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Debbie de Boltz, Fundraising Manager for Farleigh Hospice, explained: “We knew there was an urgent need to extend the Hospice service into care homes but until now we never had the resources to make this happen.”

“This grant from Essex Freemasons has made all the difference and will allow us to strengthen our team enabling us to launch this new programme, which in turn will provide the critical support needed for residents and staff at care homes.”

In practical terms care homes can now work more closely with the Hospice, helping to identify residents approaching the end of life who can choose to remain where they are or be transferred to the Hospice for specialist support.

The £33,000 grant is part of a £100,000 package of donations from Essex Freemasons and the MCF for Hospices across the county. Similar grants of £30,000 plus have been given to St Helena at Colchester and St Luke’s in Basildon.

“Hospices have always attracted support from Freemasons,” said Peter Hollingsworth, Assistant Provincial Grand Master for Essex Freemasons. “I am delighted that we have once again been able to fund vital new projects to ensure that they can keep up their fantastic work in the community.”

Farleigh Hospice provides care for any type of illness that is considered life-limiting, including cancer, neurological diseases, and chronic heart, lung, and renal diseases, both in their Inpatient Unit or in a patient’s home environment. This service has now been extended to care homes as a result of the Grant.

In addition to MCF Grants of more than £450,000 donated to Hospices nationally, Essex Masons traditionally support local hospices across the county with combined donations exceeding more than £50,000 each year.