Freemasons donate £1,000 to Hospiscare’s Kings House in Honiton

This year as part of the freemasons annual support of hospices throughout the country Craig Cox can be seen presenting a certificate denoting the £1000 given on behalf of the Freemasons of Devonshire and the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) to Carey Mackenzie & Rachel Willmott at Hospiscare’s Kings House Day Hospice in Honiton.

The Masonic Charitable Foundation each year give grants totalling £750,000 to 203 hospices in England and Wales, including £10,350 to eight hospices here in Devon as part of the £14 million total given since 1984. This includes £300,000 which has been distributed between the hospices that each receives less than 60% funding from the NHS. A further £450,000 will be provided to the national charity for hospice care, Hospice UK, in a partnership aimed at widening access and addressing barriers to local hospice services to ensure they are accessible to everyone.

The Freemasons have been long-term supporters of Hospiscare’s Kings House in Honiton, and along with individual donations made by many of the 131 Lodges that meet throughout the county and the MCF together, have donated nearly £135,000 to Hospiscare since 1994.                               

On receiving the certificate, Carey Mackenzie, Hospiscare’s Grants and Appeals Officer, said: “I am delighted to receive the £1000 donation from the Freemasons on behalf of Hospiscare’s Kings House Day Hospice.  This will go a long way in helping us support our patients in the East Devon area.  We are reliant on 82% of our funding coming from voluntary sources and wouldn’t be able to deliver our care without the community’s support and organisations such as the Freemasons and the MCF.”

Hospiscare’s Kings House Day Hospice opened in 2015 with great support from the local community. Patients have access to specialist help and support, advice and treatment, and Hospiscare’s local team of Community Nurse Specialists that support patients in their own homes are also based there. 

Craig Cox, when he presented the certificate said, “It is a delight to be here with such dedicated and wonderful people, the Freemasons are very happy to be able to help by making this donation towards the on-going work of Hospiscare. The dedication to the staff to the people of this area that need help is admirable - long may it continue.”