When St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth needed urgent practical help to keep its Guiding Lights project on track, members of Western District United Services Lodge No. 2258 were ready to answer the call.
Earlier this week, St Luke’s faced an unexpected challenge. The two companies originally due to design and construct the formwork required for the final three lighthouse sculptures were unfortunately unable to assist. With critical concrete pours scheduled and only hours available to find a solution, the charity needed help quickly.
Not ones to shy away from a challenge in support of a worthy local cause, W Bro Mikey Collings and Bro Jordan Kelevra stepped forward. With time against them, they set to work designing, measuring, cutting, assembling, and problem-solving in the summer sunshine. Their efforts were supported by a generous donation of materials from Bro Carl Warden.
Thanks to their hard work, the required formwork was completed with just hours to spare, allowing the pours to go ahead and ensuring the project could continue without delay.
The work forms part of St Luke’s Guiding Lights, a major public art trail that will see more than 40 beautifully decorated lighthouse sculptures placed across Plymouth and the surrounding area during the summer of 2026. Each lighthouse will be uniquely decorated by an artist and sponsored by a local organisation, creating a colourful trail for families, residents, and visitors to enjoy.
The project is not only about art and discovery. At its heart, Guiding Lights is about raising awareness and vital funds for St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth, which provides specialist care and support for people with progressive life-limiting illnesses across Plymouth, South West Devon, and East Cornwall.
Devonshire Freemasons are proud to be supporting the project as sponsors of one of the lighthouse sculptures on the trail.
Once the trail has finished, the sculptures will be brought together before being auctioned, helping to raise funds for the compassionate end-of-life care St Luke’s provides to patients and families in the local community.
For WDUS Lodge, this was a simple but powerful example of Freemasonry in action: practical skills, freely given time, and quiet determination brought together in support of a much-loved local charity.
Service to others does not always begin with grand gestures. Sometimes it begins with a phone call, a problem to solve, and a few good people willing to roll up their sleeves.
On this occasion, that was enough to help keep St Luke’s Guiding Lights shining.
