It’s always a pleasure to visit the region’s Hospices with a donation.
Asst PGM W.Bro Timothy Golder and Prov Press Officer Bro Alec Collyer MBE met with Fundraising Officer Debbie Shotton to present her with a joint MCF / Devonshire donation of £4000.
Chatting to Debbie we learnt that ‘All hospices have a crisis in funding” which has been made significantly worse by the Governments increase in both the National Living wage and NIC contributions.
Rowcroft need £10M a year to operate, thats £23K a day, the NHS provides 24% but that leaves the other 76% to be fundraised. Gifts in Wills account for around 20% of that percentage.
Nursing care is now a lot more ‘Fluid’ so nurses can operate between ‘in hospice’ and at patients’ homes where 70% of us wish to spend our last days. The In patient rooms are expanding from 12 to 14 en-suite and are being upgraded and refreshed. Rowcroft operates a social enterprise company ‘Devon farm kitchen’ which provides frozen meals, and it’s profits go back into the Hospice.
Debbi Shotton (Rowcroft Community Fundraising Officer):
“The support of Devonshire Freemasons means so much to us, our patients, and those closest to them. We provide care and support to around 2,500 people across South Devon every single year, and we couldn’t continue to do that without kind donations like this. Whether it is on our Inpatient Unit, our Outpatient Unit, or in their own homes, we want to be there for patients facing the most difficult of times, providing specialist palliative care and support, where and when it is need the most. This generous donation of £4,000 will help us do that, and we are incredibly grateful.”
Asst PGM W.Bro Timothy Golder:
“Whenever we visit the Hospices in Devon i’m amazed about how they go about raising the massive funding they need to keep functioning. I’m also very pleased to see how much individual Lodges donate throughout the year. I’ve had personal experience of Rowcroft with a close family member, and they have huge respect from me.”
Charity has always been a core principle of Freemasonry, and Devonshire’s Freemasons contribute to the Masonic Charitable Foundation nationally www.mcf.org.uk .
Over the last 300 years Freemasons have established a number of charities – including schools, care homes and a hospital. The Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) was created in 2016 and brought together the work of four separate charities: The Freemasons’ Grand Charity, The Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys, The Masonic Samaritan Fund and the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution
Funded entirely through the generosity of Freemasons and their families, the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) is one of the largest grant-making charities in the country.
We build better lives by enabling opportunity, advancing healthcare and education and promoting independence.
In the Photo
Debbie Shotton (Rowcroft Fundraising Officer), W.Bro Timothy Golder (Asst PGM Devonshire Freemasons) and Bro Alec Collyer (Prov Press Officer Devonshire Freemasons).
Bro. Alec Collyer
Provincial Press Officer