Picture: Judith Williams, Funding & Projects Coordinator and Stephen Hookey, Head of West Wales Freemasons
Paul Sartori Hospice at Home based in Haverfordwest has been chosen to receive a grant of £500 from West Wales Freemasons.
The grant from West Wales Freemasons comes through the Masonic Charitable Foundation, and will be used to support the specialist care they offer to those in the later stages of any life limiting illness.
This is just one of 245 grants to hospices around the country from Freemasons. In total £600,000 will be donated to hospices all over England and Wales this year.
This includes £450,000 which will be distributed to each hospice that receives less than 65per cent funding from the NHS. A further £150,000 will be provided to the national charity for hospice care, Hospice UK, in a pilot partnership aimed at developing and extending bereavement support services in hospices.
Contributions from Freemasons to hospices have exceeded £12 million in England and Wales since 1984 and are continuing to increase at a rate of £600,000 a year.
Judith Williams, Funding and Projects Coordinator for Paul Sartori Hospice at Home said: “We are very grateful to West Wales Freemasons for their generous grant. This will help us to continue to offer specialist care throughout Pembrokeshire.” Adding “We are passionate about delivering services which make a real difference to people, their families, friends and carers.”
Stephen Hookey from West Wales Freemasons said: “I’m very pleased we’ve been able to assist Paul Sartori Hospice at Home. They do an outstanding job helping people with terminal or life limiting conditions, as well as supporting their families through very difficult times.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
For further information please contact Guy Roberts, Press Officer (groberts@mcf.org.uk |0203 146 3311)
About the Masonic Charitable Foundation
The Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) is one of the largest grant-making charities in the country. Funded entirely through the generosity of Freemasons and their families, the MCF awards millions of pounds each year to local and national charities that help vulnerable people, advance medical research and provide opportunities for young people. The MCF also helps to fund vital services such as hospices and air ambulances and regularly contributes to worldwide appeals for disaster relief. In total, MCF support helps to improve the lives of thousands of people every year in England, Wales and internationally. As well as providing grants to charities, the MCF supports Masonic families with a financial, health or family need. Visit www.mcf.org.uk
Paul Sartori Hospice at Home Service:
• is particularly keen to dispel the belief that it is a ‘cancer charity’ as this deters people with other life-limiting conditions from contacting the Paul Sartori Foundation (approximately 35% have a non-cancer diagnosis)
• operates an open referral system with over 15% of referrals from patients, family and friends. The biggest referral group is District Nurses, followed by Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialists and hospital staff
• was established in memory of Father Paul Sartori, a much loved local priest, who recognised a need for hospice care, but unfortunately died of cancer at the age of 39. The Foundation was set up in his memory and provides care to people with any or no faith, and not just Catholics
• charity was registered in 1982 and celebrates its 35th anniversary in 2017