Masonic lodge reaches milestone of £100,000 raised for the Hospice

Saint Francis Lodge in Upminster has been connected with Saint Francis Hospice ever since it was founded in 1995. So far it has raised over £100,000 to help fund the care of people who are seriously ill and ensure their families receive the support they need. Here Colin Rowe, Charity Steward at the Lodge, tells us why the local freemasons have no plans to stop fundraising for the hospice.

Our Lodge is incredibly proud of its association with Saint Francis Hospice over the past 27 years and the contribution we make to caring for people in our community who desperately need the charity’s experienced care and compassion.

Every year we hold collections during our meetings where our members make generous donations and we also host an annual golf day for the hospice too.

Members of the Lodge have continued this annual tradition since one of our founding members, Ralph Martin, spoke to the hospice back in 1995 about naming the new lodge after the hospice’s namesake Saint Francis and focussing our fundraising efforts on supporting the hospice. 

Ralph was a volunteer driver with Saint Francis Hospice for many years and he would give up his time to bring patients to what was known as the Day Hospice (now Pemberton Place) at the time, so they could enjoy a whole range of activities and meet other patients.  Through his volunteering, Ralph saw first-hand the care and support patients and families received and the difference it made to their lives. The rest, as they say, is history!

Times may have changed but the ethos of the hospice and the excellent end of life care it delivers to local people never has.  

As well as making an annual donation, in 2018, our Lodge was delighted to recognise the wonderful volunteers who support the hospice by sponsoring the cost of the award badges presented each year to its long serving volunteers.

Recently we invited Lisa Denison from the hospice’s fundraising team along to the Lodge to receive our latest donation of £2,000 and members were humbled to hear about the impact their support was making to the lives of patients and families under the hospice’s care.  

We know the demand for the hospice services is increasing and the charity relies on donations to fund its services. That’s why our support will continue.

We’d love to hear from anyone who would like to get involved and join us as we raise even more funds for Saint Francis Hospice. To find out more visit www.stfrancislodge.co.uk.